GODLY AUDIENCES - ZOE MURPHY

[divus]

Comments

[requiemed]

...It's like you said. It's a training exercise.

[divus]

Right. Does that mean anything to you? [Or does he have to spell it out...]

[requiemed]

It means we passed and we get to keep all the shit we stole?

[divus]

[Well.] ...yeah, sure, that's what it means.

[He sits up finally, rolling his shoulders to stretch. When he speaks, there's a slight shift in his mannerisms, a little more blase than before.] You're here to ask more questions, right? What else do you have for me?

[requiemed]

[A beat, and then:]

Okay, sorry, I'll stop being a jerk. What does it mean?

[divus]

[He kind of wants to just blow over it because the method was, maybe, stupid.] It just means that you need to take all the time you can to prepare yourself. You guys keep messing up in trials and getting lost on stuff. You're doing better, but you're still all over the place.

It's about learning to apply the critical thinking you take from training to not only defend yourself from a physical attack but during trials, too.

[requiemed]

[True to her word, she seems to be taking that seriously. In fact, after she gives him a nod...]

That's... really good advice, actually. I mean, I don't really have the whole training expertise thing nailed down, but - you know.

[divus]

[A soft snort.] Most people don't. We don't exactly get a choice either way, so consider it a kindness that you do.

[...but he continues.] For what it's worth, most of us started really young and still had a lot to learn. It's why Camp existed.

[requiemed]

Why did you start that young? Or... I guess the better question is, why did you have to do it at all?

[divus]

Oh, you know...being born? [A dry, annoyed tone.] It was either be chased by things that wanted to kill me my whole life, or learn to fight back.

[requiemed]

[It feels like ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t quite the right thing to say here. Instead...]

It sounds like it was hard.

[divus]

[...there's a long, low sigh after a brief moment.]

Doesn't matter anymore, I ascended and I'm going to be better than they ever were.

[requiemed]

Who’s they...?

[divus]

The Olympians.

[requiemed]

...I don't remember that much about the limited mythology I learned in school. Enlighten me.

[divus]

...Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes and Dionysus. The Greek gods of Olympus.

[requiemed]

And... The vibe I'm getting here is that they fucked you over.

[divus]

Something like that. Don't tell me you get along perfectly with your parents.

[requiemed]

[There's a laugh, a little bitter herself.]

You know a lot about my life, don't you? You should be able to answer that yourself.

[divus]

I know enough, yeah. [But there's a frown.] So yeah. Now you know. But maybe keep that to yourself.

[requiemed]

...Right. It's between you and me.

[divus]

[...with that said.] My dad's a god. Left me and my mom by ourselves when I was growing up, and eventually I couldn't stay with my mom either so I left. I was nine. Figured out most things on my own, eventually made my way here when I was fourteen. And that's why I want to make sure you guys are as prepared as possible.

[requiemed]

[With a fair bit of sympathy:]

Your dad sounds like a dick, god or not.

[divus]

You're not wrong. He ignored me for years even when I prayed and asked him to answer, and the one time I did meet the guy he wouldn't tell me what he knew about my destiny and refused to help me.

So...I'm going to be a better god. A more upfront god.

[requiemed]

Well... You've been nothing if not honest. I can at least say that.

[But, hm.]

And you'll still do that if you don't win?