Who: Hecate & Charon What: Old Friends Having Tea Where: Two Torches Occult Shop When: November 25th, Sunset Warnings: None
HECATE: The sun had just begun to set, casting shadows throughout the Two Torches shop. Hecate straightened up a few things that some teenagers had come in and messed with. There were always the serious shoppers who knew what crystals they wanted or tea blends they needed. They came quietly, looked around, got what they needed, thanked ‘Delia’ and left.
And then there were those who thought everything was funny. They came in and made ghostly noises holding crystals in front of their faces, bought tarot decks that they knew nothing about and, Hecate assumed, took them home and played solitaire with it? Rarely, she felt the spark of magic off of one of them and she tried to take a bit of extra interest in he or she. If she could get them to come back without their groups, sometimes she could gain a student. Today, though, had been more of the frustrating same.
Tonight, however, she had company coming. Charon had wanted to come by for… what, she was not sure of. He said help with meditation, but the goddess sensed there was more behind his request. She had no premonition skills to speak of, but she’d been around and awake long enough to know when something was afoot. She closed down most of the shop and, as the sun dipped lower, she walked to the door to wait for the ferryman to arrive.
CHARON: Charon had spent most of the day not doing much. His weekends were precious to him, and he liked to unwind, catch up on work around the house, and sometimes do things with his brothers if they weren’t busy.
He left a note for them, letting them know that he’d be back later, and headed out to catch the train to Hecate’s shop. He’d told her the truth online, a lot of people, both in his family and at work, kept telling him he needed to relax. The problem was, that was getting harder and harder to do. Tensions among the Olympians were at an all-time high, and it was stressing him out.
He arrived at the shop as the sun was starting to slip below the horizon, letting himself in and rubbing his hands to warm them up. He really needed to remember to get gloves. He smiled when he noticed her standing near the door. “Gods, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” he laughed.
HECATE: There was an air of magic that just hung around her like a cloak, no matter what she did. It was one of the reasons that she didn’t try to pretend to be anything other than what she was. Sure, she went by an assumed name, but Delia was now and always had been some kind of witch. A local medicine woman, a forest witch, and now an occult teacher. She’d been called magic personified before, and she enjoyed being that. Hecate was glad she’d avoided the curse. How could a human soul have housed her?
Seeing Charon approach, she smiled and stepped up to him, taking his cold hands into hers and leaned in to kiss each cheek. “You are not well inside. You have come just in time. Come. I will make tea.” She lead him further in and locked the door behind them, pushing a curtain open that lead to a back room. There was a sofa, a plush rug with cozy pillows, a low table with a variety of tarot decks spread around in various states of readings. “Sit where you feel you will be comfortable. I’ll take tea.”
Hecate went to some jars and began to scoop a different mix of leaves and flowers into a tea ball and then put a kettle on a stove that was also hidden away in the back. Hecate spent a lot of time at the Two Torches, to say the least. “Is it meditation you truly seek with me or is it my ear you wish to bend?”
CHARON: “Seems like a bit of an understatement, but you’re not wrong,” Charon sighed, kissing her cheeks in return. He shed his coat and let out a long breath through his nose, feeling something unclench slightly in his chest just from being here. He’d known Hecate for a very long time. If she couldn’t settle his mind, then no one could.
“Tea would be great, thank you,” he answered, following her into the back. He folded himself onto the sofa, letting out another sigh as he closed his eyes. It was warm here, and there was a spice he could smell that was heavy and pleasant. It was nice.
He cracked open an eye at her question, smiling slightly. “Can’t get anything past you, hmm?” he asked. “Both, if we’re being honest. There’s a lot of insanity going around, more than usual. My sisters gave prophecy for the first time in I don’t know how long, and the royalty of Olympus would rather squabble, or accuse them of being manipulated by Kronos, than listen.”
HECATE: The tea was a mix of things that, if she were being honest, she wasn’t even paying attention to. Her hands just reached and mixed and soon, she had two cups steeping, one set in front of him and another in front of her as she sat on the sofa next to him. Sitting cross legged, she faced him. He wore a heavy air about him and she wasn’t surprised when he started to talk.
“I heard of the prophecy they gave.” Not a lot escaped her when it came to things like that. People talked when they were in the shop and she always made it a point to listen. “Olympians have long preferred to squabble than listen to advice. That is, I am certain, in part why we are in the situation that we are in now.” She shrugged one shoulder, and leaned her head to the side, continuing to listen. He had not asked for advice. She wouldn’t give it otherwise.
“And how does this affect you?” It was a simple enough question. The old beings sometimes got swept up in the dramas of the Titans or the Olympians and sometimes, even the humans. Right now, though, she wasn’t sure what was causing this to wash over Charon. He was a being of the Underworld, much like herself, and the things above ground often escaped them.
CHARON: “Atropos was furious at Poseidon for days,” Charon told her, laughing quietly into his tea. “Wondering where he got off trying to explain how prophecy worked. To them, of all people. I thought Lachesis was going to smack her with her measuring rod to try and calm her down, but thankfully it didn’t come to that.” “Hades and Persephone are being...difficult, according to the three of them,” Charon sighed. “I’m getting all this information second-hand, I’m left out of all the conversations these days. Because I’m not important to know about things that might impact my home, you know? And it just seems like...I don’t know. If their gauging of the situation is right, it’s like no one wants to work together against the bigger threat. Which, I know, it’s nothing new. But what if the Underworld decides it’s going its own way? We won’t survive fighting on our own. We just won’t. None of us are strong enough. And no one cares about that, they just want to pick fights.”
He paused to sip some tea and moisten his lips and throat. “And it makes me sound like a child, I know. But it was my home before it was theirs. I want it to be rebuilt and thrive again, and we can’t do that if those in charge won’t take the overall situation at hand seriously. I talked to my mother the other day, and she said something similar to what you did, I shouldn’t let the squabbling of children affect me. It’s hard, though. I’m tied to the realm and I’m afraid for it.”
HECATE: “Poseidon assumes much of he thinks he needs to explain prophecy to anyone. I do not recall that being a skill the Ocean King is in possession of.” She blew into the steam of her tea and watched the smoke. “I don’t throw out your leaves, by the way. I will read them when we are done.” She inhaled the steam and then sipped the tea. “Your sisters had a right to be angry at him. And… yes. I can see how you feel pulled apart.”
Fortunately for her, none of the pettiness had come to her door step yet. Hecate tried to stay removed from it all. It wasn’t for her to weigh in on one side or the other. It was for her to present the paths and let the people at the crossroads choose which way to go. Sometimes, she would give glimpses of what would happen depending on the path they picked, but even then, destiny wasn’t set in stone. And every path lead to another path. “The problems of the gods do affect us, even when we try to stand apart.”
Another sip of her tea and she watched him, quietly. “We are both tied to the Underworld, whether we want to be or not. I see why you worry. But let me ask you this. If you speak your mind, if you discuss this fear with Hades or Persephone, what will happen? Do you think they will hear you? More importantly. Do you want to speak with them about it? You are older and, in some ways, more powerful. You could do much on your own terms without them.”
CHARON: “It’s not,” Charon answered, snorting into his tea. “His wife, maybe, to a point. But not him. And alright, I’ll keep the leaves. They can’t say much worse than what’s currently going on, right?”
“But yeah, Atropos was furious at the disrespect,” he continued, swirling the liquid around in his cup. “She said she just had to stop talking to him before she cracked his skull with her mace.” He placed the cup back in its saucer and slumped into the sofa, rolling his head over to look at her.
He barked out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Probably nothing,” he answered, a quiet bitterness seeping in. “I’m pretty sure they don’t care about my opinion, or they would have asked by now. I’m probably just part of the furniture at this point. As for if I want to? I...I don’t really know. That’s also one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.”
Charon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I need a favor. Less for me and more for the boat. Could you make it so no one but me could board or navigate it? That’s mine, dammit, and I don’t want someone else messing with it while I’m figuring out what I’m doing. It’s about time I made good on my soul jam threats. If nothing else, it might clue them in to the fact that I’m actually somewhat important to the management of the realm.”
HECATE: She nodded, sipping her tea again. She wasn’t paying attention and sputtered a little bit when she hit the leaves. They were good for reading, not so much for eating or drinking. Clearing her throat, she leaned back into the sofa, looking down into her cup with a slight frown. Not really liking what her leaves were saying, she set the tea cup aside. Again, destiny wasn’t set in stone. And she planned on changing what her leaves were saying.
“It is not wise to disrespect The Fates, even if you disagree with them.” She cast her eyes towards her tea cup again, and then back to Charon. “You may feel like one of the ottomans, but I can assure you that without your position, the banks of the rivers would overcrowd and chaos would ensue. Do take that break and ignore your station for even a day, and they would see how important you truly are to the clock work of the Underworld.”
When he asked for his favor, she sat up and leaned towards him. “I can do what you ask. I will ensure that you are physically tied to your ferry so that no one else can make it move - or even step on it - without your presence. Binding an item to a person is not a hard spell for me.” She shrugged a shoulder. She didn’t feel the need to be humble about something so simple. You must simply tell me when you want me to do this. I can even create a dock for it that no one can step on without your express permission, should you want to take it a step further.”
CHARON: Charon laughed, a little more warmly this time. “I think he missed that memo,” he replied, setting his own now-empty cup back down on the table. “Then again, he’s not my problem, and if he does that again, well. On his own head be it.” He tilted his head as Hecate laid out what might happen if he left his post. “I used to joke I’d walk off and they could get backed up to Sparta, remember?” he asked. “It was a joke back then, now...it can happen for a bit for all I care. I can’t remember the last time I had a vacation.”
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He didn’t doubt Hecate could do this, but he’d been uncertain if she would agree. “I would deeply appreciate that,” he answered. “Let them deal with the chaos for a little while. I’ve been dealing with it for thousands of years. And honestly, the sooner the better, I think. That dock sounds like a great idea, too. Carve out my own little space. Can I do anything for you in return?”
HECATE: Leaning over, she swept up his tea cup and began to turn it this way and that, studying the leaves. Hecate truly wasn’t one to have premonitions, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve that she’d learned over the years. “Interesting… And you say you want to take a vacation soon?” She turned her attention back to him and gave him a mysterious little smile. “Would you like another cup?” Standing up, she wandered to the bookshelf she kept back there - her private, not for sale collection - and ran her fingers over the tomes there, waiting for the correct book to select her.
When it did, she pulled it down and scrolled the pages for the spell that would help Charon. She studied them for a while, moving between different incantations and ideas. It would involve a few different things. One to bind, and one to repel. This kind of magic pleased her. It had been a long time since she’d worked a complicated spell like this. But at his offer, she looked up and shook her head. Walking over, she bend and kissed his cheek, sitting back down on the sofa with the book. “There will be a favor I ask of you one day, but I do not know what that favor will be yet. It will present itself when the time comes.
That was how she collected payment for her assistance; she collected favors. Some people owed her favors that didn’t even realize it, because they still slept. But if she really wanted to extract her due, she would have found away, forgotten god or not. “For now, I am more than happy to do this for a friend.”
CHARON: “Why not?” He shrugged, cocking his head as she noticed the smile on her face. “I’m long overdue, don’t you think? And yes, I’d love another cup. It’s really helping to warm me up.”
He glanced inside his cup while she was browsing the shelves, wondering what she might have seen. He’d be the first to admit that he had no magic in that arena, or indeed in most. So to him, they just looked like...wet leaves. But what did he know?
“I thought as much,” he answered, smiling at her as she sat back down. “Pretty much expected it, to be honest. But fair enough, you know where to find me when the time comes.” He burrowed a little further into the sofa cushions, sighing tiredly. He felt like he’d been through a mental wringer over the last few weeks, and it was starting to wear on him.
HECATE: “I do think you are long overdue. Have you ever actually taken a vacation in your entire existence?” She took up his cup and rinsed it out before refilling and returning it. “You should go for as long as you want. If the Underworld lords valued you, they would have found you a… second in command a long time ago. Or you should have done so yourself,” she softly chided him as she returned to the sofa and leaned gently towards him.
“I know where to find you now. But if you go on a vacation and never return, how will I know where to reach you to collect?” Hecate teased her old friend and actually allowed herself to smile. It wasn’t often that she did so. “You need to relax. Drink your tea. It will help. And I can help you meditate. I can teach you Reiki breathing techniques that I learned from our friends in the East. I can simply force you to sleep. Perhaps I put a sleeping potion in your tea.”
She had not. Not that she was above tricking people, but she had too much respect for Charon to do that to him. “There is also acupuncture or massage if you prefer something more hands on. Or, I am content to continue listening as long as you need to talk.” She shrugged and waited to see if he wanted take her up on anything.
CHARON: Charon snorted. “Never,” he answered. “Back in the day, I was busy enough that there wasn’t time. And then I was forgetting everything and being reborn every 80-ish years. So who knows if I ever learned to unwind in one of my past lives? I’m starting to remember bits of some of them, but it’s a slow process.”
He accepted his cup a quiet murmur of thanks, sipping at it slowly. She raised a few valid points. Relief workers weren’t a new concept, even in ancient times. Why hadn’t they ever even considered the option? It raised a whole bunch of new questions for him. Even if it was all he’d ever known...that didn’t mean that had to have been all there was, right?
“I’d have to come back at some point,” he answered, laughing quietly. “I do actually like my mortal job, it’s perfect for me. The dead speak to me, and I speak for them. And I’m all for learning to meditate, but I would take it a hair personally if you spiked my tea. Not that I think you did, but I’ve already had too many of my choices made for me.”
HECATE: “You’re beginning to remember? That’s interesting. I wonder if all your lives will return to you eventually. Sometimes I feel that I’ve forgotten more than I remember, but I wonder if that is insulting to you?” Hecate took a moment to ponder that thought. While the Olympians had been living dozens of lives, she’d had but her one. Sometimes withdrawn from the mortal world, yes, but never had she died.
“I’m not afraid to spike your tea if you don’t find a way to relax yourself. I can feel the tension radiating off of you. It is bothersome to me.” She was continuing to think about the fact that he’d died so many times to her eternal life. No wonder he was stressed out. Reclaiming his job after so long? And living a mortal life at the same time. Her pretend humanity was just that: pretend. And only just. Most mortals that were around her for any length of time began to sense her divinity and magic, even if they had none anywhere in them.
“Tell me more about your mortal job. I am interested in this speaking for the dead. I like that you do this. But is it ever hard when they demand justice and you are not able to give it to them?” Because she thought that would be hard and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her cool with mortal law enforcement who didn’t see things her - or, well, their - way. “Do you not get vacation from that either?”