fall equinox
(noun) the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth
(autumn love told in 5 + 1 parts through the greek mythology au we all miss)
1. the rainbow and the goat
It was at times like these that Fitz wished he had some of Jasper’s strength or Jackson’s confidence. If he were either of them, he wouldn’t be as fidgety and nervous as he was, at least when it mattered. Like when he was trying to ask out the girl he liked.
After the Second Titan War, after protecting Sofia as if his life had depended on it – which it had, technically – he had frequented her room more often than any other part of the castle. She had a calming nature about her, one that comforted Fitz in a way nothing else could nowadays.
Except for right now. It wasn’t as if Sofia was purposeful about it; she had absolutely no clue of how he felt, and he was all too thankful that she didn’t (and that Sami had never told her, because he put far too much trust into such a chatty, gossip driven god). He couldn’t help but want some of that comfort back. Now, standing outside of her door, he could barely bring himself to raise his hand and knock. But after muttering about how ridiculously stupid he was being, he did, pushing the door open a moment later.
She truly the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, so much so that even Aphrodite herself couldn’t compare. And to think that he of all people thought to deserve her with his short, stumpy horns and already hairy legs. It would be a couple more years until the transformation would be complete, but everyone knew of his fate. Why would someone like her want to be with a satyr like him?
“Fitz.” She was turned to him, mouth closed but voice as bright and kind as ever. “You don’t have to wait by the door. Come in, I was just finishing up.” Her water basin next to her was rippling with the end of a call, settling a couple seconds later.
She sat on her bed, bouncing a bit before looking back up at him. She didn’t say anything, always so quiet after a long day of answering messages. Her head cocked to the side, he knew that if he stood standing in silence any longer, he would never say what he came here to.
Clearing his throat, he took a few steps closer, still leaving a good distance between himself and her bed. “The fall equinox is only a week away,” he said, voice shaking with no hopes of steadying. She only kept staring at him, urging him to go on. Gods, she was far too patient. “And there’s meant to be a party, and I was just wondering if…” His voice trailed off, his sudden courage fizzling away. But leaving it at that, saying nothing, would be worse than rejection. At least he’d know if he had a chance or not. “I was wondering if you would like to go with me.” There was silence from then on, and even for Sofia that was odd. She always answered him, finding some way, vocally or otherwise, to communicate with him. But when she didn’t, he only thought the worst. “Of course, you don’t have to. There’s going to be a lot of people, and I know you don’t like large crowds. We could just stay here for the evening, or I could just leave you be if that’s what you’d prefer –”
He was cut off by a hand on his wrist that was flying about the air as he spoke. She stood in front of him now, a small smile gracing her lips. There were no words exchanged, but with the softness in her eyes, that faint dusting of pink against her cheeks, he knew. He always knew when it came to her. Relief washed over him.
His voice was a whisper but far more stable than before – after all, he had nothing to worry about any more – “Thank you.”
2. the darkness and the hope
“Dustin, you’re not even listening to me!” Colton stomped after his boyfriend, having to walk faster to keep up with his pace. He really could move fast when he wanted to avoid a situation. But for as stubborn as Dustin was, Colton had learned to deal with it long ago. Now, this was just another part of the job.
Dustin sat on his throne, barely paying attention to Colton following after him. Flipping through his papyrus notes, he completely ignored Colton to every extent. Not in the mood and not having his relentless behavior, Colton took the papers from his hands, glaring at him when he let out a noise of protest.
“Really?” Dustin asked, leaning back against the throne with a huff. “This is what you’re resorting to?”
“If it will get you to listen to me, then yes!”
Insufferable Colton Lynn, couldn’t leave good enough be. So Dustin let out a sigh, waving him on. “You want to go up to Olympus for the fall equinox. And I have absolutely no idea why.”
“You would if you listened to me!” Dropping the papers onto the table, he crossed his arms. “It’s supposed to fun, a time for celebration. I don’t think that really needs that much of an explanation.” After the Titans had been defeated, borders had been broken. Any god or goddess could come and go as they pleased, Olympus restored to the home it had once been. But even so, Dustin saw no point in joining his brothers and sisters. The Underworld was his home regardless, it always would be.
He had become comfortable here. He had been fine being alone, with the few people he allowed close to him. If the others wanted to spend more time up on Olympus, that was their choice. But he had made his, and it was to stay right where he always had been.
“Just go with Demi and the others,” Dustin offered. He had overheard all the excitement weeks ago, the girls already having picked out outfits, Jeremy always open to the chance of free alcohol.
“But I don’t want to go with them, I want to go with you.” Dropping himself down in Dustin’s lap, he leaned in close, as if he thought that that would sway his decision. “I want to go to Olympus with you. I want to introduce my sister to you. I want to dance with you. I want to defile some guest bedroom with you.” – he pushed his shoulder, unable to hold back his smile – “You’ll get to see your cousins and your friends. You’ll get to see Kylie a day early. There are absolutely no down sides to this.”
Perhaps to Colton, there wasn’t. It was what made them so different, what made them work so well. Because as bright and positive as he was, as much as Dustin loved him for it, he just couldn’t be like that. “We could celebrate here,” he offered. “Just the two of us, if the others would still rather go.”
“Dustin.” Voice softer now, pleading and laced with something that could only be described as love, Colton wrapped his arms around his neck. “The war is over now. There’s no need to hide here anymore. Now we get to be normal.” Foreheads touching, he whispered, “I want to be normal.”
Brown eyes looked over him, at the boy who had fought for good, for Olympus, for the Underworld, for the gods, for him. His eyes fell on the faded scars on the sides of his neck, the few that managed to trail all the way up his jaw line; they always seemed to fall there these days. They were no longer red, no longer needed to be taken care of every night. They were white, so close to his skin tone, yet so obvious to Dustin.
Hands trailing up to cup his cheeks, he took in a breath. No more hiding. It was a concept he hadn’t thought of, hadn’t even dreamed of. But maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. For a night, they could forget about being gods, forget about everything that had happened, about everything that would happen. They could just be Dustin and Colton. Just Dustin and Colton.
“You want to be normal,” he murmured. Colton looked at him, expression hopeful. “But you couldn’t be normal if you tried, Lynn.”
An overdramatic gasp and fists flying at his chest, he shouted at him, about how rude it was to insult his boyfriend in such a way, but all Dustin could do was laugh. Laugh and stare fondly at him. Saying no to Colton Lynn was something he just couldn’t do. So for the night, he’d be normal. Besides, that whole defiling thing didn’t sound so bad.
3. the flame and the cornucopia
Being in New Americana still made her feel awkward. The idea of belonging somewhere that she hadn’t for so long still hadn’t settled in her mind. It would be a slow transition for sure but one that she’d learn to get used to.
Demi had looked forward to the fall equinox, to the idea of being able to come to a party on Olympus without crashing it with the threats of war. Her heart had fluttered when she and her little crew hadn’t been turned from the gates, that alone taking a bit of weight off her chest. Still, the environment was new, the large courtyard filled with deities that were intoxicated, high on the festivities, or a bit of both. She watched from the sides, sipping on her wine. Dustin and Colton had disappeared, taking full advantage of their date night no doubt, while Jeremy and Skye had gone off to find their respective friends. She supposed she should be doing the same, but facing that crowd was something she didn’t have the courage to do. Maybe after a few more challises of wine.
Though it seemed that that wasn’t something she needed to worry about. “Dems!” Sami shouted, weaving his way through the edges of the mass of people. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you all night!”
“And you didn’t think to check by the alcohol?” Demi asked, raising her glass and swishing it around. “Free and limitless.”
“Oh, my mistake,” he said, white smile flashed, brilliant as ever. “I was beginning to think you didn’t show. Thought I’d have to go down to the Underworld and drag you up here myself!”
She would be lying if she said she hadn’t considered it. There were still plenty of people in New Americana who weren’t that fond of her. Was it really worth coming for some booze and watching kids she used to go to school with getting way too frisky on a random night in September?
But standing here now, she knew it was. Sami was her best friend, her one, her home. For so long, she’d been separated from that. Not taking the chance that had been given to her would have been stupid.
“But that doesn’t matter. You’re here!” Throwing his hands into the air, he grabbed her wrist. “Now, come on! The night is young, dance with me!”
She giggled as she was pulled from the corner she had held onto like a crutch. It felt like she was being thrown into shark infested waters without a life jacket. Sami gathered her into his arms though, holding her close by the waist, so close that all fear faded. He was her oxygen tank. He let her breathe.
“Samuel Chang, are you drunk?” she asked, quirking a brow. She let out a squeal as he spun her around quickly, unable to glare at him through her laughter.
“Only on that beautiful face of yours,” he teased, ignoring the slap he earned to the shoulder. “Seriously, D, you look amazing.”
“You say that as if you don’t know how good you look.”
“Oh, I do,” he chided, beaming down at her. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re the prettiest one here. And you’re dancing with me? I’ll be the envy of all the Olympians.”
“Now, I highly doubt that.”
“Demetria, don’t talk that way. You’re so beautiful, I’d dare say you were a goddess.”
She snorted, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Shut up,” she murmured, smile not slipping from her face. He was downright awful, cheesy and as ridiculous as they came. But she wouldn’t change him for anything in the world.
4. the sea, the hearth, and the rooster
Michael was thankful for the quiet that came with Olympus parties. With everyone in the courtyard, taking all their energy with them, he was free to relax amongst the waves. It was peaceful, tranquil, free from distractions –
“Oh, my sweet canary! I come baring gifts!”
At least it was, until Jackson Lockworth decided he had to ruin all of it.
Pushing off against the rocks he had been lying against, he swam to the edge of his pool with a sigh. He flipped his tail a little too hard, partially out of frustration, partially to hear Jackson whine. And whine he did.
“Hey! Not nice, sugar bean,” he pouted, sitting down on the tile floor next to the pool. “And after I came to bring you food too! You should be thankful, bowing to me, promising me nothing but love and devotion for the rest of your days!”
Michael rolled his eyes. “In your dreams, Lockworth.”
“You’re always in my dreams, baby boo.” It should have been something he’d grown accustomed to; the nicknames, the relentless teasing, the sappiest love one could give to a person. Jackson somehow always seemed to surprise him regardless.
Clearing his throat, he rested his bare arms in front of his boyfriend. “You said you brought food?”
“Yes. We did.” Bailey stepped into the room, a plate in hand. “As soon as we did, Jackson ran right over here. Left me completely behind for some stupid mermaid. If I was any lesser of a goddess, I would be offended.”
Pout deepening – gods, those puppy dog eyes, how they hadn’t absolutely killed him yet, he didn’t know – Jackson whined, “I’m sorry, cherry blossom. Will you forgive me?”
Sitting down next to him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Never.” Jackson squawked as Michael and Bailey laughed.
“See, this is why she’s my favorite.” Michael took the plate Bailey held out to him, immediately going for a piece of mackerel. “Take notes.”
“You guys are so mean! After all I do for you!” He continued to eat after that, while the two of them bickered back and forth. Dinner and a show, he wasn’t complaining. Even if they did interrupt his alone time, at least they brought entertainment.
“So, Michael,” Bailey said after her and Jackson’s fighting had turned to an obscene amount of insufferable flirting (no, twinkle star, you have the cutest nose, just accept it!). “Why didn’t you come out to the party? Jenny has been sitting in the outdoor pools for hours. We were waiting for you to join her.”
It wasn’t meant to be any kind of confrontation, but it certainly felt like one. Ever since the party had been announced, he had had no interest in going. He was around all of these people every day. He saw no point in gathering them all in one confined area just to talk, eat, and drink. Staying inside, away from the chaos, seemed like a much better time.
“Just didn’t feel like it, I guess,” he answered shortly, not looking at them. Bailey and Jackson shared a glance, one he didn’t miss from the corner of his eye. They were different from him; it was the thing that made him stand out in their relationship. They were such people persons, and he just…wasn’t. Which was fine; he didn’t mind being alone. But he didn’t want them to feel as though he was dragging them down.
Whatever he thought they were going to say – something about how he should join them, talk to people, make friends – went unsaid. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. “Cause we brought the party to him.”
“Oh, yes. The party animal himself has arrived,” Bailey giggled. “Everyone should thank me for putting a stop to all of his prank ideas.”
“Tadpoles in the punch, Michael! It was perfect!”
Rolling his eyes, Michael splashed more water from his tail onto him. “Don’t stop me from letting you go back. Thanks for the food, though.”
“Go back?” Jackson cocked his head to the side, curls bouncing along with him. “What do you mean?”
“I figured you guys would wanna get back to the party. Ring in autumn and all that.”
“Now why would we do that?” Bailey uncrossed her legs, taking off her shoes. Letting her toes dip into the pool, she kicked her feet underneath the water. “You’re in here.”
Jackson copied her, his own ankles making circles through the water. “Yeah. It’s way better in here. Don’t you think?”
His insecurities had gotten the better of him. He couldn’t control it sometimes. Just look at Jackson and Bailey. And then look at him. It wasn’t so strange of him to feel that way. But then the two of them pulled stuff like this. Staying inside with him during parties, giving him kisses whenever they noticed the first tinge of anxiety, stomping away all of his fears of being left truly, painfully alone.
“Yeah,” he agreed, moving his hands from under his crossed arms to grab one of theirs. “Much better.”
5. the king and the flower
Harry could confidently say that he hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. The party was at its peak. Everyone was some variation of wasted, the dance floor completely taken over. All of his friends were together, getting along. His sister was back with him, right where she belonged, and he couldn’t have asked for anything more. That was, until he realized that there was a quiet yet noticeable hole in his perfect night.
He had seen Kylie come down from her room that night. Hell, it had been impossible to miss her with her baby pink dress and pretty dark curls. But now, as the night carried on, he had seen less and less of her until she was gone completely. She was nowhere in the courtyard. He would know; he had looked over every inch from her (after slipping sneakily away from Brooke). He knew she didn’t like big crowds, didn’t like all the people. It’s what made his heart beat a little faster, in fear that she had gotten so overwhelmed that she began to panic.
He circled the castle, checking the outside before he dared the inside. Luckily, he found he didn’t have to. He should have suspected the gardens before anything else.
She was sitting on a bench, chin tilted up to look towards the night sky. Completely black now, stars twinkled throughout it. It was just as he thought: a perfect night. Too perfect for such a pretty girl to be left alone.
Approaching her slowly as not to startle her, he sat down next to her. “Hey,” he murmured, getting her attention. Her eyes shifted from the sky to him, and then she was offering him a smile – that smile that he wished and wanted that she only saved for moments like, moments with him. “What are you doing here?”
“Just looking at the stars,” she answered, that innocence of her not weening in the slightest. Turning back to the sky, she let out a bittersweet sigh, “I won’t be able to for the next few months. I want to remember it.”
And there it was, the shadow looming over the entire night. He had tried to push it to the back of his mind, didn’t want to think about it until he absolutely had to. The fall equinox was a time of celebration, and yet, it was the turning point of all things good. Summer turned to autumn then to winter, the cold and snow overtaking sunny days. Less time was spent outside, more days spent hiding by the fireplace. But worst of all, it was the final evening of Kylie’s stay on Olympus. The next morning, she’d head for the Underworld until March. Six months away from them all, away from him. It was hitting him all at once.
“But you said you like going there?” he asked, clearing his throat. There was no way he was jealous of Dustin Puckerman of all people. He was King of the Gods, the most important person in this whole damn castle. And he had that hope spirit attached to his hip anyway. There was no chance of him stealing Kylie from him. But then he was reminded that she wasn’t his to be stolen from, that he was married, that she was married by all intents and purposes. At least her own seemed to be platonic, sisterly at most. His own, he couldn’t say the same.
She hummed, nodding. “I do. It’s definitely different there. But I like it. I like spending time with Dustin.” She glanced at him before turning back to the stars. “He isn’t as bad as you all think.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, I know.” Because a bad person wouldn’t have warned them all about a Titan attack, wouldn’t have taken in his sister when she had no one, wouldn’t have protected his unrequited love when she was lost and alone in a scary new place. “I want to say I’ll miss you, but I don’t want to sound selfish.”
There it was again, that smile. “You’re not selfish.” She rested her hand over his, squishing his knuckles softly. “I’ll miss you too.”
It was both relieving and heart breaking to hear. Maybe he stood a chance. Maybe after she came back, when spring returned, he’d work up enough courage to tell her. New beginnings and all that.
She shifted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was intimate, just her, him, and the night sky. “I want to remember this moment,” she said. “When I start to get lonely, when I want to come home. I want to remember this.”
Harry sighed, temple falling against her hair. “I do too.” March couldn’t come quick enough.
+1. the dove and the owl
The night was nearly over, sun already rising in the distance. Few were left standing, most having gone back to their rooms, either alone or most likely with someone else. It had certainly been an exciting night but an exhausting one at that. Finally ready to turn in for the night, Alex stopped when she saw Amy leaning against the wall next to it.
“Is this an invitation, Amelia?” she asked, quirking her eyebrow as her lips lifted into a smirk. “Because the door is unlocked.”
“The Greeks were pretty incestuous,” she said, causing Alex to laugh. “I hate to disappoint, but I don’t intend on getting in your bed tonight.”
“And I already had your name tattooed on my tongue.”
Amy rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the wall. “I saw Demi go back to Sami’s room with him.”
“Oh? Good for her.”
“And I found Harry and Kylie passed out in the gardens. And Fitz was walking Sofia pack to hers, though I doubt that kid has enough balls to actually go in with her.”
Alex waved her hand. “Yes? Your point?”
“My point is that I haven’t seen your arrows lately.” She looked around Alex, raising an eyebrow when she found nothing. “They’re not with you?”
“Nah. Holidays are days off. If people wanna score, they’ll have to do it on their own. Which it seems they have. Why? You think I did this?”
“It would make the most sense. I’m not used to everyone being so…daring with their love lives.” She wasn’t wrong. Everyone danced around each other as if one wrong move was the end of the world. It would have made more sense for Alex to shoot an arrow at them than having them all find the courage to make a move on their own. Maybe it was the alcohol.
“Hate to break it to you, Ames, but I had nothing to do with it.” Twisting the door knob, she looked back at her with a smile. “Maybe things are getting normal again. Like before all this shit started.” With that, she disappeared into her bedroom.
Amy just stared at the door for a moment before a small smile grew on her face. “Maybe,” she whispered before she headed up the stairs. Normal. What a weird feeling. But still, she thought, as she lay in bed that night, maybe it was one she could welcome back.
