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Lightbringer
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Chapter 10 Varian let out a slow noise, his chest slowly falling as he looked out toward the distant Parthenon. "You... you wouldn't... mind helping me would you?" He finally turned toward Daedalus. "Just something little?" The god glanced back for a moment before tilting his head, scanning the young man in front of him. "Well, I can always do my best. But I really can't make any promises," the god was weary at the first few moments. Varian rubbed the back of his neck, looking toward the sky. "No, no, it's... it's nothing huge," he admitted. "But I don't know how to fly." Daedalus fell silent, blinking a couple times. Varian couldn't tell if it was out of how simple it was or if it was just because he was a little on the silly side with the question. Either way the silence was a little off putting before Daedalus finally moved. "I think I can help with that," he finally chuckled. "Now, keep in mind that I've had wings--and the flight--for much longer. I don't know if you'll have actual muscles like I do or if it's just the thought that counts." Varian let out an involuntary chuckle at the last few words. "Sorry--" "It's okay," the man chuckled. "I understand." Daedalus stretched his own wings out, shaking some loose white feathers down to the golden grass beneath them. Varian copied his movements, finding it was quite literally the thought that counted. It only mattered what he thought, not what he did. A couple more exercises allowed him to leap upward, into the sky. Varian followed after Daedalus, gliding slowly around the golden fields. "There," the man gestured toward a smaller temple, "is where Artemis stays. You'll find your boy there." "Oh, Dante," Varian whispered softly, nearly drifting toward the temple before pulling back. "Thank you, again." Daedalus smiled, warmly, and waved him off to go to the little temple, drifting back into the golden fields. Varian, however, landed loosely on the grass and let the wings fold and then vanish with a small misty puff of air. That was the strangest of it all. The vanishing wings. Also his shoes. It wasn't that he was terribly attached to the shoes... but they had been at least 90 dollars... so if he could, potentially, get those back? That'd be a great thing. Still, he made his way forward through the grass and to the entrance of the little temple. Sure enough, he could hear the glittering laughter of Dante, his chirping giggling that floated through the still air. A youthful voice echoed his laughter and belonged to a young woman. She looked maybe fourteen at most, with dark hair and silvery eyes. Her smile brightened as Varian stepped inside. "Dante, look!" The golden haired child turned almost immediately and launched himself. He slid across the stone, sliding to give him a tight hug. "Varian, we've had so much fun!" Varian scooped him into his arms, eyes bright. "Have you? What all have you done?" "We went exploring in the forests, we helped a really nice girl find her pet snakes--she's still missing one of them--and we even found a card game to play. I'm not very good at it but Artemis is amazing." "You let me win," Artemis teased in return, her hands on her hips. She stood maybe 5'4" at the best, which was a good foot shorter than Varian but a good foot and some odd taller than Dante. "I did not," Dante replied, stifling a yawn. "I ... didn't." Varian shook his head fondly, ruffling his hair with one hand. "It is getting a bit late, isn't it?" "Are we going home now?" Dante asked, resting his head on Varian's shoulder. Varian hesitated and looked toward the fields outside. "I don't know, Dante. I'm going to be honest, I don't think so. There's a few people who need my help. Just like you helped find the snakes. So we'll probably be here for a while." Dante rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Okay," he accepted the answer rather quickly. "Where are we going to sleep?" "Hestia has a hotel sort of thing on the other side of the isle," Artemis supplied. "I'm sure she would love to give you a room." Varian nodded slowly, rubbing Dante's back. "Sounds good, thank you, so much." Artemis waved one hand. "No, no. Thank you." There it was again, those cryptic words. Varian hadn't felt like he had done anything for her, why... was she thanking him? Still, she slid out of the temple and leapt upward as she summoned a glittering silver chariot and rode out of view. It was before he could ask a single question. |
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Lightbringer
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Chapter 11 Varian shook his head lightly after Artemis had left. But, eventually, had to set Dante down so he could walk out of the temple and shift once again. His hooves set heavily on the grass as he glanced back to Dante. The boy swayed for a moment or two on his feet, rubbing his eyes. "Oh buddy," Varian held back a small laugh, turning to kneel on one front leg, low enough to gather him into his arms. The young man shook his head as Dante squirmed around before settling against his chest. Varian held him close, humming softly as he gathered some sort of directions and headed toward the distant hills. As the night sky slowly drew over the isle, the grass changed from a golden amber color to a silvery grey sort of color. Small little fireflies began to drift upward, filling the air like stars. Stars that occasionally landed on his flank, drifted in front of his face and even blended with the sky that began to poke outward with stars. The stars in the sky seemed to multiply by the thousands--if not millions. It looked like shattered glass or little diamonds spread across an inky velvet cushion that surrounded the distant moon. Crickets and frogs began their chorus, filling the night air with their evening song as the centaur slowly made his way up and down the rolling hills. Despite everything, it felt peaceful. Varian didn't... worry about a lot at that moment. It was like everything he could worry about didn't matter for that brief moment of time. His shoes? Didn't matter. Dante was right there, sleeping in his arms. The gods? Well, it was peaceful enough that maybe they were okay too. Wherever they were. Nothing really seemed to be that frightening, that worrying, but at the same time they were still there. Nothing really seemed like a huge problem. At the least, there was nothing after him or Dante. The peace at least made it feel far less long to get across the rolling hills. The hotel-like structure was large, looking like a Parthenon itself, but with closed walls. Windows poked through only occasionally in what looked like potentially two floors. But the biggest startle was the warm orange glow of lights. Lanterns dotted along the entrance, fountains burbled along a main foyer while rooms rested along the walls in two stories, just like he had figured. But it was only the two walls worth of rooms. There were no hallways. But a woman with dark brown hair, rolled up to her neck in true Greek fashion with a golden headband around her hair. As she stood up from the fountains, a pleasant and warm smile drew over her face. "You must be Varian!" Her voice lowered as she noticed the sleeping child in his arms. "Ah, I've been hoping you'd come around!" Varian, despite the sentiment, felt a warmth in his chest. It almost brought tears to his eyes. It was so gentle, so welcoming, he felt like he was at home already. His limbs felt so heavy however, even after shifting down to his human form. He took in a breath and let it out. "Artemis said you might have a room?" "Might, tsk tsk," Hestia waved one hand as if to brush the thought away. "I always have room. Everyone is welcome, you know." He... didn't know but he could believe it. The room was simple and quiet, with a single King bed, a table, a closet and even a bathroom. But Varian didn't take much more than a few steps forward before setting Dante in the bed, collapsing on it himself, and sinking into a dreamless sleep. |
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Lightbringer
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Chapter 12 Perhaps it was the smell that first lured Varian's mind from the depths of an inky darkness. Dreamless and calm sleep had been such a fleeting concept for so long, especially since Dante had come into his life. The golden haired little boy that had both made life chaotic and so much more enjoyable than he had ever imagined. When he had appeared on his doorstep, from another centaur, Varian remembered absolute confusion. "He's your brother," the centaur insisted. "He's a unicorn?" Varian replied, nonetheless taking the child in his arms. "Last I checked Dionysus wasn't--oh, tell me he did not--" The centaur nodded briefly, sharing the same dry look that had crossed Varian's face. Varian let out a weary sigh. "Centaur births are already hard enough..." "She didn't make it either," he confirmed quietly. "But he... well, he's a unicorn... centaur. A unitaur? Centicorn? Bah, I don't know." "Whatever he is, he's here," Varian confirmed quietly, brushing the boy's soft hair back from his forehead. His sapphire eyes softened, shaking his head as he tutted. The memory of his arrival sent a small flutter in Varian's chest as he laid in the bed. His hands tucked over his chest rose and fell with each breath he took in. Each breath brought a warm smell in his nose. The type of warm smell that reached down to his stomach, reminding him how empty it was. Varian slowly sat up, glancing over to check on Dante. The boy was still asleep, more than likely would be for another few hours. Varian's internal clock told him it was early, that his alarm should be going off soon. Whether or not that was true, Varian wouldn't know. His alarm clock was.. back in his little house. With a start, Varian realized he had left the oven on. Not only that, but the lasagna he had been baking would be absolute crisp--if the house itself didn't burn down. The young man shook his head, slid out of bed, and made his way toward the door. The same tropical like foyer met his wandering eyes. With two large fountains that trickled with water. The fountains looked more like springs of water running down a rock or cliff side into the pool of water at the bottom. Along the two large fountains, little pods of round tables and chairs sat positioned between a couple doors. Behind those were a pair of bubbling hot tubs. Or that was the closest thing he could compare it to. The smell, however, was coming from near the entrance. The gilded entrance wafted food and a warm smell. The sound of a few people chatting caught his attention first and Varian hesitated. Did... was he allowed to just... walk up like that? "It's alright," a voice called to him, the dark silhouette of the figure blocked by the bright sunlight. "Come on and get some food." The voice belonged to the golden haired Ganymede, who brightly smiled and offered Varian a golden goblet. "Don't worry, it's just water. A good cup of water in the morning can really help you get started." Varian's smile was wane but when Hestia's eyes flicked over with a warmer--much more calm and fond smile--his own smile grew much more calm as well. "Thank you, so much. You really don't have to do any of this. I... should be headed home." "Already?" Daedalus asked quietly, making himself known from behind Hestia. "Oh--I'm so sorry, I shouldn't ... that was rude." "It's okay," Varian said quickly, waving his free hand. "It's just... I left something in the oven--" "Lasagna, baking at 450 degree Fahrenheit for 15 more minutes, as the instructions said so," Hestia recounted dutifully. "Protector of the hearth is a protector of the home. Don't worry, I made sure nothing was wrong." Varian set one hand on his chest and looked up. "Oh phew," he blew a short breath. "I thought I was gonna burn that thing down." "Oh of course," Hestia chuckled. "It was the least I could do. You've done so much to help us." Varian chuckled and shook his head. "I guess so." He really didn't feel like he had, in all honesty. "Is there still something wrong?" Ganymede nodded after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think... well... the new goddess of beauty might need some help adjusting." "New... goddess of beauty," Varian echoed and shook his head. "I don't know how much help I'll really be. But I can do my best." "You are already so much help," Daedalus confirmed. "We'll keep a watch over Dante, don't worry." Varian returned the man with a warm smile. "Thank you," he whispered. "It means a lot. I ... guess... I'll see what help I can be." Ganymede flashed him a brief smile and gestured toward the forest. "She has a villa in there that she'll stay in, most of the time." |
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Winter 
Day Weather: 
