An elaboration upon the currently understood "rulebook" of the Aether in our blood. As others have mentioned, yes, one can have multiple Godly parents that come to help form a single Demigod. I will not touch on that too much here (as it is pretty easily understood; it's not like they're limited by mortal reproductive standards). But I do want to touch on some things I have not seen discussed: children of Monsters, what the children of Demigods are, and children of Heroes.
ⅰ。An Introduction to "Other" types of Divine Lineage ┈ ⌗ 🗯
⋆.˚ ❝ Some of you may see a mortal you know, or perhaps even be a mortal, who seems to be clearly a Demigod... or are they? Perhaps there is just something slightly off about them. Do they seem to walk the path of both mortal and Demigod? Do they not quite fit your complete understanding of what Demigods are? Hopefully this post can grant further information and options for one discovering themself. There are a few options not discussed often:
┈ They are a mortal with advanced abilities
┈ They are a child of a Monster rather than a God
┈ They are not 50/50 Divine; they have a less even split
┈ They are born of a Hero / Mythological Figure
ⅱ。⋆.˚ ❝ Of Monsters and Men
Monsters are a concept that all of us are aware of; the beasts that hunt Demigods, the creatures of myth slain by our predecessors. They are "evil". They are wicked. They are... more nuanced than the simple idea of "Us vs Them" can ever possibly articulate. ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ
┈ ⊹ ₊
⌗ ⋆˙⟡ Not all monsters or beasts are those that are attempting to harm or against Demigods in particular; Cerberus or the Ismenian Dragon are both good examples of this. When I speak of those of us born of creatures and beasts, I do not simply mean these monsters, but the "bad" ones who hunt us, too. ˎˊ˗
⋆✴︎˚。⋆ Monsters, just like Gods, are Divine. They are born of the Gods (in a similar manner as Demigods sometimes; other times, born of excess, of the rot that escapes a deity when it does not serve them and their purpose any longer). Sometimes they procreate and create more monsters; however, I have met many mortal-bodied folk with part of their souls made of monsters, too (again, in a similar manner to Demigods; it is a difficult concept to put into easily digestable words). The monster-blooded are not inherently evil or good (as no individual is solely one or the other); some may side with their beastly parent, some may reject them entirely, for better or for worse. Other such "monster" lineages may include the Satyrs, Nymphs of all kinds, Sirens, Centaurs, Harpies, etc.
⌗ 🗯 。 ‿‿
‿‿ Signs one may be Monster-Blooded:
┈ You find more connection to animals and beasts rather than people
┈ You find yourself sympathizing with monsters / beasts in stories of their slaying
┈ You feel more called to the creatures of myths over the Gods
┈ You have enhanced clairsenses
┈ You struggle with the "Demigod" aspects that are unrelated to beasts (such as divination)
┈ You act animalistic and are governed by instinct over sense more often than not
...Amongst other things.
ⅲ。Of Divine Lineage ‿ ⋆✴︎˚。⋆
⋆.˚ ❝ The second topic I would like to touch on is that of the kin of Demigods (which will have overlap with the topic below of heroes too but shhhhh be patient).
┈ ⊹ ₊
Godly parentage, just like mortal parentage, is nuanced. If a God plants a part of their energy/soul/entity into a mortal, they create a Demigod of a 50/50 split; half mortal, half God. But what of those that come after? Odysseus, for example, is a Demigod; and yet, he is only 1/8th related to the God Hermes! Demigods of the now work the same; when a God places their divine power into a mortal vessel to be born, that vessel is of course shackled by the physical. Children a Demigod has will have lesser and lesser percentage of divinity in their blood; but they are still Demigods. ˎˊ˗
‿‿ It is difficult to tell what is a sign of this, if you are not related to any major Heroes within the known mythology of the pantheon you are called to. It can show itself in many ways:
┈ You feel like the Gods do not listen to you / that you struggle to feel heard by them
┈ You have immense trouble with divination, but immense magickal ability (or any other combination of being very, very bad at one thing, but exceeding at another)
┈ You feel a need to prove yourself as divine to earn your space as opposed to a simple confident connection to the divine
⌗ 🗯 。 ‿‿
₊⊹ ♄ This one is a difficult one; because, not only can you be 1/2 or 1/8th divine from one God, but this can stack. For example, as a Son of Ares, I was half and half (before my "ascension" but that is a topic for a later day); however, in that, let's say my mother was 1/4th related to Hades; that, then, would (theoretically) make me 5/8ths divine. You can see then how the waters can be easily muddled. One does not need to know their exact percentage, however it is important to mention that there are very real connections you may have to deities without it being a direct parent.
ⅳ。Of Heroes and Mythological Figures ⋆.˚ ♃
♇ˎˊ˗ And on such a difficult subject, we get even muddier: what of those who are related to divine figures that are not widely seen as Gods or Demigods, such as Tiresias? Drawing the line between figures who are or are not divine is difficult. What of my namesake Caeneus? He was, himself, gifted manhood and impenetrability by Poseidon; and yet, he holds no divine lineage himself. Each hero and mythological figure will have different signs and different connections, and to generalize with signs is difficult. Hero worship is a large aspect for those who may be seeking out knowledge of a connection to any Heroes; similar to how one would modernly worship the Gods. Divinity is fluid, after all; it is not so simple as who is mortal and who is not. ⋆.˚ ♃
‿‿ Some signs you may hold connection to a hero or mythological figure:
┈ Read the above list about signs of limited Divine connection; all are still relevant
┈ You feel no connection to Gods, but deep connection to Demigods
┈ You feel as if you have excessive abilities compared to other mortals
┈ You feel like you are called to serve or prove yourself in some manner to both the Gods and other divine beings (Demigods, monsters, monster-blooded, etc)
Hopefully this has given all of you a deeper understanding of the vastness of the connections one may have to the Aether/Abyss/Astral and the divine. Not every single person will resonate with every sign of one thing they may be; they may experience different things they consider to be signs, and I would be greatly interested in hearing them, to make an expansive list of things for others to look at when soulsearching. Χαίρετε (Khairete), little Godlings.