( jonathan bailey, homosexual + homoromantic, cis man, fighter ) «—◦—→ well met, ARTHUR HORNSBY! the divine born child of ATHENA. your name sings in our ears! it’s been 36 years and now they have answered the song in their veins. before they answered the song, they were an ANCIENT HISTORY + MYTHOLOGY PROFESSOR and were living in LONDON, ENGLAND. history and myth will remember them for their CURIOSITY, SHARP INTELLIGENCE, & PROTECTIVENESS but will also magnify their ALOOFNESS, INFLEXIBILITY, & JUDGEMENTALNESS if it causes them to falter. now it is time for the world to sing their name with them.
🦉 : # BASICS
full name: arthur everett hornsby. nickname(s): artie, art, horny. age: thirty-six. date of birth: september 2, 1988. hometown: london, england. current location: camp half-blood, forest of dean, england. species: demi-god. ethnicity: white (english). nationality: british. gender: cis man. pronouns: he/him. occupation: ancient history & mythology professor at cambridge. living arrangements: athena cabin. language(s): english, french, spanish, italian, greek, latin. accent: recieved pronounciation accent, though his actual accent will come through when emotions are heightened.
🦉 : # PHYSICS
face claim: jonathan bailey. hair color: brunette. eye color: gray. height: 5'10". weight: 155 lb. build: wiry. tattoos: none. usual expression: curious. prominent features: his gray eyes and the glasses he wears. dominant hand: right. clothing style: lots of business casual and neutrals/earth-y tones. slacks. sweaters, cardigans, long sleeve shirts, loafers. typical of what you'd expect from a history professor tbh.
🦉 : # PERSONALITY
astrological sign: virgo sun, tbd moon, tbd rising. positive traits: curious, intelligence, protective. negative traits: aloof, inflexible, jugemental. myers brigg: intp. element: earth. enneagram: the investigator. temperament: phlegmatic. hogwarts house: ravenclaw. moral alignment: moral neutral. primary vice: pride. primary virtue: diligence. fears: realizing all the work he's done has been for nothing. spiders, snakes. habits: raising or furrowing his eyebrows, constantly swallows while talking when nervous, taking off and cleaning his glasses, readjusting or pushing up his glasses constantly, rubbing his temple when contemplating, pacing back and forth, talking to himself, saying his thoughts out loud to help him process them. quirks: counting his teeth with his tongue when distracted, looking down at his feet when walking, drumming his fingers along surfaces, putting the earpiece of his glasses in his mouth while contemplating, cracking his knuckles when idle, licking his lips when nervous, biting his bottom lip, clicking a ballpoint pen open and close constantly, constantly organizing and re-organizign his own space. pet peeves: people rolling their eyes when he's talking, being spoken over while talking, blasting music in public or quiet spaces, invading his personal space. hobbies: reading, writing, knitting, crocheting, chess.
sexual orientation: homosexual + homoromantic. sexual position: versatile. kinks: tbd. anti-kinks: tbd.
🦉 : # ADDITIONAL LORE.
class: fighter. innate abilities from athena: insight, history. other abilities: arcana, religion, investigation. character inspirations: milo thatch from atlantis, hiccup haddock from how to train your dragon, jim hawkins from treasure planet. what was arthur doing when hermes picked him up? tbd.
Arthur wasn't entirely sure he's in the mood to celebrate Halloween this year, but he agreed to find a costume. He figured he'd dress up for his brother and knowing Ezequiel's special interest in dinosaurs, dressing up as Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park felt like the natural choice.
Silence had always been a friend to the son of Nemesis, even in his youth. It was the only thing that brought him comfort, that allowed him to simply just be without having to worry about anyone looking at him and seeing him as his father had made him be, and it was the best for him to observe those around him so that he could get a better insight in to what makes them tick. Even at camp, silence was still something he found himself taking part in, something that he embraced far more in his early days at camp before he had truly settled in, so he didn't mind simply sitting there next to Arthur.
Especially considering that he could only imagine what Arthur was going through.
The other had known Elian longer than he, and Victor wasn't an idiot - he knew that the man had touched others, had bonds with people other than him - so he figured that Arthur was, perhaps, hurting worse than he. Especially given that he had been there to see it happen, in his mother's own city... There were no words that Victor could say that would ease any of the feelings either of them were feeling.
But a lone hand moved to rest atop Arthur's shoulder, a simple gesture of comfort as he gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, letting the action speak more than any words could.
Silence was something that only kept Arthur company when he was up late at night in his study or the library, protected by a bastion of books but those couldn't give him comfort right now. The son of Athena couldn't find the answer to stitch his heart back together or find a way to bring Elian back. Not everything had an answer or reason to it, he now understood how cruel the Fates could be as they stitched the tapestry of life. First, he had to take care of a father who didn't remember him and now this.
He couldn't find the words to comfort Victor, he knew Elian had touched others the same way he touched Arthur but for once his mind was blank. He didn't want to think, he didn't want to comfort others, he simply just wanted to stop. Life had slowed down for the first time since he took the ambrosia.
Feeling that comforting touch on his shoulder, Arthur let out a soft sigh before the tears started to burn down his cheek. Hiding his face in his palms, nothing could muffle his hearbreak. "I'm sorry, Victor... I..." he wasn't soft, he was the stern Athena brother, and yet it felt like he was falling apart every second of the day. "I know he meant a lot to you, too... I'm sorry I couldn't save him."
"This is the Way the World Ends: Not with a Bang but a Whimper"
these words haunt ezequiel as he overlooks athens, ruins, rubble, ruined spiderweb, ichor and blood. his failures... and his victory.
his mother's city stands, despite the devastating effect of titans forces trying to use it as their place of rising. his husband lives, his brother lives, his brother's father gets to look him in the eyes with the knowledge of who arthur is, of who ezequiel is to him.
they are a family. for the first time in a long time, all together. except grief also hangs over them like a shroud, over camp. it's not new, ezequiel's father meets his eyes with wisdom and sadness that humbles him as they sit together; like they've been here before. loss has been in his bloodline for generations... from both sides it seems.
he finds arthur alone, it's hard seeing him suffer, struggling like that. they see eye to eye on virtually everything, the one point of tension he chooses not to think of right now. they are close enough he almost feels like they share a single soul. and yet this is a weight he bears mostly alone, by design and choice.
he settles down easily on the floor, laying his head cross his lap. he cannot say things are okay, he cannot say it'll be fine, or it'll get easier. all he can say is that he will be there, now and forever, however the world ends, whatever comes from them.
"we could stay here a while." he says gently, "just us, i know it's... a lot, the kids, ethan, everyone. but this is what we fought so hard for. it's okay if we put away the weapons for a little bit."
suffering wasn't foreign to arthur, but this a new form of it. this was supposed to be his mission that he led and despite their victory, he felt like a failure. not only had he been outshined by every member of his party, but he lost one of the people closest to him. if he didn't ask elian to come with him that morning, the son of hecate may still be alive. arthur's job was to protect and keep those like elian safe, something he couldn't do.
his father had a few months of clarity, that was the only silver lining for arthur specifically from all of this. the man got to see who arthur had become and that pride in everett's eyes was something he didn't know he needed. still, the pain was there and when he was alone it consumed him.
the rest of the family were together downstairs when arthur went to bed early, though he couldn't sleep. every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was elian's body turning to ash.
"i think... that's for the best," his voice crackedwhen his brother came into the room. the willpower to pick up his glaive, to charge into battle, it was gone. "the titans did accomplish one thing, they've broken my spirit." he wanted to enjoy the time he had with those he loved while he still could. ezequiel and their now united family, while he still had them.
What happens when your worst fears come to life? When the very nightmare that kept you awake at night has suddenly stepped into the waking world. What do you do when you can't fight against the odds, when you try your hardest, but it's just not enough? What happens after the heroes lose?
Ziggy remembered the pain he felt the moment Elian's voice was broadcast. The softest tune that carried words that cut deeper than any knife ever could. Words that would leave wounds that could never heal. There had been so many promises, so many wishes, so many hopes and dreams that would never be. So many coffee cakes. So many coffee cakes that would never be eaten and would just pile up at his doorstep, a cup of black coffee right next to them with the faintest hope that maybe this was all a bad dream, and that Elian would come out and scold Ziggy, telling him to relax and just let things happen naturally and to remind him of his worth.
It's been nothing but grief, nothing but countless hours of praying for a sign, of being angry, sad, enraged, betrayed, guilt-ridden, even hopeful that he would one day see him again. Ziggy was about to make another trip to his cabin before he turned back, there was no point anymore.
He found himself pulled towards the shores of the lake, an apple pie, coffee cakes, and black coffee floating in the air behind him. And he sat. He sat next to Arthur as the pastries gingerly floated to the ground. Ziggy hugged his knees as he looked at the man. He could feel the intense sorrow from the other, and he didn't even need his powers; his eyes told countless stories of scenarios played over and over in his head, trying to see if there was anything he could have done differently. There wasn't.
"I baked him coffee cakes, and brewed him black coffee...I know it's stupid. I'm stupid. I keep leaving things at his doorstep, texting, expecting a reply, something. I also made apple pie. I meant to give it to you on your birthday, and I don't know why I made it today." Ziggy mumbled as he stared at the water, watching the push and pull of the waves.
“I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Do you think he's mad that I didn't get there sooner? Sorry, I should shut up. Forever. I should leave you alone, I…I'm sorry."
arthur knew there was a day that one of them would die in battle, the odds seemed to only get worse with each day that passed and every battle that the group fought, but elian was never the person he expected. arthur assumed it would be him, the man who charged into battle with his glaive head first as those like elian sat in the back.
but this? arthur didn't have an answer for it all, there weren't any books that could have told him what to do or how to change what happened. the fates were cruel and final with their decisions, they had cut the son of hecate's string prematurely.
"it's okay," arthur said, almost stoically as he continued to stare into the dark waters before him, unable to see the souls that swam just beneath the surface. he hoped elian wasn't one of those souls, he belonged at his mother's side guiding lost souls to the after life. "no, i know he's not upset with you. with any of us." those final words from his friend rang in arthur's ears. "he accepted his fate, dying to protect those of us he loved."
"so don't blame yourself, ziggy." arthur couldn't say the same for himself.
Death was something that the son of Nemesis was no stranger to. If anything, it had been like an old friend, someone that he had worked with countlessly in the past - both as his father's sword and assassin, and as the vigilante that would cut down criminals like his own father and his men - but the grief that came with death... That was something that the demigod had very little experience with. The only experience prior being with the whistleblower that he had worked with to try to take down his father, only for him to wind up dead because of him, and yet it couldn't prepare him for the feelings that had washed over him. The grief that seemed to consume him at the fact that he lost the person that he was, arguably, the closest to - outside of his own brother, that is.
It was enough to make him want to close his walls completely once more, getting a reminder that people around him died, but the one thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that Elian would not wish that. It was Elian that had helped push him to be a better man, to be more than the weapon that his father forged him to be, and the feelings he felt Elian would want him to feel - because it meant that there were good feelings that came from it before.
But he knew he wasn't the only one hurting, he knew that Elian touched a great many people at the camp, and he knew that Elian would want them to help each other. That's how he found himself walking to the lake, keeping silent as he watched the son of Athena staring out into the water and, wordlessly, he moved to sit down next to him. If Arthur would want him to leave, he would do so, but in that moment... He would simply stay and sit, letting the silence speak for itself as he stared at the water's edge.
Suffering and pain weren't foreign to the son of Athena, he was forced to witness his father slowly lose his mind over the years until he completely forgot who Arthur was. The only person in this life who mattered to Arthur before he came to camp. He'd taken that pain in strife, continued to look after his father and make sure he was taken care of even if it wasn't ever the same. But this? This was a different kind of pain. Guilt and grief were all consuming, nothing seemed to help with either of them.
He didn't say anything when Victor joined him at the lakeside, the two had never really spoken but he knew that Elian was important to the child of Nemesis as well. He was suffering, too. The guilt flared up, he blamed himself for Elian dying in front of him and being unable to do anything, but Arthur didn't let that pain leave his throat. Instead, he swallowed his words and watched the water with Victor in silence.
Worn out, spent. Returning from Athens meant a return to the training yard; they all grieved in their own way, but Adam wouldn’t cheapen what others were feeling by saying his own feelings could come even remotely close to others. It was another loss, one that Elian had chosen for himself; a choice that Adam would never understand.
He saw Arthur alone by the lake and instinct told him to keep walking, but instead his languid figure lingered. Taut musculature wrapped in ozone, sweats, and an old tank top that was begging for the garbage disposal. Adam waited a beat, wrestling between the idea of leaving Arthur to his solitude, or breaking the spell.
More than Adam cared to share, he knew well what Arthur had to be feeling. He’d lost people he cared about, people he loved and there weren’t any words that could encompass it. So instead he just offered the basics: “I’m sorry, Arthur. About Elian, I’m sorry for your loss.” They had won, they’d defeated the creature, they’d saved the city - fucking yay - but it was a pyrrhic victory and there were no celebrations in camp this time.
There weren't answers that Arthur could find in a book or from researching, this wasn't something that could be explained away... this was one of the crueler parts of the human experience. Grief. He kept replaying the day, what he could have done differently... he asked Elian to come with him, the son of Hecate could have still been alive if he knew better. Arthur was supposed to be a protector, the one who charged forward and fought the enemies face to face as those like Elian or Ezequiel stood in the back.
He failed.
Arthur couldn't protect Elian and it had broken his spirit, that was one victory that the titans had over him. Adam approached him and the son of Athena remained quiet for a moment or two. "Thank you, Adam." He didn't know the son of Zeus very well, he didn't even know if Elian was close with the other but they all lost someone that day. "I always thought he'd be the one who would be grieving me one day, not the other way around."
broken. that was the only thing arthur felt after he saw elian's spirit vanish away, their final goodbye on the rubble of his mother's city now in ruins from some monsters. the rage had faded, his heart shattered in pieces, and the ground under the son of athena's feet felt like unstable. it felt like he lost more from this quest than gained with the only silver lining was ezequiel's husband would be cured.
immediately after they returned to camp, he locked himself away in his cabin. he didn't want to be comforted, he didn't want anything. after a day or so of staring blankly at the wall, arthur finally decided to leave the confines of his home.
time had become nonexistent, the bags under his eyes were evident of a lack of sleeping but every time arthur closed his eyes he saw elian turning to ash in his arms again. it must have been dusk, the entire camp was still asleep as he made his way away from the cabins towards the lake. he wasn't sure where else to go, books wouldn't give him the answers he wanted and seeing his father was the last thing he needed.
so, he simply sat by the lake with silence as his only companion.
"Yes. I am very talented. I also work very hard at it. I'm glad you like it." Lucian smiled he was glad the other liked his gift though it was simple and he could perhaps be more thoughtful in the future. Still he always thought it was rude to show up without a present to a party. "It was very easy to draw you really, you're quite handsome so it made for an enjoyable time studying you. I hope you are having a nice birthday. I obviously have an affinity for parties, though I usually like to watch them from the center, like the eye of a hurricane."
Lucian held out his hand to shake leaning forward his lowered his voice a bit so it was a conversation just between the two of them. "I have to confess though my gift and coming to your party was not all altruistic. Though I wish it were. I'm not that generous of a person. You're the son of Athena right? So does that mean you know everything? Does it divinely sprint into your head or are you led to where you can find the answer? I find all the gods have merits to their domains but wisdom has to be one of the better ones." How could a young man burning with so much curiosity possibly ignore an endless font of wisdom?
Truthfully, Arthur's mind was still fixated on the upcoming return to the dungeon that they had been exploring just a few weeks ago to try and stop whatever it was that Harrow's men were seeking. They'd be heading out in the morning, so even more to celebrate tonight while they still had the time. Right? "Flattery will get you very far, sir with me." He mused with a faint smile as he studied the drawings further, the shadowing was exquisite though Lucian seemed to already know that about his own skill.
Lucian wasn't the first person who came to him with questions like this, considering he was a child of Athena. Some were a little more... insulting with their approach, so having someone be so upfront about it was quite refreshing actually. "Yes, I'm a son of Athena." he said as he sipped on the sweet wine in his cup, listening to the younger man start to ask away. "No, I don't know everything per say. I still need to research if it's a topic I wasn't already familiar with.. however, I will say, that once I accepted the call I suddenly had vast knowledge of warfare throughout history. I could tell you how pretty much every battle went down and how each winner lucked out." He had always been interested in history, but some areas and periods were more interesting than others and he suddenly knew about parts he didn't know before. "I suppose I have a better time researching and studying, though that has always come easy to me. I was an ancient history and mythology professor specifically around the Greeks, so that certainly helped me."
"I'd agree, knowledge and wisdom are quite practical though domain over revelry does certainly sound fun as well."
the early morning light trickles through the curtains that were left open. elian has a tendency to, when he does sleep during the night, allow the natural moonlight to filter in. he doesn't need complete darkness to sleep, the presence of it is enough of a comfort to help lull him to the land of dreams.
he turns his head to face arthur, a hand moving to rest on top of the son of athena's. “you didn't.” he says it simply, a fact, a truth. he offers arthur a smile, a genuine tug at the corners of his mouth, something not forced just for the sake of smiling. “did you sleep well?” he slowly rolls over onto his side, facing arthur. he flicks his fingers and traces of dark threads of his magic move from him, tinged in flecks of gold, that push open the curtains a little more. the sunlight comes in more fully now, streaming over them both like a spotlight.
sleeping was never something arthur could do for long periods of time, even before he accepted the call. a night owl whose mind seemed to be more active in the late hours of the night when he only had his own thoughts for company and the isolation to read whatever he liked undisturbed, to waking up early to start a new day.
"mhmm, good." arthur's fingers went from his muscular chest to that chiseled jawline that he covered in kisses the night before, as if to refamiliarize his senses with features that already left an imprint on his mind. "i always sleep better with someone else in bed with me, so yes." the curtains flew open and sunlight filled every corner of the bedroom, arthur squinted his eyes for a second so they could adjust. "what are your plans for today? i thought we could pick up where we left off last night."
Lucian was supposed to pass up a party? Not ever, not even if he barely knew the other's in camp yet. He loved parties even before he knew he was the son of a god. A god of revelry at that. He loved to sit back and watch people, and draw them, study them. Though now he had to be careful to keep himself contained, Leo had warned him that once he began to spread the ecstasy of party that it may spread out of control and he would hate to ruin someone's birthday.
Waiting by the punchbowl he scribbled in his notebook carefully drawing the people around him, in fact he had a whole page that was just the birthday boy. Nothing special but he figured he should offer up something to the other even if they weren't acquainted. Least he could do for enjoying the atmosphere of his party.
"Here I drew this for you. Happy Birthday." he said holding out the page he had drawn of Arthur from various angels as he had seen him at dinner and then at the bonfire.
At this point in his life, birthdays for Arthur were typically sitting by the fire in his office back at Cambridge with a good bottle of wine and a good book or dinner with a core group of friends before he resigned himself early. He wasn't the party animal he was back in college, but he made it to thirty-seven even though he had nearly been killed multiple times up until now.
Arthur was caught off guard when Lucian approached him, one of the newer demigods at camp he didn't expect anything from the son of Dionysus. Putting his glass down on the nearby table, the son of Athena smiled as he took the piece of paper and saw various drawings of Arthur from different angles tonight. "Oh, this is beautiful." Arthur's fingertips brushed over it, taking in the details. "Oh, you really got my jaw just right." the professor mused with a smile.
"You're Lucian, right? I don't think we've had the chance to properly meet yet. I'm Arthur."
perhaps arthur had put too much energy into combat and fighting, the last quest had shaken him up a bit. after nearly dying at the hand of a construct and his father's life being threatened, he barely left his cabin for a few weeks or spent more time in london to check on his father. ezequiel was dealing with his husband back home, as well. arthur wasn't quite ready to get back out in the field, he had faced not one but two titans now and every day it was more and more terrifying.
for now, he wanted to just enjoy himself and his vices. he was once again in the poseidon cabin with skylar, who's bed he was currently laying in. "you know, human rights and gender and sexuality isn't exactly my area of expertise." of course arthur had taken ethics classes back in school, but history was his profession of choice. the college professor had the others ipad in his hand, reading over the thesis that skylar had started. "but the structure itself is quite good."
although his group made it out of the dungeon in (mostly) one piece, it had unnerved arthur. just another reminder of how serious all of this was and how easy it would be to lose everything. between nearly dying at the hands of a construct and themis threatening his father, the child of athena closed himself off in his cabin for a few weeks and returned to london to keep a closer eye on his dad. part of him wanted to bring the old man back to camp, but he doubted they had the means to take care of him 24/7. arthur certainly didn't.
as his eyes fluttered open, the room was far darker than his own. he was in elian's bedroom, somewhere he'd been a few times before. a hand extended to feel the broad chest that was laying down next to him. fingers brushing through the bits of raven black chest hair that sprinkled across those slabs of muscles that arthur was well acquianted with.
"morning," he said in a low voice, finally opening his eyes as he rolled over to his side. "hope i didn't keep you up last night, beautiful."
while it was arthur's birthday, he hadn't been in an entirely celebratory mood. as he got older, they didn't seem to matter as much aside from a reminder of the gray hairs starting to form and that he wasn't as spry as he once was. then again, the son of athena had almost died a few times since coming to camp. so maybe there was a reason to celebrate another year.
someone must have tipped off the rest of camp because everyone seemed especially chipper today. a birthday dinner was thrown for him in the dining hall and then a party out by the bonfire. there was music, dancing, drinks passed around, and for the first time in awhile the camp seemed to unwind a little from recent events.
finishing up some dancing, arthur could feel himself sobering up a little. maybe it was time for another drink, so he made his way away from the crowd towards the punch bowl of dionysian wine that never emptied and got himself another cup.
it was new, it was novel, and yet it was familiar as breathing. like coming home. ezequiel was a loving man, and a man of many loves, his search for connection was often successful, often left in him in men's beds and men's lives. but this was not a lover he ran into, it was a brother, made from the same cloth. one and the same, athena's progeny. bound by fate itself.
he would've answered him, would've done more than smirk if tasting him wasn't so urgent. if arthur didn't push his head down and made him take his cock so eagerly down his throat. his eyes closed, hair falling over his face as he moved with ease, humming around him as savored his brother's taste.
the sweetest nectar couldn't compare, what could? he pulled away with lips wet, tongue brushing out to tease at the tip and lap up the precum from his slit. dipping down he made sure to kiss and lick his balls as he stroked him. "guess i'll stay here a while then," he whispered hoarsely, "give you something to look at." he licked lower, teasing him with an even wider smirk, slowly making his way down his taint. to the other place he'd been dreaming of savoring.
after his father's mind began to slip, it felt like arthur would always be on his own. he'd been the one who carried his father on his back and he continued to do with no hesitation but he thought that would be it for him. once his dad was gone, there'd be nothing else. and then he discovered who his mother was, met his brothers, and built a connection with ez. for the first time in years, arthur wasn't alone.
arthur had plenty of lovers, men who crawled in and out of his bed over the years, but this was different. their divinity was one in the same and it felt like ez was an extension of himself, a part of him that had been missing without arthur ever realizing. now that the two of them were together, it was like they were stitched to one another. two halves of the same whole.
"mhmm, i'd like that very much." he said, fingers combing through those loose black curls that seemed to always be perfectly placed on his brothers head. as ez pulled himself off his cock and balls, that tongue made its way to his taint. another intimate and private part of arthur that his brother now had access to. letting out a soft moan, his legs trembled for a moment before collecting themselves.
