Grecian Urn...

Apollo watched Hermes from a distance for a long time, gazing as the god wordless walked among the mortal statues. It was a somber sight, the world frozen and silent, devoid of everything that gave them their greatest strength. Hermes’ face betrayed his concern, and dislike for the situation.

“Are you going to stand there watching all day?” Hermes called out finally, looking back at Apollo with a dark expression lit in his eyes.

“You seemed to be entranced….”

Hermes was beside him in a flash, the god of speed looking more like himself than he had since the fall of Zeus. It was that realization that made Apollo cringe slightly, casting his eyes away as he licked his lips.

“You wanted to talk, I assume…” Hermes commented, his arms crossing over his chest in an annoyed air. “So talk…”

“There isn’t any reason not to be civil…”

“I’m being perfectly civil. Civil does not require me to be kind, however, to a brother who betrayed the whole of his people.” Hermes scoffed, turning to step past Apollo. He had no intentions of listening to his brother it seemed.

“Hermes, wait…”

“Why should I?” Hermes snapped, “You! You are the reason everything is like this. How long do you think our world can survive like this? In a world that doesn’t move? People give us our power, their knowledge of us keeps us here. Their buying, their selling, their movies and music, their love, their wars, everything they do keeps us here! Look at them!” His voice echoed like thunder in the stillness, motionless people vibrating with the sheer power behind Hermes’ anger.

“I am sorry….” Closing his eyes, Apollo looked away before he knelt slowly before his brother. “I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I beg for it none the less, my brother. I have been selfish…reckless. Of that I cannot be absolved, I know…”

“Forgive you?” Hermes’ voice sounded hurt more than taken aback. “You want me to forgive you? Why should I? You would have fed me to the wolves!”

“Please!” Apollo cried, looking up at Hermes, “for my crimes I cannot repent enough. Tell me what task you would ask of me, and I would do it…”

“Your fate isn’t in my hands…” Hermes snarled, turning away angrily. His shoulders were tense, and his head was bowed in an uncharacteristic manner.

“Hermes…”

“Just stop! By Zeus, just….just stop.” Hermes glanced over his shoulder at Apollo, eying him cautiously. “Why did you do it?”

“It was meant only to affect Aphrodite, Ares and Hephaestus. I did not intend for the whole pantheon to crumble. “

“Well bravo, brother, because you fucking set us all on our asses. Thank you, it was an excellent experience. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“I did not…”

“You did not, you did not, not, not, not. I got it! Congratulations, you fucked up something you didn’t intend to fuck up. You played with fire, and we all were burned. I’m unbelievably proud. Now go away….”

“Hermes….”

“Go away! Just go. Go apologize to your muses, to your counterpart and the whole mountain. Bleed for them, and then maybe I’ll be ready to give you. Maybe.”

Gaping a little, Apollo sighed and stood. There was little point in trying to argue forgiveness out of Hermes. But…but at least he had tried. It as a start of a long list.

She left the Underworld the same way she had come, transporting herself from the courtyard to her temple, directly back into her temple, making her way quickly through the halls back toward her chambers, both surprised and impressed with herself for not running into any others on her way back. She smiled as she spied the still sleeping form of Apollo in her bed, and moved to sit on the edge of the matress, fingers lightly stroking across the smooth skin of his shoulder.

She shucked her shoes, curling lightly beside him as she waited for him to awake.

Hori waited standing wide-eyed and silent as he mouthed silent protest to his grandfather's harsh words to Eris. And then her own confession? His heart sank a little as he frowned, looking on to his mother silently for a long moment. Waiting for his grandparents to leave.

"I don't think you messed everything up." He said quietly after a while, moving closer to his mother with a sympathetic smile. "And I don't think Sunshine is all that arrogant. Not when it comes to you..." Hori did have a knack for hearing a lie in someone's words, and that was something he had never heard from Apollo's lips. At least with Moms concerned.

Reaching out, Oath took his mother's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Ate, Gramps, Grams, everyone out there that wasn't around here, they don't really know." Alright, so Ate did, but still...this was about cheering Moms up. "They didn't get to see it all, did they?"

For a moment, Hori wished he could make his Grandparents really understand. Not that it was going to happen. Mortals thought changing a sixty year old's mind was heard...try sixty billion year olds.

As soon as the last of the others left, Aphrodite brought the staff of the trident down on the marble floor of the temple, creating a thick wall of water that rose up and surrounded the room. She wanted no interruptions. Satisfied no one would be able to enter or leave without her leave, she leveled her glance firmly at Apollo.

"You're just so proud of yourself, aren't you."

(Continue the meeting here. )

(Note: This takes place after whatever happens in the next round of reps in the meeting... Dite will still reply to those before dragging Hermes away. But since she's doing that regardless...)

Keeping her hand firmly on Hermes' arm, she left the main chamber filled with other deities and entered a small salon to the side (the temple was riddled with small rooms for tete-a-tetes and quiet conversation...) and closed the door before releasing her grip. Her arms crossed over her chest as she studied him for a moment, then sighed, stance relaxing slightly.

"Care to explain why you're offering an admission of guilt, Hermes? I can't imagine being War has screwed my intuition so completely. Tell me what's going on."

Apollo pushed past him, his arms around Eris as he laughed at Hermes. They all left him in the entry way alone, Dite's voice in his head as he tried to make sense...

Everything felt wrong. His hands were shaking as he reached out for the the door, only to pull back a moment later and look away.

It is all wrong Dite, he said softly, Apollo...

He drifted, stumbling back as groaned. It was wrong. It was all wrong. He moved from the entry way, and through Dite's more private quarters. A servant came running toward him, and Hermes jerked away, surprised and startled as he pushed her away.

"I know you were behind it, just fix it all." The girl hissed it at him as he back away, "Die...Die....Poor little Hermes."

"Get away from me!"

She stopped looking at him Maliciously (or that was what he saw) before she turned an ran out of the room, Hermes falling to the floor and crawling into a corner where he hide, curled into a ball and rockin'.

Its all wrong...I didn't do it....I...

Only he wasn't so sure anymore.

Chin up and full of confidence, she walked out of her salon into the main audience chamber, escorted by Deimos. She paused once inside, taking a quick inventory of those there... some were expected of course, and others posed quite the surprise. She pat Deimos arm lightly and released it with a smile.

"I'm going to make the rounds... if you'd like to rejoin your brother, that'd be fine."

If he wished to go with her he was of course welcome, but she doubted he was really in the mood. Seeing as how she already felt a pang of guilt for what she'd asked of him, she saw no need to torture him further. She decided to start at the back, moving to each group of individuals quickly, greeting each deity in turn, offering each a welcome of some sort, stopping only for a moment with each.

"Iris, thank you for coming."

"Anteros, please stop scowling... it's hardly flattering."

"...Flidais. What a surprise.. welcome to my home."

"Artemis. It's good to see you. Thank you for getting the ball rolling with the refreshments... There may have been riots. It's appreciated."

"Hephaestus..." To him she said nothing, just smiled as patted his cheek lightly, thumbing away the lipstick mark left by Artemis' kiss.

She moved closer to where the bulk of her children were gathered, and a small stand off seemed to be happening.

"Harmonia.. Do sit up straight, please.:

"Strife" She offered him a wink. "You're still here and sitting still? Wonders may never cease."

"Ate - It's been a very long time since you've graced my temple."

"Elpis. Welcome."

"Zelos... You already know I'm glad to see you."

"Limos.... my, you've grown up quite handsome, haven't you?"

"Lethe, a pleasure."

She bent down to kiss Phobos,the only one of her children present she'd not seen recently, on the cheek lightly. "You're plotting something, darling... I hope it waits till we're done here."

She straightened and smiled at everyone again, surprised at hose she noticed were missing.. Hermes, most obviously, and Thanatos - though she expected he'd return. Hermes, though - one could never be sure about. He could be dealt with later, though.

"Thank you all for coming. I do appreciate your patience. I wanted to say first that I realize everyone is being affected by this... and I kno no one is very happy. I do not know what has happened - but I plan on working hard to find out what it is, and restore everyone to their rightful selves. I know we're all anxious for answers, and while I can't promise any today, I do hope that maybe collectively we can perhaps pool our knowledge, and see if together we might be able to discover anything."

Hermes appearing before him was not a complete surprise. The two brothers standing at odds with each other, while still completely at easy in the other’s company was the strangest of sights, and yet… The silence was like a blanket laid over them, and the whole temple. The usual glow of light was dark, and even the open spaces seemed to have settled with an unearthly gloom.

“What did you do?” Hermes asked boldly, breaking the silence of the dark audience chamber.

“Do?” Apollo raised a darkened brow, shaking his head slowly as he stood from his throne and stepped out into the open space. His arms were thrown wide, and his blonde curls much more manageable than Hermes’, clear of his eyes as he regarded his brother. “Hermes, whatever are you talking about?”

( I'm talking about... )

After making her decision to head home and bidding farewell to Thanatos, Artemis set about breaking down her camp, while her stew cooked on an open campfire. Her plan was to eat, go home check things out and then find her brother. It seemed as she had made her decision just in time too as the rainforest seemingly shook around her.

"Must be one large storm coming in" she comments to herself as she pulls the pungent boiling pot off the fire. Artemis then took a look down into the pot, feeling sick immediately. She drops the pot watching in horror as a chunk of meat slops out of the side as she staggers back, dropping to her knees a safe distance away to stare at her hands seeing blood that's only visible to her eyes.

"What have I done? Ohh what have I done? Apollo. APOLLO!"

Feeling still rather shaken and needing to get away from that pots horrid contents Artemis closes her eyes and wills her shaken being back home landing in the main courtyard of her brother's temple reaching out for him along their bond as soon as she materializes.

"Apollo...I killed it. A poor little animal."

She glances at her hands still seeing the blood and entrails that she had washed off only a hour or so before and gags, before rising to her feet and heading toward the closest fountain, plunging her hands in an attempt to get them clean...well cleaner.

Klio just smiled, the expression fading a bit as Apollo asked about Helios. "He is the reason Melpomene is outside." Thalia nodded, chiming in. "I do not think he's well."


Out in the back gardens, Melpomene hummed ancient tunes in an effort to keep herself calm. Helios was cold... not just lacking his normal warmth, but getting chilled. She could hear her sisters in her head, telling her Apollo was found, he was home, he was hurt, he was fine... and it took all her effort to not snap at them and tell them to get him out here. There were 8 of them, and they couldn't handle one god? And if one more of them told her to calm down, she'd...

She'd do nothing. There was nothing she could do.

The smoke twisted about the darkness, the camp fire flickering with the wind. Apollo’s usual glow was gone, his bright clothing replaced with darker shades. His eyes reflected the light, giving the Golden God a look of evil…

The items he tossed into the fire could have been anything nondescript, a well crafted piece of jewelry, a leather brace, a hilt of a broken sword… Nothing that would be missed by their owners, but each holding a particular importance.

The incantation was simplistic, the items popping and smoldering as he whispered the ancient Greek in hushed tones, the power surging as it built up, pushed out. It exploded with a fiery force with the last syllable of Apollo’s spell, the power pushing him back violently.

He slammed into a rock, the stone shattering behind the force as the Golden God’s eyes bounced open and closed for a moment. But it was pointless, wasn’t it? He couldn’t keep himself awake…and instead, he slipped into unconsciousness.

He hadn’t been hiding, but Apollo had been no where near eager to face his brother or Aphrodite. Zeus help him, but a month ago he would have gladly torn into them, rash and boldly…

And promptly joined his father in whatever dark hell he occupied. Apollo, the lord of balance and light, and everything that seemed to fall under that branch and train of thought, was well aware that alone he was no match for Ares. At least, not in the sense of strength. There would be a certain amount of secrecy needed, and there were truly very on the mount that could so underhandedly manipulate others…

As luck would have, one was his dear sweet brother.

“Hermes,” Apollo called out, hidden from prying eyes behind wards and shadows, his dim glow smothered so that it simmered in a pale rage. “Brother, have you never learned to come when called?”

When Hermes did appear, though, the younger god was giving him a look of untrust, eyes narrowed as he walked slowly toward the golden one. “So, you speak again…I’m surprised…”

“Shut up,” Apollo snapped, eyes flashing with a golden brilliance. “You, you I wanted to speak with because you destroyed this pantheon.”

Hermes held up his arms, dancing back quickly as his eyes narrowed and his lips grew tight. “Woah, no. I didn’t do anything, Golden Boy. I might have made a mistake, but I didn’t drop the ax ok?”

“Might as well have,” Apollo said moodily, his hands clasped at the small of his back as he flexed his fingers. He had been neglecting his duties in favor of brooding, and it was time to find a new outlet. “And now…now you will help me restore order.”

“Has it occurred to you that maybe what this pantheon needs is a bit of stability.”

“So you sided with him? With Ares!”

“More like I sided with her, and say fuck him.”

Apollo scowled, before advancing Hermes with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Hermes,” he scowled as his younger brother rolled his eyes. “You ow—“

“I do not owe you anything, Apollo. I do not owe this pantheon anything. If you recall, you tried to kill me the same day. So don’t give me the ‘you owe me’ speech. You, you of all of us knows what it means to oppose Zeus. You tried and failed years ago, and now your pissed because Ares did what you couldn’t!”

“He had no right!”

“Well neither do you!”

They stood there, glaring at each other for a long time. Apollo slightly taller, and heavier than Hermes, but never doubting that the slighter god could hold his own in a fight if need be. Hermes always seemed to have a trick up his sleeve…

“They have too much power, Hermes. Power they do not have a right to.”

“Oh yeah? Well who has that power if they don’t? Who do you trust to rule?...Athena? Art? Yourself? Heh, I don’t want it…I’m not that stupid, and you shouldn’t be either, Apollo.”

“Hermes…”

“What? What do you want? You want me to…tell you, ‘sure kill them all! No big!’ what? Sorry, bro, no can do. See, Ares? He is half dense, but he isn’t very trusting right now. And top that off, no one here deserves as much power as you are suggesting one god takes over. If you want Ares and dumple-boy out of power, you’d do best to bide your time. But Dite….Dite’s off limit, Apollo. She’s more on your side than you might expect…” At least, for now.

“I need help, Hermes…I need help to be rid of Ares and Hephaestus.”

“No…No! I’ve had my hand in the cookie jar too much of late. I’m not ready too stick my neck out again…”

“I never took you for a coward, Hermes.”

“News flash, bud, I’m not the bravest…”

Apollo growled, hand snaking out to grab a hold of his brother firmly and shake him a little. Eyes wide and perhaps a bit dangerous. “Did you loyalty to our faith mean nothing to you?”

“Hey!” Hermes hissed a little, eyes narrowing as Apollo pulled the guilt card, making him scoff. “Of course it did, asshole. But kids grow up, Apollo. Eventually we all learn to move on. Like you should be doing…”

“Hermes!”

“What?!”

“Swear to me….Swear to me, Hermes, that you won’t stand in my way when I seek vengeance for our father…Swear it!” Apollo’s grip was like in iron vice, Hermes eyes wide as he hissed.

“I swear it!”

“On the Styx, Hermes, swear it on the Styx…”

“I swear it, in the name of Styx…I won’t stand in your way of vengeance against Ares and Heph!”

Apollo pushed him away before disappearing, leaving Hermes standing alone and frowning with no small amount of concern…

Apollo, in his professional opinion, had lost it.