Curse It All! (Flash, tag Lilithfaith)

[Deleted]

August came to the temple of Jupiter alone. There was no one here. But he didn’t care. He was determined to prove his medal. He’d given one bad augury in his life and it had led a team on a quest that did nothing! He was furious with himself. Was it him? Did the gods no longer like him? Was he to be no longer the augur? Perhaps he was too old. Perhaps his replacement was on his or her way to camp right this very moment. He slammed his fist on the altar. “What have I done to you that you forsake me!?” he shouted at the statue. He should be in his father’s temple. His father controlled the augury gift. He would stop there next. First he had business to attend to here. He took a deep breath and straightened up. He placed the stuffed dog toy on the altar and pulled his ceremonial knife from its sheathe. “Glory be to the gods. I pray for advice for your humble camp.” He ripped open the dog with his knife and stuffing puffed out. He re-sheathed the knife and narrowed his eyes. He saw one thing. Danger. The only thing the gods would tell him was that the camp was in danger!? He furiously swatted the destroyed toy off the altar as his eyes moistened in anger. He couldn’t be losing his touch! This was all their fault! Why wouldn’t they talk to him!? He needed to punch something. No, no, breathe. No, what he really needed right now was Julia. She would know what to say to calm the storm.

Words: 272
Tag: Jillian Rearch or maybe @apollo1 , up to you
Notes: This was legit hard to write because of my love for stuffed animals…

[Deleted]

Tag: August Mitchell

Word: 257

Notes: Yay!! Juliust!!!

Julia woke up early that morning, Charlie and Chris had prepared a very special express training. Only a couple of hours of an intense training and then she would be free to do anything she would want to do. It was something kind of easy that day, it seemed that Chris had a date or something like that and Charlie apparently was kidnapped at some point of the morning. They trained in the obstacle course and then with sore muscles they were dismissed for the day.

Julia went to the showers and got a hot shower, then she got dressed and decided to go and put an offering for her mother in her small temple. So she grabbed some apples and walked to the Temple Hill. There she got into the temple and stood before the altar, she put the offering on the altar and then knelt. She prayed for those she cared about, her cohort and August. He had been a bit distant, but she knew that being an augur wasn't easy job.

When she got up she smiled at the sight of a missing apple. Her mother had listened to her prayers and even taken an apple. Well, that was more than whatever Discordia had done in the past years. She walked out and decided to go to the city to grab a bite. But then he heard someone hitting marble in Jupiter's temple. She peeked in and saw a figure she recognized. "August?" she called him and looked at him really worried for him.

[Deleted]

August was feeling right about in the mood to start cursing every god by name, specifically, systematically, in alphabetical order. Not that, you know, he hadn’t done this before. He was pretty sure he could name most of them either in order of age or order of name, respectively. After all, he grew up loathing the world and the gods were just a part of that circle of loathing. It had been a while though. He was getting on better terms with his father, and today was breaking his three month sobriety of not shouting things in temples.

Which meant it was infinitely more embarrassing to be caught. He straightened and turned sharply, staring somewhere between horror and embarrassment at the figure at the entrance. Pretty much the only person anymore whose opinion he valued, and he had just made an idiot of himself in front of her. How long had she been there? How much had she seen? Did she know how much a failure he was now too? He took two or three deep breaths and let them out slowly, then finally attempted to speak. “Julia… what are you doing out here?” Sure, a mere minute ago it had crossed his mind that he needed her help, but… now that he was facing her, he felt so weak. And in that, he didn’t want her to know how weak he was. She looked up to him, right? He was supposed to be strong, like her Augustus of old. Augustus wouldn’t have row with the gods. Augustus would be strong for her. But Augustus wasn’t here. Augustus died. And apparently was reborn into this hellbend little loser who couldn’t hold the gods’ attention anymore and wielded a violin bow easier than a weapon bow. He tried to smile, to be happy for her, but it didn’t feel right. Mostly because this accursed temple and the fact that some genius had rigged it with thunder sound effects. You know what was really bad when you were trying not to be upset? Hearing the calling card of the one you were upset at.

Words: 352
Tag: Jillian Rearch
Notes:

[Deleted]

Julia stood there by the entrance, looking at August as the ceiling of the temple still rumbled with each thunder that sounded up there and flashed with each lightning that was seen up there. She even shivered with some of those rumbling sounds and had to close her eyes with some of the flashes. She had always been respectful of the gods so being there was something that imposed to her some respect. But her eyes were fixed on August, why was he so upset, why was he so angry at the father of the Gods?! “August…” she said in an almost muffled voice.

She bowed at the statue of Jupiter and then walked into the temple. She was really worried about August, she had also seriously thought about leaving camp, well that had been a thought that crossed her mind long time ago, but she thought about it only because in that moment she thought that he would be much better without her. After a long chat they had about it, they agreed that they would talk to each other, they would help each other, or at least that was what she had understood from back then.

She got closer to where he was and smiled softly as if she was walking closer to a wounded lion, she didn’t want to scare him or make him attack her. August would never physically attack her, but in words… well he was son of Apollo after all and he was really good with words. “I was in my mother’s temple and then I heard the yells coming from here…” She said and tried to hold his hand. “are you ok?”

---

Tag: August Mitchell
Word: 281
Notes: Awww August!

[Deleted]

August took a deep breath and sighed it out. He hated the way she said his name. Like she was scared of him. Or at least, that’s how his cracked mind was reading it in this moment. He was flat out terrified. When she bowed to the statue, he glanced away. She still respected the gods like a good little Roman. Here he was cursing them. They were so different. Why did she even like him? He was horrible. He’d treated her terribly and almost driven her away. He would never forgive himself for that. But thank all the gods up there – yes, even Jupiter – that she forgave him. He was still working on forgiving himself there.

But what now? Now that he was no longer useful? He gave a bad augury and now he was struggling to get his name back and apparently in the mess of that he’d forgotten her judging by the way she was approaching him like he was a land mine. She had that bit of a smile on her face, but his mind told him that was just because she was a good person. It wasn’t for him. He was useless and evil. His eyes drifted from hers as she walked closer, feeling ashamed of himself. He nodded slightly as she explained where she’d been and how she’d overheard him, which made him all the more ashamed that he was that obviously failing that she could hear it all the way from there.

Then he felt her soft touch on his hand as she took gentle hold of it. He looked to her, somewhere between miserable and confused. How could she be here for him when he was such a failure? She must be an angel or something, from all those other weird religions that believed in semi-divine almost perfect beings. When she asked if he was okay, he shook his head slowly, unable to say anything, then looked away so she wouldn’t see the pain and somehow found words. “I don’t think I have the gift anymore. They told me something false and now they won’t tell me anything.” He took a deep breath to calm himself, then finally looked back at her helplessly.

Words: 371
Tag: Jillian Rearch
Notes:

[Deleted]

Julia noticed the... was it fear? or was it more like the feeling of not trusting someone? would it be it? could August really not trust her? or if it was fear, why could he feel fear when she was around?! It was a mistery, something that she would love to know the answer to it, but in that moment wasn't her priority. First of all she wanted to know was was infecting his soul in such way, why was he cursing the gods!? And also to know if there was anyway she could help him.

So when he finally told her what was wrong she breathed deeply, part relief, part sadness, part happiness. She was happy to know that she wasn't the reason why he was so down, she was sad for him and also relieved. so complicated to explain what she was thinking and feeling in those minutes. Then she, as she was holding his hand, brought his hand up and then placed it on her cheek, then she walked a step closer and kissed his cheek softly, tenderly. "August, I believe that your father is testing you. Maybe he wants to know if you still want the gift or not."

It might happen, right? maybe apollo was trying to know if his son still wanted it or not, maybe he was giving august the chance of a normal life. "Or what do you think?"

---

Tag: August Mitchell
Word: 237
Notes: Julia tries to help.

[Deleted]

August was ashamed to admit what was wrong. Ashamed and terrified. But when his beloved girlfriend kissed his cheek and said those words… well, he felt hope again. A hint of a smile came to his face. A hint, sure, but it was a genuine hint. “You think so?” He thought about this a moment, then nodded. “I do want it. Julia, what do I do? How do I prove myself? Or does he want me to do this alone? Oh…” He sighed. “Just when I thought my father and I were getting along better, he tests me? I don’t understand.” He nodded again. “But I’ll do my best.” He stood a little taller and nodded again.

A moment later, his doubts got to him again and his shoulders slumped. “Julia, do you think he’d believe me? I… I need this. It’s… almost my crutch. I don’t know what I’d do without it. It makes me the Roman I never could be without it.” He didn’t even realize that in his thinking out loud, he might possibly be offending her. He spoke… well, at least what had been true before he met her. Before he met her, his gift was his sanity. He needed power. He needed prestige. He needed… to be needed. He hadn’t thought about the idea that maybe, just maybe, his love would still love him if he wasn’t the augur. Those instincts ingrained by his mother’s abuses told him that he had to be everything he possibly could be and more because love was not given: it was earned. That was his past told him. So even today when his mother was a far distant memory, he felt he had to do something or be something to earn respect and love.

Words: 295
Tag: Jillian Rearch
Notes: And August insults her because he's good at that. v.v

[Deleted]

Julia looked at August and didn’t have the answer for his questions. She knew how difficult it had been for him to trust again in his father and it seemed that this was going to rip apart all what they had built in the last few months. It was really sad to see August so sad, wait… he wasn’t just sad, that was something easy to say, no… he was depressed. She kept holding his hands in hers, she wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone. She looked into his eyes and then sighed. She had different theories, but non of them included one telling that his father was really testing him, not in a bad way.

“August, don’t worry, maybe the test is only to see if you still want it or if you want a normal life.” She said and smiled at him. She hoped that helped him but then he said those things about his gift, that it was what made him the roman that he was, that he needed it as a crutch. She tilted her head and then looked down at their hands. She really didn’t know what to tell him, how to make him understand that he was much more than just the augur. Maybe his father was doing it because of that, so he understand that it wasn’t that he was just the augur, but also August Mitchell, son of Apollo, great violinist, amazing archer, gentle man, a man who loved her and many other things.

“August… maybe that is your test. To learn to live as August Mitchell and not only as Camp Jupiter’s Augur.” She said in a different tone. She wasn’t upset at him, just worried about him. It was really sad that he only saw himself as an augur, because she saw him as many other things. Would he really love her? Would he really want a life with her? Or only to be the augur? Could he balance his life as an augur and his life as a man, a lover, a husband, a father?

Tag: August Mitchell
Word: 356
Notes: Awww August!

[Deleted]

August frowned like he didn’t understand. Which he kind of didn’t. “Normal? But this is my normal: being the augur.” He followed her gaze to their hands and sighed, then gave hers a soft squeeze. “You know I love you, right?” It was just hard. How could he explain it without sounding like either a lunatic or a total brag. He needed his gift to feel good about himself. He was still getting used to the idea that someone could love him, so that one hadn’t sunk in totally yet. He was still tentative on now much stock he could put into that after his mother’s ‘love’. Julia was very different from his mother though. She was a thousand times the woman that fake witch was. Which only meant that getting her attention was all the more astonishing. Quietly, he said, “If… if I didn’t look like your Augustus… would you ever have seen me?” He didn’t know why, but he had to know. It hurt him almost as much as the possibility of losing his gift. No, possibly more. He didn’t know. He didn’t want to think about it, it was that bad.

He took a deep breath and nodded. “Maybe you’re right. I just… I don’t know what August Mitchell is like without this. I refuse to go back to that boy who hid in his room. But that’s all I know. That and this. Now… I’m neither.” He sighed. He just didn’t know. He needed help. Thankfully, the delicate hands that held his were the best hands he could be in right now.

Words: 266
Tag: Jillian Rearch
Notes:

[Deleted]

Julia looked at August and breathed deeply when he said such things. How could he think that he was nothing much than the augur?! She sighed and then still holding his hands she heard his words, he asked if she knew that he loved her, well, she knew it, she was sure of it, but she didn’t know if he’d love his gift more than he loved her, that was ripping his heart and no matter what she loved him so much, that if he chose his gift, she would help him get it back even if he never loved her that much!

“I know August… I do.” She said and looked again up, right into his eyes, where he could see that she was being earnest, but also that she was hurt deep inside. She tilted her head with his next question, she chuckled and then placed her hand on his cheek and rubbed it with her thumb. She remembered Augustus, but for her in that moment he was nothing else than a nice sweet memory, nothing else, her heart didn’t beat and flutter for him, it did for August, for the clouded sunshine that she was looking at.

“Yes, I would have done it.” She frowned and then smiles. “you were the one who found me at the entrance, you helped me get on my feet again, you were the one who faced my worst and still were by my side. I hurt you with my power and you didn’t jerk back, you stayed. So you are you and I love you, August Mitchell. Nothing to do with Augustus.” She said hoping that it would get into his thick skull, she loved him and no other man.

“and maybe you should learn to live like yourself without crutches…” She said with a bit harsh tone, but she was really worried about him.

---

TAG: August Mitchell
WORDS: 318
NOTES: XD I love this two!!

[Deleted]

August was mentally all over the place right now. And then she looked in his eyes and he wanted to crumble. Somehow she was truly hurt and he couldn’t think of what he might have done to do it! He tried so hard, but what was he supposed to do!? He turned his head away so he didn’t have to look. And so she couldn’t see the anger in his eyes. What did she expect from him? Was she no better than his mother, just using him!? No. No! He kicked himself mentally. That couldn’t be right. Then he asked what had been nagging him for so long. Why had she come to him of all people in the first place? His throat burned as he asked it and his eyes burned as she gently held his cheek.

He listened to her words, seeking something that could heal him. Being raised by his mother, he knew how to hide hurt deep deep down. Right now he was utilizing that skill to it’s fullest. He didn’t want her to feel bad if he could help it. He smiled slightly at her words. They were… nice. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”

Then she said that. In that harsh tone. Immediately his smile dropped and so did his hand. “Excuse me?” He took a deep breath and turned away, stalking to the statue of Jupiter, which thundered as if it echoed his tumultuous mind. He drew his ceremonial dagger and looked at the inlaid precious stones thoughtfully. It was true. He did depend on it. But if she knew anything about him, she would understand. “This is me, Julia.” He slid the knife back into its sheathe and looked at her from the several yards separating them now as the thunder rolled high above. “For those of us who didn’t grow up with people liking us, life isn’t as cute and fluffy.” His words were harsh too, but he was upset. How dare she call his gift a crutch.

TAG: Jillian Rearch
WORDS: 349
NOTES: Sorry for him snapping!

[Deleted]

Julia was looking at him with his face in peace, but thanks to her mother’s gifts she felt the lack of peace inside of him, how his heart was in a storm of discord and in that moment she wasn’t using her powers at all. She didn’t say a word in that moment, she didn’t want him to think that she was using her powers on him on purpose. She breathed deeply trying to calm herself down first, she wasn’t going to do it even harder for him, although for some reason she felt that the reason of his lack of mental and heart peace was herself. She smiled at him when he thanked her, but it didn’t last.

She noticed how his facial expression changed, and with each move of his muscles to give the result of such angered face, she felt her heart breaking little by little. He turned away and she wanted to hug him by the back, but she couldn’t move, something glued her feet to the ground and couldn’t move. Then he grabbed his dagger and then put it back. She frowned at his words. How could he be that! He wasn’t just a dagger, an augur, a masterpiece of Apollo. He also was August Mitchell, the man that she loved more than anything, the man who brought her back to life, not in the biological sense, but the soul part, he taught her to live in that time and moment.

His last words echoed in her mind and heart. ”cute… fluffy…” She breathed deeply trying to keep a calm heart, she needed to stay calm, but how could she?! “Life… was never cute… and fluffy…” she said trying to swallow her anger, her pain. She looks at him, really hurt, her eyes reflecting how ripped her heart was at that moment. She breathed deeply and felt the discord corroding her soul. She was swallowing all the discord she could send to him. “But you are right… I was loved… I have no right to say the words I said.” Breathed deeply again. "But I also know what it is to know that your mother can destroy you at any moment and she wouldn’t care… she wouldn’t feel hurt by it…”

She felt discord breaking everything inside her, breaking her confidence, her knowledge of being loved, her mental sanity. “I just want you to know… that no matter what… I love you, augur or not… son of Apollon or not… centurion or not… I do love you… don’t hide from me...” She said and then turned away, she needed fresh air, she didn’t want to explode and let all of that discord hit him.

---

TAG: August Mitchell
WORDS:462
NOTES: Sorry the delay