Open: it's time now to sing out though the story never ends

[vineleaves]

[This is being posted early, but it is meant to be occurring on the one year anniversary of Dionysus arriving at the mansion.]

There's a room in the mansion Dionysus discovered somewhat recently that is, for lack of anything better to call it, a dance studio. Shiny hardwood floors, one long wall of mirror, the opposite wall featuring a mounted barre. If anyone happens to be walking by it today, the open door might catch their attention, as Dionysus has his cd player set up playing music, which he is dancing to at the moment. He's wearing a pair of gauzy, loose pants that sit low on his hips, complete with a gold belt with dangling chains that serve to help emphasize his movements. His hair is pulled up into a messy bun, finally long enough that he can get all of it up with only a minimum of strands sticking out oddly.

He has been here for a whole year. To be fair, he's only slightly certain he's got the date correct, but even if it hasn't been a full year to the exact minute or whatever, it's close enough. A whole year. A year trapped, held prisoner for some unknown reason, unable to break out, kept away from all of his friends and family. A year in which he has been given the wonderful opportunity to meet people he couldn't possibly imagine living without now, in a place where anything, even stopping death, is possible.

Dionysus is fairly zoned out as he dances, so if anyone decides to duck in and say hello, it might take him a while before he notices.

Comments

[papadopoulos]

He smiles and gives his baby not-brother a friendly nudge. "I made sure to put your temple in there."

[vineleaves]

He looks and finds it. "Aww, back before the statues at the entrance broke!"

[papadopoulos]

"Yeah." A beat. "I guess it's a good thing Percy never saw them when they weren't broken, huh? He'd never shut up about it."

[vineleaves]

“I’ll have to take your word for it, I only know him from the musical where he’s usually a 25 year old pretending to be a middle schooler.”

[papadopoulos]

“He’s a good kid,” Apollo says fondly. “Closer to 25 than middle school now, honestly. Helped me out a lot at home.”

[vineleaves]

"What's he up to these days?" Obviously not these exact days, since Apollo wouldn't know anything since arriving at the mansion, but whatever, close enough.

[papadopoulos]

"Oh, he's in college. Goes to New Rome University, which is nice because Annabeth goes there, too. She's also going to Berkeley."

[vineleaves]

...Of course there's something called 'New Rome University' in Apollo's universe. Of course. "What're they studying?" He's definitely expecting it to be something really dumb and made up.

[papadopoulos]

"Annabeth is studying architecture, I think? I haven't heard what Percy is studying. Last time I ran into them they had just started there."

[vineleaves]

"Oh!" Architecture isn't made up. That's real. Good! Not something stupid like majoring in Murdering Minotaurs or something else along those lines. "Good for her."

[papadopoulos]

“She’s a smart kid; I think she’ll do well with it.”

[vineleaves]

"I'm sure her mother's very proud of her," he says, without putting much thought into, you know, the source material being discussed or anything.

[papadopoulos]

He raises his eyebrows. "Sure, I guess? 'Thena's not the most...motherly if you haven't noticed." Also, he hasn't spoken to her since before he got turned into Lester, so things are -- a little cool between him and most of the other gods.

[vineleaves]

"...Right. Forgot what universe we were talking about for a moment there."

[papadopoulos]

"...Why, is she motherly in your universe?"

[vineleaves]

"To her kids, yeah. I mean, she's a stricter parent than I am, but, y'know, who isn't."

[papadopoulos]

"I mean -- yeah, I guess. Poseidon seems pretty okay with it all, judging by Percy."