Video | Two (can be as bad as one)

[pummelgranite]

[ This time there's no movement in the background. She's reclining on what seems to be a throne of flowering greenery, and a smattering of animal bones. ]



Head count, who's dead? No, wait, actually- who's died.



Also, anyone got any spare human skulls you're looking to move? I'll take other skulls too if they look cool enough, or whatever.

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[abandon_hope]

[ He has to admit she has some kind of point, but... ]

I've seen her a lot recently. And she's never, ever dressed anything like - whatever that getup is.

[pummelgranite]

Uh. Seriously. What?

[abandon_hope]

... Look, you're not her. There's no way.

[pummelgranite]

. . .



You're saying your mom's Persephone. Who are you. Where are you?

[abandon_hope]

Stepmom. I'm a son of Hades.

[ He doesn't answer that last question, but the background of his video shows a sunny graveyard somewhere. Heropa. ]

[pummelgranite]

[ Squinting. IF ONLY SHE HAD SPENT MORE TIME MEMORIZING GRAVEYARDS. ]


Is that the big uptown one? Shit, what was it. Sunset Hills Memorial? Stay there.

[abandon_hope]

[ Nico freezes. That widening of his eyes is evidence enough that she's guessed right. ]

No, wait--

[pummelgranite]

[ The video feed cuts off. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Nico swears under his breath, hopping down from the tombstone he'd been sitting on and trying to gather up his stuff. He hadn't had much to start with, but his few possessions are too precious not to scoop up. Faster, dammit. ]

[pummelgranite]

[ Not fast enough. It's less than a minute later when the door to a nearby mausoleum shatters violently outwards and she stomps out, brushing the grave dirt off her shoulders. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ He'd just scooped up the square of ambrosia and tucked it in his pocket. Now he fumbles to draw his sword.

Congrats, you've just found the fourteen-year-old son of Hades. One day he's going to be monstrously tall, but right now he's just kind of gangly. And a little bit see through in spots. ]

You're putting that back.

[pummelgranite]

[ He's... so gangly. Maximum gangle. But something about him is familiar, almost comfortingly so, or like a tiny hit of her own power, radiating back at her. She strides over, stopping just out of strike range. ]


They're not gonna miss it.

[abandon_hope]

[ He's getting much the same feeling. They're both unmistakably chthonic even if their purviews (and divinities) vary. She still doesn't feel quite like a goddess should to him. If he had to guess, he'd identify her as Persephone's daughter, not Persephone herself.

But this is a weird encounter all around. ]

Says you. Just because there's no Underworld doesn't mean these bones don't remember who they are.

[pummelgranite]

[ "Sure. But the dead don't talk back. They're dead, stupid." She scowls at him a long moment, then back to the splintered door. ]


Fine.



Stay. Here.


[ And then stalks back over there, kind of inspects the damage, grumbling. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ He stays put ... and watches. He could move those stone himself, but ... ]

I'm staying. For now.

[pummelgranite]

One! Two! Three! Four!


[ And then a bunch of MAGICAL GLOWY VINES grow up, first just gathering up and replacing the broken wood and stone, putting down their roots to secure it in place. But they keep growing, over the crumbling stone of the whole structure. When they settle, the glow fades, leaving more mundane looking brown stems and delicate pink flowers behind. All in all, it might be the loveliest thing around here.

But she still just crosses her arms and addresses the Fancy Corpse Hut. ]


There! Christ! Everyone comfortable? Any complaints? Now would be the time.

[abandon_hope]

[ ... Okay that was an impressive display of power. Nico's jaw drops for a moment before he manages to shut it again. ]

That'll work. Yeah. [ A beat. ] Mr. Zewelleger likes flowers.

[pummelgranite]

[ She looks back at him, a little incredulous. ]


... a dead guy told you that?

[abandon_hope]

Of course. I told you, there's no Underworld here, but ...

[ He shrugs, gesturing. A skeleton hand bursts out of the ground next to him, followed by the rest of its upper torso. ]

The bones remember.

[pummelgranite]

[ WHELP THAT IS TOO COOL AND SHE HAS FORGOTTEN TO BE MAD ]


Holy shit! No way!


[ Just, beelining back over, offering a hand to help it up. Skeletonskeletonskeleton 8) ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Mr. Skeleton looks a bit disturbed by having someone excited to see him, but he pulls himself out the rest of the way. Nico, meanwhile, unbends a fraction of an inch. ]

There's not much to them. Just the basics.

[pummelgranite]

Just the bare bones, huh?


[ Someone's been spending too much time in Baphomet's Pungeon. Skeleton, be Persephone's friend, she totally wants to take his hands and inspect and- ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Nico snorts faintly at that, but she gets a smile out of him. Meanwhile Mr. Skeleton obediently drifts closer. ]

He likes you.

[pummelgranite]

Duh.

[ yesssssssss y e s. she stalks around them both. ]


Is this the Porter? Can you always do this? Tell him he's awesome.

[abandon_hope]

Uh -

[ He withdraws a bit. All this attention is making him shy. ]

No, yes, and he can hear you just fine. [ A beat. ] I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo.