Spartoi

[echionx]

Echion ll Saturchella

Remember what the dormouse said Feed your head

[peng-lads]

Archie and Archie 👌🏾

[echionx]

@xastarothx location: Lupercal Babyyyy notes: after echo chan got spanked

"You didn't even fight." Echion sharpened his bone across a whetstone before he lifted the sharpened edge and pointed it towards Astaroth, playfully. "You wouldn't have done as well as me, but nobody can blame you for falling short." Demigods could lie as much as they pleased; the spartoi's goal was only to get a mild rise out of the other. Echion's body had already recovered; he was eager to keep fighting; with this adrenaline pumping, the spartoi could say he was feeling more like himself now than he had in months. "Fight me. Nothing would soothe the sting of my defeat quite like besting you."

[lunanightshadex]

who: @echionx where: Lupercal

This wine tasted like milk bones, she grimaced as the wine that she swallowed remained behind her teeth, refusing to go down easily and yet with a shudder she forced it down. She was all for witnessing the carnage, violence and wolf on wolf action that came from such an event. She had been forced out through an asshole earlier and even the wine tasted like shite, a tired hand ran across her brow and she spots the person next to her, a face she recognized and it came back to her all at once, she had called him a brother when she was possessed by the Great Old One. "Hey man, I think we've met before."

[echionx]

"In another life, maybe." Echion lay with languid ease with his back stretched across some of the bleachers as he quickly recognized the demigod from their excursion into the fucking end of the world. "What's your thing, anyways?" At the time, they'd all been overpowered, and things got a bit muddled because of it, but at the time, there were a lot of monsters around her. Whatever that meant. He remembered the body of bones, the dragon that had risen from the core of his being - it was a controversial feeling to see how terrible he could be and how inadequate he truly was all at once.

[laurens-german]

UPGRADED 2024 | dir. carlson young

[xastarothx]

Time sprawled in some limiting lapse of infinity, their cherished curse that lapsed in infinite eternity from their immortality yet swept away in the blink of an eye whenever they found one another. A blade never once found themself grasping at the fleeting tendrils of time, but the Ira hadn't ever had the motive nor reason to bask within it. A jaded record store owner, blunted by the seasons of time, he'd only been reinvigorated when reminded of what once was; something once so fleeting, solidified through their actions. Where words seemed infinitely lost to Echion and Roth, they found harmony within each violent draw of a blade or the tender surrender of a kiss.

The Ira lay there, eyes peering up at the almost transparent hint of stars that would soon be upon them, wasting no time to light a cigarette as they both let the silence cradle them. With the rise and fall of their chests, the Ira crossed an arm under their head, pulling the cigarette lazily from his lip as smoke billowed out into the medley of orange and pink that smattered the sky.

"I don't think you've ever known me to have regrets," that louche expression drifted as his eyes looked directly upon Echion, rousing a small smile as though it spoke entirely of his content upon the matter.

[echionx]

With Raguel it had been easier to know what would happen next, Echion and him would fall asleep and then move out at dawn. Or they'd pull their clothes back on and carry on about their day, always together and scarcely apart. They'd been in one another's immediate orbit from the start, what was the formula in this modern age? What did Astaroth expect to happen? Echion was in no rush to throw his clothes back on and take off, sprout wings and fly away home. Astaroth looked comfortable, but it wasn't like they could lay exposed on the Roman rooftop through the dawn, eventually people would begin to gawk.

"What now?" The question came without any acknowledgment towards Astaroth's statement because the fallen was right: Echion had never known the other to regret anything. Ira was a medley of wrathful violence punctuated by these briefer moments of reprieve, perhaps he'd slowed down in this era but at his core Echion could see that the tortured creature's heart remained the seem. That spirit and that resolve ran kindred between them and even deflated as the spartoi was, he felt a flame within him once more when in Astaroth's presence.

[bebevlnt]

"Babe, beauty is pain." Well, for other people, not her. With an expert hand, she leaned closer and very meticulously started lining as close to his lashes as she could get. "Besides, it gets really easy to do this part on your own, having someone else do it often just gets it more even." He didn't have to worry about that part though, there was nothing about a smudgy early 2000's emo eye look that required precision. Dubbing enough black, she uses her other hand to hold up a little pencil-like sponge applicator. "And then you're just going to go and mess it up on purpose." Bebe does just that, very carefully goes back over the line she's drawn and when she deems it good enough, she sits back. "You're gonna do the other eye." Holding both eyeliner and applicator out to him, she finds herself smiling. Bonding with someone like this is something that's always been near and dear to her heart.

[echionx]

Bebe was good for this, Echion wasn't good at making friends but she'd taken him under her wing and was one of the few people who seemed capable of putting up with his surly attitude. She pulled away and Echion took the pencil to try and mimic the movements that she had done over his one eye. "I look stupid." Echion looked at himself in the mirror, the clothes, the eyeliner, he didn't recognize the person that he saw. That felt good, but he didn't like what he saw either - that might have had less to do with the makeover though and Echion's overall dissatisfaction with whatever man was trying to fit into this world. "I should've just stuck to bones, maybe scales."

[bleedingwings]

"I went, saw that the high elves had brought some of the special punch, then saw first account evidence that the Inferno was destroyed and decided that I wanted to process that information alone." There is a near manic quality to her deadpan that she doesn't quite bother to hide. Echion is as fucked up as her, if not worse by his time being a meat puppet, so he can excuse her near hysteria at the realization that the careful chessboard she had been working to create for millennia had been destroyed and she had no idea why or how. At the end, she knows her choice. She had followed Lucifer and fallen with them. There is no scenario in which she doesn't return to his side now that he is free but– She worries that they will attempt to retake what remains of Eden, for she doesn't know if she can help them destroy the world she is just beginning to realize she loved. "So I didn't exactly stay for long."

[echionx]

"Yeah, I heard." Everyone had and maybe that was a point of concern for the people who'd fought to keep it shut, but Echion wasn't among them; there was a time when the spartoi would have been giddy at the thought of hunting down and killing hordes of demons, fiends, demogorgons, hellhounds, and whatever else was crawling out of the pit. Now wasn't one of those times though. Now not even the thought of fighting to a bitter death didn't even give him that special little tingle that it used to. What had he become? Echion was pathetic, he felt pathetic, like Pelorus and Hyperenor combined. "I thought you'd go running into their arms." Echion thought about Astaroth, the fallen certainly had reason to.

[xastarothx]

deep in my enemy, i find the lover;

@echionx

[xastarothx]

Predictably, his body reacted the same it'd had upon Midsommar, bearing down upon the other, though Echion was this welcomed intrusion. Roth breathed, as often as they'd mindlessly wrestle the fallen's mind often wandered to this sort of moment; albeit not exactly in this arrangement but Roth was nothing if not entirely adaptable. There was something to be said about being willing for the right person, a comfort washing over him as Echion slowly breached the seraphim, resting his forehead upon theirs. Another inhale warranted a mild sigh to escape them, Echion's grip firm though not intent to bruise as the spartoi steadied himself beneath the Ira's thighs.

Roth hadn't realized his own eyes had fluttered closed, the Ira only prompted as Echion's voice broke through the silence that had suddenly swathed them; only the distant sound of voices and cars splicing through below. "Yeah," a scant nod was paired with the word, eyes that were normally unfathomably anguished peering up into Echion's as though they were this sudden beacon of unyielding trust. Throughout each tiff or all out battle the two seemed to find themselves in, their public presence the very antonym of the situation they currently lay within, Roth had found no other that could read them so easily, speak to their very identity, and compliment the very cosmos that made up who they were. Forged from dragon's blood, Echion possessed that very titular example of being carved from something both divine and monstrous, a feeling Roth so often felt since his fall from grace, since the culling of their very own.

Roth shifted beneath the spartoi, something subtle as their arms hooked around the Pearl's neck to pull him close, a soft yet bruising kiss connecting them.

[echionx]

Loss and time seemed to be the curses that hung over them, the blight of twin swords that carved neatly at the space the pair inhabited between them. They were always losing people, each other most of all, and they were always losing time, though fifteen years did not hold a candle to the four thousand that had defined their relationship previously. Trust laid bare beneath him as the fallen's gaze reflected the cold stars above, the chill over the rooftop was slight when compared to the warmth between them before Echion felt his lips curve into a smile. One he bent towards Astaroth's mouth before he began to move.

An illumination of pinks and oranges danced over the sky above them now, a few spackled stars that shone too bright to die so early in the budding dawn. When his chest ceased the torrid rise and fall, Echion's head tilted towards the light and looked towards the fallen splayed next to him. There was a litany of things he wished to say but did not know how, words that the warrior would conjure if his tongue was more practiced with them, but instead he just took a moment to gather the other across his mind's eye. For a few hours, there had been no loss, death, or grief. Just the tangle of limbs of two people who'd waited an eternity before admitting that they wanted to be together.

It felt stupid now, foolish; the spartoi had been so committed to respect that he neglected to admit the truth at the core of how afraid he was that the other might not feel the same. Even when it rang true, there were lines that once crossed could not be ventured back from. This was one such line.

"There's no going back now, Astaroth."

[bebevlnt]

Bebe nods promptly, she looks to the sales associate who seems awkwardly wanting to be anywhere else and then she points to a few things around the store. She gets it, the poor associate and the pining blonde that clearly needs more of her help. "Okay, new plan, which means you are to cancel all of yours for the rest of the day." She doesn't really leave any room for discussion or protest, this was happening because she needed yet another pet project on top of being a senator. There's maybe this deep need to....While she will accept being referred to as 'mother' by various twinks, she thinks her caretaker vibe is very much more 'fun big sister'. The absence of August is a hole that just sits there empty in her chest, aching at all times. * "Don't move." There was no point in going to Sephora, for one, they wouldn't let her in there, she was pretty sure her picture was somewhere on the wall after the last bee incident. Secondly, there were several makeup cases full of what she routinely took from the place in her boudoir. That's where she's perched Echion, on her vanity chair as she holds up a kohl pencil. Urban Decay Perversion, smudgy and sexy, she could teach him to do it himself. "And look up."

[echionx]

"I hate this." Even as Echion said this though he was looking up, was this really the kind of thing Astaroth would go for? There were enough posters on the walls of the record store with people wearing makeup so it wasn't that big of a stretch but the demigod felt stupid. Frivolous. Was this really where he fits in in this modern world? Maybe Hermes had had a point, he doubted that there was much for him here now. Astaroth didn't have many more tethers than Echion, just that shop. "That hurts." It didn't, but Echion relished in any opportunity to complain.

[xhermesx]

The other's lack of interest was evident, but Hermes wasn't going to push if the Spartoi didn't wish to be. He knew that it was difficult, that things like this were delicate, despite their ages, what they could do. The demigods had been untouchable for so long, and Hermes knew that as well. "I don't know, Echion. But we can go. Together. Big day out, see what's going on. You don't think that sounds exciting?"

[echionx]

There was a mortal saying about getting back on a bicycle, but the spartoi hadn't seen the appeal in doing much of anything lately. Echion took a large breath in and sighed as he released all the air from his body and then some. "I don't know." He said finally after a long beat, "Sure, I guess." it didn't, not really, but Hermes was clearly under the impression that it would help, and he seemed excited. Clearly something had to be wrong with Echion because he actually cared about offending Hermes. "I haven't killed anything in a while, something with a lot of monsters could be alright."

[bebevlnt]

"Oh my god the one with the....?" Bebe invokes blue steel for a moment before narrowing her eyes and looking forward before moving her bangs so they fall across her eyes. She'd seen the owner and frankly, Echion had good taste. "It's all making sense." She was connecting dots that he hadn't even presented her with and it's with a sigh and a flourish that she turns to the various racks around them and starts pulling things. "How do you feel about eyeliner?"

[echionx]

"That was.... Yeah, that was spot on." The look that Bebe had performed was pure Astaroth, the likeness was so striking that the spartoi had been momentarily taken aback by it. "I don't think I have any feelings about it." Echion had never had a strong thought about how he presented himself outside of his bones for ages. Would that he could just dress himself in his rib cage all the time, Echion didn't know what was so appealing about cloth and skin anyways. Maybe he should ask Astaroth.

[hyperenor]

❇💎❇

Gritted teeth, flared nostrils, and a piercingly cold gaze were Hyperenor's only responses. Blind? Weak? He rejected the suggestions outright. He dreamed of vengeance for thousands of years and was now the only one left carrying the torch. If they weren't bloodying their hands then why should they continue to live at all? He refused to teeter over that edge and become a pit of despair like the brother before him. So war it is... Between the vampires and the Great Old Ones, Hyperenor had enough pent-up rage to keep him going for lifetimes. "I wish someone would target me. I could use the practice. This city is overflowing with vampires and when I break down and let myself rampage like I'm itching to do, I want to be in top shape." Any warning from Echion fell on deaf ears, a certainty from how Hyperenor growled as he brushed past. He wasn't interested in letting the vampires proliferate any further. Their time ended with him. "Save your advice for someone who cares to hear it. My only regret now is ever listening to you in the first place."

[echionx]

Pelorus had tried to mimic what he thought Cthonius would say; the eldest was the strongest among them, but he was dead and no longer had a voice. They'd scattered their brother's ashes; he was gone, and no amount of martyring themselves would bring him back. Hyperenor and Udaeus could keep their grudge, it wasn't Echion's anymore. "The world trembles at the thought Hyperenor." Echion dismissed with characteristic scathing sarcasm; the hot air in the other's balloon would pop soon enough. This grudge was a relic, even if it wasn't it hardly mattered anymore. Nothing really mattered; Echion could consign himself to fight, fight, and fight and fight until he eventually died, but all this blood only served to amuse the hosts that had inhabited them. Echion remembered that all too well. "If you have nothing else to add Hyperenor, leave me alone, and don't come back."

[xastarothx]

A union relative of their embittered wrath was what encompassed Midsommar, with frustrated aggression and acetous nostalgia of the past where they'd been apart, Roth and Echion had tumbled together on a balcony as they let whatever spell bewitch them. Wrath and ire for things which they could not still change may have rumbled within them, a salient trait for which they could not efficiently pry from their inner beings, but upon this rooftop, a clear mind gave way to languid choices. Control was this taut piece of the Ira, something seemingly impossible for the fallen to relinquish, but as Echion's mouth descended a familiarity relaxed into their bones. They'd never not trusted the spartoi and surrendering himself to Echion was the biggest show of trust Roth could silently utter and despite no words leaving the Ira, soft moans and hushed groans were abundant as Echion's tongue passed over his waiting hole.

Time spanned limitless between them, some realm carved out for the two to make up for each chunk of time lost when they'd wasted time denying feelings, or worse, when the spartoi had fallen to an irreversible slumber. Fingers curved parallel with the Pearl's tongue, the spartoi being met with velvety friction despite how Echion ate, lapped, and curled his tongue and fingers within the fallen. Unsheathed and ready, Roth felt Echion's hips flush against him, felt the swipe of his wet cock before the spartoi positioned it at his hole and pressed unto them. Where formerly he'd taken this anticipatory, sharp inhale Roth instead relaxed, this welcomed conquering as the seraphim exhaled in a sign of pleasure.

[echionx]

Echion's breath fettered against Astaroth's lips as he felt the warm, tight embrace of the other's grip close around him. The fallen's body responded predictably, with tension and uncertainty as the intrusion pressed through muscles that were unaccustomed to another's presence. Uncharacteristically gentle, Echion's hips moved closer as his thighs tensed with the taut musculature of the spartoi's frame. Echion could feel the weight and strength of Astaroth's body as he bore down on him, the vice that was nearly painful in the way it held, pushed, and begged in a juxtaposed tandem.

From this close proximity, Echion could taste the warmth of Astaroth's breath against his tongue, nicotine, and beer muddled with something distinct to the man beneath him. Echion's hand curled in a firm grip at the fallen's thigh as he steadied himself and let his eyes drag over the other's hues, swallowing as his lashes sifted closed. At the same time, his forehead leaned to lay momentarily against Astaroth's. They'd done little in the way of preparedness, and it wasn't as if the fallen was used to this position; it wasn't as though Echion was a necessarily concerned or patient lover, but with Astaroth, he felt his heart tentatively reaching to soothe the other in some attempt for validation and reciprocation.

"This okay?"

[echionx]

A simple nod was all that Echion really provided in affirmation, he disliked that he'd told her that much even, but if Hyperenor was going to go around attacking vampires then he was painting a target on the backs of every demigod in the city. He'd told his brother already that he didn't care what he did, but if that ended up putting Echion's neck on the line then that might not be true. He thought about Pelorus next, his damned brothers were such a pain in his ass. "Hyperenor is more dangerous than usual right now," he paused, "we all are: tread lightly with him." She was kind, for a vampire, and Isabella had never given him any reason to doubt her intentions... Maybe she could help Hyperenor, though somehow Echion thought that the four brothers were each beyond saving now.

[healerswanford]

"All circumstances considered, it does not surprise me," she admits quietly as a sigh full of dead hair escapes her and she considers the alternatives. As it is, Echion's brother is a threat to her kind, but his actions are understandable when painted in the context she has been given. It's not something she can abide or allow, but she is reluctant to bring the big guns or involving the senate just yet. She wants to give the demigods a chance to find their place in Rome, and if Hyperenor's actions are revealed tensions will raise once more and she would hate for that to happen so soon after the End. "I will attempt to keep this contained for as long as I can." It's the most she can do, as a thank you for his help and from her true desire to encourage true peace.

[echionx]

END

[hyperenor]

❇💎❇

For all the despair and emptiness that filled Echion, Hyperenor was filled with determination and hatred in equal measure. He was stubborn, perhaps to the point of being seen as foolish by his brothers, but redemption for the past would only be found on a path of blood. He had no choice but to persevere, no matter how dangerous or lonely the road became. "I don't have time to waste on stupid jokes, so spare me," Hyperenor spat, rejecting Echion's notion outright. "I'm not dying, especially not by some bloodfiend's hand. I'm going to kill every last one of them, so I'm not allowed to die until my work is done." It was too much to try and care about what his brothers thought was best. Clearly, they were wrong, but Hyperenor wasn't one to let some hindrance stop him. Just as he wasn't one to give up on something important. "One loss is enough for me. I refuse to lose anymore. This 'whatever' attitude isn't like you, so if you find yourself with your back against the wall, hopefully I make it to you in time." He pauses before adding, "Dead or alive, I will always keep an eye on you, brother."

[echionx]

"Who's joking?" Echion dismissed, "I won't go to another brother's funeral; you're not just shortsighted Hyperenor, you're blind. You always have been. It's another thing that makes you a weak, easy target." Maybe their paths would cross in another four thousand years; Hyperenor and Udaeus could frolic about whatever half-baked plan they might devise, but for that to happen, the former would have to get over himself. Maybe they'd even drag Pelorus out of his self-induced pit of lazy depravity. Hyperenor had this foolish notion that he could manage anything on his own, though, so the only place that either of Echion's other brothers would end up was at the Saphhire's funeral. Intentionally cutting, whatever was stunted about the Pearl kept any notion of sentiment at bay; at his core, he was grieving, and the thought of losing another brother was too unbearable. Cutting ties felt better than standing by as they approached an executioner's blade. "Try not to do anything stupid on this crusade of yours."