Well, after a really, really long debate and much internal angsting, I've decided to retire Athena here. Or at least retire her from prompt writing. You may still see her around in random comments and posts, but really she seems to have run her course through my head.

If I feel like picking her up again, I will. I do love Athena very much and really enjoyed my time writing her. She may come back at some point, but for now she's going back to Olympus to hang out and enjoy retirement.

Tranquility

There’s a rhythm to weaving that is much like fighting. On the battlefield, the rhythm is much faster, more chaotic but it is there, making her heart pound with the force of an army. When she sits down at her loom and she begins the steady, patient work of treadles, slide the tread through, then release the treadle and push the tread into place with the beater. Then, she would start again, treadle, thread, release, beater. Over and over, the ancient floor loom clanking like a sword against a shield.


[ooc: Dedicated to my mother who has filled our house with baskets of fiber, drop spindles of every kind, two spinning wheels and a loud, clanking loom than she insists on using whenever I try to nap. Love ya Mom, though I'll never understand your hobbies.]

So, I've posted about this in my other muse journals, but not here specifically. As of now, Athena is homeless. The community she was in changed and I don't like what it's become. That's not meant to bash that community, it's just not my style. So Athena, along with my other muses, are homeless and looking for a new home.

I've applied to a few places, but I haven't heard anything back. Athena's not gone. I'm not retiring her, she's not on hiatus, we're just homeless. When she has a place again, I'll start writing again. I love my Greek Goddess too much to let her go just from a little hang up.

Anyone looking to talk to Athena on the Red Carpet can find her here.

Callous Indifference

Boredom never sat well with Athena and lately she had become increasingly restless. This was not from her family, but from within herself. Off centered, she would find her temper and her patience much shorter than normal. Her neutrality was even harder to maintain than normal. She had thought collection followers would perhaps settle this urge. Gods wanted followers and worshipers to spread their name and strengthen their power. She had her warriors, and a few that owed her favors yet the urge did not dissipate. Her thoughts, her steps, her being was dogged by this restless need in her gut.

Inspiration came from idle observation of mortal television. She occasionally used the device to keep up with mortal popular culture, but rarely watched anything by historical documentaries. It was one on archeology that eventually caught her attention. She had spent many years as a historian and archeologist, going all over the world on digs to study cultures she had seen rise and fall. Mortal interpretations of the past amused her greatly. She made sure anything dealing with her or her family was correct however. She hadn’t gone on a dig in ages though.

The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. She had heard rumors of a dig in the Aegean of a coastal fishing village. It would be no trouble for her to find another site or buy her way onto the dig. She had spent time contemplating then angles, turning the idea over and over in her head, when the last part of the puzzle fell into place for her. The black market for antiquities was quite active in the Aegean, though it had toned down slightly now that Iranian goods were more popular. Yet, there were always collectors out there that were looking for black market goods. They simply loved owning something illegal. It disgusted Athena.

Artifacts were meant for museums, to educate the public. Though she had kept a few pieces for herself, they all had sentimental value and she had given reproductions to the museums that housed the collections the pieces had come from. Closing down one of these black market rings would certainly cure her restless feeling. She would get to dig and have a little adventure while she was at it. That idea pleased her greatly. She would give this plan of hers a try and if she was still restless afterwards well she would have to come up with something else, wouldn’t she?

If you absolutely, positively HAD to marry someone, today, who would it be, and why?

That’s a very interesting question for me to contemplate. After all, I have never taken a consort and have never experienced the sort of love that inspires marriage. In this case I do not think love is what I would use in my decision any way. I am marrying in haste after all. I would look for someone with my own interests so we would at least get along and have things to discuss. Though I am not as vain as some of the others in my family, I would prefer someone who was at least handsome. I have no concerns about age, considering technically every mortal on the planet is younger than I am, much younger.

And yes, I would prefer to marry a mortal than another God. Marriages between divine beings rarely seem to work out well for either party. Of course, marriages to mortals do not have better outcomes either. That is part of the reason why I have avoided this whole foolish love game in the past. I have no interested in the tangles and complications it brings into a person’s life. I would have no time for my studies or my hobbies if I was in love. Yet, none of this enters into this question. I have to marry, no matter what my personal preferences are.

I do not have a specific man in mind, sadly. I do not know many men who I think are worthy of marrying, though I respect a great deal of them. The man I marry would have to be like myself, a warrior but an intellect as well. One who finds as much excitement in intellectual debates as they find in the battlefield. They would also have to tolerate my rather… eccentric family. That is asking a lot of many men. My family is quite… tiring at times. And as I said, I would prefer someone who is at least handsome, though I could easily forget this criteria if a man was intelligent enough. It is a shame Odysseus is dead. He was one of my greatest warriors. I would marry him if I was forced. I guess I must find myself a modern day Odysseus if I ever want to wed.

On a scale of one to ten, with one being not so good and ten being very good, how well do you:

a) Kick ass?
    As I am the Goddess of War, I would give myself a 10 here. My skill is far beyond very good, but since that was the measure given, it is the one I will use.

b) Make love?
    I would give myself a 1. After all, I am a virgin and have never made love before. I would guess my skills in that area would be lacking, severely.

c) Dance?
    I am quite an accomplished dancer, but like all arts I cannot capture the spirit of it. I would give myself a 7 here. If I could find the passion and heart true dancers bring to their art, I would give myself a higher score.

d) Sing?
    Again, while I am pleasant to listen to and have a passable voice, I do not have the heart and soul of a true singer. Another 7 here.

 e) Argue?
    I argue for fun and sport as well as intellectual stimulation and I have spent centuries doing so. A 10 here, though with a bigger scale I would give myself a higher number.

f) Drive?
    I rarely drive anywhere. I am a Goddess, what do I need a car for when I can just appear wherever I need to be? Yet, since I conduct business in the mortal world, I do drive and feel I am decent at it. I would give myself an 8 here.

g) Plan parties?
    I am organized, I plan ahead, and I have impeccable manners. I can plan a party or event with ease. 10 here.

h) Dress?
    I am not as fashionable as some other members of my family, Aphrodite especially, but I do manage well enough on my own. I would give myself an 8 here.

I) Take criticism?
    As a Goddess, it has taken my centuries to overcome my natural arrogance. It’s a train common in my family. I would have to be one of the most humble of my family, but I still find criticism hard to take. I would give myself a 5 here.

j) Cook?
    I enjoy cooking. It is among one of my many hobbies. I often cook for myself instead of having my handmaids do it for me. I would give myself a 10 here. If you want to argue, I will cook for you and prove it.

Dawn had barely touched the sky, but Athena was already up. Her family was in such turmoil these days and the serenity she prided herself on was harder and harder to find. These waves of chaos came and went in her family, as they had for centuries, but they had been coming more frequently these days. She found it unsettling to have her family in such a state. Rationality, cold logic, that was what drove the Goddess of War. It set her apart from the rest of her family who were passionate and often times overly emotional. She was the voice of reason but these days she felt as if no matter how loudly she spoke no one heard her. Yet, she was working on accepting this fact. It was what drove her to Athens in the first place when the Christians destroyed their temples and followers. She wanted peace, yet she could find none unless she occupied her mind with a task.

The sun was slowly climbing higher, but the great sand arena was still dark. She touched a hand to one of the massive bowls of oil and lit a fire. The dozen spread around the area followed suit and soon the sand was cast in firelight. She breathed in the smell of burning oil deeply and exhaled slowly. She turned her mind towards battle, her morning exercises. She would most certainly fail if she did not put her mind to the task at hand. Cold detachment came in an instant. She lost her compassion, her mercy, and became like the warriors she patroned, cold, calculating and ruthless. She was not like Ares; there would be no wild reverie and bloodlust in her. She fought; she killed because she was tasked to do so. It was a duty; the enjoyment of it came second when she could step back and see what she had accomplished. She would feel a sense of pride at job well done and that would be her joy.

So, I'm back from vacation. That's all.

If you need me or my muse for anything, just let me know.

Well, this weekend I'll be taking off for Virginia for the Team America Rocket Competition. I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning and be back Sunday night some time. I'm unsure of the internet situation so I could be completely gone or I could be around in the morning and the evenings. I'm not sure. Best to just count me out for awhile. When I get back, I'll play catch up.

You're alone, and suddenly there is a bright light, and a voice. The voice tells you that you are the Messiah. What next?

On her knees, Athena plunged her hands into the warm, moist dirt and pried another weed out of the ground. She was having a lot of trouble with them this summer. She didn’t know why either. She had made all the appropriate offerings to Demeter and the other Gods of the Earth. Yet, the weeds continued to appear. It was a tad frustrating, but it was nothing the Goddess couldn’t find a solution for.  She reached for another weed when something flashed before her eyes. She brought an arm up immediately, trying to keep most of the light out of her eyes and figure out what was going on.

“Athena….” A deep voice said, seeming to come from everywhere at once. “Athena, I have come to announce that you are the savior of man!”

So, here’s my first official State of the Mun Address. It’s about time I got around to doing one of these.

My Junior year of college has come to a close. I finished my last final today and after I pack everything up I’ll be moving back home. This really doesn’t change much. I have internet access at home, so I’ll still be around. For now, I don’t have any major summer plans. I’m waiting to hear about an internship with a police department and until I hear from them, I can’t make any other summer plans. The only thing that is on my calendar right now is the Team American Rocket Competition, or TARC. I’ll be bringing my laptop with me and the hotel should have internet access. I’ll mostly check in during the mornings and the evenings. I won’t vanish, but I won’t be around constantly like I normally am.

Now, if I get this internship things will be a little more complicated. I will spend most of my days at the police station, helping out various departments. I also have to keep a journal of my day to day activities and write a paper on it. I will be very busy, in other words. I’ll be able to check in every morning and will most likely reply to things in the evening. Like I said, I will not be dropping off the face of the Earth, but I will be busy. I may also be doing some things with a local horse farm in what spare time I have and that will take up more time but I have to talk to the barn manager about that. If I don’t get this internship, I will have to look for a job and who knows what that’ll do to my schedule. I usually take farm jobs and work outdoors instead of the standard 9 to 5 retail jobs. That means my schedule works with the weather, but basically the point I’m trying to make is I will mostly reply to things in the morning and in the evenings.

Now, for what I plan to do with my muse here:

I don't have any plans for Athena. She just short of hangs out and does Goddess-y things. I will be doing more with her son however. If anyone who has interacted with Athena would like to do a storyline or RP, please leave a comment and we can work something out. She's a very friendly and very sane Goddess.

If we've talked about a storyline or RP, could you please comment here also and remind me? It probably got crushed underneath all the studying I had to do. I've got a terrible memory sometimes and forget things. If there's something I need to tag, please let me know and I'll get right on that.

for _call_me_snake_ & sky_father

As always, her father's concern amused Athena. She had sprung from his head fully grown and armored, after all. She was quite capable of taking care of herself and choosing her own warriors. Yet, he was her father and she humored him. She had summoned Snake and brought him to Olympus, the mount itself. She abandoned her mortal look, returning to her ancient attire of toga and armor. She made sure Snake was in armor she made for him, with her symbol on the chest plate.

Standing in the center, she smiled as she looked around her home. It had been awhile since she had spent time here. Her father would have sensed their presence immediately. She hoped she did not encounter Hera, who had never liked her and her favored position as her father's right hand. She hoped to avoid most of her family in this visit. She feared they would play with her chosen warrior, as her family was want to do. Meeting her father would be nerve racking enough for most people, though she suspected Snake would fare better than most.

"He'll appear soon." Athena said to Snake with a smile. "Don't worry."

Even the gods love their jokes. - Plato

One of the wisest things Plato ever said, and he said many wise things. We Gods love a good joke, especially when played on a mortal. Generally, that is the one time we can all laugh about the same things. Mortal are quite amusing to all of us. Except Hades, he’s more often annoyed by them than amused. Still, jokes about mortals always make us laugh. Even I get a good chuckle out of them.

The funniest Gods are the most fun loving. My father, for example, does love a good joke and loves to tell them. As I am often by his right hand, I have heard a lot of jokes from him. Being Zeus, he likes raunchier humor and sex jokes. Still, if you really want dirty jokes you must ask Aphrodite. She’s very good with lewd humor. I think part of it comes from Ares, who knows very crude jokes. I do not like Ares’ jokes. I think they’re in very bad taste, but I do not like much about Ares.

Oddly enough, the God whose sense of humor I most enjoy is my uncle Hades’. There is a real wit to Hades jokes and a biting sarcasm that you must be clever to catch. Though many find Hades jokes terrible, I am very amused by them. While I am not overly fond of my uncle, I will concede he is one of the more clever Gods, especially when it comes to jokes. My sense of humor is more in line with his, clever and slightly sarcastic.

It is Dionysus that makes me laugh the most, however. His personality is so overwhelming and entertaining that I often find myself swept up in it enough to laugh. Many do not think I am even capable of laughter, I’m so stern. Dionysus, however, has never let this stop him. He is quite capable of entertaining me and it is why I so enjoy his company when we are two different types of Gods.

We Gods are most known for cruel jokes and temper tantrums, but that is not all we are capable of. We Gods love our jokes, do not fault us if you cannot understand them.

“If I really wanted your advice, I would have… well I wouldn’t want your advice any way.” Poseidon snapped, glaring hard at Athena.

Athena smiled, enjoying this just a little more than she should. Really though, she had beaten her uncle fair and square, she should get to gloat a little in her victory. “Salt water? Honestly, why would you think that was a good choice? Clearly they don’t need salt water, they’re a coastal city.”

She watched with delight as Poseidon’s eye started to twitch. He was really taking the loss of Athens very hard. Well, at the time it was an unnamed city, but now it was Athens and it was hers. Already, they were working on constructing her a temple, grander and more impressive than any temple anywhere else in the isles. Well, except for her father’s temple. She would never want to out shine her father. Out shining her uncle, however, that she could do.

“You must think smarter, not bigger.” She continued in the same slightly bored tone she’d been using since she started this conversation. Cornering her uncle on the Mount had taken a little more work that she had expected. He had spent months in Atlantis, sulking about the loss of the great city, now the great city of Athens. When he did finally make an appearance, to harass Zeus, Athena had waited patiently until she could corner him and inquire as to how his city was doing. It was cruel, it was petty and Athena was enjoying it immensely.

“Had you given them something useful,” she stressed the word useful, “They may have chosen you. After all, it is right on the sea.”

“Athena…” Poseidon’s voice rumbled out like a large wave about to crash on some rocks. Athena was not afraid though. She was the greatest warrior of all the Gods, what did she have to fear from her uncle? A trident? It would do nothing compared to the thunderbolts her father let her wield.

“Yes, uncle?” She asked sweetly, as if she was Aphrodite, asking for a favor from one of her lovers.

“For the most intelligent of us all, you sure are acting like a fool.” He said, making Athena narrow her eyes. “You may have won the city, but the sea is still mine and you will see how your city’s ships fair when they leave your safe harbors.”

With that her uncle vanished in a splash of water, leaving Athena with a deep frown on her lips. She understood her uncle’s threat was a promise. Any ship from Athens would now suffer the worst her uncle could bring to bear. That could destroy her city, which relied heavily on sea trade and the sea’s bounty. However, she could not apologize. That would be admitting defeat. Her uncle would use force, Athena would use smarts. She would have to make stronger, better boats for her people and deliver the plans in the mind of a ship builder. Her uncle would not win so easily.

Five years ago the largest terrorist act on American soil took place, dwarfing 9/11 by five thousand deaths. Through a crop spray hundreds of crops and various food stuffs were infected with an engineered virus. Millions of Americans and thousands overseas ate the infected food and soon many became sick. With no obvious connection between symptoms no one connected the dots until it was too late to recall the majority of the infected food or even trace it back to the source. Symptoms progressed quickly for those who were infected. Within two weeks of the first symptoms they fell into comas. 15% of those patients died. Those who woke up found themselves with strange powers and abilities, some even physically transformed into something else. The virus became known as the Transfiguration Virus and its survivors became known as Others.

Five years later, the world has almost gotten used to the change but uneasy tensions still run deep between the human population and Others. Efforts have been made to bridge the gap between the two, including an in-depth research project into the virus and its effects. The Bainbridge Project has gathered together the greatest medical minds in the country and put them to work figuring out how the Transfiguration Virus works and where it came from. A privately funded project the government came up with another solution.

It created the Paranormal Investigations Department, a faction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The PID, as it is known, consists of two teams which investigates crimes against Others or perpetrated by them. With full investigative and arrest powers, agents of the PID travel the country helping other law enforcement officers investigate Others and crimes related to them. However, many Others are claiming the government is biased against them. So they created their own answer.

Others Investigations is a private investigation agency run solely by Others with the express purpose of helping those who have been ignored by the government or the PID. Based in the city with the highest Others population in the world, New York, Others Investigations works to help Others as well as strengthen the relationship between the government, the public and Others. Many on both sides of the issue are suspicious of the little agency just as many are suspicious of PID and the research project. But everyone can agree on one thing:

The Others have emerged and the world has changed.
---

Author’s Note: The Others is a rewrite of the original Transfiguration Virus storyline I wrote in early 2007. Since characters from the old story are no longer characters I RP/interact with, I’ve decided to redo the series and create a whole new canon for it. I’ve taken a lot of the characters from the various muse communities I’ve spent time in and some old familiar favorites as well as completely new characters. In other words, it’s a panfandom explosion of epic proportions.

If you'd like to read: Click here.

Standing in what remained of the Coliseum, Athena gripped the rail and looked over it with a sad smile. Oh, how she remembered this place in its full glory. If she closed her eyes, she could even hear the crowds as they cheered. While her tastes for entertainment ran more towards philosophical debates and plays, she had gone to gladiator fights more than once. There had been a great feel in the air then, like a battlefield the whole building had seemed alive.
 
She could reach out with her power, if she so desired, and touch the emotions that still lived in the stones and earth of the Coliseum. That much emotion, that much blood, the building and the Earth it stood upon would not forgot that. Still, she refrained from using her abilities in that way. She wanted only the power of her mind to bring back the past. She didn’t have the greatest imagination as her mind leaned more towards logic, but she had a fantastic memory.

Carefully, piece by piece, she began to reconstruct the building as it was the first time she went there. Yes, it was a Roman building and she had not been worshiped there, but battle was battle and she had been curious. One visit and she had gotten caught up in the passion there. She had been younger then, and less disciplined. She had easily given into the verve of the place. Of course, later she had admired the architecture, which she was now rebuilding in her head.

When she had it constructed, she filled in the crowds, the roar of them, the collective life and movement of them. She separated them as they would have been back then, by class. The poor were in the cheapest seats, high above the center arena and then the riches patrons at the bottom with the best seats. She even included the Emperor in his own private box. She picked one of her favorite Roman Emperor’s, Cesar.

She herself was the gladiator, in her armor with her spear and shield. She was the current favorite, of course. Her skill and prowess was legendary. Everyone here today was there to see her and praise her for her skill. She would defeat all challengers, all the tests they gave her she would best and that adoration and praise would be the truth.

There was a small smile on her face as she opened her eyes and saw what remained of the one great Coliseum. There was a slightly pang of longing, but she would never forget and so the great building would live on. She let go of the railing and turned to walk out to leave the past where it belonged in the minds of those who lived it.

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. Louis Hector Berlioz

This may be true for mortals, but for myself, I am exempt. At least, from the killing part. I am not exempt from learning, nor would I want to be. I love all that I have learned over the eons I have existed. There is so much knowledge in the world, if only people would sit down and take the time to appreciate it. Yet, the most valuable lessons I have learned are not about technical or the inventions that have come in time. The lessons I value most from time are humility and acceptance.

I have always been more understanding than the rest of my family, but that did not make me a good Goddess. I have torture mortals, killed them, transformed them. I was not a nice Goddess when I first came into being. When the Greek Gods fell out of power and were "replaced" I was angry. I wanted to lead a war against the Christians, I wanted to destroy them as they destroyed my temples and my followers. I was so angry, so hurt. I needed someone to pay.

The feeling has lessened over the years. In fact, it is gone now. I have come to accept that what happened to me and my family was the natural progression of things. I could not stop it nor change it. Fighting it would have done me no good either. Instead of raging, whining or complaining about it, I have made the best of it and I have found benefits to it. After all, I have so much free time now that I can learn all that I wish. I have no followers who are constantly begging for attention. Best of all, no one I need to punish. It is a relief to have time to myself and do all the things I wish to do. Including time to think about what has happened to me and become as accepting as I have become.