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Messing with the gods' plans for mortals ([info]favoriteofzeus) wrote in [info]wariscoming,
@ 2012-05-02 15:13:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:gaia, hercules

Who: Hercules and OPEN!
What: A Greek demigod arriving suddenly in Lawrence
Where: Park in Lawrence
When: Afternoon of May 2nd
Status/Rating: With Gaia having tagged in, who knows/Complete (more discussions and the like we're handwaving and such else it'd go on FOREVER)

While it had been sad for Hercules to see his best friend go, he knew that it was for the best. If anyone deserved to rest in paradise it was Iolaus. After all, he had sacrificed himself to save Nebula and risked his life so many times before. Hercules felt proud to call Iolaus friend.

Staring into his camp fire, the demi god tossed some grass at it. With Iolaus safe, the former pirate had returned to Sumeria to lead its people. As for Morrigan...well, she was Morrigan and Hercules was certain he'd see her again. Letting out a tired sigh, he shifted some and stared up at the sky, watching the stars.

"Whatever Paradise holds for you my friend, I hope you're happy," he said. With that he closed his eyes and began drifting asleep.

His sleep didn't last long. He felt a weird sensation on his back and he frowned, quickly sitting up and looking around. Hercules frowned when he realized he was on an oddly designed bench. Slowly he got up and began circling it to study it. A loud blaring noise interrupted his examination of the bench and his head whipped around. And his eyes widened. Strange wagons were moving on their own without need of horse.

And the language was strange too. He needed to find out more about this place...whatever this place was. It was like nothing he had ever seen before and he had been to some strange places. But where to go in order to find out more about this strange land?


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[info]allidesire
2012-05-03 09:46 pm UTC (link)
Now that Pestilence was dead and gone, Gaia was able to relax a bit. This was seriously a level of crazy she was not prepared to face. Mind games? Sex games? Those she could handle. Demons and super powerful beings? Not so much. No amount of mind games could help her fight against these things. So she would just be content for keeping her head down when things got rough. She was going to need to up her drug supply again, but she could do that later this week. Maybe next week, if she was very careful with her doses.

So now that she wasn't running the risk of getting ill, Gaia decided to go for a walk around the city. She was still learning her way around the place, but it was getting easier for her. The only thing she didn't exactly like was not always wearing her traditional clothing. People would look at her oddly, as she'd learned the hard way. But she wasn't exactly against the clothing of this age. She'd found several styles she rather liked. There were even some Roman-styled dresses she could wear without people looking at her oddly. Though she did find that women seemed to rarely wear dresses for leisure wear as she'd noticed in her people-watching here. But that didn't stop her from wearing a dress. It was comfortable, and, of course, hugged her in all the right spots and showed her cleavage nicely.

Taking a path through the park, Gaia glanced around at the people there. People watching was definitely helping her get how to interact with people in this day and age. So much was still so foreign to her, but she was learning. And while people may be deceived by her drug-use, she was far more observant than people tended to realize. Which is why she spotted the man in strange dress easily. She stopped walking and eyed him, more taking in his style of dress. Okay, definitely not from this current age. So she approached him with a smile.

"Hello," she greeted in Latin, wondering if he'd know the language or not. Chances were he'd at least recognize it.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-03 10:07 pm UTC (link)
The Greek demigod had been wandering around the park he had woken in, studying what he saw. The benches had backs like chairs and weren't near any tables. In fact, people seemed to sit on them for rest. And carved through the grasses were smooth stone roads people were using for walking. At first, Hercules wondered if he had been thrown to Rome by the gods. He had heard some stories of Romans having paved roadways. Not to mention the buildings here were strangely built and ranged from various sizes.

But instinct told him this wasn't Rome. While he didn't know the Roman language well, he had journeyed enough to pick up some of it. And this didn't sound like it at all. He was about to go climb up a tree to get a better vantage point to see where he was when he heard a woman speaking to him. He turned and saw a rather beautiful woman standing before him. Okay so...maybe this wasn't Rome but perhaps a prefecture or some such of the Roman Empire given the woman was speaking Latin.

"Hello," he greeted, grateful he knew some basic Latin. Though anyone with an ear for languages and dialects would be able to tell that Hercules was a Greek speaker.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-03 10:41 pm UTC (link)
When the man turned around, Gaia could not help herself taking a long look at him up and down. Those biceps! And he was tall. He reminded her of the gladiators in Lucretia's ludus. Only he did not carry himself like a gladiator. Still, it made her mind race with all sorts of naughty thoughts, and almost made her moisten on the spot. Licking her lips a bit, she gazed up at him.

"You seem lost. I think I can help." Gaia said, grateful that he at least understood Latin to some extent. It was better than her speaking Greek. Not just because she was Roman through and through, but because her Greek was limited to phrases, mostly. She only even knew the Greek she did because of her late husband. "My name is Gaia. By the sound of your accent, Latin is not your native tongue?" Gaia wasn't exactly certain just how much she'd be able to explain that the man would actually understand. But she'd try. Why she was being helpful, she wasn't certain, but the man was extremely handsome, and those muscles. Oh she wanted to feel them. Well, truthfully, she wanted to do much more than simply feel them.

Really, Gaia needed some physical pleasure around here. She had enough of her drug pleasure. Though she at least wasn't currently high on something. She was completely lucid and sober, which wasn't a miracle, she could go without being high for a while. She knew how long she could go without a fix of opium before the withdrawal symptoms kicked in. Gaia was going to make her stash of opium last as long as possible. She didn't want to become one of those annoying people always asking for it.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-03 11:06 pm UTC (link)
Yes, this woman definitely spoke Latin fluently, making her at least a citizen of Rome. Though how she carried herself from what he'd seen so far, perhaps she had a higher station than just citizen. Still, she seemed to be trying to be helpful, so that was something Hercules would be thankful for.

It took him a few moments to correctly translate what she said to him. Okay, so she wanted to help him and her name was Gaia. And she seemed to pick up that he wasn't a Latin speaker. This was progress. Progress was good. "Yes. I am a bit lost actually. And yes again, I'm not too familiar with Latin. Hercules," he said, introducing himself. His sentences were a bit choppy and slow, but he wanted to make sure he was saying what he wanted and not some strange phrase, like the ducks need beer or something.

"Uh, where...am I?" he asked. "Rome?" He hoped this wasn't Rome as he had no desire to cross paths again with Julius Caesar. No doubt the man was still bitter about his loss in Eire.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-04 12:50 am UTC (link)
He certainly had a good eye. Gaia wasn't just a common citizen. She was from the upper class. Her late husband had been a Senator. Though now that she was a widow and all of his money was gone, that rather left her in dire straights. But that didn't exactly matter here. No one needed to know that unless they were pressing Gaia for personal details. Which, right now, wasn't happening and was beside the point.

Hercules. Oh now that just sounded like a gladiator's name. This was not helping the fantasies dancing through Gaia's head. She was still upset about not having gotten to fuck a gladiator, but it didn't exactly matter. There were plenty of attractive people here, both male and female. She just needed to find the ones that would like her in return. She'd have to have words with Irene again, she certainly seemed like a woman that could potentially be up her alley.

Right. She was needing to answer Herclues' questions. Which she actually managed to hear through the naughty thoughts in her head. "No, this is not Rome. We are in an empire called America. This city is called Lawrence." Again, Gaia gave Hercules the once over, a smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth. "About two thousand years currently separate us from the age of the Roman Empire. Magic brought you here to the future, just as it brought me. Or, if you will, the gods did this." Because Gaia still liked to blame this place on the gods. "If I may ask, where are you from?" She did not fully recognize the accent with which he spoke Latin. It was Mediterranean of some sort, that she could tell, but specifically where he was from she couldn't pinpoint.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-04 01:07 am UTC (link)
Hercules definitely noticed the eyeing this Gaia was giving him. Oh he was use to the looks. He got them all the time. Didn't mean he liked it but at least Gaia was behaving and not throwing herself at him like so many did back home. He listened carefully to her as she told him they were in some kingdom called America and its city Lawrence.

Hearing that two thousand years separated them from the age of the Roman Empire caused a brow to lift on Hercules' face. Though his face darkened some at the mention of this being the gods doing. "The gods. Of course it's the gods, messing in people's lives again," he muttered in his native Greek. Was he really going to have to go to Olympus and pound sense into their heads to leave mortals alone? Because Hercules had no qualms in doing that.

The question of where he was from pulled him back to the conversation and he folded his arms over his chest. "I grew up in Corinth in Greece," he said, once more stumbling over some Latin. He was probably being too open, but Hercules was pretty confident that he could handle whatever this woman could dish out. Or so he thought. Though if he were to know what sensual thoughts were running through her head, he would probably be backing away.

"Where are you from?" He had a few guesses but conversations were good.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-04 01:48 am UTC (link)
Oh there were definitely times when Gaia would throw herself at someone, but that was typically only behind closed doors and if she knew them well. So she would just stick to the looks and flirting side of things for now. Though if Hercules was a woman, she would probably be all over him. Gaia well knew she was more attracted to woman in these things, but if a man was either good looking or had a hefty coin purse, she'd sleep with them too.

She quirked a brow slightly as she heard the muttering in Greek. However, she only understood the word for "gods" and merely assumed he was cursing the gods. Which was warranted. Gaia had thought much the same when she'd first shown up. But at least for the moment Hercules was holding it together well enough. She wasn't so sure she'd like to see this colossus of a man upset. And really, there was a complete spectrum to how one could react to this situation, so she would take anything that wasn't at the upset or angry end of it.

Greek. Ah that explained things. She was impressed with his handle on Latin, which meant he either traveled a lot or had dealt with Romans at some point. Gaia did not mind the openness, it would only help her to find out how to play him so he would favor her. There wasn't any malicious intent behind that, she just liked being on people's good sides, and she was rather an expert at reading people and playing into what they liked. She was a chameleon of sorts. Lucretia really was the one person on the entire planet that truly knew Gaia.

"I am from Capua in the Roman province of Caserta." In modern terms, Capua was in southern Italy, not overly far from Rome. "Though I lived in Rome for some years. My late husband was a Senator." The man had played his games in the Senate, but Gaia had no interest whatsoever in politics. No, she was more one wanting to spend her husband's money on herself. She was a vain creature, as her appearance suggested. She was still trying to get the hang of styling her dark hair in modern styles, but her make up and her gold jewelry and choice of clothing spoke to how much emphasis she put on her appearance. Because sometimes, appearance was everything. And the more people thought she was little more than a beauty the easier it was for her to manipulate them if the need for it came.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-04 02:12 am UTC (link)
Hercules wasn't well versed in the landscape of the Roman Empire, other than it was large and wanted to become even larger, possibly covering the entire world. At least they wouldn't get Eire. If not for a while. Hearing that this woman's late husband was involved in Roman politics, Hercules merely nodded, growing a bit more wary. Xena had told him how...volatile Roman politics could be. Still, there was no Roman Empire here for this woman to fall back on. As far as he knew at least.

"I'm not too familiar with Rome," he admitted. He wished he had some way of speaking Latin better and wished his teachers when he was younger knew more about the language to teach to him. But hopefully he and Gaia could still keep finding ways to communicate.

"Any ideas on why we were brought here?" he asked, glancing around before bringing his attention back to her. She really was quite beautiful and he let his eyes roam her form. He definitely noted how the dress clung to her just so, as if she was daring people to look at her. He forced his mind to stay focused though. Now was not the time for sultry thoughts of any kind. Loved ones in his life ran the danger of being hurt by the gods. Though at least he no longer had Hera to worry about now. But there was still Ares to consider too.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-04 02:24 am UTC (link)
The hand of Rome was long and reached far, but Gaia never paid attention to the latest conquests. Oh she'd pretended to listen when her husband would prattle on about the latest arguments in the Senate or the most recent conquests the armies made. What she cared about was getting the finer things in life. She certainly was not above buying direct imports form the far corners of the world.

"It is a grand city, but the atmosphere is not one I favor all the time. Too political and war-based." She wrinkled her nose a bit. Gaia was a slight paradox. She didn't exactly like war, but she did like watching gladiators battle to the death. She didn't like politics yet she knew how to work people like any expert politician could get his agenda made into law. But really, Gaia would do anything to ensure her place within society, even move up the social ladder. Whatever it took, she would get there. And that is what made her truly Roman.

"There is a war here. There is a religion called Christianity, and the war being fought is from their beliefs. Lucifer is the one behind this, leading his army of demons." Really, she wasn't certain how much Hercules would understand from that. She was trying to translate it into Greek in her head, but she didn't know the words for Christianity or Lucifer or demons. So really, she'd just hope he either understood or she could help him understand another way. It shouldn't be that hard to draw parallels to what they both knew and were familiar with in this case. And oh, she noticed his wandering gaze and inwardly prided herself on that. So he was the type to look. That was definitely something she could work with.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-04 02:35 am UTC (link)
While Hercules was the type to look (after all, he was a man and did appreciate beautiful women), that didn't mean he'd touch unless he cared about the woman in question. As for what Gaia said, Hercules didn't understand much of it but there were gods everywhere. He paced a little, processing what Gaia said. So, maybe he had been brought here to help stop this Lucifer from taking over. It would make sense. Years before he had settled down to have his family he had been thrown by the gods from one place to another to help. Maybe that was what this was about. It certainly made the most sense at least.

"I think I get it," he returned, bringing his hand up to his mouth in thought. He looked at her, his blue eyes inquisitive. "Are we the only ones here who've been brought to this time and place?" If so, this was probably going to be trickier than he'd like. If not, well it would still no doubt be tricky. He glanced around and noticed his attire was getting looks from people. "And...find someplace to talk in private?" He'd rather not get in trouble with the local magistrate or whatever was here of the law enforcement variety. Perhaps Gaia knew of a place he could stay at while this war, battle, whatever it was to be called waged on.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-04 03:03 am UTC (link)
Despite the explicit thoughts dancing through her head, Gaia wasn't going to push anything further than simply looking right now. Besides, there was plenty of fun to be had just by looking. She did rather enjoy it. Though as she watched Hercules pace, she was briefly concerned that he wasn't going to take to this well. Though really, it shouldn't be too much of a stretch. Both of them were used to the gods, though in different ways. The gods to Gaia were just higher powers that worked in odd ways, though never quite working in the way to transport someone through time.

Though when he finally said he got it, Gaia nodded a bit, letting out a slight breath of relief. She really didn't want to have to go to drastic measures to explain things. "No, we are not. It is hard to discern just how many people like us there are, but it seems we number enough to make a small Roman legion." Given that a legion could be up to 5,000, small was putting things in perspective. But Gaia wasn't acquainted with military terms aside from from the legions.

Oh. Right. In everything, Gaia had forgotten to suggest they go somewhere more private to talk, given his current state of dress. She had at least arrived here at night so it hadn't been that bad with people giving her strange looks. "Yes, there is a place where many of us are living. It is free of cost and it is safe from the evils that are here. I can show you to it and we could talk in my room?" She actually did mean that in a platonic sense because really, there was a lot that needed to be explained. And she should perhaps teach him what she knew about computers and online translators and so forth. They had helped her a great deal.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-04 10:48 am UTC (link)
Well at least there were others the gods had decided to throw in here so he wouldn't be alone in this fight. If the woman before him was any indication though, he had a feeling that not everyone that had been pulled here was a fighter. Still, he had hope there were some fighters amongst the group brought here.

"Right, small Legion," he murmured. At least he was getting to practice his Latin. Hearing her answer the question of what sounded like a free inn for those the gods had thrown here, the demigod nodded. He kept his face schooled though as she mentioned talking in her room. Well, if it grew to more than just talking he would kindly let her down.

"I think that would be best before any men from the magistrate come to question me for the clothes I have on," he agreed. He didn't know much about how this city of Lawrence operated and he would rather not get into a fight. As much as he loved his outfit, he had a feeling he would need a different style of dress for his time in this realm. So long as he could move freely and fight in them if need be. "So lead the way," he said, gesturing with a kind smile.

"Have you been in this America Empire long?"

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-04 11:30 pm UTC (link)
It was clear to Gaia that not everyone pulled here was a fighter. She was still trying to wonder why she herself would've been pulled here. What did she have to offer in this war? She was not a fighter by any stretch of the imagination. Though perhaps she was here to help Hercules? After all, she didn't know how many people spoke ancient Greek, and from all she'd gleaned, Latin wasn't really spoken these days either.

"Some are warriors, some are not." Really, this place seemed to choose people at random. But she was more than glad there was a place for them all to stay. And well, Gaia wasn't planning to take things further than talking. But she was also horrendously flirtatious, it was just who she was. So while there would probably be flirting of some sort, she had no plans to carry it further than that.

"We simply can't have that," she replied with a grin and a slightly flirtatious tone to her voice. Now the question presented her was how to get back to the complex that would gain them the least amount of attention. Not only for how Hercules was dressed, but also because they were speaking Latin, not a language people here were used to hearing. As he bid her to lead the way, she remembered there was a back path that went close to the complex. So she turned and started heading that way.

At his question, she pondered a moment, counting back over the days she'd been here. "Just over a month. There have been many changes in the world. Latin is not exactly a spoken language any longer. The language spoken here is English, of which I am learning. It is an odd language." She mused, shrugging one shoulder slightly. Gaia was fairly certain Hercules hadn't heard of the language, which made her feel slightly less out of place. While many people had been displaced from their own times and places, no one seemed to have been from Rome, or at least the point in time from which Gaia came from. Yet Hercules seemed to be from that time. She looked up at him and gave him a friendly smile. Now, the proud Roman in her didn't like the fact he was Greek, but Gaia was glad she wasn't the only one so completely out of her element around here anymore.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-04 11:45 pm UTC (link)
So, there were other warriors here. That would make fights easier, though he doubted they'd be anything but simple. At her flirtatious tone, he merely smiled politely but didn't comment on it. Mostly because it didn't need an added comment to it. As they walked, Hercules picked up on this was a back way. Probably to avoid prying eyes. It was good thinking. As slightly shallow as this woman appeared from her dress, she seemed to also have a sharp mind.

A month. That was a while. And it made him question how long he would be here himself. There were still a lot of people back home in his time that needed his help from the gods. The sooner he could help stop this crisis here, the sooner he could hopefully go back and help them. Or so his plan went. If that plan would get followed, who knew?

"Can't say I've heard of...English." It was a strange word, English. He wondered if it was a language exclusive to this kingdom or not. "But I'm always up for mastering a new knowledge." He returned her friendly smile and kept following her. "I take it I'm the only Greek here?" One never knew if other Greeks had shown up. And if people were being taken from random times, maybe some form of Iolaus was here too. A selfish wish, but he missed his friend's jokes and company. And he really did want the hunter at his back in this fight.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 12:11 am UTC (link)
Oh Hercules was good. Not that Gaia knew that he'd picked up on her having a sharp mind, but it could work either for her or against her as time went on. But really, she wouldn't have minded him concluding such a thing right now. Now was not exactly the time to play the dumb shallow woman act. Now was the tie for her to share what she knew of this place. Again, she really didn't know why she was helping Hercules. She wasn't the type to just do so, yet here she was. Maybe it was just the fact that he was going to be just as lost and bewildered in this place as she was. Granted she was getting better, and she had been able to acclimate herself to the dress code of the day. The language, however, was something else entirely.

Just as she'd thought, he hadn't heard of English before. "There is much for you to learn. It is daunting at first, but take things slowly and you will get the hang of it." Which was really the best advice one could be given for this place. "As far as I know, yes, you are. And I am the only Roman. There are some who seem to be from different planets, not just different times. It twists the mind, really." Gaia was still trying to sort out who was from here from the people that posted on the boards, but she was learning. She had somewhat kept a low profile as she adjusted to things. And then she'd learned there was someone here that looked a lot like her. Which she should probably let Hercules know so he wouldn't confuse them.

"As a caution, I should tell you there is a woman here that looks exactly like me. Her name is Helena. Just in case you ever come across her." While Gaia liked the thought of having a double, one she could perhaps exploit at some point if it suited her, it would perhaps only confuse or annoy others. So might as well make Hercules aware of that from the get go. Though he probably would be able to tell Helena wasn't Gaia on sight, but having advanced warning was always a good thing.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 12:25 am UTC (link)
"I'm certain I will." Hercules often had a knack for picking things up fairly quickly. He attributed it to his mother and the teachers she'd send him to for schooling. Not that that meant he'd pick up this language overnight, but hopefully it would come easily to him the more he exposed himself to it. That's how his teacher Ceridian had helped to teach him the language of the Gauls.

Though hearing what she said about the different planets as well as different times made him arch a brow. "I didn't know a god's hand could reach that far," he mused aloud. "Something tells me this place will definitely be interesting to be in." He fell silent for a few moments. Until she dropped that revelation on him that she had someone who looked like her here.

"So, you have a twin here named Helena? But I'm guessing you two aren't related...?" Oh yes. This place was definitely interesting. It also got him to wondering if anyone else who had been brought here had a twin who wasn't a twin.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 02:38 am UTC (link)
Gaia couldn't help but like that confidence Hercules had in saying he'd get the hang of it. It would undoubtedly take time to get a grip on everything. But a sharp mind would easily pick up on some things. Learning a new language was not something that happened overnight, but Gaia believed she'd come far in learning English in the month she'd been here. Angel was a good teacher. When she wasn't hitting on him. Though now she mostly did it because she loved exasperating the poor man.

"As did I, but apparently it is possible here. Just as anything seems to be possible here. Be grateful you did not show up yesterday, or at any point within the last week. There was an outbreak of plague brought on by what they called a Horseman of the Apocalypse. Pestilence, I believe his name was. Many of us were sick or struck with a mental illness. I, however, managed to avoid being struck with an illness. But the warriors that were unaffected took care of that, so all is well now." Really, it was strange. But that also meant it was always interesting to some extent.

"No, we are not related. I do not have a twin sister." She had siblings, not that she spoke to them or even saw them anymore, but not a twin. "There are others here who have twins but are not actually twins. Anything can happen here."

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 02:46 am UTC (link)
Hercules did feel pretty confident in his abilities to grasp the language. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long but he was a patient man. Good things came to those who waited after all. Hearing about the sickness that had happened the week prior, Hercules said a silent thank you. He really had no desire to be sick. "Well, at least that issue has been dealt with," he said. So this world seemed to have competant warriors. That was good. Though no doubt that meant things were only going to be harder from here on out.

"I see. This is definitely a strange land Gaia," he confessed. And he was a bit overwhelmed by it all but he was doing his best to keep his head and give off an air of confidence. Getting overwhelmed wasn't something he let show. No matter.

Brushing some of his long brown hair from his face, he looked down at Gaia. "How much further to this complex?" he asked curiously. Not that he minded the walk but he did want to hear more about what was going on.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 03:27 am UTC (link)
Gaia had pretty much stayed in her room during the past week, save for a few excursions for air. It really was the best plan. And she would of course exercise the same line of thinking for future troubles. She wasn't a fighter. Yes, she could learn how to defend herself and be able to deal with the demons and whatnot in this place, but that didn't mean she'd be out there fighting. She'd leave that to the people like Hercules that actually knew how to fight properly. Or at least she was assuming Hercules could fight. Judging from the size of those glorious biceps, he was.

"I have not even scratched the surface of it, I confess," she replied with a slight chuckle. Which was quite true. There was so much more to tell him about, both in regards to the war here and to the advances made in the last two thousand years. But she'd get to both of those once they were in her room. It would be easier to tell him about computers and such when she had hers there.

At his question, she glanced up at him. "Not much further. There is one more turn to make." And much as she'd guessed, not many people were around on this path. Those that were seemed to either be distracted or gave Hercules an odd look, but didn't stop and press any questions. Which was good because Hercules didn't speak English, and Gaia's conversational English was still on the weak side.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 03:39 am UTC (link)
The Greek nodded to her comments. And Gaia was right in her assumptions. Hercules was more than a capable fighter. After all, he had held his own against Ares numerous times. And, even though he had been a god at the time, he had faced down and won against his stepmother Hera. And the most recent notch in his belt in regards to a fight was Dahak. Part of him wondered if this Lucifer was some how related to or was Dahak. He could find out later.

Nodding at her comment of how much further they had, he looked around again, frowning some at the bricks some of the buildings were made of. Curious. Perhaps if he was stuck here for a long time, he would find something he could do. Mostly to keep his hands busy. But he would ask about that later, maybe after he had settled in and started getting a good handle on the language.

Deciding to know a bit more about his guide, he glanced at her. "So...have you ever crossed paths with a Roman named Julius Caesar?" He didn't see the harm in getting to know this nice woman. After all, she didn't have to help him, yet she did. Whether it was out of the kindness of her heart or due to how attractive she found Hercules, he didn't know.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 04:25 am UTC (link)
Really, kind was not an adjective one would use to describe Gaia. Lucretia would probably laugh at that. Then again, she might not because Gaia was actually kind to Lucretia. They'd been childhood friends, and that relationship had grown and evolved into something more over time. Which was something Gaia found she really missed. She needed Lucretia, and it was hurting her to know she couldn't just go back to Capua and find her right now. She would give anything to feel Lucretia's touch again, to hear her voice.

At his question, Gaia tilted her head and pondered that. It was not exactly a name she knew off the top of her head, but she thought about it. Something seemed familiar. After all, she did know a lot of people. And she knew of many more. "The name is vaguely familiar. I believe there was a priest of Jupiter by that name? Though that was some years ago." Gaia was perhaps the one Roman in this world who didn't know who Julius Caesar was. In the time she had come from, he had only begun his military career. He was not yet a politician or anything that he would become. And really, she only knew about the high priest thing because her husband had insisted on going to the temple regularly.

Turning down a street, she grinned. "Ah, here we are," she announced, motioning to the building to their right. She walked up to the door and opened it and led him inside. She opted for taking the stairs up to the floor her room was on. She did not trust the elevator, and she wouldn't subject Hercules to riding in it right now. She led him up to the fourth floor and to her room, which was one of the large single bedroom apartments. Opening the door, she stepped inside, then motioned for him to enter.

"Please, make yourself comfortable, and I can explain more about this place." There was a couch and comfy chair in the living area. Her room was impeccably clean and neat. She was certainly not the messy type.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 04:48 am UTC (link)
Hercules shook his head. "Caesar is no priest." Perhaps Caesar for her hadn't risen to power yet, if what she said about different times was true. "He's a cruel military leader set on making the world his." The demigod allowed himself a small smile. "He tried to take over the island of Eire a short time ago from my perspective, but we drove him and his legions off, keeping the land and her people safe." He wasn't trying to get into an argument with Gaia about who was better, Greeks or Romans. "I've never met him personally though." And for that he was grateful.

As they arrived, he looked at the building. It seemed sturdy enough but it hardly seemed fortified. Perhaps some kind god (he kept from snorting at the thought) had enchanted the walls or something to provide protection. Following the beautiful Roman woman up the stairs, he nodded in thanks as she let him into her dwelling.

Looking around, he noticed how kept the room was. Everything seemed to have a place and it was neat. She definitely prided appearances. Spotting the couch, Hercules walked over to it and poked at it, noting it seemed to be rather soft and comfortable. Slowly he eased himself down it. Most chairs he had encountered in his life were wood or stone. But this, it was as if someone had taken a bench and a bed and combined it into one piece of furniture. Fascinating.

Resisting the urge to put his feet up on it and stretch out (he didn't want to dirty this piece of furniture after all), he turned his gaze to Gaia and smiled. "So, what else should I know about this place?" he questioned, his blue eyes filled with his curiosity.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 05:39 am UTC (link)
Listening to Hercules speak of Caesar, Gaia found it more interesting than anything. While she was a Roman through and through, she wasn't exactly one to care whether new territories were claimed in the name of Rome or not. "Sounds like he got carried away with power. Power certainly changes people." She'd seen it far too much having been a Senator's wife. Luckily her husband hadn't gotten as cutthroat as some of them could be, but he still had had his moments. Really, she was just happy he let her do what she wanted and spent money however she wanted.

Gaia found that she liked the furniture this era had to offer. She did wish she had furniture in a more Roman style, but this would do. It wasn't exactly unpleasing to the eye. Perhaps if she ever got money she'd find herself some Roman-style furniture and decorations. She watched as Hercules sat down on the couch. Clearly he wasn't used to furniture being quite like the couch. Smiling a bit, she walked over to sit down in the comfy chair. It would be far less tempting to grope Hercules if she wasn't sitting on the couch with him.

"For starters, this building is protected from the demons in this place. They cannot enter. Some sort of magic. The demons here can possess people, but there is an amulet you can get here that will protect you from it." Gaia reached up to her chest and held up the protection amulet, leaning forward for him to get a better look at. "It might not be in your style, but it will protect you. No one is immune to possession, apparently." After he got a good look at the amulet, and perhaps her cleavage because, well, her breasts were right there, she let the amulet fall back against her chest and she sat back in the chair. "I can show you were you can get one.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 05:57 am UTC (link)
Hercules gave a shrug. "Anything can change a person," he returned. He recalled a certain dark haired, fierce eyed warrior princess who had gone from being a bloodthirsty warlord to riding out and doing whatever she could to make up for her past. Pushing thoughts of Xena aside, he watched Gaia sit down in the chair.

So, magic was protecting this building. That was good. Though hearing that demons could possess people here, he was about to ask how that could be prevented when Gaia showed him an amulet...and a little more. Not that he meant to look but they were right there in front of his eyes, how could he help but look? Though he did try to keep his eyes focused on the amulet. And while it may not be his style, he knew it would be good to have one. If a demon were to possess him, with his strength, real damage could be done.

"I would appreciate that," he said. "It would not be a good thing if a demon possessed me." He didn't elaborate but would if asked. Hercules didn't like to boast about his parentage unless it was in specific regards to his late mother. He hoped she was faring well in the Elysian Fields.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 06:43 am UTC (link)
That was the truth, anything could change someone. But at the same time, not everyone did change. Some people were born the way they were and never would, or could, change from that. Gaia was one of those who was born as she was and wouldn't change. Oh she could hide her true nature, she could play any part others wished to see from her. It was rare for her to let people see the real her, but Lucretia had always had that. And for some reason now she wasn't putting up a facade with Hercules either.

Oh Gaia noticed when his gaze focused more on her breasts than the amulet. How could she not? She was always aware of where others were looking. She hadn't intended for his gaze to go there, but it couldn't be helped considering she was wearing a low-cut dress and was showing him a necklace.

"I don't think anyone would consider being possessed a good thing." She smiled at him, crossing her legs. "You should also perhaps be aware that some people here are considered fictional people." She frowned slightly, trying to figure out how to best explain this because it didn't exactly make sense to her either the way most people explained it. "The legends and stories you were raised with. In this place, characters from those legends can be real people. I hope that makes sense, it does not completely make sense to me as I am still adjusting to this place. But there could be a chance you may come from a legend or something in this world."

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 07:00 am UTC (link)
He gave a shrug to her comment on it not being a good thing for anyone. "True. But being the son of a god could make me more of a target than others. And I'd rather not run the risk of being responsible for hurting innocent people here." He listened as she went on to explain the fictional thing. It was slightly hard to grasp, partly because the words weren't ones he was familiar with but he was doing his best and got the general idea.

"That's...interesting." He didn't know how else to describe it. Though really, he shouldn't be surprised. Stories and truth often grew embellished over the years. And given centuries separated him from his time, truth could have faded to legend and that could have faded to myth until it was little more than a bedtime story.

"Fictional or not, I was brought here and I have the ability to help, so it's the least I can do to help keep people safe. Especially if they don't want to or can't fight." Absently fixing a tie to his gauntlet, he looked around the apartment. "Anything else of interest I should know of Gaia?"

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-05 08:27 am UTC (link)
Son of a god? Well now, that really piqued Gaia's interest even more than it all ready was. It wasn't exactly something that shocked her. It was strange, yes, she'd never met anyone who could claim one parent was a god. Really, this was only adding to her growing need to fuck Hercules. Screw gladiators! She could bed a demigod! "You are the son of a god? Truly? I understand why you would be concerned then." Which was her version of a diplomatic answer. She had a feeling he didn't want to know what she was actually thinking in that precise moment.

"You have a good mindset. I can rest easier now knowing there is someone like you to protect those of us who cannot fight." She smiled warmly at him, a slight touch of flirtation to the smile. Flirting she would do. Unleash the explicit thoughts she was having of Hercules? Not so much. Not now. Perhaps at a later date when they knew each other better.

At his question, she nodded. "Yes. There are things called computers. They help people talk to each other, among other things. For those of us who have been displaced, there are boards we can post on, to each other. But the evil that lurks here can also see the posts, unless we specifically filter against them. It is confusing at first, but I will show you." It was something easier learned through example than explanation. Computer talk still went well over Gaia's head, but Angel had been patient with her in teaching her the basics.

Standing up, Gaia crossed over to where her laptop rested, picked it up and brought it back with her. This time, she sat on the couch beside Hercules so she could show him the thing. Opening it, she showed him how to turn it on, then looked at hi as it booted up. "When you get your own room here, there will be one of these within that you can use. They are useful, and you can also use them to help fill you in on the things that have occurred within the two thousand years we have jumped."

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-05 01:29 pm UTC (link)
If Hercules had any inkling of where admitting to being a demigod was sending Gaia's thoughts, he'd have kept his mouth shut. But he couldn't read her mind (for which he should be grateful) so he was clueless to her actual thoughts. "I am." He decided to not tell her who his father was. He would if asked but she knew he was a demigod now and seemed to grasp his worry of getting possessed.

The demigod could see the flirtatious smile clear as the side of Olympus on Gaia's face. Something he was use to. "I'm sure the others here are capable warriors as well," he said. After all, he could still be killed. No one, god or mortal alike, knew if Hercules was immortal or would live out a normal mortal life.

He let his eyes follow her as she retrieved the object she had called a computer. He watched her press what looked to be a button. Reflexively he tensed as the black glass suddenly lit up. Growing curious, he poked at the screen gently, being mindful to not break anything. He nodded, absently registering her words. Whoever or whatever had invented this computer was a genius.

"So...what does this...computer do?"

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-06 09:22 am UTC (link)
If Gaia had come from a later time in history when monotheism had become far more dominant than polytheism, she'd probably feel strange about Hercules being a demigod. But considering she had been raised on the stories of the Roman gods? She found it far more enticing than anything. Perhaps at a later date, she would try to get her hands on those muscles of his.

"Oh there are, otherwise I fear those of us who can't fight would undoubtedly have perished by now." But still, such knowledge hadn't stopped her from praising Hercules. Because really, he was quite the male specimen.

Gaia suppressed a giggle as Hercules poked the computer screen. The only reason she did so was because she'd had a similar reaction the first time Angel had shown her the contraption.

"It can do a great many things, most of which I am still learning about." But Gaia began by explaining the keyboard to him. She explained slowly, knowing that he was translating the Latin to Greek in his head, and explaining something this foreign to him would make that task all the more difficult. After she'd explained the keyboard's function, she decided to pull up one of those online translators. It would help both of them so much right now.

"Now, I'm going to show you something that may help both of us right now." With that, she opened the web browser and navigated to an online translator. Once that page had loaded, she selected Latin as the language she would type, and selected Greek as the language what she wrote would be translated to. "I'm going to write in this box what this is," she said pointing at the page on the screen. "Just give me a moment to write it." So she then typed out an explanation of what the translator was. She then hit the "translate" button. "Now, you should be able to read the Greek." She said, gesturing to the box that had the Greek in it.


[OOC: Lalala new comment thread because of crampedness!]

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-06 11:13 am UTC (link)
The Greek shrugged, a smile on his face. "I'm sure the non-fighters would have managed." After all, Hercules did his best to avoid the whole fighting issue. He only resorted to violence if there was really no other way to save lives or get people to listen. Though sometimes there was no choice with fighting, like when Ares was involved.

As Gaia explained the keyboard, he looked over the strange letters and symbols, resisting the urge to poke at the keys. Watching in fascination as she pulled up the web page for the translators, he listened to what she said then watched as the Latin words in the one box became Greek in the other. A fascinated look came over his face as he read what the translator did. That was incredible. Idly he wondered if a god had commissioned this computer for private use and it had gotten into mortal hands.

"Incredible," he breathed. Eager to try it out, he reached out to the keyboard but stopped. "Uh, how do I clear out the words you have written down to write ones of my own?" Once he had a basic idea of how the computer worked fully he had every intention of learning more and more about this time and what he had missed.

[XD It was getting a bit cramped, wasn't it? :P]

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-07 09:41 am UTC (link)
"You have faith in us, I daresay I like that vote of confidence." Gaia grinned a bit. Truthfully, Gaia wasn't so sure she would've survived this place if there weren't warriors around to do the fighting. Oh she could hang in there with the best of them when it came to mindgames. In fact, Gaia tended to come out the victor in those cases more often than not. She could probably punch or kick someone and be able to disable them enough to allow her to escape. But when it came to actual fighting? No, she didn't stand a chance. So she would keep herself to the background when those instances arose. Gaia was not stupid, and she knew it was better to stay alive than to foolishly put herself in a position where she could be killed.

The fact she was teaching someone, let alone a Greek, about this place was strange. Gaia truly felt strange being a teacher like this, but there was nothing to lose doing this. And hey, if Hercules wished to repay her kindness, she wouldn't turn him down. So she would keep this in mind, if he ever wished to reciprocate. Perhaps that was the true reason she was helping him now, so that there was potential of him doing something for her later on. And oh how Gaia wished to line some people up to help her in that manner. She was still feeling strange about Moriarty and wondering when he would call in her debt to him for the drugs he'd acquired for her.

Grinning at Hercules' reaction to the translator, she felt good that this was making sense. Technology was still something she was learning, but after a month of working with it, she could navigate her way around it decently enough. And it did keep her busy when she had nothing else to do. "You clear them like this." She showed him how to delete the text, explaining how to delete just a couple letters in case of a mistake, and then how to select all the text and delete it. She then handed him the laptop. "Now if you wish to write something in Greek and translate it into another language, you can select that here." She pointed at the screen, showing him where to change the languages and what the options were.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-07 10:52 am UTC (link)
He shrugged with a smile, his blue eyes warm. "Sometimes a bit of faith in someone can go a long way," he returned. Oh he knew not all women were fighters. It seemed most Greek women were not of the fighting variety. Unless you were named Xena or an Amazon. Running a hand through his hair, he paid close attention at Gaia's explinations of how to clear text. Truly it was fascinating that one could go back and erase a simple mistake. Oh how the scribes back home would love this.

With Gaia handing him the laptop, he placed it carefully down in front of him, unsure of exactly how fragile this device was. And given his strength, he didn't want to break it. His hostess probably wouldn't appreciate that. But, years of learning his strength he knew how to be careful with it. But caution still proved best after all.

The demigod frowned a bit, trying to figure out what he could translate into Latin. Perhaps some question he needed to ask Gaia but wasn't sure on the full Latin words. While it wasn't a hard question, he could at least get to know Gaia and Romans better. So, carefully pressing the letters on the keyboard, he wrote out: Why did the Romans change the names of the gods?

So, not the most important question, but a good learning question, right?

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-07 11:58 am UTC (link)
"I will not argue that point." After all, Hercules did have a point. Having faith in someone did tend to go a long way sometimes. Though, obviously, like anything else, there were times when faith wasn't enough. But there was no reason to dwell on the downside of such a statement. It would only ruin the mood, and Gaia was trying to be helpful, not be a downer.

She watched him as he typed and upon seeing the question translated to Latin, both her brows lifted in both surprise and amusement, and she couldn't suppress a small chuckle at his question. Taking the laptop so she could type a response, Gaia had to think for some moments. After all, the reasoning of why the Romans had taken and changed the names of the Greek gods had never been something she thought about. So she was certainly not the best one to ask on the matter. And by her lifetime, the Roman gods had become so ingrained within Roman society that they rarely mentioned the close ties to the Greek gods. Or perhaps they did and Gaia just hadn't paid attention. Really, it was a difficult question to answer for one who put her emphasis on things relating directly to herself.

But finally she typed out an answer, trying to think back to her younger years and lessons she'd been taught. And she wrote out: Apologies, but I do not really have answer to that. Religion is not my strong point. Nor do I claim kinship with philosophy. All I can say is this is how I was raised, and I recognize there are many ties between the Roman and Greek religions.

Which, truthfully, even Gaia was aware of. There were far more ties between Greece and Rome than either party tended to admit. And really, the Romans did steal from the Greeks, but Gaia either wasn't completely aware of that aspect or she didn't care. Though it was probably the latter. There was also the fact the last thing she wanted to do was get into an argument over a topic such as this one. So she hoped that her answer would suffice.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-07 12:09 pm UTC (link)
Well, at least his question had brought her some amusement. That was a good thing. He patiently waited as she typed the answer out. He read it and smiled a bit before taking the laptop and clearing the text away as Gaia had just taught him. Such a fascinating machine. He typed a bit, hopefully giving her an explination as to why the name changes. At least from his perspective. But the typing was slow given Hercules wasn't use to it.

It might also have to do with the gods themselves. Seeking more power in another area by pretending to be different gods yet also the same. More lives to play with and ruin as they see fit. I know my father Zeus wouldn't care what name he used so long as he had a pretty woman to look at.

And as far as Hercules knew, it was true. But at least he and his father had come to some sort of understanding in his second go round as a god. That didn't mean Hercules liked his father sleeping around all the time. True Hera was stuck in that Abyss with Cronus, but that wasn't the point. He was rather glad he didn't take after his father in that aspect.

That's one of the reasons I travel so much. To try and keep the gods from interfering in mortals' lives he added a few moments later. As an after thought, he added Any questions for me? Ask away

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-08 12:15 am UTC (link)
It had been an interesting question that could have sparked quite the debate. And really, Gaia did like a good debate. She liked putting her mind to use. But the topic of the gods was not one she was privy on. After all, the gods were just there and they either showed you favor or they didn't. Inwardly, she had wondered what path the gods had sent her on when her husband had died and sent her back to Capua, to Lucretia. She knew she was to help Lucretia, but Gaia also needed another husband, a wealthier one. And then this world had ruined those beautiful plans she had laid out for them.

Reading over Hercules' answer, she pondered that for a moment. So Hercules was not just the son of any god, but the son of Jupiter? Or Zeus as he called him. Though it made sense to Gaia. For want of more power, the gods would take many names and faces. Isn't that similar to what Gaia herself did to further herself in life and support her extravagant lifestyle? She nodded to Hercules, accepting that response because it did make sense.

When he posed that question to her, she didn't need to pause for thought. She had a question ready. Really, it stemmed from the current conversation, and she was curious. Taking the laptop, she typed out her question.

From what you have said, your gods are more proactive within human lives. Are humans aware that someone they may encounter is actually one of the gods?

If a god could take many names and change the way they appeared, wasn't it entirely plausible that they could appear as any normal human being one could encounter? Thus it stood to reason that Gaia could have encountered a god somewhere along the way in her life and not known it.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-08 02:39 am UTC (link)
That was an interesting question to say the least. And it was one he had to think about too. Some people seemed more in tune when there were gods running around while they were invisible or disguised. Others were completely oblivious. There had been that one time where he hadn't even known the old man who had hidden him from the mob after he had been blamed for Serena's death had been Zeus.

It depends on the god or goddess really if they want to be known. Some keep a low profile and disguise themselves. My father did that when my mother's husband Amphitrion was off in a war and had died. He disguised himself as her husband and slept with her before she got news about him being killed. But there are a few mortals who can sense when gods are around. A friend of mine can sometimes get a sense when one is around.

He paused to clear out the text after she had read it before adding some more. With my being part god, I can usually see the gods when they're about the populace invisible and mortals can't see them. He hoped that answered her question about the gods meddling in the lives of the people.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-08 07:09 am UTC (link)
Reading his response, Gaia tilted her head a bit. It made sense. The gods only making themselves known if they wanted to be. It also made sense that some humans could sense them. Though Gaia would think they were either some sort of diviner or had an affinity for such things. She well knew there were those that the gods spoke through, so perhaps that is where that would come from. Gaia herself had no such affinity. All she wished was for the gods to bless her when she prayed for it.

That makes sense. Some people are more sensitive to such things, though I am not one of them. If I ever met a god in disguise, I did not recognize them. Perhaps it is best, I tend to use Jupiter's name as a curse more often than not.

She couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Another question popped into her head, but she had the decency to not ask it. After all, it would be about Hercules' father, and it was undoubtedly something he did not wish to think of, so she didn't bother to type it out. After Hercules had read that response, she cleared the text, and asked another question.

You said you travel. Where have you traveled? I bet you have many stories to tell. Someone who was as well-traveled as Hercules seemed to be would undoubtedly have many stories to tell. Of course, she knew not every story he had to tell would be happy or good. Warriors like him always had sad ones to tell as well.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-08 11:44 am UTC (link)
He nodded at the typed words. Gabrielle had told him a few times how Xena could sometimes sense Ares when he was close by. Part of him wondered how she had honed that skill. It was definitely useful to say the least but it couldn't have been easy at all to develop. Though before the two had met, Xena was Ares' favorite warlord so it would make sense that he would find all sorts of ways to test her and make her focus every skill she had as a warrior.

And Gaia was right. It was probably best to not ask Hercules about his father. While the two had come to an understanding, that didn't mean they were all hugs and dancing in the Elysian Fields happy. Not yet at least. Perhaps one day they would get there. But for now, not so much. Seeing her next question, he smiled a bit. He cleared out the text so he could answer.

All over Greece for starters. As I said, I grew up on my mother's farm in the kingdom of Corinth. After I finished all the training I was sent to by my mother, I started travelling around with my two friends. Eventually we went our separate ways but from time to time we met back up for more adventures or just to talk about our youth. I settled down eventually and had three kids with my wife, but my stepmother Hera hates me. So she killed them. He paused for a moment, remembering that fateful night and the fireballs coming out of the sky to kill his wife and kids.

Once he was certain she had read that bit, he cleared the text and continued. So to honor their memory, I started wandering around Greece helping those I came across who needed it. Eventually it took me out of Greece to a land called Sumeria. I lost a good friend there and tried to run away from my pain. I landed on Eire, the people there helped me with my grief and I helped them then I moved on and came to the Norselands. And there I met two other gods, Thor and Baldur and they actually cared about their people.

It was definitely a lot to tell and he stopped just in case Gaia had any questions about what he had shared with her so far.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-08 12:02 pm UTC (link)
Gaia was realizing that at this moment, she was being completely herself. Really, she didn't know why, but then again she tended to be whatever the person she was interacting with wanted or needed. And right now, Hercules needed someone to help teach him about the things in this world, the things happening, help aide in his transition. And really, Gaia was certain she was the only one who could do that for him granted the fact she'd also made the two thousand year leap in time that he had. So for the moment, all thoughts of flattery and sex were pushed from her mind, something that was rare. Rarer yet was the fact she wasn't trying to manipulate him either. Though she rather was coming to understand Hercules was not a man easily manipulated by anyone, so she would not even try to play her games with him. There were others here that she could do that with. But Hercules? No. She would just let herself be herself, let him see that. And hopefully she could keep him from seeing the scheming side of herself, but she had no intentions of using those skills whenever he was around her.

As she read his first response, Gaia was both filled with wonder, but also she felt, what was that, empathy? Or something close to it when he mentioned losing his wife and children. She well knew what it was like to lose a spouse, she'd lost hers. The only difference was she wasn't so much in love with her husband as she was in love with his purse. But Hercules no doubt loved his wife and children. Instead of giving a vocal or written response to that particular fact, she reached out and set her hand on his forearm and gave it a gentle, sympathetic squeeze.

When she read the second part of his response, she again found her interest piqued. Truly he had travelled far and wide. She wasn't so certain she'd heard of the Norselands, but no doubt they were far to the north. It was all fascinating, though, in an odd sort of way. Gaia was more interested in the adventure part, not so much the fact all the lands he spoke of were littered with barbarians. Clearing the text, she went about her response.

You have traveled far and wide! The Norselands, they are far to the north? I do not seem to recall hearing of those lands. But again, Gaul tended to be what everyone was talking about. It had been established she was from a time even earlier than Hercules, considering he knew who Julius Caesar was and she didn't. Perhaps the Norselands had yet to be approached by the Romans in her time, but they had in the time Hercules was from.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-08 12:13 pm UTC (link)
Feeling the squeeze on his arm, he gave her a small smile of thanks. There were some nights where he dreamt about that still. Though thankfully they had lessened over time. But even then, he never stopped thinking of his lost family. At least Hera had gotten what she deserved. Trapped, hopefully forever, in that abyss. If he could, Hercules would send her to the darkest depths of Tartarus to rot.

He pulled himself out of his anger towards his stepmother and looked at what Gaia had typed for him to read. So she didn't seem to know of the Norselands. Not all that surprising given they were hard to get to. Nevermind the fact the land was harsh and brutal. But it was beautiful as well. There was no denying that.

Clearing her question, he began to type out his response. They are far to the north of Gaul. And the land there is wild and untamed and full of beauty. I do not think the Romans yet know of the Norselands. And even if they did, I do not think they could conquer them. The campaign would be long and bloody. And that would be if the Norse gods did not intervene to protect their people.

Hercules had gone head to head with Thor after he had been tricked by Loki into killing Baldur. And the Norse god of Thunder was truly a force of nature. But I think my favorite land aside from Greece so far has to be Eire. There's a sense of peace and beauty and balance there I've felt no where else.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-08 12:28 pm UTC (link)
So she had been correct, the Norselands were far north, even further than Gaul. Oh Gaia had seen maps, she knew where Gaul was in relation to Rome. But she couldn't fathom just how much further north the land could stretch. Just how large was the world? And really, Hercules thought Rome could not conquer the Norselands? Had Rome not all ready conquered many lands that had claimed the same? Truly, Rome had power, and the way in which they replenished the legions with men from the lands they conquered, their army was vast.

Which brought another question to mind. What makes the Norse gods so different from gods of other lands? Did the gods of the Gauls allow their people to fall to Rome without intervention? She wasn't attempting to be argumentative, she just wished to know what was so different about the Norse gods protecting their people as opposed to other gods of other people. Besides, debate and questions and answers were healthy when done correctly. Luckily, Gaia well knew how to be diplomatic and not argumentative when such a thing was to her benefit, such as now.

At reading about Eire, Gaia smiled a bit. Eire sounds like a majestic place. She did not recognize the name Eire off-hand, but she had heard of a land to the west of Gaul. Is Eire west of Gaul? Perhaps that was the land she'd overheard those soldiers discussing when she'd passed them in the streets of Rome some time back before her husband's death. And it was then that Gaia realized that Hercules hadn't asked her any more personal questions. She didn't mind it, though. She wasn't so sure she wished to tell her story at this precise moment, but she would if asked.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-08 11:41 pm UTC (link)
Even Hercules had no idea how much land there was in the world. The waters to the west of Eire seemed to be quite vast. He had no idea of just how far they stretched. The world really was a grand and glorious place. Reading over Gaia's question, he thought for a moment before replying. It was clear this was to be a discussion and he wanted to show her his observations about what he had seen in his travels about the different gods he had come across.

I have not met the gods of the Gauls so I cannot say why they did not prevent their people from falling to Roman rule. But the gods of Eire, at least the one I met, did not care if the Romans took over or not. He only wanted the druids dead and saw that the Romans could do that for him. As for the gods of the Norselands, they walked openly amongst the people and were their friends, their equals I would say. There was nothing forcing the Norse people to worship their gods.

That's what he had seen at least. Thor and Baldur were truly unique as far as gods went and Hercules hoped that he would get to meet them again. Perhaps even engage Thor in a friendly spar. And, after seeing Gaia's question about Eire, part of him wanted to keep it secret to keep Morrigan and her people safe, but he doubted that Gaia would do any harm in this day and age to Eire.

It is. As I mentioned, I was able to find peace and solace there after my best friend's death in Sumeria. And yes, it is west of Gaul. He paused, trying to think of something to ask Gaia. You are the first Roman I have met face to face who didn't want to kill me or enslave me. Mind if I ask what it was like growing up in the Roman Empire? Might as well try to get to know his hostess a little better.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-09 02:02 am UTC (link)
Reading his response about the gods of the Gauls and Norselands, Gaia thought that over. So perhaps, in a way, the fighting was not so much between human hands, but dependent upon which faction of gods wished their people to be the victors. Gaia well understood it was always a necessity to have the gods' favor, otherwise bad fortune would come to them. So perhaps that was a factor in this.

Intriguing. Not what I expected to hear about gods, but the gods of the Norse people seem to prefer being active in their peoples' every day lives as opposed to being involved from afar or in secret. Though perhaps some gods are stronger than others when it comes to protecting their people.

She was not a priestess, but Gaia did think there was something to the strength of a god and the strength of the people. It was rather a strange thing for her to talk about and theorize on, but there it was. After this, there would be no way she could conceal her intelligence from Hercules. But for some reason, she wished to appear as an intelligent woman. Yes she was vain and self-centered, but she had an artful, intelligent mind behind it which just made her all the more cunning when the situation called for it.

Deepest sympathies for the loss of your friend. I do hope that you were able to find the solace you were looking for. She looked at Hercules, giving him a gentle smile. After hearing about his family, and now his friend, it did seem that sorrow and tragedy stained a good portion of his life. Then he was asking about her life. I rather think if I tried to kill you or enslave you, you would merely laugh at me. She couldn't help but laugh at that. While Gaia was just slightly above the modern measurement for average height for women, she was skinny and didn't have much to her. So the mere thought of her trying to assert dominance over a man of Hercules' height and size was laughable.

But then the question of her growing up in the Roman Empire. While there were a lot of good things, there were also things she cared not to remember. For the larger part, it was a good place to grow up in. Though it is a man's world. It was sometimes difficult being a woman in such a society. My father made his money in the bronze trade. He was a skilled and ruthless businessman. There was a slight hesitation, one that hinted that the ruthless nature did not stop when he was home, but Gaia didn't elaborate on that. My closest friend was Lucretia. We grew up together. She married a dominus, Quintus Batiatus, who came from a line of men who trained gladiators. As I mentioned earlier, I married a Senator, and we were separated for some years as I went to live in Rome with my husband. Until he recently died, then I returned to Capua and reconnected with Lucretia.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-09 02:58 am UTC (link)
The Greek had given up trying to understand the mindset of the gods. They did things often without rhyme or reason, just whatever suited their purpose. Though he was willing to admit that not all gods were selfish and petty. As he read over Gaia's response, he was a bit impressed with the intelligence she seemed to be giving off. So she wasn't just a pretty face. She had brains to go with it. He nodded some in agreement with her statement, not knowing what else he could add to it. At least not now.

Thank you. I was. And I know my friend is finally resting in Paradise where he deserves to be he replied back. Reading the next bit she typed, he let out a soft laugh. Maybe so, but sometimes I have found that women are more devious and tricky to predict than men are when it comes to how to best me. Which was the truth. When he first met Xena, he hadn't really considered her a threat. Oh how wrong he had been. He should have really known that women could be just as if not more dangerous as men. Like Hera.

He read over what she wrote about growing up a Roman. While he noticed the slight hesitation, he said nothing on it. As she said, the time they came from was a man's world. It was a sad hard fact. That was why he believed a good deal of women tried to become Amazons. They were tired of the constant put downs and controlling from man.

I'm glad you were able to reconnect with your friend, though it does sound like you and other young women had a hard time growing up in such a male dominant society.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-09 09:02 pm UTC (link)
Well, Hercules did have a point. Gaia was typically devious and tricky, but she wasn't exactly feeling the need to take that road with Hercules. Though hearing that it was a possibility to happen to Hercules was something she'd keep in mind should she ever need to exercise it for some reason or another. No one was above being used for her own ends. But right now, she didn't have anything specific she wanted, so there was no reason to really use anyone.

Upon his comment about having a hard time growing up, Gaia took a breath and nodded a bit. It wasn't all bad, once one learned how to move within society, it was fairly easy as long as certain things were avoided. Gaia herself had only had issues in that respect with her father. Her husband, thankfully, had a better demeanor when he was around. Of course he had his days where he was cranky because of this or that, but it wasn't nearly as bad as her father had been. Really, the marriage had also been an escape from her father. And she'd never looked back.

We did. Some men, like my father, made life difficult. But there were also plenty of men who were kind and not so domineering. I was fortunate enough to gain a husband of such temperament. Lucretia was fortunate enough in her husband as well. But then Gaia had been left with nothing, no protection after her husband's death. Standing was everything, and Gaia had nothing. When my husband died, his money was gone, so I was left with nothing. That is partly why I returned to Capua and sought out Lucretia. Despite all the ties I had in Rome, the only one I could truly count on to help me was Lucretia.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-09 09:13 pm UTC (link)
Reading what she had written, Hercules felt empathetic towards her. He never really cared about social standings and the like. To him, all that mattered was respecting people and helping those in need. Perhaps it was a bit naive to think like that, but so far in his life, it had worked out pretty well if he did say so himself. But this was his path at least and it probably wasn't the exact same one that another would follow.

I am sorry you were left with nothing after your husband's passing. Still, at least you knew you could go to your friend Lucretia. It is a great sense of relief to be able to have a friend that will always have your back no matter what.

Hercules paused, once more reminded of the loss of Iolaus. Truly there was no one else in the world he would trust more. Xena came very, very close, but Iolaus had always been there for him, through thick and thin. It was odd to not be able to rely on the other man to be there for him now.

So, is there anything else I should know about you? Amusing stories, that sort of thing? He looked at her after he finished typing, an amused grin on his face and in his eyes.

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[info]allidesire
2012-05-10 04:10 am UTC (link)
Gaia was fully aware the only reason she had been left with nothing was because of her lavish spending habits, though she wasn't about to say that to Hercules. She was very much the woman that needed the best of everything. And, of course, her opium came direct from Cyprus and was of the highest quality. It was perhaps strange to miss a drug, but here it was. The opium Moriarty had obtained for her was good, but it was still a bit different from what she had been used to. No doubt that was attributed to the fact opium had fallen out of favor.

Gratitude. It was a difficult time, but it is always a relief to have that person you can always count on.

There was a bit of a sad smile on her lips. Oh she missed Lucretia badly. She really wished her friend would be brought here. She needed that sense of security, that bond. Gaia was of course reaching out and making new relationships here, but no one was Lucretia. No one here would ever know her the way Lucretia did. And, of course, no one was a lover the way Lucretia was.

At the question of amusing stories, Gaia arched her brows in amusement, smirking at Hercules before responding. Of those I have many. One time, my husband was trying to organize a party for me without my knowledge. While I usually am able to spend hours on end in the market, that day I started feeling a little under the weather, so I returned home early to find my husband in dire straights trying to set things up, and I thought the man was going to drop dead on me when he saw me walk in the door. He tried to tell me that Venus herself was being summoned and I must dismiss myself immediately and not leave our rooms. Needless to say, later on I more than made up for my unexpected arrival.

Gaia smirked a bit. Despite her husband having been twice her age, he always had been good in bed. It was one of the positives her husband had, and didn't make her marriage insufferable.

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[info]favoriteofzeus
2012-05-10 11:39 am UTC (link)
Hercules nodded as he read her words. It really was a relief to have that safety net of sorts of a good, true friend, whether they were blood related or just a close friend. He reached out and added a little bit more to their conversation. It is. When my wife and children had been killed by my stepmother, Hera, and my father doing nothing about it, my mother and best friend did all they could to console me. Their words got to me, but only after I met a former slave girl who reminded me that I should properly honor my family's memory by helping people, not going around and destroying temples. Add in the fact he had lost Iolaus that time to the she-demon, Hercules knew what his path in life would be.

The Greek saw the sad smile and, like she had done for him, he reached over and gently placed his hand on her arm, giving it a small, very gentle squeeze. He was very aware that she was a well to do woman and his hands were calloused from years of fighting, farming, and other kinds of helping. He didn't want to be too firm or anything in showing his sympathy to her.

It took Hercules a moment to figure out that Venus was Aphrodite and he chuckled some at her story. Though at the end of it there was a very faint tinge of red to his cheeks. It didn't take an Athens scholar to know what she was referring to. And while Hercules was well aware of what went on between men and women behind closed doors, it was certainly another thing to hear about it.

I'm sure if he ever tried it again he used more caution. The one surprise birthday party my friends and family tried to throw me didn't work out so well. He remembered one of his own surprise birthday parties. Which had ended with him teaming up with Callisto, Xena's nemesis, to find the Golden Apples to save his family and friends. That blonde was certainly trouble and was nearly as good as Xena, if not as good.

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