#henrieta

[erenthegreat]

Goth kids because 

[kingtomas89]

Failure!, written and directed by Alex Kahuam, follows James (Ted Raimi) as he must make a decision whether he wants to support his living family or uphold his father's legacy.

This film looks DOPE! I can't wait to see this thriller!!!! Where can we see it?!!!!

There was a TUBI movie called "Dante's Hotel" it was GARBAGE!

TED RAIMI DESERVES BETTER!!!! This movie looks with A LOT of quality. I really hope he makes more dramas and less shitty B-C Horror movies like the Tubi one. That was disaster.

[swashbucklerred]

wheres my henrietta / wendy friendship at

[magicalturtlerebel-blog]

I can not shake the feeling that she reminds me Henrieta  while  I watched the movie

[ninamckenzie22]

Creator Tag 2018

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works you’ve created this year (fics, art, edits, etc!) and link them below (say why if you want) to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world in 2018. Tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original!) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works. 

1. Dear Dad... My second try in fiction about our agent marshmallow. 

2. An presentationI did for school on ElectroConvolsive Therapy as a treatment for depression. This was really special to me because i got to play a bit with powerpoint and making an AMAZING essay and presented to a crowd (I never even said a poem in front of a crowd so... it was big deal) Plus that crazy bitch the professor really liked it.

3. I really love sims and I srarted to get kinda creative with it so I made a clone of the Edgewater Estate in The sims 4, so here...

So I don’t know if you’d like to see more let me know.

I don’t own any of the cc and the estate belongs to pixelberry 

4. ’m making the characters of Desire and Decorum but is a working progress but here is a glimpse of Henrietta

5. And last but not least (I always wanted to say that) an aesthetic for Jane and MC from ILITW 

And one last thing, aprreciate and love yourselfs and your achievements people!

Tagging: @tmarie82 @drakewalkerwhipped @janeninja @brightpinkpeppercorn

[march-of-the-marred-gods]

Henrieta quietly watches over her boyfriend, Apollo, as he's finally fallen asleep for the night. His face shows no sign of distress. Not yet. As she is watching him rest, the Dhampir thinks back on the argument they had earlier in the day.

Perhaps 'argument' isn't quite right. It was more akin to nagging a brick wall for her. She begged him for an explanation, any explanation, as to why he was acting so cold towards her. He only gave a blank stare, even flinching when she went to touch his arm. She backed away, then asked, "Would it be alright if we at least went to sleep together tonight?" to which Apollo slightly smiled and nodded.

No matter what differences the two had in the day, Apollo would never say no to cuddling in bed. He has trouble sleeping due to consistent nightmares, and he had told Henrieta that having her beside him in bed was always very comforting.

"Comfort..." Henrieta began thinking. "Dad did teach me how to visit people in their dreams. I'll try to reassure him if he starts having a nightmare. I just hope I don't turn into whatever the Hell my dad turned into whenever he visited me in my sleep." She turns to the nightstand beside the bed, taking her glasses off and placing them there. 

Henrieta continues to watch Apollo through the night. She nods off a few times, but is making sure to stay facing him to see him in case there are any changes. Sure enough, she dozed for a few minutes only to open her eyes to Apollo rustling in bed. Then he began muttering in his sleep, barely audible even to the person directly next to him.

"No... No. Stop... Control... You're hurting..."

Henrieta's eyes widened. His nightmare had begun, but this was the first time she had got an inkling of what any given nightmare was about. She places her hand on Apollo's head, closing her eyes. "I'll keep you company until it's all over..." she whispers. "Don't worry."

With these words, she finds herself sprawled out on the ground, within a dense, rocky forest. She found herself a bit disoriented, having never entered someone's dream before. As she gains her bearings, she takes in the eerie surroundings. The sun was setting behind some large mountains in the distance, leaving little light to make anything out. Luckily, she could still see fairly well due to her Vampire lineage. That is, if she had her prescription glasses.

"Shit. I didn't think I'd have to wear them to bed with me." She takes a few cautious steps forward, taking care not to step on sharp rocks or other things that may cause injury. "I gotta find him... Damn, I hope he's close by." Step by step, she begins to see a small orange aura in the distance. The aura seems to be inside a large opening. "That looks like a cave", Henrieta thought aloud. "He did say he stayed inside a cave a lot."

She presses on until she gets to the entrance to the cave. The orange aura seems to have been a small campfire from what she could make out. It was a little further inside the cave, but there was no one near it. She wasn't all that chilly but decided to sit next to the fire anyway, just to see if this was Apollo's cave of choice. She stared at the orange blob and the surrounding walls for some unknown time to her, until she heard the crunching and rustling of dead leaves-- footsteps. Henrieta doesn't know if she should hide or not. Her indecision leaves her frozen in place, just staring at the cave entrance waiting for whomever may be approaching.

The person's huge, thick form comes into view, but of course it is difficult to make out any shapes until they get to the cave's entrance. This ridiculously large person has extremely long, red hair. There are two black protrusions coming out of that red head of hair, and some thin grayish ring around the protrusions. The person is wearing a dirty white robe, which reaches the knees. Henrieta looks back up to the person's face, noticing two golden eyes, but not much else she can make out.

In turn, this individual is staring directly at this human that has wandered into his domain. He sighs, then asks, "Are you lost, or have you been looking for something? I don't have all night for this staring contest, you know. Tell me what you're here for."

Henrieta averts his gaze, embarrassed for staring so long. "I... Um... I heard something strange lived here. Something that makes people disappear. I wanted to see if that was true. You're definitely taller than any human I know, so..."

"I see. I have had some curious visitors, and many more unfortunate souls who became lost only to find me. It is true my visitors don't normally leave, at least not in one piece. I hope you know that finding what you were looking for will cost you."

The individual gets closer and calmly sits down next to Henrieta. He's incredibly warm and soft to lean on, which makes his next statement all the more gut-wrenching.

"I have a lot of ways I could make anyone mine. Forever."

Henrieta is now scared out of her wits, with questions filling her mind. "Why the fuck is Apollo talking like this? It's so creepy... Is this what he was like before? On top of that, why didn't he recognize me? What the Hell is going on here?"

Unfortunately, she did not have time to get these questions answered before the large being grabbed her by her lower jaw bone, craning her head towards him. He kissed Henrieta on the cheek, to which she began to squirm away and screamed, "EW, have you lost your fucking mind?! That was the wettest kiss I ever got! Gross! You fucking weirdo!"

The man was taken aback, as he was used to people being taken with him the moment he kissed them. He regains his composure. "I apologize. I have never met anyone who could resist..." He pauses, unable to bring himself to look at the woman before him, feeling immense shame for the deed. "I'm really sorry, miss. It won't happen again. I promise."

Henrieta is now squinting daggers at him despite the lack of proper eyewear, but is equally thankful her boyfriend is talking like himself again. However, she is still not entirely convinced his intentions from here on out are any good, and the man could tell she had her guard up. He starts getting anxious, knowing full well he has a ton of making up to do to his newest guest.

"I-I have some things you could use as bedding. Let me at least make you comfortable for the night."

Henrieta fires back. "Because what you just did not even five minutes ago was the perfect opening for any lady to be comfortable with you, yeah?"

The man buries his fists in his chest as if he had been stabbed there. "I can't say sorry enough. I don't know what else I can do to make it up to you… To get you to s-stay…" He begins to sob.

Henrieta rolls her eyes, feeling as though this was an act. In spite of this, she decides to give the strange man a chance. But only because it's Apollo. And he's crying.

"Oh, for fuck's... Fine, I'll stay. I don't really want to wander out there in the dark without my glasses anyways."

The man is relieved, wiping away tears. "Oh, thank you... Thank goodness... It gets really dangerous at night... So I'm glad.” He smiles. “I'll get something soft for you to lay on, okay?" He then goes deeper into the cave to get what little he had. 

Henrieta contemplates to herself. "Apollo wasn’t kidding when he said he had issues. This might have been a bad idea. But danger is danger, even in dreams. And I'd rather take the guy I know over whatever might be out there..." She breathes a heavy sigh as the man returns with some tattered sheets and blankets.

“I hope these are okay. I’ll lay them out for you.” He spreads them out a few feet from the campfire, carefully layering each blanket evenly. “Thank you– Uh. Sorry, I don’t know your name.” Henrieta assumes that he may not go by Apollo if he does not recognize her. The man smiles. “It’s alright. I owe you that much at least. But…” He then trails off, looking troubled. “I don’t really have a name– I mean, I do, but– you know what, never mind that. Call me N.” 

Henrieta nods. “Sure, whatever you wanna call yourself. I just want to call you something. As for me…” Henrieta gives it some thought, as she isn’t sure about giving her real name. After all, it’s clear to her that N didn’t give his real name. “Just Anna is fine.” N smirks. “Cute, just like you.” Henrieta is sick, hearing the words coming from N’s mouth. “Thank you, now could you quit laying it on so thick, before I decide to walk outside to get mauled?” Henrieta points to the entrance of the cave. N becomes timid once more, realizing he has crossed another line. “Sorry… but you are very beautiful. I mean it.”

Henrieta sighs. “Alright, alright. I accept the compliment. But don’t think you’re going to make up for what you’ve done by trying to flirt with me or butter me up. Just show me you aren’t going to do anything else fucked up.” 

N looks like a deer caught in a car’s headlights.

“N, I came here to better understand you as a person. I want to trust you. But you have to give me a good reason for doing so. Does that make sense?”

N nods. “Yeah. I don’t want to let you down. I’ll trust you too, Anna.”

Henrieta’s heart flutters at N’s words, although she secretly wished it didn’t. This is her boyfriend, so it’s natural for her to feel this way, is it not? So she didn’t know why she felt such dread at finding the man calling himself N attractive. She comes to the conclusion that she must banish the thought that something else might be wrong with him. She came here to comfort him, not investigate him like a suspected criminal, after all. Henrieta goes to sleep in this unfamiliar dreamscape, hoping to start fresh with N in the morning. 

“Good morning, Anna!” Henrieta wakes up to a beaming N standing over her. She isn’t sure how to feel about being woken up in this manner, it almost feels as if he did something nefarious and he’s just waiting for her to notice. “Mornin’, N. What’s up with you?” 

N kneels down and puts something on Henrieta’s face. She can finally see N’s huge smile, as well as that gray blob she noticed last night when they met. It was a ring of grayish-black flame. “That’s odd”, Henrieta thought. “Never seen Apollo with that before. Not terribly surprising since he can control and create fire at will, though. Plus, this is just a dream. People often look different in dreams…” She snaps out of her pondering and finally asks, “Hey, wait, how did you get glasses all the way out here, N?”

“I found them last night while I was out.”

“Damn, what a lucky find. Thank you. But did you sleep at all?”

N shakes his head. “It’s really hard for me to sleep… A-And I know we got off on the wrong foot last night, so… I didn’t want to disturb your sleep with my presence.”

Henrieta feels a little guilty for making N feel that uncomfortable in his own space. “Well yeah, things got really weird. I didn’t mean to run you out of your own place, though. I’m sorry about that. When I said I wanted to trust you I meant it. And that meant going to sleep while you were here, too.” N’s eyes widened. “Wow…” Then he smiled warmly. “You have no idea how much that means to me, Anna. By the way, I’m going to make breakfast for you… But can you watch me? I don’t want to accidentally burn it.” He laughs nervously, a bit embarrassed at this particular shortcoming of his. 

“Aw, it’s okay N. I can make my own breakfast. You did enough by just gathering the ingredients–”

N is now looking dejected, his eyes basically begging Henrieta to let him cook for her. Henrieta does not want to watch him cry again, so she gives in. “Alright N, it's okay. You can cook too. I just feel a little bad that you’ve done all this work for me, is all.”

N rapidly shakes his head. “It’s really okay, I want to take care of you! You’re the best guest I could ask for, so I want to do everything for you! Please let me do it!” His hands clasp together as he begs. 

Henrieta yet again feels something in her chest. His puppy eyes are a serious force to be reckoned with. He’s just too damned cute like that. “Okay, N. You cook and I’ll watch to make sure you aren’t burning it. Deal?” 

N beams one more. “Of course.” 

N somehow still manages to burn the meat. “Oh no, I’m so sorry! I thought I did everything right…” Henrieta quietly takes the stick of meat away from N. “I think your fire was too hot. That’s the only thing I can think of.” She begins to eat the meat from the stick, and N freaks out. “Wait! Y-You can’t eat that, it’s super burnt…” Henrieta shrugs. “It’s still perfectly fine, N. I think you did a great job. Thank you very much for the breakfast.” N watches in horror as she finishes. “I… can’t believe you ate that.” 

Henrieta giggles. “I was raised not to waste food, least of all anyone else’s. You put all that effort into it too, it would have been rude of me not to. It’s the sentiment I appreciated most. You put your heart into it, and that’s what matters to me.”

N is trying his hardest not to tear up. “You’re too kind to me.”

Over the next few months within the dreamscape, Henrieta lives with N in the cave, keeping him company. They often foraged or hunted together in the forest, and had basically built something of a life together. However, the adventure Henrieta found herself in was about to come to an end. She woke up in the cave one early morning, sensing that Apollo would wake up at any time in the regular world. It was time to say goodbye to N and return to her true home. She goes to find N to break the news, but he is nowhere to be seen. 

Then she sees something around the corner leading to the deeper part of the cave. It’s a dark, viscous liquid on the ground. A pit begins to grow in her stomach. She gets closer to the area, when the stench hits her. It’s a dreaded, sadly all-too-familiar metallic smell. Henrieta immediately drops to her knees and vomits, trying not to go unconscious from the sight and odor of the liquid. Barely managing to pick herself back up, she goes further inside the cave, worried about N. “H-Hey, N? Is everything okay? There’s blood everywhere–”

Henrieta looks up from the ground, and she sees N with blood all over him, and a human corpse resting in his lap. The body’s chest has been ripped open, and N is eating the heart like an apple. N then notices Henrieta’s presence and jumps up, dropping the half-eaten heart and letting the human body fall to the ground as he runs to her side. “Anna! Are you okay?”

Henrieta is extremely pale and is trying not to pass out from the sight of N. “I’m… I’m okay. Are you okay though, N?”

N starts to tear up. “No. I tried to quit what I was doing after we met… but I was getting to the point I was going to hurt you if I didn’t sate my hunger, so I had to… I’m sorry you had to see me like this… Please don’t hate me, please…” He falls to the ground in defeat and begins to cry.

Henrieta isn’t disgusted, only disheartened by the timing of this situation, because she has to tell N that she has to leave. Despite her queasiness with blood, she has never once judged Apollo for his need to eat human flesh. It is simply a side effect from his creation. Henrieta has to let N down gently and hope for the best. “N, it’s okay... I don’t hate you… But I do need to tell you something that’s a bit urgent… I’ll meet you at the front of the cave.” Henrieta staggers back to the main part of the cave and waits for N while she recovers. 

N comes out a few minutes later, cleaned up and wearing another robe he quickly made from an old sheet. “I’m here, Anna. What’s wrong?” 

Henrieta, still a bit nauseous, sighs. “N, I’m really sorry about this, but I have to leave this place. It has nothing to do with what just happened. I was on my way to tell you when it happened. Thank you for being such a great companion. It’s been really nice, but it’s time for me to go back home. I hope you understand.”

N stares at Henrieta for an uncomfortably long time. She’s afraid to make any sudden movement, but she does slowly rise to her feet as her nausea resides. N does not take his eyes off her. He then puts on his puppy eyes.

“What are you saying? You can’t leave me when we have such a strong connection. A true connection. I… I love you, Anna. I really do. I can’t imagine life without you. You treat me like I’m human. I need that. Please reconsider this… Tell me you love me too and that you’ll stay with me. I don’t want to be alone again.”

Henrieta is now terrified for her safety. She doesn’t know what to say to get him to back down. She wants to return the sentiment, but it almost feels like she’s going behind Apollo’s back for some reason. She takes a step back, and N takes an equal step forward.

N begins to get impatient, his expression having grown dark. “Tell. Me. You. Love. Me.”

“Oh, damn. I should have known shit was gonna get like this.” Henrieta thought. She tries again to be gentle in her words, but it is useless. “N, of course I care a lot about you, but–” 

“BUT WHAT? YOU PATHETIC LIAR! You just want to get away from me because you happened to remember that I am a monster to you fucking insects! All you humans are the same. Can’t stop lying to save your own short, ugly lives, but it’s perfectly fine. When you all destroy each other I’ll be watching gleefully. I won’t ever trust the likes of you again. Now get the fuck out of my sight before I rip your throat out. Go on, since you need to leave so badly.” He does a shoo-ing gesture.

Henrieta feels tears welling up in her eyes. “N… It’s not like that–”

N’s fingernails begin to grow into sharp claws. “Get out of here or I really will kill you.”

Henrieta backs out of the cave before turning her back on the hostile N. She sprints for a bit, only stopping because she starts to hear wailing. She turned around once more to ensure she was not being followed by N. He was not there. However, the wails got louder and she realized that noise was coming from the cave. N was crying his eyes out. The realization made Henrieta’s blood run cold. “Apollo is going to remember this and feel like absolute shit…”, she thought. However, there was nothing she could do to rectify the situation, as Apollo was about to wake up soon. She makes a dash for the edge of the forest to get out of there once and for all, and once she reaches that boundary, she jolts awake in a cold sweat. 

She puts her glasses back on, and looks over at Apollo to find he’s been crying in his sleep. “Fuck… I’m going to be on his shit list for a long time for this.” She whispers as she puts her palm to her forehead. She gets out of his bed without another word to take a shower before her boyfriend wakes up from his newest nightmare.

[march-of-the-marred-gods]

Apollo is standing outside Henrieta's room, nervously picking at his cuticles as he thinks carefully about how to approach her. He hasn't spoken much to her since she returned from training with her mother, which she did in the first place to give him space.

Once Henrieta came back, she apologized again for betraying Apollo's trust and going into one of his recurring nightmares, but he wasn't sure what to say in response. He knows she feels genuine remorse and wants to rebuild his trust in her. However, the incident made him that much more afraid of opening up to her, which in turn makes this situation even more difficult. 

Not to mention how ‘he’ nearly burned Henrieta and her mother, Roze, to a crisp the other evening at a Vampire Hunters’ training facility. Roze caught ‘him’ in the act, and ‘he’ fled the scene. Henrieta still has no clue, and Roze had approached Apollo about this only a few hours prior to this very moment. 

“Apollo, hon’. We need to talk about you and Henrieta.”

“Yes, Miss Roze?”

“I don’t want to have to pry into y’all’s affairs now, since y’all are both grown. But whatever’s goin’ on with you two, just make sure you have your feelin’s in check. I don’t know what came over you the other night, but I don’t want to see you like that again.”

“Yeah… Sorry.”

“I had to do a double take ‘cause you seemed so terrifyin’. That ain’t like you at all, hon’. I hope you’re talkin’ to Doctor Silas about whatever that was. I don’t think that was you, but maybe somethin’... holdin’ you hostage almost.”

“I’m taking care of it, don’t worry. Thank you Miss Roze, and I’m sorry again for causing trouble.”

“No worries, dear. I just wanted to talk to you about it first, and make sure you were okay. I know y’all separating wasn’t easy on Henri, either. I hope you two smooth things out real soon.”

This second incident has forced Apollo into telling his love one of his darkest secrets; one that has haunted him since childhood. In order to do this, he must place his fragmented faith in her. He must have the hope that she will not run away. "If she can withstand him here, then maybe we can have a future," he thinks to himself, hoping that he does not respond with the snarky tone of an edgy teenage boy.

There is silence after his own thoughts. Apollo doesn't know whether to be thankful or alarmed. He attempts to goad him into at least some kind of response.

"Last chance to admit that you love Henri too, before you get to talk to her for the first time in the regular world..."

More silence. This made Apollo even more nervous. What was he planning? He refused to divulge his secrets, now.

"Great..." Apollo sighed. He figures he should go ahead and get this over with, and knocks lightly on his girlfriend's door.

"May I come in? I need to talk to you about... something important."

Henrieta swings the door open with an enthusiasm that did not match his tone or mood. It was a response that had already taken the wind out of Apollo's sails. Henrieta was trying to hide her excitement with only slight success, as the only thing she wasn't doing as an indicator for her mood was smiling. "Come on in, honey!"

Apollo obliges, taking care to duck his head as to not to smack his gigantic horns into the doorway. He sits on a rug with his legs crossed, while Henrieta sits on the edge of her bed.

There were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence between the two before Henrieta asked the big question. "So, what's up?"

Apollo takes a deep breath, staring at the wall behind Henrieta.

"I don't really know how to start... Oh, gosh." 

Henrieta nods. "It's okay. Take your time, Apollo."

Apollo takes another breath. "It has to do with the problems we were having before you left. You know, how I wasn't talking to you a lot? I... I need you to meet someone. I've been keeping him a secret from you since we met–" Henrieta cocks her head to one side and furrows her eyebrows. Her eyes glow as her mood changes. "Is he bothering you? Do I need to have words with someone, dear?" Apollo shakes his head quickly in a panic. "No, no! No words, please! Well... To be honest, he is a bother, but it's... complicated." Apollo lifts his index finger to the side of his head and taps it gently.

Henrieta's expression lightens a little, then she blushes and averts Apollo's gaze for a few moments. "Sorry. I jumped to conclusions there. Are you saying there's someone else in your head?" Apollo nods. "Yeah. He's... not a nice guy, I'll go ahead and say that. But you two have already met… In that dream.” Henrieta furrows her brows. “Wait… the dream? I really wasn't speaking to you in there?” Apollo nods once more. “Yeah. He was the one calling himself N. Just... Please don't run from him this time. Please don't let him scare you off. Please..." Apollo drops his head as he begins to sob.

Henrieta drops to the floor to comfort Apollo. She reaches for his cheek when she sees both his eyes' irises have become golden-yellow with red highlights around the black pupils. The irises had become much larger as well. She quickly pulls back her hand and she stands up. “Oh, shit–”

Henrieta stops dead in the middle of her sentence, staring intently as the crown of grayish-black flame surrounds Apollo's head. The man before her speaks, making direct eye contact. "Are you going to continue gawking at me, you fucking worm?" Henrieta's eyes widened in shock. She then delivered a glare back. "And whom do I have the displeasure of speaking to?"

The man smiles. "Ah. My gentler half couldn't even utter my name before bursting into tears. I've been called many names, but I suppose I will finally give you my proper one. I am Nandys the Evil. Not that a lowly being like yourself would have the capacity for remembering it past that first letter…" He studies Henrieta's face.

Henrieta does her best to hold her tongue, pressing her lips together until they are barely visible. “This fucking asswipe. I can’t tell if the way he was behaving in the dream was an act, or if this is his façade now that I’ve already hurt his feelings.”

Nandys' smile gets even wider. "Ooooh, did I touch a nerve?"

Henrieta ignores his question with her own. "So what are you? Are you like some sort of god or something? I'm guessing?" She spoke with a hardness in her voice, not even caring that she is signaling to Nandys that he's already pressed her buttons.

"I am a Dragon. By my understanding, we Dragons can die, but it takes quite a long time... Or an extreme amount of effort to take one of us down. To me, true gods do not seem to die no matter what. I have seen such beings. That being said, I'll be your god if you want me to--"

Henrieta's irises turn to the color of blood. "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY! No self-respecting, complex being would ever worship you if given the choice. I'd rather die a godless woman than follow a revolting creep like you!"

Nandys becomes entranced. "Since when could you humans do that... thing with your eyes? It looks quite fetching on you, I must say."

Henrieta clicks her tongue as she rolls her eyes. "Whatever… To answer your question, I'm not totally human. I'm part Vampire. My name is Henrieta Anderson, by the way. Not that you'll give a shit to remember, I'm sure."

Nandys smiles again. "That's exactly right, you little ant. I think we may get along after all, since you already know me so well! We really didn’t even need this introduction, now did we?” Nandys goes to play with Henrieta’s hair, and she violently jerks away from his hand. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!”

Nandys pulls his hand back in surprise. “Goodness, is that any way to treat an old friend? I swear, you humans are so finicky.”

Henrieta begins to regain her composure, taking a deep breath as her eyes go back to jade. "Says the one who threatened to kill the other. And now you’re sitting here trying to play with my hair and flirt like everything’s fine. Can you fuck off already? I’m sick of your games. I want Apollo back. He’s my boyfriend, and you aren’t. So don’t touch me as if you have boyfriend privileges.”

Nandys rolls his eyes. "Fine. The only reason you aren't a pile of ashes or minced meat right now anyways is because he won't let me hurt you... humans anymore, least of all you. He thinks you're special for some reason."

The crown of fire disappears from Apollo's head, and his eyes return to normal. He looks up sheepishly at his girlfriend. "Sorry..."

Henrieta jumps to hug Apollo's neck. "No, I should say sorry! I had no idea you were up against someone like that. How long has that asshole been around?"

"Most of my life... I learned to tune him out most of the time. But... He's been really loud lately... So that's why it was hard to talk to you."

Henrieta leans back on her bedside, crossing her arms. "Yeah, I can't blame you one bit. Nandys is such a pain in the ass. I’m sorry again for poking that bear. But… was I really talking to him in that dream? He's so… different out here.”

Apollo looks down, and thinks for a couple of seconds, looking back up to meet Henrieta’s gaze. "Not really that different to me... He’s still crazy about you.” Henrieta raises an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"I listened a little bit to you two. He can do the same to me. He's probably listening to us right now. But... It's because if he really wanted to hurt you, at least physically, he would have. He likes taking over when I'm overwhelmed... When I can't fight back. He's lying about me restraining him like that. The only sure way I can restrain him is not letting him out at all. And that... makes him frustrated, and me exhausted. I've barely managed to keep him from setting the Sanctuary on fire."

Henrieta shakes her head in disbelief. "Are you sure he won't scream at you for giving his secret away?"

"No, he's definitely going to keep me up tonight." Apollo sighs heavily. "He's already started."

"Oh, you poor guy..." Henrieta reaches up to kiss Apollo on the lips, then slowly sinks back down to the floor to think. "You know... I-I dunno Apollo, I'm still not super convinced. Yeah, he flirted, but he was also a huge dick, and kind of acting holier-than-thou. It’s hard to explain."

“Yeah, I get it. He likes to confuse people by flirting and then hurling an insult right after. It distracts others from trying to understand his true feelings. He doesn’t like to share his true feelings outright… He prefers to sprinkle a little bit of the truth through his lies. At least that’s what usually happens. But he trusted you in the dream a little more because you’re immune to the Incubus spell. Henri… I’m telling you, he fell for you hard in the dream. But…”

Henrieta furrows her eyebrows. "But...?"

"I'm going to try to get him to calm down and admit his feelings with Doctor Silas’ help. He's been in a panic since we first got here. Do you think you can try to help him get used to this place? Maybe... um… try to get him to do chores with you the next time he comes to bother you. Talk with him a little… humor him I guess? Just go along with his games. And show him that you’ll be here for both of us, because he’s scared… really scared that you’ll abandon us. I… I’ve been scared of that too, to be honest. That’s why I was trying to keep Nandys a secret.”

What little color is on Henrieta’s face drains away. “Oh, Apollo… I had no idea. I’ll do my best, but we don’t really… mesh well as things stand right now.”

Apollo wears a gloomy, yet pitiful look. "I know, it's a lot to ask... Sorry I'm a huge mess."

Henrieta’s voice goes lower and a bit deeper. "It's not you. It's him."

Apollo shakes his head in defeat. "He is me."

[march-of-the-marred-gods]

(As of writing the following excerpt, this is only a what-if scenario; I don't know where exactly to fit this into the canon)

Henrieta is sitting at a table at one of the communal areas, taking a much needed break after cleaning the private showers and restrooms at the Sanctuary. She just brewed some tea and was waiting on her niece, Hanna, to arrive from... somewhere.

"She's never been this late... I hope she's okay."

As if on cue, Hanna bursts through the door. She looked like she'd seen Hell itself, and she was panting as if she had to run from something.

Henrieta jumps out of her seat. "Hanna! Are you hurt? What happened!?"

Hanna takes a moment to catch her breath. "It's... It's so awful. I didn't think he would be like that... I'm so stupid." The young adolescent begins to tear up.

Henrieta furrows her eyebrows. "Hanna... what did you do? Who did you go to see this time? Tell me right now."

"I don't want to tell you, Aunt Henri." Hanna starts to cry.

Henrieta's face eases up. "I won't tell your mom, if that's what you're worried about."

"No! You'll make me go back there if I tell you!"

Henrieta scoffs. "Who would ever make me act like that?"

Hanna gives her aunt a serious gaze. "You know exactly who, Aunt Henri."

"Shit..." Henrieta heavily sighs and buries her face in her hands. "Not him. Not my Sunshine."

"I'm sorry, Auntie." Hanna hugs Henrieta. "I should have known better."

Henrieta returns her niece's hug. "It's okay. You didn't know. And I won't make you go back if you don't want to."

Hanna studies Henrieta's face. It is rife with worry and, more importantly, morbid curiosity.

"...If we have tea first, I'll take you. Alright?"

Henrieta tries to put up a front. "No, Hanna. I'm not making you do that. I told you."

"I wanna see what you have to say about him. We won't get close. I... really don't want to be close to him ever again. But I'll show you."

Henrieta relents and agrees. The two sit in silence while drinking tea, with one knowing exactly what lies before her, and the other having no clue what she is about to behold.

After a bit of packing and prep in the case of getting stranded, the two hop on a handmade broom with backpacks on their backs, just outside the Sanctuary's cave mouth entrance.

"Alright," sighed Hanna. "Let's start running to get it going. Follow my lead."

The pair begin jogging for a bit, then Hanna quickly buries her right foot into the ground as if to make a leap, to elevate the broom into the air.

"How do you time travel from here, Hanna?" Henrieta finally inquires.

"I usually let the broom take me wherever, but if I want to see something specific, I have to think about them and what they look like. I gotta focus, so give me a minute. Oh, yeah, close your eyes. Trust me on that."

Henrieta shuts her eyes and there's silence except the wind at the duo's backs. Then nothing except a suspicious, nasty smell that began creeping up her nostrils.

"Okay..." Hanna whispers cautiously. "We're here."

Already regretting her choice to come here, Henrieta didn't want to open her eyes. She was afraid of seeing the source of the stench. Slowly though, she opened one after the other. What Henrieta caught a whiff of are the charred, rotten remains of various human and humanoid beings, even Fae and Angel remains. The burnt landscape in front of her and beyond was contrasted by a beautiful, blue, clear sky.

The only living sentient things seen around were animals. Songbirds were chirping as happily as ever. Squirrels were foraging and leaping over bones. Frogs were croaking in a pond nearby.

Most notably, though, was the huge murder of crows to the west of them. Hanna became visibly terrified at the sight of the crows, and began backing up, not turning her back.

"We need to run. Now."

"It's just some crows, Hanna--"

Henrieta turns around to see Hanna hiding behind a thick tree, its bark marred with claw marks. She turns back around to face the crows, who now had a guest alongside them. He moves through the crows until he is leading them, revealing his familiar features. As he approaches, Henrieta is frozen, trying to figure out how so much malice is coming from someone who is, in her world, such a kind and caring individual.

The man looked like her beloved Apollo. Nothing more. Henrieta kept telling herself that, but it provided little comfort.

"I thought I killed all you insufferable maggots... Which piles of bodies did you crawl out from, I wonder?"

Henrieta gulped, as if quite literally swallowing her fear, however her face was still blank.

The man sniffed the air for a moment, and winced as if he had caught the scent of manure.

"I smelled a fucking Witch here earlier. I know you're back, you little shit stain. If this is your backup, then I suppose I'll thank you for the free meal." He smiles, looking down at Henrieta.

Henrieta snaps out of it. "I didn't come here to fight-- or be eaten. I wanted to see a world that wasn't my own. There's a guy I know back home that looks a lot like you. What's your name?"

The strange fellow scoffed. "This is the first time in a long time that I've had an ant like you be so bold with me. Doesn't matter if I look like someone you know. Are you not scared of me-- Lord of All, Ares?"

"Ares--" Henrieta begins to speak, but she gets an icy look from the man now calling himself Ares. She gets the feeling it's a 'don't address me in such a familiar manner' stare. She starts over.

"Lord Ares, you must have had a lot of hate and bitterness in your heart to kill everyone here. I know this because I know a version of you that decided to try and love again, instead of giving up on it."

Ares once again cracks a smile, slightly amused. "He must be a weakling, in that case."

Henrieta is incensed, but keeps her now cool exterior. "He's just as strong as you, if not stronger."

Ares's smile disappears as he becomes annoyed. "That's nonsense. I don't think you know anything at all. You're trying to trick me into letting you go, aren't you?"

Henrieta feels a bit of guilty glee as she thinks of the only thing that Apollo was private about until very recently. "I know about Nandys. You listened to him a few too many times, didn't you?"

Ares is now in a panic, just as Henrieta had hoped.

"H-How do you know about that?! I know you're not a Witch like your friend behind you..."

"I told you, I know the 'you' that could have been. He's far from a weakling."

Ares, quickly recovered from his shocked state, lets out a haughty laugh. "I get it now!"

Henrieta holds a confused look. "Get... What?"

Ares grins darkly. "You only know the other one. The weakling. You don't know that he's weak because you haven't been with me."

Henrieta realizes what Ares is trying to suggest, and it takes her all of her strength not to gag. He continues to explain it anyway.

"You should stay here with me... With us."

Ares proceeds to take Henrieta's hand and kiss it, leaving some residue. Henrieta is mortified, but she is afraid of making any sudden movement, such as jerking back. She wipes off the spit on her pants in disgust.

"Not in a million fucking years. You can't get me like that either, you asshole."

Ares's eyes got wide. Few had breathed a word of the slightest critique to him in almost two decades, even less had told him no. He felt as if he could crumble to pieces right then and there. More importantly, he felt... Jealousy. Dejection. Without realizing it, his shocked expression morphed into a rather pitiful one as he put his head down.

"What could he have that I do not...?" He said in a low tone.

The tiny Dhampir clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "I told you. He chose to continue loving others. That takes more courage than using your physical strength or magical powers to have your way."

Ares looks up, speechless.

Henrieta continues her tirade. "I know you realize you regret what you've done. That's why you won't kill me. If you really wanted to do that, you would have hounded me like you did my niece."

Ares remains a statue before this mere halfling.

"The 'weakling' isn't the lonely one. You are. You chose to listen to your Draconic half's murderous impulses, leaving nothing but death behind you. That is why you are alone, Ares."

Hanna is still behind the clawed-up tree, phone in hand, trying not to die from laughter. Unbeknownst to both parties before her, she recorded the entire conversation.

Ares was still refusing to move. Henrieta had had enough and was ready to leave, confident that he wasn't going to anytime soon.

Henrieta turned around to the marred tree. "Hanna, let's get the Hell out of here, before I smack that stupid look off his face."

Hanna pops her head out from behind the tree. "Good, 'cause I thought that guy was gonna turn us into baked spaghetti."

Henrieta looks at Hanna putting her phone away. "...Saying that as you finish recording us having that fucked up conversation. Don't you ever show that vid to Apollo. I'm dead serious."

Hanna nods solemnly. "Yeah, I know. He'd have a meltdown if he saw someone-- himself kinda? Act like that. But you were so cool standing up to him, I had to grab it."

The two lift off on Hanna's broom, and Henrieta closes her eyes again in preparation for the quick return trip home. However, only seconds passed before Hanna let out a hair raising scream. "NO! GET AWAY! AUNT HENRI, LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Henrieta turned her head and opened her eyes to see the man she just lectured tailing behind with black fiery wings-- and picking up speed. As he approached, he had his arms outstretched and was saying something that became clearer as he closed the distance between himself and the two ladies.

"...please! Please come back! You're the only one in this world who understands me! I need you! I can't do this alone-- I WON'T!!!"

Ares reaches to grasp the bristles of Hanna's broom, and Henri reacts with a swift back kick to Ares' arm.

Henrieta screeches in disgust. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT YOU, YOU FUCKIN' FREAK! GO ROT BY YOURSELF!"

Ares was not backing down, even in the face of such extreme objection. He attempts to tear Henrieta off the broom while also making another desperate plea.

"I can become more like him if you stay with me! I want to be loved too! PLEASE LOVE ME TOO!!" Ares is in tears for the first time in years, perhaps even a couple decades.

Henrieta, having dodged his arms several times, finally stops to look at him with exasperation. She sighs, preparing to say the one thing she did not want to tell this perverted version of her beloved.

"Ares, if I stay with you... You'll just end up killing me later. Don't bother asking me how I know. I just do. You're gonna get overwhelmed one day and kill me because you are really shit at handling your emotions. You've made your bed, now lay in it. And leave me alone. I don't have anything to offer you, and you can't offer me anything except for a painful death at your hands."

Ares' eyes widened with tears still streaming down his freckled cheeks. His whole body relaxes, letting himself fall away from the airborne broom. Before he is out of earshot, he says one last thing to Henrieta, wearing a bittersweet smile.

"Then I hope that other me is better to you than I ever could dream of being."

Ares falls towards the ground and out of sight. A panicked Hanna picks up speed again to get herself and her aunt back home as soon as possible.

"If that was a fake out and he comes back, I'mma die."

Henrieta pats Hanna's tense shoulder. "He won't. I promise. I'll put you up in my room for a nap when we get back. It's the least I can do for putting you through all this."

"You owe me a lot more than your bed for this flamin' hot garbo. Auntie, you better kiss my ass for the next two weeks to keep this a secret!"

Henrieta puts her head down and sighs out a "Yes ma'am."