( paul wesley, bisexual, cis male + he/him, support ) «—◦—→ well met, STANISŁAW PIOTR WOŹNIACKI! the divine born child of HADES. your name sings in our ears! it’s been 40 years and now they have answered the song in their veins. before they answered the song, they were a BUSINESSMAN and were living in TIRANA, ALBANIA. history and myth will remember them for their ATTENTIVENESS, RESOURCEFULNESS, GRIT but will also magnify their STUBBORNNESS, HUBRIS, NEGLIGENCE if it causes them to falter. now it is time for the world to sing their name with them.
His father liked stories. Most of all his own stories. And there was a story he always told him.
It was a story about two men, or one man and something else. Details varied, painted by memory or fancy, but there always one man, Piotr, and another. It was always dusk, and they always met in hell.
Hell was how his father called the factory where he slaved away, with little pay and backbreaking work. He was one among many, just a face in the endless sea of faces, sometimes not more than a number. But that night something changed, he met him. The man, or thing or god that changed his life, that painted him a new future, the one he was one way or the other chasing forevermore.
Some called him Hades. His father had no real name for him, just memories and longing. You see Hades had seen him that night, dead among living and plucked him like a flower. Not for himself, he gave it roots, said he'd watch it grow, dig down under and find gold underneath.
(His father was, despite his best attempts, a simple man. He had a lady back then, not his mother he'd clarify, and the details got fuzzy as his cheeks grew ruby and his tale skipped forward until Stanislaw was born)
Bundle of joy, the promise of riches. Like Midas seeking his throne. His father rose from nameless employee in a decaying mining town to the one that struck gold. Soon he was the one running the whole thing, and those nameless employees who'd been at his side rose with him... only to be replaced by new, still nameless ones.
The wheels kept spinning and the song kept playing, only at his father's tune. Every night, he looked for the one who'd marked him for fortune, every morning he grew richer. New towns, new enterprises, new faceless people who saw a boy walking among them in factory floors like he belonged there. Free to grow, free to thrive. There was something unsettling about him, some said, others found he was a good luck charm. Wherever he went, people found themselves in luck
Wherever his father took him, business bloomed. Until they left, marching on and on. Sometimes he wondered when it'd be enough, what were they after, what were they looking for.
His father said he'd met his saving angel in hell. Sometimes he thought they were building a traintrack all the way down there.
He left, he traveled. He walked among the people with his haunted eyes and his quiet gaze. He saw them, and for the shortest of times he tried to make it better. There was a new sort of hell wherever he went though, and if he spared a look back perhaps he'd see what sort of inferno he himself had caused. At last he decided maybe he should walk back to his father, be the gem he held close once more, build the track he'd chased all his life.
Maybe it was time he met this man, or ghost, or god. Maybe it was time he spoke his mind to his other father. He'd once questioned what a road to hell might cost, all those years and that was no longer the case; it had been far too long since him or his father had struggled to pay any price at all.
A sense of unease settled within the son of Nemesis as he approached the Hades cabin, a chill having settled in his bones after the events that transpired in Pennsylvania. Though he was sure that the son of Hades that had traveled with them had dispelled of the spirits when he had instructed them to attack the giant enemy that had threatened them all, it didn't hurt to get a second look to ensure that there was no remnants of spectral activity lingering within.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt someone, anyone, because he was being controlled by something other than himself. And for someone that prided himself on control, on keeping himself in check? That thought was beyond frightening.
"Stanis?" Victor called out as he knocked upon the door. "It's Victor."
Ghosts and possessions had not been truly a comfortable aspect of his powers when he came to camp, that had started to change. Nyron, the ghost satyr who lingered at his side was a necessary wake up, but seeing what Mnemosyne had done to people, calling onto fragments, memories, hauntings of pure despair. After calling to them and guiding those souls there was no going back.
When he heard the news he was sure he could tell if anything remained in Victor, even if he trusted his brother to have gotten rid of it, Perry wasn't a healer, and despite his objections to the title Stanis had become quite good at being one.
"Come in." He said, door sliding open to reveal the dark insides of the Hades cabin, covered in black marble and onyx, lit by gentle fire. If he'd been able, Victor would see Nyron as he watched for a second, arched eyebrow as he 'sharpened' a spectral blade. "It should only take a moment... if you want to tell me what happened."
Stanis soot covered hand gained a golden tint across his fingers as necrotic energy poured forth, making sure any wounds were properly healed before with eyes going dark Stanis tried to look through Victor to detect any other presences.
Maybe it's a bit cliche, maybe it's because he has so recently dealt with vampires in a place all for their kind, maybe it's because people keep mentioning vampires to him for some reason, but it's where his mind goes when forced to think of costumes for halloween. the dark stains and the blood are surprisingly easy to conjure, the fangs are a little bothersome, but he has the feeling some might like it on their skin.
of course, he also has an even more revealing, even more shameless more classical outfit. gold covering his skin, toga wrapped on his waist, barely enough to hide his thighs. it's not the most comfortable thing he's wore in public, but it gets the right kind of attention and looks pretty good actually so he'll count that as a win... despite what nyron might say.
it came in handy, having his shard at his hands, the ability to cast spells more subtly, even if by this point cover's as good as blown. he works steadily, focused, there are hurt people. humans, demigods.
there are dead, so many dead, not many received the proper honors. he tends to those as well, guiding them, not ushering them in and lighting their path towards himself this time but towards his father's embrace. they belong to him now.
he hears last words, cries and anguish, he comforts living and dead. he dismisses ghosts, and he slices through one of those little monsters with his coins, letting a group of people run to safety. athens... wrecked by titans.
then he sits and wonders if this is balance. "father..." he whispers, "i..." his prayer is disturbed, but he simply shakes his head, nodding at the other.
"i thought mnemosyne was bad but this is... something else. i wonder if that's what we can expect from now on, or if perhaps we've managed to drive them back for a while at least." he is not usually the one with answers, but he ponders anyway as he pulls out a cigarette and lights it with his fingers.
the wails of the dead reach him once more, he turns his face, frowning, and tries to ignore it for now but they will find him soon enough.
Adam watched Stanis's coins turn, rotating around his hand as a gold tint crept at his darkened fingertips. Marred and marked in no small way; with darkened and creeping veins that would be unsettling to anyone not already accustomed to the strange and the concerning. Prospero's ungloved hand hadn't been enough to shake him, Stephanos's affinity for the unfathomable didn't do anything but amaze him; Stanis's battle scars and the manifestation of his domain were no different.
There was a lot to be said about fate and timing. Adam had felt his own time encroach now and then, but they always found a way, they always managed to push through. That dark confidence and simply-put energy made the smirk laden on Adam's lips lift more fully, Stanis's own apparent way of saying: obviously, duh.
“One thing about me bro, I love the hard way. Hit me with that challenge.” Careless, eager, Adam moved to join Stanis - ready for the company so long as Stanis was going to put up with the overgrown, bro-ey, retriever.
Stanis snorted. Adam was... well, he was not one to draw conclusions but he seemed like an overeager type, the kind of reckless wild youth Stanis had only really watched from afar. "Sure you can take it?" He teased, if only because it seemed like the kind of play that'd go well with the other.
He wondered what to throw at him, then the idea became clear. He could always just call forth some of the souls lingering around, making it harder for him to go for his usual attacks. It was always nice when Nyron harassed someone other than him anyway.
"Come on then, give me your best shot." He raised his arms, eyebrow arched as ghostly figures appeared next to Adam, meanwhile, a single coin floated around Stanis, an extra challenge but not one that could keep Adam from hitting him if he really wanted to.
The wild look in Leo's eyes grew deeper as he watched the man before him transform. The way the haze and heat of the club twisted his face into something darker the deep gold of his fingers as he brought forth the dead. Or maybe just made them seen, it didn't look like Stanis put out that much power.
His eyes scanned the club watching the dead mix with the maenads and other class of nymphs. Pulled into piles of bodies to do whatever their current forms would let them do. "Don't think we need to worry about that."
He looked at the other and relaxed agains the bar. "So what trouble have you gotten into since we got here." he looked the other up and down with a smile "Figured with the dark broody look you have pulled into at least one of the orgies by now."
stanis hummed, "they do seem rather busy." truthfully it was kind of nice, just hanging back and watching, not worrying much about anything. especially after what they had all gone through. he needed some time for himself.
he snorted, meeting the other's eyes. "well, while i would prefer that kind of trouble to the sort we've been having these days," he turned away for a second, mnemosyne still fresh in his memory. blood and divinity seeping out, moros... "i haven't been quite tempted enough to join any orgies yet."
"I am sure that the gods defy all logic. Logic is sometimes a waste though. Have too much and your mind gets brittle and easy to shatter." Lucian wasn't pay attention to the other man anymore instead he was just drawing in his notebook, the pencil making light scratching noises against the paper as he drew the coins the other man was throwing. Expertly if he was asked but Lucian doubted anyone would ask him.
"Well in the entropy existential way then yes we are all dying. But I meant in the more deteriorating imminent sense." Lucian looked up studying the other, looking over his face, and down his arms ending on his hands, those fingertips. How odd. "Is that what you do? Heal others? And you are so good at it you healed a god? That seems like a far cry from deterioration."
"I have heard some from my new brother. And a few others. Titan of Memory is your enemy and I find myself increasingly envious of the ability to fuck with people's memories."
Stanis hummed, not agreeing or disagreeing, simply making noise as he wondered what the other was on about. It didn't seem like he required his opinion at any rate, so he didn't offer any.
"Yes then no, i'm not actively dying." He shrugged, at least right now that changed quickly around camp but so far... they had been lucky, in a sense, even if lucky was a difficult measure to give. He hummed again, "It's part of my skills yes. I'd say it was less skill and talent and more sheer desperation but I did heal a god, yes. It was... costly."
He won't offer details, not to someone he just met, someone who just got here. Suffice to say it was way above what they did normally, he was sure the other would be tested soon one way or the other.
"Well don't be," He said in between moving the coins around once more, letting them pierce fabric and wood continuously, "that is the kind of thing that puts you at the top of our list to deal with. She's powerful, but I have yet to see anything good come out of her powers."
"Try her and you might come back with no memory of those who matter to you, and no idea of what you lost to even try to get it back. If you come back."
for @stanistrack
Location the club
There truly was no telling how long they had been here. it could have been years since Leonardo had seen the sun and his mind wouldn't know the difference. Time had seemed to fold on its self and slowed. He moved past what looking like being made out nothing but air slip out of someone's lungs as they collapsed to the floor with a smile on their face. Pausing for a moment to relish and the pang of pure bliss that hit him. This was no where near as wild as the last time but this wasn't a prayer to his father this was all his doing.
Leo let him self sneak into the spot next to the son of hades and tapped him on the shoulder. "Having any fun?" he asked as he pulled a drink out of the either taking a sip. "you know i'm shocked none of the dead have shown up given your influence." he did a scan of the room to make sure that was still a true statement.
stanislaw was no stranger to this scene, though of late he had become. work, despite being away from it a lot more, and his duties in camp had prevented much of his vices or his need for them. he couldn't say he hadn't been changed by the months since he took his mantle.
yet, it felt nice to let loose. to forget himself in a sea of bodies and drinks and the blaring sound of music. "it's... good, being away a little." he offered, a chuckle leaving his lips at his words, "that's because i'm not playing anything." and yet, it only took opening his eyes a little.
a ghostly shadow covered his face, his fingertips he was sure had the molten gold covering them as ghostly figures became tangible to his fellow demigod. wandering among the people, leaning over them as they had their drinks, dancing among them or trying desperately to call their attention.
they did not, right now, flock to stanis. to which he was grateful. he was off duty after all. "let's try not to make them come for us though, if we can." he half grinned at the other.
"Huh? People don't rust. Unless you have prosthetics. And even then if you were here I would assume your prosthetics were forged by gods or the kin of gods. They should never rust." Lucian rubbed his eyes as he yawned and took a few careful steps out of the way of whatever it was the other man was doing. He still wasn't that good at this demi-god thing, though this gentleman clearly had it down pat.
Moving to the side of the area he took a seat, crossed his legs and watched, scribbling in his notebook like he was taking notes on the matter. "Is there a reason someone should think your skills were declining? Are you dying?"
"stick around and i think you'll find even things made by the gods can have... unforeseen consequences." he muttered in reply, new people didn't set him off but they didn't exactly make him at ease either. he looked at him trying to decipher him.
he grunted, curious man he was. "we all are, in a sense." he offered, the coins floated back towards the dummy, doing their best to fix the damage he had done. "i might be closer to it than most," he shrugged, "the price of healing a god." he beckoned the coins back to his hand and promptly sent them hurling towards his target.
"you're new, but you should know the depths we're plunged into. titans, who can erase memories, kill and erase people." he looked towards him, head tilted. "we've frustrated their plans time and time again though."
"Relax, I was enjoying the show." Eden's voice had it's usual soft, alluring tone but there was a hint of worry in it. The others situation wasn't exactly hidden news. Not the deal or sudden downgrade of divinity. Eden stepped onto the training ground mat, somewhere he himself so rarely came to. Fighting had never exactly been in his skillset and even now he still prefered others to do the fighting for him. Eden's eyes flicked to the ruined dummy before back to Stanis with an easy smile.
"And it was very impressive at that- I'm sure the next horde of dummies we encourter will run scared." Eden drawled with that twinkle in his eyes as he took a few steps closer to the other.
"How do you feel?" The question felt deliberate but in no way cruel. The other might not want to talk about it or address but the other was going though something unique. Not a single person at camp could relate to that- and whiile the other might want to avoid it, Eden of the opinioin you had to face such truama head on.
"i'm glad you were enjoying yourself then..." he muttered, wiping at his forehead as he turned to face him fully. shaking his head at the irony. "i'm sure they will. i can be very scary when i put my mind to it."
the coins fly around him, circling eden as he approaches drifting slowly between them as he wonders if he is being mocked. the question make him shrug, shoulders tensing, then relaxing.
"fine." he said, conjuring his bident just to throw it at a dummy's face. then he turned back towards the other man. a hand running across his forehead.
"i did what i had to, and i faced the consequences. it's... i'm not bothered by it, i'm just wondering where will we go from here." he sighs, "what i do know is i'm not dying by her hands, or allowing anyone else to."
he walked to the dummy, retrieving his bident with ease. "i don't like how close it got though, and with her not at full power. we think she might be reachable, somehow, if we can learn what happened."
Adam’s eyes looked toward Stanis’s hand and idly thought about Prospero, both the sons of Hades, touched by death. He’d heard about what happened; how could he not? But how to approach the other, despite their mutual ground, was still something Adam was working through. Family and he had never been synonymous, but whatever connection threaded between them, there was the fact that he respected him.
“Never doubted you.” He paced, whistling, stopping short with his hands still in his pockets - posture fluid and languid, relaxed as he scrutinized one of the coins embedded in the dummy: with little more than a gesture, the coin suddenly dislodged itself and went whirring back toward the son of Hades. “But yeah, man, I was just passing by, figured I’d swing by to hear who was burning the midnight oil.” Adam’s hand moved to the side of his head, scratching idly at the curls there; he’d seen the messages, same as everyone else, but half these people Adam had barely made much of a passing effort toward.
Cian died, and Stanis was - graying - and Adam couldn’t say confidently that he knew much about either of them. Just that they were solid guys and maybe as different as they came. “Shit’s just fucked up,” Adam settled on, “good to see you at it though, got room for one more?”
stanis nodded, he and prospero had worked towards a closer relationship. one that was built on shared ground and vastly different fields. like this, his brother's partners. he wasn't around them much, he didn't know very well how to act around them, what to say. they were after all not strangers, and yet they were not familiar just yet.
"well..." stanis made the coins float around his darkened hand, the gold tint spreading around his fingertips. some things had not changed. "appreciate the vote of confidence."
he shrugged, "wasn't my time. mnemosyne... well, we shouldn't let her upset balance like that." the cost of course, was obvious, stained hands, marked veins on his arms. yet he'd do it again, and again. "we made our stand. we'll need to make it again."
he motioned for him to join, though he wasn't quite sure how they'd work together. from what he'd seen adam worked with his fists. "you want to tear down some dummies or are you looking for a challenge?"
it's not the first time he's been here since moros, but it still feels somewhat new. he can feel the difference in his own vital force, not weak, not wounded (he has had one too many healers looking at him to be assured of it) but weaker, still.
his strength, his powers responds the same way though. the grave song ringing in his veins as clear as ever. he reaches into his pocket, throwing up a coin as usual, briefly meeting nyron's eyes in the distance. his silence is bothersome, even more than the physical reminders of what it took to keep moros with them.
he grunts, enchating the coin and tossing it through the air, gold coats his fingertips like it always had the soot covering his hands spreading further. satisfied with the necrotic energy he can feel spreading from the coin to the dummy, he brings out more. sending a few flying through the air, then stilling and dropping to the ground as someone crosses their path.
"sorry, i thought i was alone." he summons them back to his hand, a grin in his lips, "at least you can see i'm not any rusty after last quest." he would rather people not start doubting or fussing over him because of what happened.
Stanis stands at his father's feeet, the soot covered skin of his hands not any better than it had been during the battle, missing only the gold specked on his fingertips by magic. His veins climb up, visible and marked where divinity had bleed through. Battlescars, he guesses, though not the kind he expected to gain.
He brushes his hair back, white strands new though not unwelcome. He does feel considerably more tired than last time he did this. He pours down coins into an offering plate, followed by the same pomegranate seeds and asphodel he'd offered last time. This time though, he adds leaves from trees that have just started to grown on places his companies' activities had stopped, transformed into something new after his dream. nyron himself had asked to go with, to see if the son of hades could really plant the trees he promised.
"Hello father." He greets somberly, "I feel we are closer now than we have ever been..." It's part joke, part earnest honesty. He has felt the pull of death, and he has also felt his father's embrace, even if perhaps it was all a dream.
"I come not asking for blessings, or to get back what has been willingly given." He motions at his hands, he knew very well some prices demanded to be paid, the value of a life... the forces which he felt at his fingertips, pulling and stirring like the strings of a guitar, "I have used your gifts to heal, to protect. And I cannot fault balance when it demands its price from myself."
"I come for clarity instead. To understand what we are facing, what we must do." he breathes out. having asked himself all the questions, having faced the wrongness mnemosyne carried with her yer again.
"We fought a hard won battle, and I saw my peers fall and rise back, I felt their souls almost out of reach... as I felt myself drawn to your arms once more." he sighed, perhaps it was bound to be, the flirtation with death for the sons of Hades.
"Mnemosyne erased someone before, threatened to erase one of us, and she proved herself almost too strong to withstand. Help me understand, to reach her if we can; to hold onto balance where she threatens it and if we must... to silence her before she can do more harm." He throws in a last golden coin, older than most he has run into. Lets it cling into the plate and the sound resonate in the empty temple.
"And..." he hesitates, a glance upwards towards the statue's face. "I hope we've proved ourselves. I hope you are proud, dad. I hope you've been listening."
truth be told, lochlan had never thought much of the afterlife before his mom died and now it was a scary thought. had she found peace? was she happy? he certainly hoped so. after everything, she deserved to rest in peace. "um, yes. i'm not big on being touched in general, and certainly not by someone i can't even see." he was still stiff, even if stanis said the ghost wasn't going to get in his space.
the greek family tree wasn't all that particularly interesting to the son of the seas, aside from him being related to the pegasi at camp who were all his nieces and nephews. he knew enough about his father and the other gods, but their interpersonal relationships? that never caught his attention. "yeah, that makes sense." he said as his riptide moved around both of them, lochlan wanted to try and get better about maintaining it for as long as possible to heal as many people.
"oh yeah?" he turned his attention to the son of the underworld, cocking a brow. "what exactly do you have in mind, stanis?" he asked, moving the water around the both of them.
"it's okay," he offered, "promise he won't touch you. we will tell the others to not do it either." most ghosts around were kind enough to not bother anyone. except him, that is. maybe his brother, he wasn't sure how he dealt with them these days.
his eyes tracked the movement of the water round them, crossing from one side to the other, moving and flowing, it reminded him some of his own control of coins. he almost wanted to reach out and touch. would lochlan feel that?
"i assume you don't want to see ghosts?" he questions, brow cocked, nyron watches from afar. looking more interested in the water of the lake.
"i could try to pull up some offensive magic, or perhaps if the lake is as haunted as they say i can try to tap into all the water you're pulling. he lets his hand linger between them, feeling the movement of the water from the other, one inch from sipping in. a step closer, but respecting his space, even if he finds himself most curious of what makes the other tick.
@stanistrack
location: on the path near the armory
notes: was slow on party starters, so figured post would be better so it's not old before we start lol
Raúl leaned casually against the armory’s stone wall, the late sun warming his face and casting long shadows over the quiet camp. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees, carrying faint sounds of laughter and distant footsteps from the training grounds.
He spotted Stanis approaching and saw his chance, he recalled seeing him briefly at the wedding but never found a moment to speak.
He pushed off the wall, offering a warm, easy smile. “Stanis, right? Don't think we've officially met yet. I'm Raul, you probably know that.”
Short pause.
Raúl’s thoughts drifted to the possibility — maybe they could build on the past fights they shared, sharpen their skills side by side. “If you ever want to practice together, we make a good team on the battlefield.” he added, voice steady but inviting, “I’m ready whenever. Could be good to keep that going.”
Watching Stanis, Raúl wondered what the other demigod made of the offer. He knew strength came not just from power but from the bonds you forged, especially among those who carried burdens heavier than most.
Maybe this was the start of something worth fighting for. He knew he couldn't just stick to the same one and a half people in came for the entirety of his stay and someone as sophisticated as Stanis seemed like the perfect reason to start branching out.
Stanis had a coin on his hand, twisting between his fingers, raised up and down. On the other the familiar feeling of his bident, not that he'd made much use of it, but it was always good to practice.
He looked towards the man as he got in his way, a short nod. "Raul, yes, I knew that." He greeted, slowing down his steps. He did remember some of their battles together. He also remembered some of Bear's words about the man... but it was probably best not to mention that right now.
"It's always good to know how we can be more effective together." He agreed with a nod, "I was about to head for some practice. Perhaps we can test some stuff out."
As he started to walk again towards the training grounds he stilled, a look towards the man. "Were you waiting for me here?"
before he discovered he was a demigod, lochlan had never really believed in ghosts or the supernatural. it didn't really make sense and defied logic, really. why would ghosts want to stay on the material plane? but now, well he knew they had to exist if the underworld was real.. and now both prospero and silas confirmed it. it was something he normally didn't like to think about. "is he touching me right now?" he shook his hands, as if the ghosts were bugs crawling on him. of course lochlan knew they couldn't actually do anything to him, but the thought still made his skin crawl.
watching the other bend over, lochlan ccoked a brow as he put his hand on the water. "yeah, that's most of what my abilities are. i keep the party up and running when we go into big combat." there was something about having a father who used his powers destructively to harm mankind, and choosing to use it to heal and protect. water was the essence of water itself, why not use it for good?
stanis chuckles, looking towards him with an easy half grin then he shakes his head gently. "no, no." he assured the other, moving a little closer, "he's not the touchy type, not unless you want him to."
nyron snorts, unamused in that way of his. stanis refrains from reacting, for lochlan's sake. "i'm guessing you'd rather not be touched by ghosts?"
truth be told, he might feel the same but he was growing used to them. as much as he could, and nyron didn't usually touch him. not unless he had reason to.
"yeah i've seen what you can do. my healing's a little different, i suppose it makes some sort of sense, balancing life. keeping the dead." he toys with the water, watching it ripple. it hits him as it often does when he remembers the whole god family tree that they are cousins. that while poseidon kept the seas and zeus the sky, his father got the underworld. was he mad about it, as legends say?
"i'm more about tearing enemies down and building ours up but i can do some healing too. so perhaps we can see what we can make do putting it all together. at the very least i can throw some stuff your way."
"are you trying to show everyone your cock?" he asked, eyes drifting down towards the fabric barely hiding anything over golden briefs. he was hardly the only one showing off, but he was the one stanis wanted to tease about it.
"pulling it out would have more effect but you're almost there i think." he does lean back to take another look at his ass, then chuckles. "glad to see you're enjoying yourself at least." he nodded at the party.
"it was good seeing we can put ourselves together and achieve something." he doesn't add to the worries he and the other already shared.
"have you gotten the chance to visit your new place yet?"
