abraxaslogs | open | july catchall

Entry tags:

open | july catchall

Who: diana prince & open
When: throughout july
Where: the free cities & the horizon
What: helping out around cadens, doing some quests, catching up
Warnings: will be added as needed

i. i'm up and jaws are on the floor [supply run]

The disease, Heartwood, and the recent attack have thrown Cadens into a veritable panic. Diana knows that those in charge are trying to ease the minds of their people, but there is only so much they can do. Fear and anger are a constant undercurrent in the streets, and it breaks Diana's heart to see the lively people of the city churning this way. There had never been illness on Themyscira, but she had read about such things with her tutors, and had thought herself prepared.

She was not. It is so much worse than the histories had made it out to be.

The call goes out for volunteers to run supplies to outposts housing the ill, and she puts her name forward immediately. Partners are assigned by the government, and she secures two horses with saddlebags that will carry the medicine while she awaits her companion at the gates that lead towards the Badlands. As she sees a fellow Summoned approach, she raises a hand in greeting: "You know how to ride, yes?"

Regardless of the answer, once the trip is underway, she sets a hard (but not punishing) pace. She doesn't want to run the horses ragged on the first day of the trip, after all. But hours outside the city, her head cocks to one side as she listens--to the wind, the earth, or perhaps some intuition--and tells her partner, "Something is coming." Is it a beast, bandits, or a rogue sandstorm? She doesn't yet know, but one of her palms rests on the pommel of her sword, the other tightly gripping the reigns as she scans the horizon for the threat.

ii. lovers in the bathroom and a line outside the door [rebuilding]

The family compound is not a place Diana has spent much time at all, but its destruction still makes her heart ache. Those that have been displaced lend their hands to its repair, and she does as well. Her first task is removing broken beams and shattered rock, all of which she picks up with her own hands, seeing no need to wait for the complicated machines of pulleys and gears the builders have brought out to move the largest pieces of debris. As with when she helped clear out the mines, she simply lifts the largest pieces of rubble and carry them to the designated dumping area, not seeming to care that they are, in fact, incredibly heavy. In fact, she seems completely oblivious to the spectacle she might make hauling around thick beams taller than most men or boulders roughly the size of horses. It is all simply wreckage that needs to be out of the way before the rebuilding efforts can truly begin.

Diana herself has little experience with building anything except rudimentary outdoor shelters, though she'll try her best. She isn't clumsy with it, but there's certainly some finesse to construction that she lacks. When given instruction, she seems to mull it over in her mind for a few moments before pressing her lips together, brows coming together briefly before saying: "Please, explain it to me once more." She doesn't want to mess it up, alright. People are going to live here.

iii. black lights and a mirrored disco ball [horizon]

In the Horizon, she feels like she can breathe again.

Diana loves living in Cadens, she truly does, but it is still so different from Themyscira that sometimes, she simply wants to escape, to fall back on to her beloved island and pretend for a little while. And here, in the Horizon, with the Singularity singing in the back of her mind and the magic thick in her veins, she can.

Her expertise in manipulating the Horizon has increased dramatically since the first time she stumbled into it two years ago. Her Domain has become a love letter to her lost home, all soaring marble and shining gold. But that isn't the part of Themyscira she misses right now. One breath, and it happens almost too quickly to see: the small facsimile of her childhood home disappears, and is replaced by a large, flat field of wheat grass, hip-high in some areas, gilded stalks undulating in a breeze that smells like the fresh salt sea. Another breath, and a gray Cretan mare materializes beside her, pressing its velvety muzzle into her hair, searching for a pet or a treat. She pats its long face, exhaling slowly as she lets the sense of home wash over her. The sense of belonging.

Diana mounts up, foregoing a saddle, and grips the mare's mane even though she can control the beast with just a thought. In a moment, she's at a full gallop, wind whipping her hair behind her as the horse splits through the tall grass with ease. Her eyes slip closed, and she sits up straight, throwing her arms to her sides and squeezing her thighs on the horse's flanks to keep hold as the speed threatens to tear her from its back. But she looks exhilarated, a wide smile finding her face as she lets herself enjoy the feeling of being home.

iv. every night's another reason why i left it all [wildcard]

[ooc; i'm down for anything! i've been on vacation for a few weeks, so i'm getting back into the groove. feel free to pm me or hit me up on plurk at

watchet for anything specific. i will match prose or bracket tagging style.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Will was not a stranger to illness. He was the first one called when something went wrong at Camp--and thinks went wrong a lot. Teenage demigods in dangerous situations still learning how to control their abilities? Yeah, thinks happened. Outbreaks, broken bones, animal transfiguration gone wild. So Will was one of the first ones to volunteer, but he knew he'd need help. Just because he'd been through 3 wars didn't mean he was much of a fighter. In fact he specialized in getting away from the fighting, usually while carrying a body.

"I know how to fly a pegasus?" Will tried to answer her question which was a ....kind of? "These horses don't go up."

Once he got a riding lesson, he stopped when Diana indicated, raising his own hand to his mouth. Then he stopped. Maybe blowing out eardrums was a poor decision while on horses.

Though his answer mostly amuses her, there is a small twinge of envy deep in her heart. She knows things are different in his world, that the gods are alive still, and hearing that he's seen a pegasus--ridden one, even--should be something she expected. But it makes her wistful in a way she tries to push down for now. She can ask about it later.

He's suited well enough to riding, and she holds her hand up as she nods to stop. As she mounts her own horse, she sees him raise his hand, and her brows go up, questioning. "All good?"

"Yup. All good. I was just thinking if we run into trouble that maybe blowing out the eardrums of the horses we're on was a bad idea." He'd need to come up with something else. He also caught her wistfulness, and gives her a small smile, in case she wants to ask anything. Will knew her world was very, very different. And that he'd been exposed to things she would never be able to be.

Then again she was a god. So. Never say never.

Diana can't help but snort in amusement at his obvious statement before continuing on. "Yes, that would be a very bad idea. It's a very long way to go without horses." She looks at him askance, and then flashes a smile. "If we run into trouble, I will keep you safe, cousin. No harm would come to you." Even though she's sure he can take care of himself, she feels it's her duty as the elder to watch over him.

He smiled at her, thankful that she was there to protect him. He didn't know her as well as he knew the others, but she was kind of awesome. And nice. He'd met two nice gods here. Two! "My skills tend to lean more toward healing, or running away. So, thanks. For taking care of me."

Or he could get scared and accidentally infect everyone with a horrible disease. Yeah, he was just going to let Diana handle things for now.

She smiles fondly, the line of tension running through her shoulders easing. "Healing is a great gift." Even though she is immortal, like her sisters, that does not mean they are invulnerable. There were some gifted healers on Themyscira, and they were revered among all those on the island for their skills.

But her expression clouds just so as current events catch up with her. "And it is one we may need here sooner rather than later." She does not want to remind him of the possibility of such a burden, but she does not believe that sugar-coating the current state of the world would be helpful.

While Steve can and will help with the construction work in the compound however he can, his first order of business is to aid with the supply runs. He's hardly the only Summoned who's willing to ride out into the Badlands, but he also knows not all of them are up to that task and plenty Summoned will opt to stay closer to Cadens. It's important to be where he's most needed and most useful.

That, and with the chaos that's run rampant through the city ever since the outbreak, it might be good to get away for a few days. He's well aware that people like Sam will keep everything well in order even while he's gone.

This is hardly the first time that the government has paired them up for tasks like this, and Steve doesn't mind it. Usually it means getting to know one of his fellow Summoned better, and in this case, getting to reconnect with a friend. Of any potential partner he could have ended up with for this trip, Diana is near the top of the list.

More than that, the warmth and trust he feels toward her has been magnified by memories of what feels like some bygone time. He knows the many conversations they had as he became more and more godlike didn't actually take place, but he does believe that Diana is that sort of person at her core — endlessly kind and patient and eager to help. And she, at least, hadn't changed much at all in those eight centuries.

They get underway (because yes, he knows how to ride) and are at least hours away from the city when they hit their first proverbial road bump. Steve's senses are good, inhumanly good, but he still isn't a god. Diana notices first that something is off, and as soon as she grips the pommel of her sword Steve pulls the reins of his horse into a halt, casting a glance around their desolate desert surroundings.

"What is it?"

Before he gets an answer, he dismounts, figuring that he'll be of more use on his own two feet. Diana might be able to adeptly fight on horseback, but Steve's not that good of a rider.

The bubble of time, as it is, that the Summoned had been pulled into still resonates in Diana's mind. She had seen, briefly as it was, what a world with gods could be like--and if she's honest, she thinks of it often. Once Diana had known who (what) she was, she had accepted that she would be alone in it. But here, things were different. Here, each Summoned had the potential to become--

She shuts the thoughts down before they can go too far. Not all creatures are built for immortality, and even with what the other Summoned know now, it feels selfish to feel wistful for their time in a reality that might never be realized, one that had taken the choice away from them.

At least Steve is an easy travel companion, and Diana doesn't seem to feel anything but at ease in his presence. Many words had passed between them over the eight hundred years, and even if she knows in her heart that it was just a glimpse of what might come to pass, it still feels real to her, in a way. Diana still holds close the connections she made during that time, and feels little need to write them off. They gave her a look into who many of the Summoned truly were, or could be, and that is precious to her.

Diana prefers the higher ground, for the moment, and finally spots the haze of rising dust on the horizon. Something is coming right towards them, though she doesn't yet know what it might be. The heat of the desert distorts the very air, warping whatever moves in the haze. She dismounts as well, orienting herself towards the slight shimmer, and tilts her head towards it before speaking: "That way. I don't know what it is yet."

A moment later, she says a few quiet words to their horses, tapping into the kernel of magic that rests inside her. They will not flee into the sands, though they will keep clear of whatever is to come, which should keep the medicine they're transporting safe. She releases the reigns, and moves to stand beside Steve, not yet drawing her blade but still keeping a hand at the hilt. She stares hard at the thin cloud as it approaches, muscles coiled as she prepares to strike.

Steve follows Diana's eyeline toward the glint against the sun-battered horizon. It's something that could have easily been written off as some sort of trick of the eye or mirage, as it's easy for your mind to play tricks on you out in the desert. Steve doesn't have to question that there's a real threat approaching, though, trusting Diana's instincts. Besides, as he focuses in, he can hear the distant sound of horses and men.

His guess, then, is that these are bandits. They've been bolder and more desperate after the outbreak of Heartwood, and while most of their ire has been directed at the government, Steve isn't surprised that they've found them here.

He notes how Diana sends the horses off to wait a safe distance away, along with their saddlebags packed with supplies. Steve has no intention of giving up their cargo, and he's certain that Diana feel the same. He exchanges a look with her and gives a firm nod as the wagon approaching them becomes visible in the distance. He also hasn't removed his shield from his back yet, nor would it be obvious as a weapon to people who don't know him.

"There's a chance they're not going to listen to reason," he warns her. Even though these bandits may have picked the two worst people to mess with, he somehow doubts that they're going to take no for an answer. "We can rough them up, knock them out, and move on."

He doesn't necessarily want to shed blood over this, unless they're given no choice.

A few more moments pass, and then the sound of hoofbeats and steel-on-leather reaches her ears. Her lips pull into a thin line. With the recent outbreak, fear and panic has seeped across the territory, and desperate people are making rash decisions. She can't be sure if the group approaching them knows what they carry, but it's no secret that shipments of medicine were being dispensed from Cadens to the outposts. It could have just been a lucky guess.

Or a disastrous twist of Fate.

Diana nods grimly at his suggestion. "We will speak to them first." Because she'll always try diffusing a situation, ending it bloodlessly, if she can. Even at the worst of times, she believes men can be reasoned with.

She keeps her posture relaxed, belying the line of tension running through her spine. The bandits grow closer, and while it isn't a particularly large group, she still wishes there were fewer of them--fewer hearts to convince to move on, to leave her and Steve be. And even though a part of her holds on to the hope that the group will pass them by, the six riders fan out around them, weapons already drawn. One of them has a bow, and Diana does not let her gaze stray from him.

"Let us pass in peace." Her voice is calm, but there is steel beneath it.

Steve nods, agreeing that they should try to use their words first. While he isn't convinced that it's going to work, they still have to try, just in case.

It always ends in a fight.

While the bandits don't literally shoot first and ask questions later, the way that they surround them and how they're mounted up with ranged weapons already drawn, makes Steve wonder if this is going to be a lost cause. Still, he exudes just as much calm as Diana, arms crossing over his chest as his gaze moves from one man to the other.

One of them speaks up almost instantly in response to Diana's request, identifying himself as the band's leader. "And why would we do that?" he asks, his tone dripping with mockery. "It's not like we rode over here just to say hello." His sharp gaze moves to the horses, who are a lot more exposed than Steve would like. "Just give us what you have, and you can head back to the city. We're making your job easier."

Steve manages to hold back on a scoff, but he takes a step toward their leader, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that he's mounted and therefore might have an advantage. "We can't do that. There are people who need those supplies."

"Yeah, like us!" the leader shoots back. The man with the bow draws back, but doesn't actually shoot yet. "All you care about is supplying the military. What good have they done any of us?"

The moment the leader speaks, Diana recognizes that this is a lost cause, but she cannot quell the feeling in her heart that it might be otherwise. Still not letting her eyes wander far from the archer, she angles her body just so to put herself between them and the horses--the hope they bear.

"What we carry is not just for the military." The situation is close to spiraling, and they would be hard-pressed to avoid it, but she will still try. "It is for their families, too. Their children. We will not give it up." Her tone remains calm, but there is an undercurrent of emotion to it. She does not want this, and she knows that Steve doesn't, either. But she knows that he is just as prepared as she is to defend the medicine.

There is a pause, long and heavy. The archer speaks: "We have families, too."

The arrow is loosed from his hand, flying true towards her head.

Diana does not think before catching it mere inches from her face, and a short squeeze of her fingers breaks the arrow on impulse. The pieces drop to the sand at her feet, and her expression darkens.

"You need to move on." Even now, she does not want to attack them. The broken arrow shaft lays ominously in the sand at her feet, even as the archer nervously nocks another.

Diana says exactly what Steve had been thinking, which is that this is for more than just the soldiers. It's true that the military forces here are already well supported and might not need help as much as the average person just trying to get by, but these are bandits who are probably just as willing to prey on the everyday people who ride through the desert as anyone else.

First blood might have been drawn if Diana didn't have godlike reflexes, allowing her to catch that arrow and render it useless with little more than the tensing of her hand. Steve watches the group, wondering if that show of strength and competence is enough to scare them off, but it doesn't seem like they're going to turn tail and run so easily.

That arrow shot would have been enough to spur a fight in most cases like this that Steve has been in before, but Diana is doing her best to keep the peace. Steve already anticipates this going south and tenses up, watching as more of the riders ready their weapons.

"No can do," the leader says with a chuckle. Whether or not it's a nervous one is hard to tell; he's definitely exuding a lot of bravado. He seems to be calculating that Steve and Diana are outnumbered, but that was his first mistake. The bandit lifts one arm in the air and then swipes it down. "Get them!"

And with that, a barrage of arrows fly toward them. Steve knocks two of them out of the air with a swing of his shield. He hears the horses whinny nervously behind them. Time to put a stop to this before their mounts sustain any injuries.

So he races forward, shield held in front of him, ready to protect the horses and eager to get up close and person with the troops so he can incapacitate them as quickly as possible. They don't have time for this.

Diana is not one to use her strength needlessly. Always, she wants to help, she wants to protect. Even after having been attacked first, she tries for peace. Despite all she has seen in these past years, she still believes that given the opportunity, men will take the bloodless path if it is laid before them.

There is hunger in these men's eyes. They see only one path forward, and it makes her heart heavy.

The order is given by the bandit leader, and Diana finally draws her blade. Her expression darkens, and gone is the Diana who moments ago was searching for a non-violent end to this conflict. In her place is Diana the warrior, who spent thousands of years training for moments such as this. Steel flashes, and broken arrows fall uselessly at her feet; she has to trust Steve to take care of himself, and that trust is not misplaced.

He moves at the same time she does, dashing forward with the flat of her blade facing their opponents. Though she wants to end this quickly, she is not eager to spill blood. So she swings her blade, turning it at the last moment to slice the wood of an archer's bow in half, rendering it useless. But she grabs half of it as it separates, still connected by the string to the half the archer holds, and pulls hard. The man topples from his seat on the horse, hitting the ground hard. One down.

Steve can hear Diana jumping into action behind him through the telltale scrape of a sword leaving its scabbard. They hadn't actually discussed how they would handle bandits if they came across them, and maybe they should have, but he suspects they're of a similar mind about it — there's no reason to take these people's lives unless they're left with no choice.

Maybe this will be a lesson to them. Maybe it will give them a reason to look for a different kind of life. Or maybe they'll double-down, and at that point death will probably find them. But at least they'd be granting them a choice.

He races toward one of riders and once he's close enough that the arrows aren't likely to find him, he sends his shield flying. It soars through the air in a perfect arc, and the mounted bandit isn't ready for it to hit him square in the chest. He's knocked from his horse just a few seconds after Diana takes another down.

Steve stalks toward the man who's now scrambling in the sand and rips his sword away from him, tossing it aside.

The leader, meanwhile, circled around on his horse to line up a shot against them. Steve hears the arrow coming and dodges as quick as he can, but the sharpened arrowhead grazes his arm all the same.

That's fine. He shakes it off as he grabs for his shield, ready to take down his next target.

The archer she felled groans from the ground, but as he does not have the look of someone who is going to get up any time soon, Diana turns her attention elsewhere. She hears the heavy thunk of Steve's shield taking down another bandit, and can't help but feel a touch of satisfaction.

Just as she's about to engage another bandit, she hears the arrow fly from behind them. Diana turns just in time to see it nick Steve's arm, and her gaze hardens as it lands on the leader. She wastes no time ripping away the bow from the assailant in front of her, hurling it into the dunes before turning her attention to their commander. She stalks towards him, effortlessly slicing her sword through the arrows he fires at her, panic rising in his eyes.

Another bandit tries to round on her with his blade, but his sword meets hers in a clang of metal that sends his entire arm shaking. Without a second thought, she reaches up to grasp the front of his leather armor with her empty hand, and drags him from the horse, throwing him several yards out into the desert as if he weighs no more than an armful of grain. He lands with a heavy thud, but she knows he'll live. It is not an experience he will forget, though.

Whether it's because of the graze that Steve took or just because she realizes that he's the most dangerous target, Diana heads straight for the leader of this ragtag group. Not that she's given a clear path to him, but the way that she parries the bandit, pulls him from his horse, and flings him like a ragdoll is a sight to behold.

It's not like Steve hasn't seen this sort of strength before. The Hulk and Thor were practically forces of nature, and it's no surprise that Diana — who's a god in her own right — is making playthings of these ruffians.

Steve would almost feel bad for them if it weren't for the fact that they still haven't thrown in the towel.

When he spots another bandit riding toward Diana at full tilt, Steve throws his shield again. His injury doesn't affect his aim at all, especially when he now has magic to help him along with controlling the shield's trajectory. This time the edge of the shield hits the man hard in the flank, sending both him and his horse collapsing to the sand.

Now there are only two men still mounted: the commander and one other. Steve jogs up to Diana's side as he calls his shield back to him with some more practiced telekinesis. Once it's in hand, he holds it in front of them in case these bandits still want to try something.

"Wanna let us continue on our way now," he asks with a defiant tilt of his head, "or do we still need to drive the point home?"

[ it's so... greek. there are quite a few of those now in the horizon, different domains that all share that aesthetic undercurrent. ]

[ she finds herself absently meandering and admiring the architecture - it's familiar and not at the same time. she pauses as she stumbles upon a statue of her mother, but before annabeth can take a closer look, she suddenly finds herself in a shifting environment - the temples and buildings disappear into a wide, open field. ]

[ she can't say she minds, but it's jarring. annabeth enjoys the outdoors as much as she does a library, and there's something that feels very old about the grass she's now standing in too. she's broken out of the stupor by the sound of a horse galloping through the field, attention snapping over. there's a woman riding it that she has hazy memories of, from the collective massive illusion, but she doesn't think they spoke in reality. ]

[ she'll wait and watch, not intending to interrupt - the woman (diana, she thinks) looks peaceful as she rides. ]

[Diana doesn't exactly keep tabs on the borders of her Domain, as some other Summoned do, but she's still aware when someone crosses into it, in the vaguest sense. She knew, already, that someone was nearby, though she hadn't known exactly where. It doesn't much matter to her; anyone is welcome, and if any damage was done to the architecture (intentional or otherwise), it would take barely a thought to repair it. So she's content to let her visitor wander, though she isn't going to stifle her own desire to ride when it strikes her.

She doesn't spot the young woman until she's already shifted the landscape, and she takes one gallop across the wide field before adjusting her course, heading towards her. Annabeth, if she isn't mistaken, from Will Solace's world, which makes them, as it is, family.

Diana slows the horse to a walk when she isn't so far away, raising a hand in greeting and offering a smile.]

Well met, cousin.

[The word falls easily from her lips, without hesitation. Though they are from different worlds, with somewhat different gods, she still considers them family. She does, after all, have hundreds of sisters already. What's a few more relations?]

[ she smiles faintly in kind, lifting her hand to wave back. ]

Hi. [ cousin, she supposes, isn't inaccurate given what she's cleaned of diana. it's certainly easiest. familial lines among greeks back home are blurred and disjointed as it is, and she prefers not to think about it too deeply, given poseidon is technically her great uncle. ]

I was a little distracted by your domain, before the field suddenly appeared. [ she offers it by explanation of why she's awkwardly standing in the middle of nowhere, but the animal diana sits upon is suddenly drawing more of her attention. annabeth supposes it would be rude to reach for it without asking. ]

Can I pet your horse?

[It occurs to Diana, now, that changing her domain so drastically might not be the norm among other Summoned. But she still hears the song of the Singularity in the back of her mind, and it seems only natural to do so when the mood strikes her.

Still, Diana does not see it as something she needs to apologize for. So instead she smiles, and dismounts the horse.]

Ah, I wanted to ride. That is difficult to do with buildings about.

[She pats the horse's flank briefly, and nods.]

Of course. I have not named her, but here in the Horizon, she has proved a reliable steed.

[And not real, as it is, but real enough.]

[ it's not that odd, when annabeth considers how often she changes the exterior of her domain house - but she's never seen the whole plane change so drastically. it's fascinating more than anything else, now that she knows she's not truly intruding. ]

Makes sense. We're more used to pegasi, so usually the buildings aren't as big a deal. [ you just gotta fly around them! ]

[ but she will gladly and near immediately pet the horse once diana gives the okay. she loves animals, it's not her fault, even fake ones in the horizon. ]

Is the field something you know from home? Or did you make it up for the Horizon?

Edited 2024-08-14 03:21 (UTC)

[A wistful sort of smile crosses Diana's face.]

Will has told me about them. I've not been lucky enough to see one myself, but I am glad to know they are in your world.

[They might still exist in her world, but there were none on Themyscira that she had ever seen. She simply can't be sure; as far as she could tell, much of the world's magic had died with the gods. So here in this world, and further here in the Horizon, it heartens her to see magic thrive.

Diana casts her gaze over the field with its tall glass, and nods.]

There is a field much like this one on Themyscira. It is where I learned to ride when I was a child.

They're not exactly common - more like an exclusive demigod perk. They only exist in our secret side of the world.

[ she pauses. ] I could probably try to make one here sometime? I never thought about it before.

[ annabeth looks out over the field as diana talks about it, trying to envision it in a reality. she hasn't been to the ancient lands outside rome, but it does greatly resemble all she's imagined of the greek and eastern mediterranean world. it feels right. ]

We seem to have a lot of overlap. Themyscira was the capital of the Amazons in myth back home. Apparently now they have a base in Seattle.

[Diana smiles at the offer.]

If you did, I'm sure it would be magnificent.

[She can almost imagine it--but not enough to make it a reality on this plane. But for Annabeth, who has truly seen a pegasus, she imagines it would be much easier.

Diana's lips press into a thin line at the mentions of the Amazons in Annabeth's world, and her brows draw together just so.]

Yes, Will told me of them, too. About their enslavement of men. [The way she says it leaves no room for questioning her disgust.]

[ annabeth knows she could in fact make a kick-ass pegasus here, but she'll always preen a little with a compliment, a softer sort of smile flickering on her face. ]

I'll have to see what I can do in my own Horizon first, make sure it comes out right - but I'd be happy to show you.

[ she grimaces a little. ] Yeah, it's not exactly like the stories we get told. They're supposedly still formidable warriors, but I haven't met them myself.

To Achilles, entering the Horizon feels like a manner of prayer. He understands the Singularity as that which binds all together, a power that even the gods cannot disobey — just as Fate beats at the heart of all things, and the deathless gods must carry it toward its end.

A manner of prayer, yes, but unlike anything he has ever felt before. There is a tugging at his being, his blood, his bones, and he wonders if it is akin to what the prophet feels when far-seeing Apollo moves through him. Moreover, when man prays, it is an entreaty to the gods for their protection and favor; when the son of Peleus enters the Horizon, he does not know for what he asks.

On this day, he wanders this hidden world and comes upon a plain so vast it appears to stretch beyond the limits of the space. Closing his eyes and lifting his face to the sky, Achilles breathes in the salted scent of the sea. It is the scent of home, of a childhood spent disappearing into the wilds. It is the scent of his mother, silver-footed Thetis.

When again he opens his eyes, he sees Diana astride the back of a grey mare, cutting a path through the towering grass. An ordinary man might have conjured his own horse that he may follow her apace, but the son of Peleus is no ordinary man.

Swift-footed Achilles runs toward her.

Diana has been away from her beloved Themyscira for just over two years now. While in the grand scheme of things, it is not a very long time for her, it feels sometimes as if it has been an age. And while she enjoys visiting Aquila and its beaches, breathing in the salt air and losing herself in the warm waters, it is not the same.

Neither is the Horizon, but it is closer than most.

Though she knows the horse beneath her was created by her own thoughts and is not a true beast of blood and bone, she still takes comfort in the feel of its powerful muscles, of its labored breathing as it gallops across the field she's made. It reminds her of home, of a simpler time in her life when she did not know what Fate had in store for her. She wouldn't want to go back to that time, to forget who she is, but it is nice to remember how she felt, then.

She has been aware, for some time, that someone has entered her Domain, but she lets them be, as they do her--until they don't. She senses, rather than sees, that someone moves swiftly towards her. Diana doesn't slow her mare's pace, but her head whips around to see who chases her, and the last thing she expects to see is a man afoot. But he is fleet of foot, and begins to gain on her horse, even keeping pace.

Diana laughs, first in shock and then pure delight, and grins as her hair whips behind her, leaning low over the horse's neck. Now it is a race, though she has not set an end point; Diana urges the mount on, whooping as they both run the length of the field.

As when an arrow slices through the air, aimed true by a master archer and launched from his massive bow — and nothing blocks its path — so does Achilles run. His swift feet fly over the nourishing earth, his long hair chases after him, and his magnificent body cleaves the knee-deep grass.

Presently they gallop abreast of one another, godlike Achilles and Diana astride her horse. Sweat pours down his handsome face, his well-shaped limbs. He tells his own heart, go, and soon I may be even with the mare's neck and not her hindquarters!

If Diana should glance at her challenger, she might recognize Peleus' son. They both had been present at the feast of Apollo, god of the silver bow. Now as then, Achilles is clad in the dress of the Achaeans, a well-woven tunic pinned at his shoulders and girded around his waist, and supple leather sandals on his feet.

Diana urges the horse ever on, but even so, she does not pull much ahead of Achilles. And she is delighted, both at his speed and the race itself. Diana is one to always seek a challenge, always hunt for any test of her own abilities. And even though in the Horizon she could give the horse wings, or the speed of the wind itself, she is more focused on the competition.

After a few moments, she does recognize him, and it only makes her more invested in the contest between them. She urges her mount on, calling to her to gallop as fast as she can, but her laughter trails behind them, beautiful notes caught on the wind.

Apollo comes upon her in her Horizon and watches her fondly as she rides, remembering how he'd often go riding with Artemis in their younger years. They'd drifted apart since then, something he hadn't even realized until recently.

He stands in some of the shorter grass, watching fondly as she soars across the field.

It isn't long before Diana senses she is being watched, and she wheels her mount to face her visitor. Upon seeing Apollo, a wide smile breaks across her face, and she raises a hand in greeting. She starts towards him, drawing up short by just a few feet.

"Well met, Apollo." She addresses him by name, a sign of her growing confidence in who she is. Months ago, she had been more awed than anything, barely able to look him in the eye. But as time has passed, and the Summoned had been pulled into their possible future as gods of this world, she has grown more comfortable around him, as an equal. "I welcome you to my domain."

Zagreus isn't particularly familiar with horses. He's seen a few of them around Solvunn, but they're not very common (not like the goats are, anyway).

But seeing Diana's joy as she rides makes him smile. For a while he just waits and watches, not wanting to interrupt.

At least, not until she turns her horse in his direction - at which point he'll give her a little wave, and start Dashing towards her.

Diana knows before she sees him that someone has entered her Domain, and is close to her. But she does not alter her course until it naturally takes her towards him; the Singularity singing in the back of her mind lends her an extra comfort in this world between worlds.

But upon seeing Zagreus, a wide smile breaks over her face, and she urges her mount forward in a fast gallop, laughing on the wind as they draw close. "Well met, cousin Zagreus!" There is joy in her words and eyes at the sight of him. "Be welcome."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open | july catchall

Supply Run

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horizon

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Horizon, as I arrive late with pizza

it's ok me2