Hecate

[persephone-reigns-blog]

The goddess paused at the question posed to her. Sure, she had her own hand at trying to change her fate. But it had ended horrendously and was a lesson she still bore the pain of dealing with every day. “I’ve tried,” she told the goddess, not meeting her eyes. “But it didn’t end very well.” The guilt gnawed at her. But Hecate was right, to an extent. No life she had ever lived, though, was different, no life she had ever lived was free of Hades.

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

It always struck Hecate when the few she genuinely cared for struggled in areas that came so easily to her. In part, she wanted to help Persephone - to show her how to take a more active role in fate - but then, she also knew that in many ways, that simply wasn’t who Persephone was. Still, she hummed and offered, “Perhaps you just went about it in the wrong way. Life needs gentle direction, after all.”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

She smiled at the goddess, “a gentle nudge?” Perhaps she was misunderstanding Hecate. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it. To come back, and go through all the motions just to die all over again.” Persephone felt the smallest parts of her reveal to the goddess of witchcraft. They had been old time companions anyways, a bond and history like there’s was hard to break even with lives apart and unacquainted. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Raising a brow but still grinning, Hecate answered, “Yes? Don’t tell me you’ve never had a hand in changing fate, if only a little bit.” Then again, Hecate would believe that Persephone hadn’t - or at least, not in the same way she did. She shrugged; Persephone’s thought was one that had occurred to her early on. However, Hecate had long since come to terms with this way of existence. “Each life is another perspective, another set of experiences. Another chance. What could be more exciting than that?”

[circe-x-deactivated20160601]

Circe took long, deep breaths and avoided looking at her mother entirely. she didn’t want her to see just how useless she felt, just how tired and over all of this she was. She shot a glance at Hecate when she mentioned it being just a headache and couldn’t help but chuckle sadly, “I’m either getting better at lying to you or you’re getting too good at pretending you are.” 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

“Well, it’s certainly not the former,” she answered, almost playfully. Then, softening a touch, Hecate touched Circe’s shoulder gently and offered, “Would you like to go back to my place? Perhaps get you out of the public eye?” It wasn’t as if Hecate were unaware of the cause of Circe’s stress, at least not in the more general sense. The conspiracy had taken its toll on many of the gods so why would her daughter have been any different?

[persephone-reigns-blog]

She smiled softly at Hecate’s concern before nodding. “My mother and of course, Andreas.” Plutus was the one she shared almost everything with. He was the person that knew her heart as clear as anyone. Even the parts she hid deeply from Hades was given light to her half-brother, to share the burden of her guilt an her self-hate, of the constant dread that ate her up whenever she was near Hades. “He’s been there for me,” since she had found him. A grateful smile continued on her face at the thought of the god before she glanced back up at Hecate. “Do you ever wish things were different?” she asked the goddess.. If they had stopped reincarnating and coming back. If they still had their powers from the old days. Persephone knew the root of her comfort in asking Hecate the question was due to their history. And it would have been nice to have a friend in the goddess.

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Hecate nodded, unsurprised by either answer but still comforted to hear it. With all Persephone had on her plate though, the young goddess could still use another sympathetic shoulder to lean on. That question, however, pulled Hecate from such thoughts and surprised her. Without context, there were many ways to take such a question but Hecate took a direction and went with it all the same. “No, not really. Life is about change and growth, birth, death and rebirth. I’ve never had need to wish for things to be different; time does that.” Then, she gave a little shrug and added, “But then, I've also never had issue with giving my circumstances a gentle nudge in a more favorable direction, either.”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

“She works for me,” Persephone replied. “You’ll have to pardon my assumptions, I’ve only heard through others that you two were fairly close.” She paused for a moment before adding, “it’s good to know she had someone she can open up to.” Though Persephone had never attempted a relationship out of work with Circe, she knew the goddess’ work ethic was spectacular. But also knew she kept her distance from almost everyone. Closed off as she, this didn’t mean that the goddess of spring saw Circe as just another worker. She was one of her kind. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

“Ah, of course. We hardly ever discuss work.” At least, they hardly ever discussed the people they worked with, given Circe’s general distaste for just about everyone. “No, you were correct in your assumption.” Nodding, Hecate was more than happy being that person for Circe. She’d always been like a mother to her after all. “But what about you, dear? I hope you have someone you are comfortable opening up to.”

[midnightcelebs]

[circe-x-deactivated20160601]

Circe sighed gently again, the palms of her hands pressing into her eyes as she rubbed her face, trying to relieve the tension that way, “I just need a moment,” she insisted, “Then I’ll go back to my apartment and things will be fine.” Moving her hands from her face, she turned to look at her mother with tired eyes, “What are you doing here, anyway? Coming to my rescue as usual.” 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

“Take as long as you need. I’m in no hurry,” Hecate responded, allowing the pleasant weather and reasonable calm about them to take a small amount of her focus. Glancing back at Circe, her brow rose a tick and she replied, “Rescue? Of course not. I just happened to pass by on my way to lunch and saw you.” That was true enough, even if Hecate believed fate to have played it’s part as well. “Besides, why would you need to be rescued from a headache?”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

She took the card with grace and humility nodding silently in gratitude. If things did get worse, Persephone decided she would keep this number safe. Straightening up slightly from the familiarity of comfort, she repostured herself, smiling up at the goddess. 

“How are you? I hear you have a close relationship with Ms. Fay” She had also seen a picture of the goddess on the site and that was slightly alarming for Persephone did care for the goddess even though she shunned most of her kind and the mortals as well. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Once Persephone had taken the card and her smile had returned, Hecate relaxed a bit. She leaned back against her desk and allowed herself to ease into the conversation. The concern was still there, of course, but it would be addressed later; for now, she simply wanted to enjoy this particular meeting.

“I’ve been well enough,” Hecate answered, honestly too. There really wasn’t all that much she let bother her. “Hmm, Natasha? Yes, she is a good friend. We practice together at times.” Practice. Wicca. New age pagans. The world today had some lovely and at least somewhat socially acceptable terms for magic these days. Words that she could speak without adding fuel to the fire of those convinced that she and her colleagues were gods. “I did not realize you and she were acquainted.”

[circe-x-deactivated20160601]

One of the last people Circe had wanted to see her like this – if she were to choose – was certainly Hecate. The woman surely had other things she had to worry about than her daughter losing her chill on the side of the street. Natasha, she hated the name, but each time Hecate chose to call her by her mortal form, she didn’t really mind as much as the others. She’d happily punch Dionysus in the chest for it or glare down Prometheus, but with Hecate, it seemed okay. 

“Nothing,” she sighed out, “Just… a headache. I need a moment to collect myself.” 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Even as close as they’d been over so many lifetimes, Hecate knew Circe’s pride would pose as a barrier to this conversation. That had never stopped her in the past and it certainly would not today. She offered her almost daughter a sad and sympathetic smile and settled herself for what could be a long and delicate dance around what was really upsetting Circe. 

“I see,” Hecate answered, her disbelief evident in her tone. “If that is all, I’ll be happy to sit with you, until you’ve collected yourself.”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

In that moment Persephone found herself grateful, perhaps Hecate would be a figure of solace for her in a life where she felt all her associations were either earned due to the fear and respect of Hades or her relation with Demeter. Yes, it was Hecate that helped her mother search for her in the beginning. But she never needed to stay as she did, become Persephone’s companion on those fearful and sometimes cold nights in the underworld. “Thank you,” she responded, filling the two words with as much gratitude she could muster.

“I suppose it can be rather hard to track someone who likes to send runners to drop off messages,” she began, realizing she wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping this concern of hers under wraps. Hades had promised he would take are of it, but maybe Persephone would need to take things into her own hands. Could she trust Hecate? The goddess pondered for a moment. “It isn’t anything to worry about,” she lied with a smile. Perhaps not just yet.. Not in this lifetime. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

“You needn’t thank me, dear,” Hecate insisted, although she knew it might take a while for Persephone to come to trust her again. She was more than willing to give that time to reforging their bonds. Persephone deserved someone she could rely on outside of the power struggle between her mother and husband, someone she could turn to who would understand and never judge her for the conflict. Hecate determined herself to being that person. “I am more than happy to do whatever I can for you.” 

She nodded, although Hecate knew there were other means, although other gods were better suited for that work than she. Odds were, those particular gods were already on the task. Either way, Hecate made a mental note to check on their progress. She also made note to make sure that Hades upped his security.

Persephone’s lie was obvious enough but Hecate reminded herself that she’d not yet earned the right to push for more. Instead, she gave the Persphone’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and answered, “If that changes, don’t hesitate to come to me. My door is always open for you. In fact-” Cutting herself off for a moment, Hecate walked back around her desk. She grabbed a pen and one of her business cards and jotted down her phone number and home address. Handing it to Persephone, she insisted, “Even off hours, okay?”

[circe-x-deactivated20160601]

Circe knew better than to let herself get stressed out and worried about things, but on this particular day, she felt there was no other way for her to be. Sure, her name wasn’t everywhere, but a photo of her was and the idiots who actually believed the documentary now knew what she looked like. 

Paranoia was never a good look for her and she hated to think that everyone could read her face, but as she passed yet another person she thought was looking at her, her hands began to shake. With the heavy beating of her heart as she passed the next corner, Circe slipped around it and retreated onto a small bench by the curb. There, she held her head in her hands, taking long, deep breaths to try and calm herself down. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

It didn’t seem to matter what was going on, somehow Hecate always seemed to find herself nearby when Circe needed her. While some might call it dumb luck, Hecate called it fate; she and Circe’s destinies had long since been intertwined. Today, of course, was no different. She’d gone out for her lunch break and her course through the city just so happened to cross Circe’s. 

With most of the others, Hecate had brushed off the conspiracy or handled it as quickly as she could. She was still of a mind that it wasn’t actually an issue. However, when she spotted Circe there, clearly upset, her own carefree attitude vanished. She took a seat next to her protege, daughter even and spoke softly, hoping not to startle her. “Tasha? What’s wrong?” she asked, hating to have to resort to her mortal name.

[satiricalgod-blog]

After the first few anonymous messages to his blog, Momus had done about as much detective slash tech work as he could and managed to set up a tracker on his blog to see who visited it.  That had taken him longer than he’d care to admit to figure out, but he got it eventually.  Problem was, all it did was tell him a bunch of random numbers and general areas of people who went on his blog and he wanted a bit more than that.  He wanted to know more than that before he really started doing any dealings with these people; it was only so long before they tried to get in contact with him again about why he hadn’t written anything about the information they’d given him.  

“Uh..hi…I feel like you’ve probably gotten this a lot lately, but I was hoping you could help me.”  Being the tech expert in their clan of sorts, and presuming he wasn’t the only one to be getting strange messages, he imagined others had gone to her looking for answers.

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

“Not nearly as many as you might think,” Hecate answered as Momus came to her as a few other gods had in the past couple days. Odds were, he had e-mails or comments or perhaps even tangible letters as well. Odds were also strong that his would prove as impossible to trace as well. “However, I am happy to help. Please, have a seat and tell me what your trouble is.” Hecate motioned to the seat in front of her desk.

[akajamesrathe-blog]

Entering her office, Hades did what he usually did; make himself at home before being offered to do so. The god slid into the chair on the opposite side of her desk, a faux friendly smile on his face as Hecate noticed him.

“Sibyl.” He greeted with a small nod. “I’m glad I caught you before you went home. Listen, I know you’ve probably been approached all week, each asking the same thing, but I was wondering if you’ve made any headway on the IP of the conspiracy website? I also received some… interesting and anonymous messages I was wondering if you could track?”

Taking a deep breath, and noticing how much he just asked of her, his smile grew larger. “And you look absolutely stunning, might I add.” Ah, yes. There was his devilish charm he loved to use to get what he wanted…

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

With one quick glance at her screen, Hecate finished the line of code she’d been working on and then spun her chair to face Hades. His uninvited comfort into her office came as no surprise and her smile ticked up just a bit in response.

“James,” she answered, nodding in return just as he began listing off his needs. This also came as no surprise. He usually got straight to the point with her. “Do I?” Of course, Hades was a charmer - she’d known that for many lifetimes - but it took a lot more to impress Hecate than a compliment and a flash of those pearly whites.

“A few have.” Intentionally, she dropped a name, a reminder should Hades feel inclined to continue the charming act: “In fact, Helen dropped by earlier. She was quite concerned that someone might be approaching your home even.” Shrugging, professionalism replaced Hecate’s pleasant smile. “As for the website, the domain name is registered to a false name, paid for with untraceable bit coin. Legally speaking, we could issue a DMCA take down to the host and they might pull it or, a less complicated but also less legal option, I could take it down with a basic DDoS. Now, your messages, I could look into. They might prove easier to trace but, if they’re from the same persons who are responsible for the site, they’ll have been smart enough to use the virtual machine, as well as tools and services to keep themselves from being traced.”

[annabelle-davenport-deactivated]

“My worrying has seemed to get me somewhere I’m quite proud to be, although of course no one said anything about being worried in this case. There is a difference between worry and precaution, you know.” she said returning her gesture with a smug grin back to Hecate. “Right and what will the next conspiracy be? The best way to put an end to this is to call their bluff and prove that they have no proof of what they claim. I have every single one of my people on it looking for a trail of some sort to lead us to the people responsible, the sooner they are dealt with, the better.” 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Hecate rolled her eyes but refrained from comment on just how little she suspected “worry” had played into Athena’s current success. She did, however, contest Athena’s purported best way. “You must be joking!” she exclaimed with a laugh, shaking her head. “You cannot disprove conspiracy theorists. They have no logical or scientific bases for their absurd claims to begin with. Pointing out the flaws in their theories is a waste of time and energy.” Her gaze skimmed back to her computer screen, as Hecate continued, “By calling them on their bluff, by acknowledging them at all, you’re giving validation, not to their claim itself but to the possibility of their claim. By saying that their conspiracy is false, you’re also saying that it is not painfully clear that their claim is not just false but completely impossible.”

[dreamyjasper-deactivated2016092]

Intimacy. That word alone was enough to make his head spin and his gut twist. Even engaging in idle chitchat sent his mind reeling in this state. Hypnos wasn’t even sure if he was worthy entertaining such an idea anymore. Especially, given his unfortunate, if not embarrassing predicament. His thoughts, his memories, they were jumbled around inside his skull like an egg cracked, scrambled, and fried. Although his past memories were fragmented, scattered like leaves in the wind, he felt a familiarity in her presence, a strange comfort amongst the layers of anxiety. 

Taking in a silent breath, Hypnos looked over her face carefully, noticing the curvature to her smile. For a moment he wondered if he had said something to amuse her. And then it dawned on him, oh Gods, the tiny slip up that he flown from his lips so carelessly. “Um, well, you know what I mean.” He huffed, rubbing at his neck, his dark eyes rimmed in gray rings. He was the God of Sleep and yet he couldn’t even put himself to sleep. Under he gaze, he shifted, his hand moving to the strap of his shoulder bag.

Everyone had their secrets, everyone had a few skeletons in their closet, and Hypnos was no different. There were things he had witnessed throughout his life as a god and a mortal, many horrible things, and some wonderful things as well. However, the bad often outweighed the good. He kept his private life separate and tucked away from prying eyes. At Hecate’s words he smiled with relief, at least she didn’t reject him much less shoo him away with his tail between his legs. “Really?” He questioned, rather enthusiastically, seeming rather surprised by both her answers. “I mean… thank you. You’re a life-saver.” He replied calmly, moving to pull out his laptop, which was in two pieces. “It fell off my desk… when I was sleeping.” He explained, his blush deepening, this time out of embarrassment. He could’ve lied about it, but, he was pretty sure she would see right through him.

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Hecate could hardly believe just how easily Hypnos flustered. Her smile softened to something sympathetic and she answered, “Yes, yes I do understand.” She leaned in a touch and added, with an almost conspiratorial tone, “But, just between you and I, I never much understood that motivation either.” It was the truth too - Hecate, especially in this life, had little need for money. Her power had always been acquired through far more certain means than wealth.

“Yes, really,” Hecate answered, a lightness in her voice. Of course, that lightness was replaced with surprise, her brow jumping at the sight of his laptop. His reddened cheeks, like a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar, she couldn’t help but want to assure Hypnos that this wasn’t nearly so big a deal as he might think.  She almost laughed - almost - but resisted and instead, offered more sympathy. “Oh my, well... I won’t be able to fix that per say. However, I can recover your data from the hard drive an transfer it to a new laptop,” Hecate offered. “We keep quite a few computers on the ready for new employees or to upgrade the hardware of existing employees, so you’ll actually end up with something newer and faster.”

The goddess leaned in once more, her voice lowered. “I’ll even put in the record that we simply decided to upgrade your device. No one will have to know that it ended up in two pieces.” Then, back to the light and carefree, Hecate took the pieces of the laptop and produced a tool kit from within a desk drawer. As she unscrewed the panels to get at the hard drive, she explained, “Now, the recovery could take several hours. I’ll get it started now but since it will be running on its own and you’ll not have a replacement for a while, perhaps you could join me for lunch?”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

She listened as the goddess answered, nodding in understanding. The emails were not the most alarming though she did prefer they did not come at all. Hades had also been receiving emails from anonymous senders. “Mr. Rathe has been receiving some emails, I know you must be extremely busy and everyone is probably coming to you trying to trace these senders.” But if Hades is found out.. Persephone didn’t let herself finish that sentence, they had talked about it a little too much already when she had visited his office. 

“Do you think it might be a good idea to set up surveillance outside our home.. To watch the mailbox?” The still vivid fear trailed up her spine as her hand instinctively gripped on the handles of her bag where the envelop still sat. 

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

Hecate nodded, unsurprised to find Hades had also been harassed but she was quick to correct: “Actually, you’re the first. I’m sure they will all make their way here in time but as you were the first to seek out my services, I will be sure to address your concerns first.” Then, with a small and private smile that spoke of a familiarity Hecate knew she’d not yet earned, she added, “The rest of them will just have to wait their turns.”

The visible grip fear had on Persephone simply would not do. Getting up from her desk, Hecate moved around to stand directly in front of the goddess. Leaning against the desk, she reached forward and gave Persephone’s should a gentle squeeze while making direct eye contact. In her most reassuring voice, Hecate replied, “If the harassment has persisted offline, I’ll be sure to have the best surveillance set up around your home. It would help, however, to know precisely what messages you’ve received and by which means.”

[persephone-reigns-blog]

She smiled at the reception she received from the goddess, feeling a familiarity she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Persephone approached the chair in front of the desk before settling in it. There wasn’t a sense of awkwardness or out of place-ness for a first time meeting with the Goddess of witchcraft but it did feel odd with the formalities. “I was just in the building meeting with with Mr. Winchester and Mr. Rathe.” She paused. “I was actually on my out when I remembered you worked here. I know this is quite unexpected but I was wondering if you had any knowledge of perhaps how to track these electronic emails coming in from … the anonymous sources.”

[three-forms-two-torches-blog]

At Persephone’s mention of Mr. Rathe, Hecate felt a pang of sympathy and an protect the goddess from the troubled marriage she’d been trapped in for so many lifetimes. It wasn’t her place to interfere but ever since Demeter had asked her to watch over Persephone during her months with Hades, Hecate couldn’t help but want to all the same. However, it seemed as though Persephone had a different problem for the moment. In her spying, Hecate had come across the e-mails of which she spoke. Not wanting to let on to that, she answered, “Well, that would depend on how clever the sender was in covering their tracks. If, for example, they simple created an anonymous e-mail from which to mail you, it’d be fairly easy to trace. On the other hand, if they were sent from a virtual machine with adequate tools to hide their IP and an anonymous mail service, you’re stuck with more conventional methods.”