Temple of Veritas [OPEN]

[Deleted]

The day was cold and dreary, rain fell like ice in the unusually late winter time weather. Wind blew, cutting through any jacket one could wear, and the rain that felt so stinging cold fell in sheets. It was not a day anyone wished to be outside, or even venture from the warmth of the barracks unless needed. It seemed even the centurions gave the troupes a chance on this day to simply stay inside, it was truly a bad weather day if even they kept people inside. There was one boy who gripped his coat to his chest keeping the wind from blowing it off his shoulders, and that was Lance. Soaked to the bone he trudged through the muddy roads, trying to keep on the least soaked part. It took a great deal of time, as it almost seemed the wind had a mind to keep him from his destination, but he was able to get to Temple Hill.

At the entrance to the temple Lance pulled off his soaking wet coat, and attempted to wring the water from his short hair. The cold water seemed even worse when it slipped down his neck after getting out of the storm. After folding his coat and cleaning off his shoes, Lance decided it was okay to enter the temple main chambers. With a deep breath he approached his mother's alter, he only knew a little of what his father told him. The flowers she liked, the songs, simple things. Lance pulled a single flower, with a bow tied around it placing it as tribute. In soft tones he asked about Lilith, and the trouble some feeling he got sometimes when she spoke. He was worried she was in trouble, that she was being bullied by something she could not speak about. Lance was a good kid, and wanted to know the truth about the matter.

As he knelt there, pouring his heart out to someone he didn't even know for a fact was listening, the rain began to lessen. Lance wasn't even sure if he had really wanted an answer by the time he was done. He wondered if he had only really wanted to talk about it, to say all his worries aloud. Rubbing the snot from his nose Lance stood. He would hate for anyone to see him, and the terrible weather had died down quicker than he imagined. His purple shirt wiped away the traces of crying from his face.

[Deleted]

Gunner didn’t normally go to the temples. He rather disliked them in fact. There was really only one god that mattered to him and he was pretty consistent about showing up in Camp. Not that Gunnar minded, his Ukki, or Mors to the rest of camp, was someone Gunnar could be proud of. Gunnar had two grandfathers, both were death incarnated, but it was Mors that he really took after. However Gunnar did want to make a tribute to both of them. Gods, to him at least, were people to be respected, maybe even loved, but most of them were to be kept at a distance. He didn’t put much stock in his other Grandfather, Pluto. The lord of the underworld was vain and such a pain in the butt on any good day. He worried about felicity, his much younger aunt. But it was something that would work itself out eventually he figured. Gunnar tried to not put too much into one side or another. He was like Mors, he was death in its mortal form, but he was neutral. All were equal in his eye. Death was the great equalizer in the end. It didn’t matter who you were in life, in death everyone was going to the same judges.

Sometimes Gunnar wondered where exactly he was going in death. Not that he worried about it enough to lose sleep. He walked amongst the temples, his hands running along the stone work that had been put together to become temples. He adjusted his tie and his jacket as he stepped from under the awning of a temple. He had a good reason for being where he was. There were a few things that he wanted to ask a certain lady. He had to ask about a few things that were concerned with a contract of his. Whether or not the lady of truth was actually going to answer him was another thing entirely. Gunnar generally knew after he left the temple whether or not he was doing the correct thing by taking someone out of the picture the way he did. Gunnar had his own rules that he played by. He would never harm someone good or innocent. While there were people who were good that occasionally did bad things, those were never his targets. His were those who always did evil things. Gunnar didn’t mind taking out those who tried to hurt innocent people. Sometimes he felt bad for his killings, mostly because he hated to give his grandfather more paperwork.

Gunnar turned the corner, hearing a heartbeat faintly in his ears. It was familiar and strong, he knew it, or at least he thought he did. Gunnar knew now he wasn’t alone in the temple of truth. He melded into the shadows, blending perfectly as to not be seen. He watched a boy shaking, as if he was crying. Such a pansy, Gunnar thought as he watched. Though he wouldn’t say anything just yet, Gunnar lurked, watching out of the shadows at the boy whose form he noticed. Lance, that was the boy’s name, Gunnar though as he moved through the shadows. He was thinking about something and it must have been personal. Gunnar normally wasn’t one for interrupting people’s prayers, he was curious though.

[Deleted]

Lance was worried a great deal about the camp. He had taken to keeping to the shadows, something that he had to work on at first but it didn't take long to be able to sneak around most of the people in camp. He began to take the advice of others, and worked on his archery. It was actually a lot better than he had thought it would be. He was decent with throwing weapons too, anything that didn't mean he had to use brute force to accomplish. Still he liked to remain in the shadows, hiding and gathering information on people. Mostly people he liked, which most people might find a little odd. He did it out of worry, out of interest in their lives, and because he wanted to know more about them but feared asking them straight out. Lilith had been one such friend, and while he has been shadowing her on and off he noticed her change. Of course it seemed like something, a great weight lifted from her chest and almost as soon as that happened she seemed to get caught up in something with another friend. Felicity. He was not sure what was happening there either, it was rather annoying and difficult to go about your life not knowing about your friends. He had wanted to start shadowing Felicity, since Lilith was worried about her, but it might have been a bit rude. He did not want that.

So few people actually called the young boy friend, and he cared deeply for each of them. A few, like Josh, called him family. It was nice to have people to care about again. He wouldn't trade this feeling for the world, the joy of having friends. He wasn't sure what kind of answer he would get, or even if he would get one, but he knew that he had a gut feeling about this. He felt like he was on the edge of something much deeper than he could ever know by himself. These feeling that strained in his heart, and in his soul seemed to call out stronger every year that passed. He didn't know why, or how. It might have something to do with his mother, though he could hardly trust that. He didn't see the truth behind that lion, like his friend had so long ago.

Gunnar was not known to Lance, but he knew it was always possible to enter the temples at any time, and now that the tremendous shower was done so was he. Not another word, not another sniffle, and of course not another tear. “Mother, help me see the truth in this.” he spoke aloud once more, ending it there ready to leave the temple.

[Deleted]

Gunnar adjusted his tie as he knelt down in the shadows. His lips moved soundlessly, his prayers were wordless as he looked up through the shadows to the heavens, hoping for some bit of light on the current situation that was going on. Gunnar had spoken to Mors about it on more than one occasion. His Ukki was someone he trusted to get the right people (or gods, whichever) on it. Though the information that Gunnar had was limited, he worked rather hard to get it by the means he had available, and not by rather unscrupulous means. No he wasn’t above using torture or torment to get information that he normally wasn’t privy to, Gunnar just simply preferred to use regular methods until someone had pushed him either too far or the regular methods weren’t producing the desired results. He took in a deep breath as he finished up his rather quick prayer. Gunnar felt a bit of resolve in his soul. Generally he took it as a good sign, a sign that he was doing something right. Or at least that’s what he hoped. There was a lot of work that Gunnar took on the side for little or no payment. If a payment was made it was in the form of a single green apple. Everyone had their vices and his just happened to be green apples. He pulled one from the pocket of his jacket and set it on the alter once Lance had seemingly finished his prayer, leaving the apple as an offering to the lady of truth. Gunnar and maybe a few other people knew his secret or knew of the oath that he had taken so many years ago. It seemed like it had been for ever since he had taken that oath, there had been many things that had changed, but his oath hadn’t.

Gunnar stood up and watched as Lance made for the temple entrance. He moved silently, walking quickly and silently, his footsteps muffled. He wanted to know why the kid was in the temple. Was that a bit of crime? Some would say so. Gunnar glanced up at the sky through the opened door; it would have seemed that the torrential down pour had lessened up. That was nice. However Gunnar didn’t worry much about getting his suits dirty. That’s what dry cleaning was for, and now he had a jacket that was water proof and held the best stuff in them. Gunnar took out an apple before polishing it on the sleeve of his coat. He took a bite, continuing to walk silently and watching Lance. He made a note that he would probably have to shine the leather shoes after training that he would endure today. It would be a simple bit of training, nothing could ever match the training that his mother and father had put him through all those years ago. Even now as an adult it was enough to make him shudder. Those who knew what Gunnar had to go through would call it child abuse; Gunnar called it character development and thickening of the skin. Everyone needed a good dose of terror; it helped them see the good things that life has to offer. Sometimes Gunnar felt that he provided the camp with a good service at times. And of course, plotting and scheming on how he was going to terrorize Tessa for the day. Hmm, maybe he will have to write up a will and leave it amongst her paperwork for her to sign. Okay that did seem a bit morbid. Maybe even more so for him.

“Lance, where are you going?” Gunnar asked as he faded into the shadow that lay in front of the kid. His head was popped up from the ground, looking like someone had left a helmet or a head on the ground. Gunnar waited for the rest of his body to fade in from the shadows; he rather disliked having to leave a body part behind. He pulled out an apple and tossed it to the kid. “So what’s bringing you to the temple so early?” Gunnar asked a bunch of questions, but as usual he would store the information for later use. Not that he hand an explicit reason to blackmail or torture the kid for information, Gunnar always envisioned killing someone when he first met them. Lance had been no different, but the idea of draining the kid’s blood was a rather satisfying feeling. Gunnar took another bite of the apple before staring at the teeth marks he had left in it. He watched the kid with a cold stare, okay maybe it wasn’t a cold look, maybe it was more neutral. Gunnar watched for any physical signs that he could discern a lie in a person. He at least trusted Lance to not lie, if their previous interactions were any indication. Gunnar wondered if Lance would actually tell him the truth, and not in the way that got him out of talking.

[Deleted]

Opening the doors Lance could smell the sweet after rain scent that came after a heavy down pour. He took a deep breath, it had also seemed to cool off just slightly. The sun was starting to peek out from behind the cloud already, it was always interesting how nature could be. One moment thundering and brutal, the next pleasant and beautiful. Lance smiled, remembering how his father said it was a fickle as a woman. The dark storm clouds had passed, while the gray and white ones continued to hover over head. They cast tie dye shadow across the hill, and all the way to the cohorts. While he wasn't sure if he got exactly what he was looking for he still felt a good deal better. He wanted to be able to trust that unusual gut feeling he got, he hoped it was from his mother. He did love his grandfather, and he was a nice god that Lance enjoyed spending time with but that wasn't his mother. Lance had gotten some stealth and athletics from his grandfather, but he wanted something from his mother. It was his mother after all.

Lance paused a moment as he took in the outside air, something felt off. Like there was someone behind him, even though he could remember being the only one in the temple only a little while ago. Lance turned, it couldn't hurt to check right? There wasn't anyone there, of course not he had been the only one in the temple. With a pleasant sigh he turned back to the entrance ready to walk out and jumped. There was a man in front of him and it startled the heck out of him. Taking a step back he took a moment to recognize the face, though no name came to mind. If he remembered correctly this guy had some kind of job, or pass time that discouraged questions. A lot like his dad. He supposed popping out of nowhere was a fairly similar trait also, but he hadn't seen his dad in a few years.

After a moment his heart started to calm down again. "I wasn't going anywhere in particular. Just leaving the temple." he replied, slightly interested in why he was being asked that question. Of course Lance didn't lie, he didn't like lying and it served little purpose for him. It was better to just remain silent about things you didn't want to talk about. "I was trying to avoid having people near by when I went to pray to my mother. Just a little counsel I guess. What about you? Or is it a question better not asked?" he said with a smile, he was used to not always getting answers. It was a lot more normal for him than actually getting them, at least directly. That might have been why he tried to get information about people by hanging out near by while they talked instead of asking. Supposedly that wasn't normal.

[Deleted]

Gunnar could feel the breeze on the back of his neck, making his hair stand on end slightly. It was cool and the humidity from earlier was clinging a bit to the back of his neck. His eyes searched the temple, watching for other intruders on his conversation with this little kid. Not that he was about to ask anything too out of the ordinary, it was just a regular conversation with someone else in the Legion. Not that most of his conversations were regular, his tended to have a slightly morbid and mischievous tendencies, but for once, he wasn’t thinking about pulling someone’s skin off and pouring salt water over them. No, Gunnar just wanted to have a normal conversation. Lance jumped, Gunnar felt a tiny bit of delight as the young man seemed to be startled at the sudden appearance of himself. There seemed to be a small bit of recognition in the boys eyes. Gunner liked the eyes of people. Some people had the eyes of innocence, like Lance did. Other people held a lot of hurt, pain, and death in their eyes, much like his Aunt Felicity did. Gunnar had a feeling that eventually he would find himself here, in the temple of truth, to find out what was really going on with her. She was family but that wouldn’t stop him from keeping her from going too far in whatever she was up to. Oh he knew that she was up to something. You’d have to be blind, deaf, and completely idiotic to not know. He inwardly shook his head, some days he wondered what he had done to get such a strange family. There was Lilith, the over protective and ill prepared cousin and the evil and conniving Aunt Felicity who made the Boston Strangler look sane.

Gunnar adjusted his tie, a black tie as usual, though he did own other colors, black was his favorite color. Though on second thought, the blood red tie and the light blue tie would have worked really well with this bit coloring on his suit. Black, that was his suit color; it went well into the shadows. Though his charcoal grey suit worked just as good, his favorite one was the black suit. Gunnar watched the kid in front of him. He was rather interested in what Lance’s dad’s job was. Lance hadn’t said much the last time they had spoken, but it was enough to pique his interest. Gunnar always liked to learn a good bit about people. He knew the importance of information. Information could be the difference between life and death in a war. Misinformation is just as bad as not having any at all. A single bit of bad information could get more people killed or even worse. Gunnar liked to make sure his information was good, whether or not that included torture was just up in the air. Oh how did Gunnar enjoy the torture. It was quite wonderful to watch the light dim from the eyes of his torture victims. He hadn’t had to torture in a good long time, but Gunnar felt that it was important to keep his “skills” up to snuff. Gunnar had his daggers and knives, they were his favorite weapons to use, but he had his gladius strapped to his hip. He did plan on using the gladius for some training a little bit later. The sword was a bit heavier then what his was used to, not that it mattered. When you were with the legion, you had a good bit of knowledge of weapons, whether you were a Mars child or not.

“Your mother hmmm?” A child of the lady of truth? That was a first. Gunnar was sure that he had heard of one or two for as long as he had been in the legion. Gunnar waved a hand in front of his face after Lance had asked him a question. Not that he was waving the question off, he was waving off the second statement of it being a you don’t want to know sort of question. “I was simply asking your mother for some advice on a matter that has been plaguing my conscience.” The thought of Gunnar having his own Jimminy Cricket on his shoulder was a laughable concept. Well despite what most people thought about him, Gunnar did have rules he abided by. There had to be a good bit of justification for him to stray from the rules, the were important and like information, they could be the difference between life and death. “I spotted you the other day as I was lurking in the shadows. Your skills have become quite impressive.” Gunnar said with a bit of a smile. No he wasn’t lying or being a jerk, Gunnar was truly impressed with his skill. Especially from a legacy, though honestly, Gunnar thought the legacies did better then the actual demi-gods were. While they may be more powerful, the legacies had the experiences of their parents. The stories of those who lived on in New Rome could weave tales of caution and battle, enough to make some of the more talented Apollo kids blush at such orations.

[Deleted]

Lance didn't want to say it, but this man in front of him reminded him a lot of his father. At least the father he glimpsed when he was working, nothing like the playful prankster that loved to scare him after a horror movie. No perhaps even in that regard he was similar, but he did not laugh it off the same way. That was the main difference, the smiles and laughter. He hoped his absence made it easier for his father to work, after all it was hard to lay low when you had a kid and a home to return to every day. Not that he ever thought his father minded that point. A home and family were always necessary, and sometimes his father would simply come home and hug him. Never telling him why, just asking to stay that way for a while. Lance always assumed it had to do with his work, but there was a certain saying about assumption and the fools it made of people. So he normally avoided those, pure truth was better and extremely hard to come by. He wasn't sure if he had gotten that mentality from his father or his mother. It could always be a mix of both, which it probably was, but Lance had never quite met his mother face to face. He believed in both nature and nurture had a hand in every person, and he was certainly born and raised to be the type to prefer truth in the whole picture. Pieces of truth could be just as bad as a lie after all, simply not lying was not the same as telling the truth. Not in Lance's opinion anyway.

A smile spread across his face, he couldn't help but be glad someone came to his mother for council. Though the fact it was a matter of conscience meant that this person was fairly certain in whatever beliefs they had and needed confirmation of something. Lance tried to not read too much into it. Everyone had their own rule or two they had to keep after all. The next thing that came from the adult males mouth seemed to come out of nowhere. Perhaps because Lance was completely unaccustomed to compliments. At least now, years after he joined the legion. They gave criticisms, sure, and sometimes he did a decent enough job, but some how that felt different from someone telling out this outside of training. It flustered him slightly, nodding and making a face like he had no idea what to say to that. Which he pretty much didn't because he was still trying to wrap his brain around it. A compliment. A random compliment for that matter. "Th...thanks." he managed to squeak out, though the fact he was seen was probably another thing he'd have to work on. Lance was trying to not be visible at all, though he had nearly no god given ability to hide, he had learned a bit from his dad.

He'd never talk about it, because he wasn't supposed to. The work his father did was not for the public to know about. He'd reveal secrets, sometimes delving into certain subjects for a price but more often than not taking everything that seemed interesting. Looking into anything that seemed suspicious. There were a few rules that his dad lived by, if it feels wrong it probably is. If it seems just a bit off, investigate. Things like that. He was the adventurous type, and loved to travel. Lance got a little bit of that, but not much after what happened on the adventure before he reached the wolf house. "If...if you spotted me though...it...it means I need more work....not. Not that there is ever a point I should stop...training....to get better...." that was another rule, there was always someone better. Though Lance had never heard of his dad coming across a better sneak than him.