oftorchwood:
As with any condition humans faced these days, Lukas’ insanity was something he lived with, rather than combated on the daily. Here and there a mass slaughter was tempting, and sometimes he would find himself on the very brink of burning an entire town or city to the ground in order to appease his lust and hunger for righteous death and agony. But he always brought himself back from the brink. And that made all the difference.
At least with Athena there was a mutual regard for human ingenuity. He would have hated to have been stuck in a room with the violent one.
“You know, I was reading a fascinating article on nuclear energy just the other day. Of course the word nuclear still carries a heavy burden from sixty, fifty years ago, but it seems to be a decent source of power until humans can realize their full potential and perfect solar energy storage.”
He plucked a stapled together packet from his folder and offered it to her, staring determinedly at her hand. “Here it is, if you would like.”
She was glad they could embark on a subject of mutual interest that had nothing to do with their dramatic family or the unfortunate consequences of war, especially for the losing party.
“I wonder how Apollo feels about the mortals siphoning and storing solar energy,” She thought aloud, an unexamined idea. He probably wouldn’t think anything of it since she didn’t see any drawbacks; if anything, it made sun deities more useful.
He certainly wasn’t wrong about the lingering connotation with the word nuclear, the danger and instability. Clarke was surprised by the offer, but accepted it. “Thank you.” She perused the cover and the abstract. “Oh, I’ve come across this author. In other articles, I haven’t read any of his work myself.” She looked over at him, not yet perceiving his aversion to eye contact. “Do you mind if I keep this for a while and return it to you after I have a chance to read it?”
