4 JULY 2011 || The Duchess of Cambridge took part in rowing dragon boats across Dalvay Lake in Charlottetown, Canada, along with Prince William on their fifth day while on their North-American tour.
atlas is the firstborn and therefore experienced a lot of pressure in his youth. most of his days were spent at iapetus’ side, learning to fight, to lead, to observe, to become ruthless and powerful. he was his father’s pride and joy, which earned him privileges but also meant he was already under immense pressure before his imprisonment. during the titanomachy, atlas did as his father commanded - led fearlessly, brutally, and without restraint.
in the end, atlas surrenders. in my canon, he is promised clemency by poseidon and ultimately convinced to surrender by his younger brother, epimetheus. he “betrays” iapetus in the end… and he’s still punished for his efforts during the war.
this is all undercut by a single truth: atlas is an intellectual at heart. he grew good with a spear because it was expected of him. he became a brilliant leader of his army because that was all he had known. but he loves to learn. he loves to look at the stars and record what he sees. he likes to write poetry. atlas would have been a scholarly god if the world had ever allowed it.
all of this makes him bitter. atlas was always a more reserved god with a stoic, sometimes sullen temperament. but numerous lifetimes carrying the weight of the heavens on your back does little to make one more positive. he’s angry and frustrated with everyone - the gods, his father, himself. when he is finally set free by heracles, he has crafted paths of vengeance so vile he would frighten the erinyes.
but the world is different. the gods are different. there is no room for a bitter, violent old god like him and in the end, he knows his path is a fruitless one. he gives up his vengeance. with time, he gives up his bitterness too - because now, in the most unlikely of circumstances, atlas can finally be himself. he can be a scholar. he can do the things he’s always wanted to do without interference, and that’s enough.
atlas is physically disabled from his experiences, unable to walk without pain and he needs mobility aids to get around. typically, this is a cane.
atlas bore his daughters out of obligation, but that does not mean he loves them any less. they were his only source of joy in his imprisonment, as they visited him regularly. he often watches them in the stars to feel at peace.
atlas is an Astrology Girlie™ in a roundabout sort of way. he finds amusement in modern astrology, because they’ve got the Spirit, even if their assumptions are wrong. he knows that the stars and the heavens do impact fate in ways that humans will never be able to understand, but he thinks its cute people are trying!
atlas was always closest with prometheus growing up - but naturally, the two went their separate ways in adulthood.
nike:
nike is the baby of the family
her relationship with her older siblings is positive, if a little over-protective. there is something about her position as Victory that makes others greedy to covet her and as such, she's always been more sheltered than the others. never viewed as weak - just someone to be protected. she's trained as hard as they have - her and her siblings are tough, due to the training of their father and the harsh nature of their mother.
nike's weapon of choice is a bow. she's a deadly shot, and was the one who trained hera in my canon.
nike’s abilities are not as powerful as some often believe. she cannot influence victory, or change the outcome of a particular situation. she does, however, have a very strong sense for who may win a conflict or competition - which is part of why she joined the gods during the titanomachy. she cannot change fate, and she is not always certain when the victor of a situation could be complicated, but her senses are still strong - and her ability to grant honour afterwards is great. don’t gamble against her, though. it won’t end well for you.
that being said, people still believe she has the ability to sway favour their way, which is why she’s always in so much “danger”. people want to possess her. the significance in her choosing zeus should not be lost on anyone, as well.
i just <3 lesbians and i think she should be one.
she made athletic wear look cool before a company named itself after her.
a relatively sweet and gentle temperament, impartial in most situations, and quite giving of herself - but she’s got a fierce streak, and is known to get herself into weird situations that oftentimes require rescue.
nike is so so so fond of both zeus and metis so it seems only natural that she would become very attached to athena. the most Situationship ever
nike is an ancient goddess and while she adores the modern world and all that comes with it, she misses the decadence of times gone by. she misses the debauchery and the hedonism, the layers of fabric and the music and the endless parties that came before the 20th century
