look for the helpers

Nina Fontaine. 25. Spirit of Artemis. Postpartum doula, student

[nina-fontaine]

Halloween was one of Nina’s favorite times of year. At home they had always celebrated a weird cultural mishmash of American Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and All Saints’ Day. Nina’s mom made the same pan de muerto and mole that generations before her had made for years in Colima, while Nina’s dad made sure there were both chrysanthemums and marigolds on the family altar. 

This year, though, Nina wasn’t going to be with her family for the holiday. It felt strange. So, to get her mind off things, she’d decided to go to this Halloween party. The atmosphere was very spooky, and the theming of the drinks was spot on. 

“My god, I think the Grim Reaper is actually killing me. What is even in this?”

[nina-fontaine]

goddessxpersephone​:

@nina-fontaine​

Persephone walked casually down the streets of New York, inspecting the many stores and beautiful items inside. It was a shame her host had come so far and still proceeded to restrict herself, “Well,” She said aloud to herself, “I expect a lot more out of you, human.” Persephone strutted down the street, stopping into every store and racking up the limit on most of the credit cards she found in her wallet. Eventually, after a few hours of shopping, Persephone stopped at a nearby spot for lunch and to rest her legs. After ordering some food, she tried to take in the ambiance but couldn’t help but get annoyed by the beaming sun hitting her.

While she admired Zeus’ forwardness, Persephone herself didn’t wish to draw attention to herself. But the heat was annoying, and she hated being hot; the underworld was always so serene and comfortable, she never had to worry about things like this down there. She let her arms rest in her lap as she crossed her legs, tilting her head slightly just enough to make one of the trees and its branches extend towards her. Now the sun wouldn’t bother her, and she could enjoy her lunch, smiling up at the tree. Persephone went to glance back down at the menu, pausing when she noticed she had an audience. “I couldn’t help but notice you saw my magic trick; did you like it?” She asked, offering the open seat next to her to them.

At first she’d thought it was a trick of the light, or perhaps one of those optical illusions that had been so popular during her last host’s time. Then again, the woman sitting under the tree did have a familiar aura about her. 

Artemis took the seat. “Permanently contorting a 43-year-old tree to suit your passing whim? I wouldn’t say I particularly enjoyed it any more than the tree did.” Her voice was dry, sarcastic, but her smile took any sting out of her words. “You know, I’m not convinced that’s what being a Nature Goddess is all about. Some of us like to live alongside it, let it do its own thing.” Lanky arms waved in the air, evoking a 70s hippie vibe. 

She winked. “Did you see Hades yet? He was absolutely yearning for you. It was kind of gross, actually. If this were a cartoon, he’d have had heart eyes.” She would never understand why people- were they Gods or mortals- would pine after one another like that. It seemed exhausting.

[nina-fontaine]

natalia-kinsey-hestia​:

_____

When Hestia walked into the tea room, she took in a deep breath. It smelled fragrant and wonderful inside, and she absolutely loved it. It was so warm and inviting. She had a feeling Athena would hate it which was a bit funny. Still, she was thrilled to be able to spend time with Artemis and Athena.

She told the hostess the name of the reservation and was escorted to a table in the back where one of the Goddesses was already sitting - Artemis. “Hello there!” she smiled widely and leaned over to give the Goddess a hug. “It’s so wonderful to see you. This was a fantastic idea. I haven’t been to a proper tea room in… centuries probably. Maybe the nineteenth century?” she supposed.

--

Artemis grinned, returning the hug. “It’s lovely to see you too, it’s been a while.” Already she felt warm and at ease. “Do you remember the speakeasy in the 20s? With the secret password and the band and the strange dancing? That was so much fun. I think Dionysus got us all kicked out.” Actually, that’s about all she remembered from that night. Oops.

“Anyway, Athena should be here soon. I’m very excited to see her.” ...her face when she sees all the lace and floral print, she thought. Artemis smirked a little, trying (and failing) to keep a neutral face. 

[nina-fontaine]

luis-perez-hades​:

“Artemis,” Hades smiled, moving so that his umbrella covered her as well. He stuck the necklace in his pocket, joining the others that people weren’t interested in. It seemed as if New Yorkers weren’t very trusting to his gifts - which in a way he could respect. Though it was starting to get offensive with how much he had collected. “I wish that I knew, I’ve been looking for her most of the morning. I saw Hestia earlier and clearly Zeus is here,” he dryly commented, rolling his eyes in the direction of the sky, “I can’t tell if he’s upset or happy or just trying to be annoying. My bet is on the last.”  

Artemis smiled, warmth growing in her chest. She couldn’t say that she’d missed a lot of her family, exactly, but Hades and Hestia were two of her favorites. “I feel like she’d either be in a garden or a cemetery. No middle ground. Oooh, maybe she found a mint plant somewhere and she’s pestering it?” Her eyes sparkled, remembering an incident ages ago involving an impertinent nymph and an angry Goddess. That had been fun. “Zeus is always being annoying,” she rolled her eyes, “but I doubt he means to be. It’s just his personality.”

[nina-fontaine]

VirginiTea Party || Closed RP with @natalia-kinsey-hestia

Artemis stood in front of the quaint little tea room. It was elegant, full of florals and fragrant spices and the sweet smell of jam. She’d chosen this place partly because she thought Hestia would love it, and partly because she thought Athena would hate it. All Artemis wanted was some strong tea and a fruit tart. It had been so long since she’d tasted something fancy. 

She went in, gave the reservation name, and chose a corner table toward the back of the room. It was private, cozy, and perfect. Ferns draped over the cushioned corner booth, long white tablecloth brushing the floor. Tiny forks lay next to shining plates, and three lacy menus with delicate cursive lettering were arranged on the table. The quiet murmur of polite conversation was highlighted by the classical music piped through the ceiling speakers. 

It was perfect.

[loloisafangirl]

Artemis: *sneezes*

Apollo:

Artemis: You’re not going to say bless you?

Apollo: You’ve already been blessed by my presence.

[nina-fontaine]

luis-perez-hades​:

New York City had so many souls and yet finding Persephone seemed like it was a near impossible task. He missed her - as was expected with how long their souls had been apart. It had been hard enough when she had been allowed to go up from the Underworld during the Spring and the Summer - but now with years between meetings, whenever their spirits were able to take control - it almost seemed like it was torture. 

He had dressed himself in a suit - black of course, completing the look with a black shirt and tie. It had been his aesthetic the last few times that he had taken control - a timeless look that still clearly stated who he was. That was if the mortals knew enough to pay attention. Shadows twisted up out of the ground wherever his feet touched, whisping off of his person to an invisible wind from underneath his umbrella. He had hoped that he would get to take the mortal’s dogs to a park - the fact that the three reminded him so much of Cerberus made him miss his own pet - but it seemed like his brother had other plans. Or really, destroyed everyone else’s. As usual.

Passing by one of the many jewelry stores in the city (there seemed to be so much more than he expected) he reached into his pocket to find a diamond necklace had ended up there. It wasn’t a surprise, the world’s riches had always been attracted to him - and as he controlled them it just was as easy as breathing was for a mortal to take what he thought was beautiful. “Would you happen to like this?” he asked, holding out the necklace to a passerby, “I have no use for it, I have plenty more like it.” 

The thing with being an ancient goddess was the boredom of immortality. It was quiet, which suited Artemis very well. One needed to be quiet when on a hunt, or befriending a bear, or listening to one of your followers complain about the men in her former life. But years and years of being dormant, seeing flashes of life through another’s eyes, it was all quite boring.

She walked down the street looking for a grocer or a farmer or really any sign of produce. She shuddered, remembering all the meat in her host’s fridge. In the past, Artemis had been okay with humans eating meat, because they usually hunted it themselves. There was more respect back then. These days, it was mostly inhumane factory farms. Without a way to know how the animals had been treated before they were slaughtered, it was better to just avoid meat altogether. And had her host ever heard of vegetables? Embarrassing. 

As it started raining, Artemis squinted up at the sky. Great. That was probably Zeus, having a fit about something insignificant. She rolled her eyes. Typical. Sighing, she was about to turn back for something hooded when she heard a familiar voice. 

“Uncle! I’ve never liked trinkets like that. Save those for Persephone.” She grinned. Hades was her favorite uncle, and his wife was even more fun. “Where is she?”

[nina-fontaine]

quintondupont​:

Quinton shrugged his brows, impressed at all that she shared. “Wow. Well, I salute you for what you do because I can attest to the fact that not everyone can do that.” He chuckled a bit and then said, “You don’t have to apologize though. You’re passionate about your job. I respect that.” He cracked a soft smile while his hands came to rest on the hips of his basketball shorts. Although they had bumped into each other accidentally, he could have used a bit of a break in his run.

Having soon caught his breath, he kept his eyes on the younger woman, and upon her question, he answered, “I’m a businessman. Mostly.” There was an air of pride in his stance as he elaborated in the most simplistic manner possible. “I’m Quinton DuPont.”

Oh, shit. Growing up mere minutes from the city, it was impossible for Nina to not have heard of the DuPont family. She scrutinized his face again, and (now she knew what she was looking for) recognition flickered in her eyes. “Oh- okay. Uh. Okay.” I just literally bumped into Quinton fucking DuPont. “Yeah. I’m Nina Fontaine. Nice to meet you. You did the environmentalist app, right? That was great. Is great! It’s still great.” 

Good god, she thought. Just shut up. 

[nina-fontaine]

zelda-bichler​:

Zelda had just dropped Ariadne off at preschool and was craving coffee. Though it was rare for there to be a morning where she wasn’t craving coffee. She was still figuring out where the closest place was to the school to get coffee was and google maps had put this bodega on the map. Though as Zelda stood in the line she had to wonder if it was even worth it. It wasn’t moving and she didn’t even know if the coffee was worth the line. “You know, I think that I’ll join you. I’ve never been here and I’m not sure there’s any coffee good enough to handle this line.” 

Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t a stranger being friendly (although she herself had been friendly to begin with). Nina was pleasantly surprised. “The coffee here is definitely not worth it, if I’m being honest, but the sandwiches are. But there’s another place a few blocks away that’s pretty good too. I think their coffee is better. Not a very high bar, but still.” She flashed a smile. “You’re welcome to join me.”

[nina-fontaine]

task #3 | 8tracks

spotify

1. it’s alright mother mother // 2. leaning on myself anna of the north // 3. rises the moon liana flores // 4. hunnybee unknown mortal orchestra // 5. constellations the oh hellos // 6. the moss cosmo sheldrake // 7. the moon will sing the crane wives // 8. ship in a bottle fin

[nina-fontaine]

What Nina’s Been Up To Lately; a self para || TW depression

Her birthday had come and gone with little fanfare. She didn’t mind, she’d never liked being the center of attention. Lately she’d been holing up in her apartment anyway. There was a lull in clients, which was nice, and all of her classes this quarter were online, and grubhub existed. Her attempt at being a morning person by running every morning- that had fallen apart pretty quickly. She missed one day, then two, then before she knew it her running shoes had made their way to the back of the closet. These days Nina stayed up late, getting more computer screen light than daylight. 

But one must needs face the outside world for some things after all. And so it was with a heavy heart Nina did dress in something clean, put on shoes for the first time in two weeks, and stop with this weird inner monologue. She knew she was heading towards a depressive episode when her inner voice turned classic novelist. Well- maybe the last two weeks had been her depressive episode. 

A bodega breakfast sandwich was exactly what she needed to snap her out of this. Nina pointedly ignored the advertisements for antidepressants and teletherapy as she made her way through the city. Just a sandwich today, thanks. No, no professional help for me today. Maybe later. Her legs should have ached after her lapse in exercise. They should have ached. She should not have been chosen for this, whatever this was. Why would anyone choose her?

[nina-fontaine]

Nina stood in line at one of the many nondescript bodegas that were dotted across the city. She needed this bacon egg and cheese with mediocre coffee like she needed to breathe- but the line was long. She sized up the people waiting in front of her, trying to decide whether it was worth it to walk two blocks down to the next one. A colorful poster caught her eye. LMFAO, the Labor Day concert- she’d missed it. She’d been looking forward to it- well maybe not LMFAO so much as Sara Bareilles and Paramore. 

Now that she thought about it, maybe that’s what the passive aggressive text from her coworker had been about. Oops. Well, mental health was important. She glanced around again. This line really was pretty long, and it wasn’t really moving. Nina turned to the person behind her, forcing a smile. “Hey, go ahead. I’m gonna go somewhere else.” 

[nina-fontaine]

quintondupont​:

Quinton gave a light chuckle, “Yeah, thankfully it’s not that serious.” While recollecting himself from the accidental run-in, Quinton listened to her but his eyes trailed over to the family of ducks. He really couldn’t explain his draw to avian creatures but if they didn’t find him, he often ended up in an unusually frequent, close proximity of them.

Of course, the only thing that flocked to him–and that he flocked to–more than birds was beautiful people. This woman was no exception and he felt that confidently while his gaze focused back on the attractive stranger standing before him. He listened to her and nodded in agreement. “That’s how I feel too. I stayed in to get my exercise but running and jogging is what I enjoy the most, so I’m glad that it’s cool off to more reasonable temperatures. What line of work are you in though?”

“Oh- I’m a postpartum doula. I help new parents adjust to life with a baby, help with things like recovery after birth, baby feeding, soothing, parent child bonding, all that. Sometimes I like to do light housework too, because rest is so important to healing, especially in that postpartum time frame. If the mom- well, the person who had the baby- doesn’t get enough rest, their recovery isn’t going to go as well, but getting them to sit and relax can be easier said than done.” She stopped, biting back a laugh. “Sorry. I could go on for ages if you don’t stop me. I’ve been told that not everyone finds it as fascinating as I do.”

Nina looked down, nervously plucking at the edge of her sleeve. She wasn’t sure how seriously she took the idea of ‘energy,’ but this guy was giving off some pretty strong vibes of power and something else she couldn’t quite put a name to. “What do you do for work?” She scrutinized him. He seemed to her like the type to be a lawyer, maybe. Politician? Someone who wore a suit. 

[nina-fontaine]

luis-perez-hades​:

“Blackberry and Midnight are the ones by you, then the glaring one if Phantom,” Luis explained, watching as Blackberry kept trying to get all of the woman’s attention. He blinked for a moment, not having expected to have a full conversation - really being out first thing in the morning seemed like the perfect time for people not to talk. In a city where people weren’t known for talking much to strangers. “They’re black labs and siblings. They were all in the same litter.” 

The dogs were acting like no one had ever shown them attention, which is to say they were acting like normal dogs. She laughed as Blackberry tried to lick her whole face, and tried to make sure Midnight got some love too. Phantom was still being standoffish, and Nina kept sneaking glances to see if he’d softened up at all. “They’re such good doggos! Such good boyyyyys!” This was directed at the dogs, and very quickly devolved into incoherent coos before she remembered she wasn’t alone and their owner was standing right there with his serious face and tired eyes.

“Uh. Sorry. That was, um. I got carried away.” Nina got up quickly, brushing the dog hair and gravel off her legs.

[nina-fontaine]

quintondupont​:

There was something about running that felt especially great ever since Quinton reached adulthood. He couldn’t explain it–nor could he explained his unusual strength, agility, or metabolism. Without having advertised it, he’s since learned that he can drink all of his friends under the table before getting past a buzz.

Presently, he wasn’t actively investigating his abnormal abilities–including another inexplicable anomaly that he had yet to discuss with anyone–but there were times where it weighed on his mind enough for him to try and do some careful digging. While he hadn’t turned up much of anything that sounded acceptable to him, he was enjoying what he could do. The jogging and running felt freeing while also having the added bonus of health benefits. So of course, while being caught up in said freeing feeling, and noise-cancelling airpods wedged into his ears, the businessman made the mistake of briefly shutting his eyes, only to open them right as he collided with a young woman.

Remorse instantly hit him as he halted, reaching to hopefully keep her from stumbling. Once he was sure he hadn’t completely bulldozed the woman, Quinton pulled one of the airpods out. “Shit. No, no, the fault was mine. I’m sorry. And I’m fine but are you? I swear to you, I’m usually not this reckless on my runs and I really do know better than to shut my eyes while running through…. well, anywhere in the City.”

“No, I had my eyes closed too. It’s-” Nina scrunched her eyes closed, bunching her hair into a ponytail and then letting it fall away again. If she wore her hair up for more than an hour, she would get an awful headache. “It’s ok. I don’t think either of us have any broken bones, so we should be good there.” 

It was still early enough to see fog nestled into the tops of the trees. A line of teenage ducklings followed their mother through the water. The air was crisp and cool, but with an undercurrent that promised higher temperatures to come. This early in the morning, the day was full of possibilities. Anything could happen.

The man she’d collided with was handsome, to be sure, and Nina was touched at his response. He seemed endearingly honest and well-intentioned, a rarity in this city. “It feels good to be able to get out and run. Last week was awful, I could barely stand walking to work, let alone get out here in the mornings. Glad that’s over.”

[nina-fontaine]

alwayslucille​:

Lucille had forced herself into a rare day of doing absolutely nothing work-related. The cafe was covered, the staff schedules for the next two weeks were already drafted, and she had finally finished forming a list of necessities for the fall seasonal features. The only thing she had left to do was place the inventory order and collect everyone’s hours for payroll–both of which she still had plenty of time to do tomorrow. While she wasn’t one to procrastinate when it came to work matters, she had been burning the candle at both ends lately and needed to take at least one full day of relaxation.

Having taken her time to get out of bed and drawn herself a nice bath late in the morning, she lounged around her apartment for a while before picking up her favorite camera and taking a trip to Central Park. Out of everywhere in the City, it was her favorite place to go for snapping photos. No matter what time of the year, she always managed to take some photos that she loved. As she lifted the viewfinder to her eye, however, she was jostled and nearly dropped the device. Thankfully she had the good sense to wear the neck strap, but it didn’t stop her from instinctively clutching it to her chest. Once she was steady again, she braced herself for the other person to take a defensive stance but was pleasantly surprised to find that they had apologized to her–something she wasn’t entirely used to in NYC.

“I- um, ah yes, I’m okay,” Lucy assured, nodding while side stepping the other woman’s path. It didn’t seem like they had bumped into each other that hard at first but a sudden throbbing started in her shoulder, causing Lucy to reach up and rub it. “I think.”

Nina smiled, relieved that she hadn’t caused too much damage. “Good- I think. I’m sorry, I didn’t look where I was going.” She took her airpods out to be polite. They weren’t connected to anything, but they were helpful if you didn’t want to be disturbed. She noticed the camera then, and was very glad it didn’t look broken. It looked like a fancy complicated camera, and she didn’t have a ton of savings to dip into. 

People surged around them, the park starting to come alive. The transition from quiet nature to bustling crowd always took her by surprise, leaving her feeling like she’d lost something important. Soon these walkways would feel too crowded. Maybe this weekend she would get out of the city and find someplace a little more overgrown, a little more wild.

Nina hesitated. It felt wrong to just turn and leave at this point. “Can I buy you a coffee? A tea, maybe, if you don’t drink coffee? Not to be weird, just as a ‘sorry I almost knocked you over and broke your very fancy camera’...thing.” She grinned, sticking a hand out. “Nina, by the way.”

[nina-fontaine]

luis-perez-hades​:

Luis rolled his eyes, he wasn’t a fan of excuses or of talking to people this early in the morning. It was even too early for him to stop and get coffee - though it was still on his to-do list before he went back to work. 

“I would avoid the one glaring at you. He doesn’t trust most humans and he sometimes bites when people get too close. But go ahead with the other two,” he commented, before muttering to Phantom to be good. Blackberry had already started sniffing the stranger’s feet and Midnight was a little wary, but following her sister’s lead. 

Grinning, Nina extended her hand to the one sniffing her shoes. “Sorry, buddy, those are probably pretty stinky.” She scratched behind the dog’s ears, her smile growing even wider, and reached out to the other nice one. The dog he’d warned about seemed to glare at her. It was a little intimidating, to be honest. “Oh, they’re gorgeous. What are their names? What kind are they? My sister’s really into dogs, she could probably tell exactly what breed they are just by a glance.”

Someone had told her once that she needed to chill out, that not everyone was a morning person. She’d laughed, not fully understanding at the time. But now, seeing the tall man’s expression, Nina was beginning to understand exactly what they’d meant.