[callisthope]

ˋ°•*⁀➷ indie roleplay blog for   callisto   hades game based.  private & mutuals only, written by vee    she / her,   21+, gmt +10. follows come from @retribrutal ─ .✦ previous icons from this blog come from this creator.

rules

i. thanks so much for following! i am unfortunately super slow with both ic and ooc replies, so this is a low activity blog. sorry in advance if i take ages to respond, but that has no bearing on whether or not i want to write with you!

ii. i have a genuine interest in writing with and plotting with anyone i follow so don’t be shy if you’d like to write! I don’t mind at all if you send me an ask meme I reblogged from a while back. feel free to reblog and continue any memes I write for you!

iii. this blog is crossover friendly - happy to make things work in your character's fandom or mine.

iv. this blog is 18+ only as it may feature nsfw themes.

[dryya-doesnt]

The story of Callisto and Artemis in the style of Hades (because I’m delusional).

I think they were lovers (Ovid says otherwise but the ancients hit patrochilles with the “historians say they were best friends” beam so….)

First meeting:

Callisto’s thoughts on Artemis:

Callisto’s past:

I like to think that Callisto begged Zagreus to set up a final meeting with Artemis to make amends and say her goodbyes — for closure she says… it’s probably time for her to let go of the past and for her to breathe a little… right?

[3rabbit]

daughter (non-practicing)

[mistressaccost]

genuinely do NOT want the world to see me because i don’t think that they’d understand

[callisthope]

her body begun to relax before she did the the moment the rolling hills of home came up in the distance, space and peace in bounds instead of the hot stones underfoot causing her to swelter under her pelt, not to mention the crowds of mortals that had her on alert as they pooled around her.

she so readily took on these tasks for her Lady each time, knowing she would give them the proper care they deserved. though each time, no sooner than she stepped foot outside her woods did she start to wonder why on earth she'd traded her Lady's company for those she had left behind long ago. why she so willingly faced the bustle of the polis, towed around her weight in offerings or sat so calmly through praise after praise. for her, of course. she had nothing to prove after so long by her side, but so far there was hardly anything she wouldn't raise her hand for, when it came to her... and perhaps also for some creeping fascination— what these places she'd heard so much about were really like, beyond the suffocating walls she'd always been kept behind as a child, how they would worship her goddess.

the paint that covered her face was usually her only saving grace. most mortals these days regarded her with an unwary fear of what they didn't fully understand, a dangerous looking woman, or with a respect that kept them far away... just not the one she had met on her journey back, following her all the way from one village to the next. filled with curiosity that had her peering in like she could see past it all. it was a humbling feeling and more than unfamiliar these days, her stomach rolling at the interest in her eyes.

it made her even more relived to be back, to see her faint glow in the distance, feel it deep in her bones that she was home. there was no longer anything to hide, she could just be here, herself. 

she released a smile she’d shown to no other since she'd left, one that would mean even less if it were anyone else she was angling it towards. wanted nothing else than to fall at her side and rest her tired legs. but did she receive any of that in return? it was yet to be seen, barely a look in her direction when she called for her in the distance.

“ my Lady... it's good to be back... a few of the young ones did say i should take care coming over here... is there something i should know about? it wouldn't happen to be something I could string my bow for, would it? ” so she was desperate for it, it was a long shot by far but her bow had been left practically untouched for weeks. yet still, she was lacking the spark of recognition in her eyes she had been hoping for her entire journey...

she tilted her head, tried to catch those eyes she'd pictured since she'd left, “ ... - i realise, i took longer than i should have, than i wanted to... was held up by worshippers of yours, stopped more than half a dozen times on the way back... but that's what you get for travelling on the beaten path, ” she sighed. she was displeased, with her, that much was obvious. practically pained her not to see that look her in eyes whenever she returned from a long trip away, the one that had her feeling like she was atop the tallest tree there ever was, the one she'd expect after a tiresome trip... was it really so much to ask to lie in the grass and make up for lost time? it turned out the fates weren't on her side today.

but she'd need to find out what exactly it was before she started with apologies, before she could claim her well earned reward. she moved a step closer, determined to find out, “ ...my Lady?”

ˋ°•*⁀➷ @archtemis

[archtemis]

Quick is Artemis's expression to sour, what lingering concern soon wiped clean by displeasure. ❝Do you mean to say you allowed him his first shot? With the bow I'd carved him, while Olympus had me trapped?❞ Where her words end is a hair's breadth from danger, undecided if the mishap is retaliation served efficiently or calamity narrowly avoided.

The Huntress finds herself approaching regardless, lithe fingers lifting the soiled pelt. There are few others than her beloved that the goddess would tend, skirts already muddied where she's knelt. Callisto's sister nymphs might have nursed the wound just as well as she, but they'd do little to address the other half of it.

❝He's wilful.❞ Much like you. The surest proof of his parentage, if not the warmth of maternal instinct. Nevertheless, it is her duty to guide him well in childhood. What might the little bear wish for next — to drive her chariot to the seat of her father? ❝But he'll have to learn to heed your word. The sooner the better, for both your sakes.❞

❝I'd thought to supply him a dozen blunted arrows, and my blessing for good measure. And I'd intended to witness his first draw myself... Still, it appears he's good instincts if he managed to hit you.❞

[callisthope]

her eyes veered away, the frustration she felt building in her chest and forcing a pinched frown onto her lips, “ allowed really isn't how i'd put it... you did hear the part where I so nobly tried to stop him, right ? ” barely out of walking and this was the trouble he was getting into— she tried not to think how that boded for the future, not since that was where she came in. whether he chose to stay or leave, it was her one duty to impart something in him that differentiated him from all of the other men in her family. shooting well was next.

she knew she'd tried her best to rein him in, and yet she couldn't look her in the eye, unwilling to admit her wrongs. she sighed; perhaps she'd been spending too much time with a child. “ i am sorry, my heart... i know i should have been able to get through to him, somehow. but not even telling him you would be displeased was enough, he had his heart set on the hunt... he was missing you. ”

there was no reason to lie. where all the other children often heeded her words, her own son was easily won and just as easily lost. was the closest she'd ever get to feeling guilt for her own father, so she relented, “ it's me, i know. hardly set the best example, fleeing my family and all of my responsibilities to do as I wished, without so much as a farewell... should have saved that one until he was old enough to make his own choices. ”

she was momentarily thwarted in her attempt to prevent making another enemy today. she'd just need a moment, when her words stung more than the arrow she'd taken. she expelled it from her lungs to release the pressure of it, “ you know, all of a sudden i'm not in any physical pain any longer, ” the wound to her ego was starting to suppress it, even as she winced at the way her body wholeheartedly rejected the remark, tensing in response. of course he'd hit, when she'd stood right in his path, walking towards him rather than putting up a fair fight.

“ I’m- glad to hear you’re proud of the hunter our cub has become... ” her fingers reached towards hers, brushing up the side of hers, “ ... but it was hardly a proper go. most of the little ones practise before seeking your aid, anyhow. you won't miss his next shot, and hopefully neither will he... you're more than welcome to swoop in now. ” she knew her place, just like all the other young hunters her Lady always was his hero, coming in to save him from whatever distress she'd caused.

[dreamstars]

[fairyinthetrees]

the feminine urge to just fucking do it yourself

[callisthope]

commissioned this beautiful artemis and callisto piece from kat_kay_tee and thought I’d share 💘

[deboracabral]

Artemis called Callisto “my Callisto” on one (1) dialogue and I haven’t stopped thinking about it 

[callisthope]

ˋ°•*⁀➷ @archtemis asked: “ what happened? ”

“ it's not obvious? ” she huffed, sparing a glance down at the blood that had amassed and crusted against the back of her pelt, sat still at the river bank. blood always seemed to run when they came together, part of an ancient toll paid by mothers to give all that was theirs until there was nothing left, she was sure of it. (she wouldn't be anymore, not once her instincts telling her to fight back receded, she knew.)

but it seemed like there was at least one thing he hadn't taken.

“ he needed to aim a little to the left and then some. safe to say we can rule out any other resemblances, ” she knew she shouldn't be too hasty to write off arcas, even if he had shot an arrow into her currently stinging shoulder. he was still learning after all and it was his first proper try at it— but he hadn't even been aiming at her. gods. she sighed, relinquishing the tension held in her body to gaze upon her heart warily, letting her frustration dispense, “ he just- couldn't wait. i told him you'd be back soon, ” he'd waited a long while for it, asked for it practically since he could talk. but the impatience on him, that one she was likely to blame for, “ ... did you- see him already then? our little bear. ”

[archtemis]

❝Then here, take it.❞ The Huntress extends her instrument of choice. This bow's nondescript, hardly the creation of pure gold gifted by Olympus; but her own hands had hewn the wood and curved its length, and made it far more practical and valuable thus. To have sat on her back for as long as it has, its weight all but a part of her — there could be no more fitting a gift to bestow Callisto now, in reconciliation.

Well then... The resolve takes her by surprise. Hadn't crossed her mind when she'd retrieved her from the Underworld's depths, nor when she'd answered this call. Couldn't let herself so much as imagine any such outcome after the hurt and harm and failure of a scale only the gods can accomplish. But Callisto more than wishes it, and she... there'd been a time their wills were all but the same.

Unstrung, it stands the nymph's full height, but she'd little doubt of the She-Bear's strength to wield it. But the weight off her is hardly missed. Might even be better for it, now it's in her protection as she'd once lent her heart.

Her tongue glides a little easier over the words now, no longer so cautious around talks of the future.

❝Neither here nor there suits me just fine. I'll not take for granted your hospitality while in this area, so long as I have your promise you won't force any more fish-offerings on me.❞ Would be nice to tarry awhile, so long on the move. Had nigh forgotten what downtime felt like, the reliability and peace of a scent-marked shelter. Always knew to offer what the goddess sorely needed before she'd realise herself, Callisto did.

And feels even more of that lightness when she catches the look on her. Steals all surety from the goddess's footing a moment, her heart clenching and threatening to burst. How stricken she must look, the vigilant Huntress taken completely unawares by such depth of feeling. Not merely the excitement of a hunt, of that she is certain. But the fondness rising up and sending her thoughts scattering had been all but mainstay, before, near unrecognisable to herself by sheer delight and the too-easy smile when it came to Callisto. ❝Ambitious now, are we?❞

❝Well, far be it for me to caution you start small.❞ She remembers what it was like to stand over her shoulder and stare down the shaft of the arrow as one. Was always fiercely satisfying, watching her let loose into the target's dead centre, the triumph of achievement hers and Artemis's both.

The Huntress bends to press fingertips to the dirt. Erebus does not speak like any living woods, twisted and less clear of its meaning when it does. Still, the tracks say enough. ❝Alright, lead the way. Must've learned a thing or two about stalking from the bear. And perhaps felling the beast might win you Nemesis's favour yet. She's rather stingy with those things.❞

[callisthope]

when she was actually had the great bow in hand she could do little else but stare as she slowly closed her fingers around it, suddenly drawing her back to long hunts with it in her grasp, determined as ever to keep up with her goddess no matter the toll on her body or the ache it would bring the next day. last thing she ever wanted was to let her out of her sight, not when she had a choice. at the very least she'd want to witness the moment it happened, and at most she wanted a shot at the creature herself. she was sure she never did like sharing, not when she was never afforded things of her own when walls closed around her, but she didn't mind it with her. her hunt was her Lady's hunt, she'd spoken her name into her arrowheads since the very first time she had let them fly.

her eyes travelled between her bow and the goddess standing in front of her, “ you're sure you don't want to take a shoot at it yourself? ” she tempted her, speaking absentmindedly as she stroked the smooth wood beneath her fingertips, tested its weight, “ you did say you'd hardly had the chance lately. ”

it didn't go unnoticed, as ears pricked at the sound of another request of hers granted. a warm fire, a full stomach, shelter and her... by her side again as they wiled away the night. looking at her, she was sure she wasn't the only one that could use it either.

but it filled her with a dread at the very same time, wondering again if she'd never really left those starved fields. she had to be ensnared in the most perfect dream, on her way to Tartarus as she looked into those eyes that felt like home. what lady nemesis had told her aside, this seemed— just far too good to be true for someone who had so selfishly broken her Lady's trust. she'd always prepared for the worst, expected there to be wolves where there weren't any, made sure she was ready for it, just in case. it was basic survival, now etched into her bones that still felt strange and unnatural as she ambled on two feet... should she be foolish enough to hope? could she even stop herself if she wanted to? that she'd- want her by her side again. everyone she had ever known had turned her away, but all that really mattered was this, was her greatest friend. she might never truly be forgiven, but she'd dedicate the rest of her life to healing the wound she'd created (and she knew it was there, recognised it before she'd— all but run from here.)

she had to set those thoughts aside lest she lose her mind over it. all that mattered right now was this, their hunt, like it used to be.

she actually laughed, real from her stomach, gave it to the forrest, “ oh, you didn't enjoy them then? didn't even have to catch them yourself and you never used to like— ... never used to like it either, but my claws don't miss a fish these days, ” her spear too, unlike the great weapon she towed along at her side. thought she'd appreciate that when she'd caught them, at least.

now this was familiar, the challenge reflected between them, taken up without a second thought as she followed after her, “ we're hardly spoiled for choice here, but i'd much rather hunt a blood thirsty creature than another mindless thing. i'm not that out of practise. ” not to speak of the unquenchable urge she felt to prove herself.

there was a moment of stillness as she closed her eyes to try orient herself in this strange place she'd just begun to know. after a long moment of it her nose wrinkled as the stench found her, had her coughing, “ gods, it doesn't help that everything reeks of death down here. ” it made it hard to focus, to rely on what she knew best these days. but when she had the scent she was off, eyes narrowed at the concentration of it ahead, decaying but something great, something the mortals told stories of. or so Lady Nemesis had seen fit to dangle for her.

of course this creature was also half way down to Hades. a resurrected, cursed thing doesn't know how to go down honourably, just like the rest of the masses around here. but at least it would be one less thing for Lady Melinoë to encounter, “it's a few glades down. isn't it? ... deserves a natural end after it's defeat up there. ”

so she got to one knee to prepare the bow while they were still far off enough. a hunt these days meant survival, for at least one more day. but as she looked up at her, still the most precious thing in her heart. her frown blinked away. she wasn't alone, couldn't be with her here. there was no helping the fierce determination that smiled up at her, like an outstretched hand wondering if she'd reach back. her stomach was in knots she'd never be able to untangle from it.

“ ... any chance your arrows can slay these things for good, or am i about to make a worthy enemy for as long as we're down here? ”

[fassylovergallery]

[sophsknight]

possessive knight who pouts, huffs and slams her helm shut because the princess gently ordered her to rest and let another knight guard her for a few hours

[callisthope]

it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, she thought she'd felt it — like a nagging memory stowed away, deep in the back of her mind, something important that she should remember — thought she'd felt something familiar about the false life of these forests in Erebus. but her instincts weren't how they were, was hardly as useful as she'd once been (she'd tried to tell him as much).

she was looking at her... the weight of it had her flinching, physically unable to look back. how long had it been since she had? cast her eyes her way in the night sky and let her feel it, the chest-crushing weight of mistakes she'd never get the chance to fix, what she'd lost and the heart she'd betrayed.

but she hadn’t intended on seeing her again, and not here of all places. not when she was... sure she never got involved in these sorts of things. unless her memory failed her, things had changed. all of the gods were allied with the chthonic nymph that had become her prey, all of their prey, since she had been plucked from the sky.

she was told she should be furious, livid with who was ruling on that mountain top that had once been close to home, of what was happening to mortals under their watch... but all she felt was tired, like she'd been holding the sky on her shoulders, like she hadn't rested in eons. her head hurt, and she'd seen... far too much. (but could he give her freedom she sorely craved? an eternal rest- or could Time fix all? place her back, when she didn’t feel this sickness welling like she’d caught her death.)

what other choice was there? she couldn't remember a time when she still had those to spare, nor did she have the will to devote to them.

her breath fumbled from her lips, heaving heavier from her lungs as she half turned her back on- her goddess, so that she could breathe easier, think straight for once — she recalled sheltering her from the pelting snow, laughter under the pelt on her back (that- had been her?), perpetually out of breath as she chased her like an ember through the forests, and then—

could she even feel shame anymore? she still couldn't meet her eyes.

all she could find the words to say was, “ ... you didn't- notice i was gone then, ” and maybe she hadn't, since she couldn't recall the last time she'd looked. but it wasn't as though she was the only one dragged back down, he'd been right about the gods having their eyes elsewhere.

but she had work to do yet, a cause she'd given her loyalty to, even if she felt the need to empty out her insides every waking day. still, it couldn't be worse than the idea of looking back at her, seeing— she was cursed by the gods, the question was whether she'd fight to go on or let this be it. would that really be what she deserved?

frustration cut into her words, the longer she stayed idle, “ my Lady... go on already- if you're going to kill me. otherwise i need to get back, i shouldn't be here, and i wasn't hunting you, besides. ” it wasn't her first task, anyhow but this was hardly the time to find out what she was capable of now, what she might do, with her every instinct currently out of her grasp.

ˋ°•*⁀➷ @archtemis

[tropiyas]

weaponized competence

[tropiyas]

learned helpfulness

[seleniiium]

may we please see Artemis again? I looked through your page and I think that's post with her was in 2024 so I was wondering if your designs changed :)

Her design did change a bit, I drew her in my sketchbook in 2025 but I still had to update her digitally so here you go !

Artemis and Callisto 🐻