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helloeverybunny2019-01-28 10:14 am
soloflight) wrote in helloeverybunny2019-01-28 10:14 am
RIORDANVERSE • The Winter of Winters (Apocalypse AU)
It has begun.
The Norse call it Fimbulvetr. The final winter, the winter of winters. A winter unlike any other the world has seen, lasting as long as three normal winters with no summers in between. Biting winds, snow from all directions, the earth plunged into unprecedented cold. And mankind will become so desperate for food and survival that all laws and morals will fall away.
Yet it is only the beginning of the end of the world.
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So when the pegasus stopped and wanted to bolt, she had no idea it was because it smelled a large predator and not some other kind of monster - because that was really what a blizzard like this needed, more monsters.
The call of 'Demigod' didn't really make her feel any better, either. Monsters: not big on stealth, always willing to try to eat demigods. She wasn't really interested in volunteering by responding positively to that sort of call.
But she thought she'd heard... She urges her pegasus up, ascending with great care to the top of a nearby building so she can see a little bit better, and hopefully be in a position to better attack or defend. ]
Who's out there?
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The bear roars and tries to stand on her hind legs, and Jacen looks up as well. He’s still unable to see through the snowstorm, but he can feel that, yes, there really is someone out there.
He rolls up the sleeve of his left hand and tugs down his glove, exposing his wrist and the strange tattoos on them. Without lowering his eyes, he traces the symbol isa on his wrist, and when he finishes—
The blizzard slows to a halt. At least within their immediate vicinity, in a small bubble surrounding him and the building Piper’s climbed on. Just enough for him to see for a while. ]
Hey! Are you alright? Do you need help?
[ Then, as an afterthought, he looks around again. ]
Grace! Where are you?
couldn't resist >.>
(What was your first clue, Piper? The sudden change in the weather? The fact that he's not freaking out about a Pegasus? Or that he is riding on a freaking polar bear?)
She calls back cautiously: ] I'm all right. What about you - you lost a friend? When was the last time you saw her? Is she on a polar bear too?
[ She has a better view up here, how hard can it be to find another person on a polar bear in Manhattan? ]
heeee ilu /gigglesnicker
Yeah, but a he, actually, although he’s quite the pretty boy. [ Seems like that’s something he teases his friend on a regular basis. ] I’m pretty sure he was right behind me— he’s about this tall? Blonde, on a black horse. Well technically not a horse, more like a wind spirit that looks like a horse...
[ The correct term’s at the tip of his tongue, but Jacen figures he can be forgiven for the inaccuracy. Since, you know, it’s the freaking end of the world. ]
That’s a pegasus, right? So you’re Greek?
^^
Not that the son of Jupiter couldn't handle a windstorm, but... she didn't see anyone else around, and she knew all too well how deadly snow could be. And wherever Khione was, Piper was sure she'd be stronger in this weather, and she didn't know the reach of the goddess's powers. Hera likely had dealt with her, but Piper didn't exactly look to the gods as models of competence. ]
Jason? Do you mean Jason Grace?
[ She honestly had hardly even registered his question after putting two and two together. ]
i’m so sorry, work was super crazy and i had days of endless training :c
Y-Yeah. Jason Grace. I... I know him from school. In Edgraton.
[ Only he’s obviously a demigod because no regular mortal would be up and about in this weather, and riding a polar bear of all things. ]
See him anywhere? I can’t hold this spell for long.
no worries at all! rl always > rp ^^
But Piper doesn't really have time to ask about that when 'not for long' is much more important and she doesn't see Jason anywhere. ]
No. [ And that, to put it very mildly, worries her. She doesn't know if this will work, because he'll have to hear her for it to work, and Piper immediately decides she's going to speak to Hephaestus cabin about getting some kind of portable voice amplifier, but -- ]
Jason! [ Her voice has changed, and it isn't subtle. This is the voice that's convinced armies to halt, inanimate objects to wake, and lulled giants to sleep. She may not have an amplifier, but she's using all her power and it seems louder, echoes in the bubble of safety Jacen's provided, pushes outward. She's calling for her best friend. ] Jason! I know you're looking for your friends - we're here! Come find us. Come find me. Come on - come here.
[ She stops talking, only because she's not sure if her voice is carrying enough to make a difference, searching with systematic urgency to find any hint of Jason in the storm. She's already thinking that she's going to need to go get Percy, start a search for him if he doesn't show up soon... ]
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Then the implication of her words hit him.
He turns back to look at her, slack-jawed. Because again, what are the odds? ]
You’re Piper.
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Yeah. You are?
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It’s okay. She promises she won’t bite.
[ He remembers her question, and he nods at her in greeting. ] Jacen Solo. Hi. In case Jason never mentioned me, I’m his Norse demigod friend from school.
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Norse demigod? Had Jason mentioned him?
Either way-- ]
Hi Jacen. [ Her focus was definitely not on him, her gaze flickering around in search for Jason. ] When did you last see Jason?
[ They need to go look for him, this storm is only going to get worse. That's the way demigod luck works. ]
sorry, i was out on a family trip for several days! back now though :3
[ True enough, there’s a sudden draft of icy wind that batters against their protective bubble. Jacen grits his teeth. This isn’t good. And the backlash is going to be worse. Runic magic is rather punishing, and using this much power is going to mean a great deal of pain. ]
I have to call the spell off, but I... [ He glances towards Sally’s apartment. ] You should take cover. This storm isn’t clearing and we‘ll have to think of something else. Do you Greeks know how to scry?
No worries!
[ Five minutes ago -- in a blizzard. What would Jason do? Would he find cover? Or would he... try to go up, ride the winds, find his friend?
Yeah, like that was a question.
She shifts in her seat, gripping her pegasus harder with her knees. ]
I'm going to go up there to look for him. [ She glances around to look for a space big enough for his polar bear. ] Can you make it into that parking garage before you let it go? That way I'll know where to look for you when I get back.
[ If I get back. Finding shelter was a smarter idea. But if Jason was out there... ]
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But that’s really not important right now, so Jacen doesn’t say anything. Instead he looks towards the garage Piper’s referring to, and nods. ]
Okay. I’ll hold the spell as long as I can.
[ And he’ll try his very best to give her more time to take to the skies without being battered by the blizzard. But just a few minutes after he and his polar bear make it to the garage, his control slips from exhaustion and the spell dies, the ice and frosty winds returning with a vengeance.
At the same time, a jolt of pain goes through his body like a lightning strike, and he collapses on the back of the bear, nearly losing consciousness from the pain. Damn runic magic. Why were the Norse such masochists? ]