Erebus's Story

"Dammit...!" Erebus groaned in pain, clinging his chest in agony. He panted desperately and coughed up dark black blood. "How could this happen...!?" He fell to the ground, his vision blurred as he collapsed in anguish. Only once before had he felt this weak, and he never truly recovered from that day. Erebus was a primordial greek god, the crafters of the universe and rulers before the Titans. His power was as vast as the darkness of the night sky, all of darkness, every shadow was at his command and control. But right then, he felt something he had not experienced in millennia, pain. 

Erebus crawled to a wall to a building in this alley, he moaned weakly, coughing up more and more of his black blood. Erebus was a common visitor of the mortal realm. He would drink, womanize, do drugs, kill random people, experience all the 'luxuries'  and 'pleasures' of the mortals, but it was different now, this time he was not in control.  "To me my Shadow..." Across the alley floor, climbing the walls of the two buildings beside, dark shadowy figures swarmed to Erebus. They combined together into one single dark entity. 



Erebus snarled in such pain his teeth nearly bled, he threw his back against the wall in one quick twist. He stared at the wicked silhouette of his shadow, standing obediently against the parallel wall.  Blood slowly trickled down Erebus's chin. 

"What is the meaning of this...? Have I been poisoned again...?" Erebus growled in anger and pain, remembering the night of his wife's murder. An unknown assailant had poisoned the wines of Erebus and his wife Nyx, the night. This poison burned away their immortality, leaving them vulnerable and weak. The poison took such a tole on Nyx that her mind was destroyed. This pain was similar to before, but weaker, not as concentrated as the poison was once before.  

"Shadow..." Erebus had prepared something in case he was poisoned again. He had hidden fragments of his existence within his shadow, making his shadow alive and his last resort. His shadow's figure stretched slowly until it was touching him. Erebus gasped out as he felt himself slowly siphoning some of his existence from his shadow, enough to ease the pain of mortality. 

"αιώνιο σκοτάδι, καθρέφτη στη σκιά, δείξε μου, όπου η σκιά της αλήθειας στηρίζεται" Erebus enchanted slowly to his shadow. (eternal darkness, shadowed mirror, show me where the shadow of truth rests) The darkness of his shadow began to swirl and ripple until it looked like a mirror of obsidian. Inside the mirror showed a round room, with ten chairs. Within the room were deities. Like him, weakened in their immortality. Today, these were his siblings in calamity. 

"ας σκιές μας αναμίξετε" (let our shades mix) Erebus began to sink into his shadow like quick sand, raising from a new shadow within the round room along with his 'siblings'. He slowly forced himself to his feet, his shadow then carried him to an obsidian chair with the name 'Έρεβος', his name. "Siblings..."

Loki blinked at the man who just appeared out of shadows and smirked a bit, "I was getting a bit tired of people just opening doors in here..." he remarked with a chuckle. He blinked, "Ahhh... so you have the same feeling as I do about who everyone is...rather what everyone is..." he commented as the another door appeared and opened. He looked at the other one who entered, looking him over "tan skin, tall, sturdy build, Blond hair... of course. What in Helhiem is that around his eye?" he thought to himself. He shook his thoughts away as he watched the man look around at the others, "interesting.. unlike most he seems to be taking everyone in..." he thought to himself. When the man looked at him he only offered a faint smirk. "Seems more are coming..." he muttered softly. When the man spoke he shrugged, "I have no clue...though there may be clues here..." he told them as he stood up and started to carefully look at the wall behind him. He blinked as he saw a familiar marking. "Well, well..." he muttered to himself as he placed his hand on the wall and felt around it. "Seems. One of my hunches may have been right..." he stated as he closed his eyes and green flames wrapped around a the brick as the flame formed the Norse rune for his name. He watched as the brick vanished. He looked inside and pulled out a wooden box, made out of pine. He blinked as he saw the Yggdrasil mark on it. He flipped opened the lid using a slight bit of his magic to do so and found inside it.

A key.

He blinked as he picked up the key on a slim chain... it did not seem to be made of Earthly metal. "Tis seems they mean us to have a place to board..." he muttered as he picked up another scroll, "I am getting sick of these..." he muttered as he cracked the seal and read it with a groan. Loki Laufeyjarson, you and Thor are sharing a room in the Norse Dorm, you have the dorm all to yourselves, but do not try anything to foolish, for we have eyes everywhere. He looked at Thor. "Why is it always you?" he stated more to himself. He shook his head and decided he should leave the room... he was hungry. "I suggest everyone try to find their keys." he muttered. "Tis seems we a boarding with others... You can guess who I am boarding with..." he muttered.

As he was leaving he saw something glittering on one of the chairs above them in the stadium that started to actually come towards them, mainly towards Thor. “Thor! Look out!” he cried out, a fear in his heart for him… an odd and unwelcome occurrence, as he quickly drew on his fire and concentrated it to be as thin as a needle as he hit it out of the way. The object appeared to be a fragment of some unearthly metal.

Erebus breathed out weakly, exhausted and irritated to think that his immortality had been weakened to stay at this mortal institution. What more, when he heard Loki and Thor were to lodge together in a dorm of the Norse, he gritted his teeth in anger. As he had sat there, he had noticed his great-nephew Hades (one of the few Gods of Olympus he could stand) and a throne set aside for his least favorite great-great-nephew, Apollo. Erebus may have not interacted with his nephews but from his visits to Earth, he was constantly reminded of his Olympic family. The terrible bright lights, the endless crowds of people, and all of the NOISE. 

Erebus like many of the other primordial gods existed unhindered and free to act as long as it did not go against the 'rulers'. Most of the primordial gods and goddess were the embodiments of the universe, avatars of existence. Erebus was the 'avatar' of darkness, so his freedom was uncontested, but if he was to go against the current rulers, he would risk being imprisioned to his embodiment. His sister Gaia, the 'avatar' of the Earth and mother of the titans, was imprisoned to her embodiment, trapping her within herself, in a form of stasis. Erebus believed his sister to be a fool but it was truly the fault of the Olympians, after all they were her grandchildren. Erebus had no attachment to existing freely really, he still lived in constant agony and anger, but if he was imprisioned he would truly be alone. While Erebus likes to be left alone and have alone time, he did not like the idea of being forced alone. It would be like the murder of his wife all again.,

Erebus closed his eyes, focusing upon the key he was suppose to find to try and ease the rage and anguish from his thoughts family. He began to think, "A key for the Greek dorm. A key..." Suddenly his eyes busted open and spoke softly to himself. "The Greek Key."

The Greek Key, also known as the Greek Fret or Greek Line, is a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. It is also known as a 'meander' or 'meandros' from the Greek God of the winding river, Maíandros.
 

Erebus spoke softly "Shadow, find the meandros." Erebus's shadow faded into the room around them, melding with the other shadows. It was but a few moments later, when Erebus's shadow reformed three dimensionally beside him. Like a shadowy specter it did not speak but simply raised its left arm, pointing a dark smokey like finger. Erebus rose from his chair, calmly and slowly walking for where his Shadow had gestured. 

Against the wall, down on the floor was a solid stone base molding, that circled the room. It had no designs on it, except for one small square with the Greek Key engraved in it. Erebus reached down to the design, casting a shadow over it. The moment his hand touched the shadow on the base molding, his hand passed through the shadow and inside the wall. 

Erebus slowly pulled away from the wall, a key and scroll in hand, thinking to himself. "The sooner to begin, the sooner to finish."

Other than the fact that these "immortals" were in the same boat as he was in, Erebus did not care at all about anyone in the room. They were loud and flamboyant, so many bright colors and ridiculous outfits, it gave him a head ache to even think that these were meant to be gods.

On his travels through the world, he had heard of the dieties of other lands, but believed them only to be the bastardized versions of Greek by ignorant mortals. It was almost insulting to think that these Peacocks of Gods were worshiped at all. Erebus had on a three piece all black pinstripe suit, with a black shirt, tie and wingtip shoes. His suit was covered in dirt and his blood. With a light adjustment of his tie, suddenly the suit began become clean and pristine, as if it was just tailored to his body. Erebus had made a suit of shadows that fit to his body perfectly, could change styles and appearances, and become a form of defense or even escape by using the shadows.

Suddenly something caught Erebus's attention and shook him from his thoughts of distain, the mention of alcohol. Erebus quickly turned to face Loki, he was about to call out to him, but hesitated when he didn't recall (more he didn't bother to remember) his name. "Asgardian! Hold!"

Erebus walked back over to his shadow, which still stood as a three dimensional shadow spectre next to his chair, and threw his key and scroll into it's chest. The items vanished into the darkness, then as if the spectre had turned into black water, it splashed down to the floor, becoming two dimensional once more. Erebus walked toward Loki with a lack of expression but with a very determined step.

"You spoke of liquor?" Erebus said as a smile slowly creeped across his face.

Loki blinked as he heard one call out to them, and stopped a sigh on his lips. “I spoke of alcohol yes. Though I would settle for a goblet of water I have been without drink for ages…” he muttered softly. He wasn’t too shocked that this man called them Asgardians, after all he had mentioned Asgard. Though he did want to know what he was, “But I appear to be at a slight disadvantage. You see, you know what we are but I do not have the same pleasure…” he told him as he shrugged a bit.

“Then again I have not been to Midgard in ages… and when I have I was soon brought back to my realm… and then I was bound for centuries.” He thought drolly. “But those are old tales…” he thought as he waved that thought away with his hand. He looked at the attire Thor and this other man had on with a frown, his outfit was out of place.

“I wish that whomever had transported me here had the decency to cloth me in the attire of this time in Midgard…” he thought to himself with a sigh. “it will have to do for now, after I have had sustenance I can use my magic to change my appearance of clothing, or I pray that they have tailors or clothes shops here…” he thought to himself, he really hoped they had a shop… he did not want to use his magic on something so small as clothing that was suited for this time period, he’d rather wear what he had on now instead of wasting magic he may need later.

Erebus chuckled with a cold low tone. His chuckle felt dark and cruel, as if he didn't naturally laugh, at least not like everyone else. Erebus' sick, sadistic humor corrupted his laugh, that even non-malevolent laughter felt wicked and black. While he did not understand these strange gods, at least for the time being, he would gladly take them over his family. For if these deities were to turn against him, at least nothing they could do truly hurt him. Yes, they may cause pain, but nothing could harm him like his family's betrayals. And besides, it had been a while since he had some alcohol, he could "trust" these odd deities if it got him some.

However, Erebus understood that if he was seen as a threat, trust would be an irrelevant emotion, and who knew, perhaps one of these deities could help him return to his full power and leave this peculiar place. So, Erebus figuratively extended the olive branch of peace, while keeping his blade at the ready.

"I am a child of the void; I am the darkness and shadows; I am keeper of the deepest hole in hell; I am husband of the night; sire of the atmosphere and day, the nymphs of evening and the seamstresses of fate, love and favor, guile and fraud, sleep and dreams, misery and lament, fear and envy, fate and toil, old age and stubbornness, discord and chaos, insolence and restraint, revenge and mercy, friendship and merriment, mockery and kindness, gentle and violent death, the waters of hell and my shadow;  I am Erebus." 

While the introduction was in many senses very old fashioned, Erebus did not know any other way to explain nor know to try and explain it differently. Erebus was born forth of the empty void of space, Khaos, mother of the universe. He was the embodiment of darkness and shadows. He controlled his brother Tartarus, the hell of hell, as if it was himself. His wife, Nyx was the embodiment of night and together they gave birth to Aether, embodiment of the atmosphere, and Hamera, the embodiment of day...((go to the link on the bottom))

"Now, Ας πίνουν μέχρις ότου ο ουρανός είναι κάτω από τη γη." Erebus chuckled coldly. (let us drink until the sky is beneath the earth) He spoke again, knowing that not everyone spoke Greek.  "Let's go find something to drink."

((click for summary of Erebus))

Lux looked up at the girl with a start, giving her a quick once over before relaxing a bit. "Well I haven't ran into anyone else but you yet." She tilted her head a bit looking at her "Is that a Greek tinge to your voice? I've always wanted to go." She laughed a her self, "sorry kinda rude I'm Lux." She sat her book down putting it next to her. "I've heard a group talking butjust the muffled sound of voices but I kinda just zoned them out for a while." She glanced at the door as a man walked in "Well it looks like we aren't the only ones after all." She arched a brow as the guy walked in carrying a wooden sword, before three other guys walked in with him. Lux picked her book back up expecting the other girl to get up and go talk to them instead.

(if i moved anyone that didn't want to be i will edit)

Adrasteia Nicolau could feel the girls eyes look her over, and she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, she didn't like the feeling of people looking at her. Butterball must have picked up on it, because he started to whine and paw at her legs. The androgynous woman gave the small fennec fox a small smile before looking back up at the women. “So I am the only other person you have met? Isn't this a college? So where is everyone else?” Adrasteia pondered out loud, this was all very strange. The greek woman snapped back into reality at the question of her heratige. “Yes, I am from Heraklion greece, thoug recently I have been living in Athens...It is a nice enough place...but there are too many bad memories there...” The woman said, sadness in her voice.

Adrasteia nodded polietely when she heard her companions name. “I am Adrasteia Nicolau, and this” The woman pointed down to the small furry creature by her side “is Butterball. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The woman said, but she didn't offer a hand to shake. She didn't really mean to be rude, but she also didn't seem to care if she was.

“So you heard the voices too? I tried to find them but it seemed that if I got closer the voices would move. I finally ended up here...I at first thought it was maybe you that was speaking but...I am sure the voice I heard was that of a male. And well, you don't sound like a male.” Andrasteia said with a shrug.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention, and she quickly turned around. The sight she saw was surprising to say the least. It was a group of men, seeming to be lead by a red headed male. They were all attractive, but that wasn't really what had caught her eye.

It was how they were dressed
that caught her hazel eyes. The red head was dressed normally enough, but for some reason he was wielding a wooden sword in his hand, she wasn't really sure she wanted to know why...

Then there was a man with slicked back, and yet still looking wild, black hair. He was wearing a leather outfit of green and black and gold. It was just like he was begging to have all the attention on him. That he needed people to only see him...she couldn't understand that want, she would rather not have to many eyes on her. Either that or he had just come back from some sort of comic convention, though why he hadn't changed she didn't know.

And the last male she saw looked...well he looked like he was going to faint or die at any moment. He was grayish looking, and his eyes were just pools of black. She actually was a little worried about him, and wondered briefly if he was going to be ok. The man was wearing a black pin stripped suit and well, he dressed like a gangster, though she thought that even she would be able to take him on.

“Oh wow...what kind of school did I sign up for? I...I think I need a drink...”

Loki blinked as the man called Erebus introduced himself, “one of the void? Of Darkness and shadow… husband of night? He is not human… but the god of night is Hodur…Who is this man claiming to be?” he thought to himself, a theory was forming in his head slowly, but one that seemed to make sense. “is everyone here-” he started to think before a hard slap to the back brought him back, he stumbled forward from the blow and looked at Thor with slight annoyance before he sighed. “Yes, yes drink and food would be welcome, as well as books.. I need to do some research…” he muttered to himself.

When Thors’ laugh shook the sky Loki seemed a bit startled, if a little bit scared. “Control yourself Thor… We do not want a storm happening… I doubt there was one forecasted… in fact when I walked here the sky seemed clear.” He remarked as he followed Thor. He pushed on the door expecting it to open, when it did not he frowned as tried again, this time using slight magic, again it did not work. “well… Tis seems that you cannot open a door that is not yours…” he remarked with a shrug as he walked back to the wall he came from and once more used a small bit of power to write his name as he walked through the wall and was once more back into the room of candles. He looked around and found a heavy wooden door that he managed to push open. He was now out in the open a few buildings flanked him, one he immediately recognized as being Norse in style, “Must be the dorm.” He thought to himself as he smelled food in the air. With a grin he started walking towards it, catching a faint glimpse of Thor as well. “I am stuck with him…” he thought to himself, the idea seemed a bit appalling to him. He opened the door to the Feasting Hall and saw that a table bore the Yggdrasil tree, apparently that was where the Asgardians were supposed to dine.

He also spied two mortal women, or whom he assumed was mortal by their attire. He once again looked at the assigned table, “I am not sitting there…” he muttered as he walked to a small unmarked table and sat there. “sharing a room is one thing, but eating with him is quite another…” he thought to himself. He saw the food tray on the table and picked it up as he walked to the line of food and quickly pile bread, meat and cheese on it. He saw a machine with labels on it, “sprite, coke, Dr. Pepper? What is the meanings of these?” he thought to himself. He thought that some idiot spelled Spirit wrong and assumed that it was alcohol. With a shrug he took a cup and filled it up with the “Sprite” and heard it fizz making him frown, but then he saw the foam and assumed he was correct in his assumption. He brought it to the small table and placed his tray down as he began to eat, cutting his meat into small pieces as he ate silently. He took a sip of his drink and his eyes widen in surprise as he took another sip, “What madness is this? Tis fizzing…” he muttered to himself in utter shock.

Erebus sought no more interaction with these two very loud deities, at least until he had some alcohol in him, but until he found that he followed them out of the strange round room. Once outside, he scowled and cringed abruptly as they stepped into the sun light. He growled and cursed in Greek under his breath. Turning away from the bright light, he opened his suit coat and reached inside. From within the shadows his suit was made of shadows, he drew forth a matching fedora and a pair of thin, stylish sun glasses, both composed of shadows as well. While he did not care much for humanity, they had made stupendous steps in sun shielding apparel. Erebus layed the shades over his eyes, the hat onto his head and turned back to the outside.

Figuring that Loki, had some clue of where they were going, Erebus followed him and the large thundering Asgardian. Erebus tried to recall the name but almost instantly lost intrest and stopped caring. And the only reason he remembered Loki's name at all was the fact his ears were still ringing from the large oaf's loud voice.

As they stepped into the food hall, Erebus quickly seperated himself from the Asgardians. Since the dining hall was much more dimly lit than outside, Erebus let his shades sit down the bridge of his nose. He walked for the furtherest, most secluded table, in the far corner of the food hall. As he stepped, he could feel himself being watched. Erebus was used to blending into the shadows, out of attention and notice, regardless of where he went. So being watched felt unnerving and uncomfortable, however only one thing was on his mind at the time: liquor, and he would not be swayed from his mission.

Erebus reached his table and as he took his seat, with his back to the rest of the dining hall, the light bulb in the fixture above him flickered twice and then burnt out. "Aww...." Erebus exhaled deeply as if saying 'one problem down'. Erebus spoke slowly and softly as he cast his hand's shadow on the table. "χύσει το άδειο δοχείο." (pour out the empty bowl) With this incantation, Erebus could reach into his shadow and from it draw out anything from another shadow. However, in his weakened state, Erebus felt the connection with all shadows and darkness falter. He could not focus on every shadow, every silhouette, every form of darkness like he normally could. Erebus was starting to become enraged but before it settled in, he remembered a bottle of ancient wine he had hidden away. All he needed to do was focus on the shadow of the wine bottle, buried within the grave of a young roman woman he had met while in Italy millenniums earlier. He had visited her grave often and remembered its exact location. Every few centuries or so, since her death, he would exhume her grave and rebury her within a new coffin, along with the bottle of wine and a few other trinkets he kept hidden. 

"There you are..." Erebus whispered out darkly as he finally connected with the bottle within the darkness of the woman's coffin. He slowly reached inside his hand's shadow and drew forth the bottle. It was aged thousands of years, with a veil of dust encrusted into the glass after years, even the bottle looked like it was from far before the epoch of Anno Domini. 

Erebus had been saving this for over 2000 years, saving it for a day just like his, saving it for a truly s**ty day. The bottle had a bee wax cork and candle wax used to seal it, but neither of these lasted on the bottle longer than a second before Erebus had torn it away. 

Erebus gazed softly into the bottle, gentle remembrances of his past went through his mind. Erebus needed to stop them. He took the bottle to his lips and began to drank slowly, savoring every drop.

Thanato, God of peaceful death woke up with a groan, “Brother? Why am I awake? I don’t need to be awaken quite yet.” He muttered as he sat up and rubbed his head. He plinked as he looked at his hand, “What in the-” he started to say as he heard thunder in the distance, “…Show off…” he muttered thinking it was Zeus, with a sigh he stood up and saw his reflection in a broken window. Thanatos quickly ran up to the window and looked.

He recognized who was in it, but that is what caused him great alarm. It wasn’t him it was a boy he had touched causing the boy to die happy and peacefully. “If this is another of Hermes jokes I am not amused…” he muttered as he saw his sword and dagger near him. He blinked as he touched them concentrating as he made them into shadows. He looked up as he heard a raven caw and frowned… he sensed someone familiar… but could it be? “Erebus?” he thought as he ran in that direction avoiding the honking and the speeding metal mortal carriages as he reached the place of learning. He followed the trail and barged in. He spotted right away it was a place of dining and saw a man with slicked back hair eating alone, a red haired man whose appetite seemed endless from the two platters of food he carried, two mortal women, one whom he thought he recognized from the tales of his sister Keres… she called it her masterpiece when her family was slaughtered, he called it revolting. Finally he saw who he was looking for and walked right up to the man wearing a pinstripe suit looking as old as the mortal he caused the death of and now was stuck in his shell. He sat right across from him, “Hello, where is Hypnos?” he asked softly, his voice like soft, fresh, upturned dirt.

Erebus continued to drink from his bottle as if he didn't even notice when Thanatos sat down across from him. He set the bottle down slowly, eyes closed softly and his face blank of emotion. "What makes you think I would know?" Somehow, with the number of deities he'd met that day, he wasn't surprised to his see one of his bastard children. He slowly opened his eyes and with a glare that could stop hearts, stared straight into Thanatos' eyes.

Under the table, Erebus' shadow began to shift across the ground, as a dark wicked feminine laughter echoed out through out the dining hall. Erebus reached up, lifted his fedora from his head and set it in front of him on the table, beside his wine. He lifted the bottle back to his lip and drank slowly and deeply, letting the cool, ancient alcohol run against his tongue.

Loki watched the drama ensue as the new person entered. He also seemed to look at Thor, who as usual had pile mountains of food and drinks for himself to consume. Loki shook his head at this and continued drinking his drink, now used to the fizziness. He looked around to see what he could do in the mean time as he took out the key he placed around his neck and examined the chain. "tis not an Midgard metal or Asgardian... so where did it come from?" he pondered to himself with a slight frown on his face. He then stood up and headed to the door intent on heading to the library to find out. He lbrushed lightly past Thor as he did so.

Thanatos wanted to hit him… but he knew better than to do that as much as he hated to admit it, this man in front of him, his father, was stronger than him… for now even more so since he is now trapped in this shell, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and stared straight back at him with an equal force, Erebus as he began to speak in his native tongue as he leaned closer to him his arms on the table, “Αδελφός που αναφέρονται το όνομα πριν Ι ήταν σφραγισμένα, δεν ήταν η τελευταία λέξη δεν άκουσα από τον…” he relayed to him in a voice almost in a whisper making sure only he could hear him, ((Brother mentioned your name before I was sealed, it was the last word I heard from him…)) he heard the giggle and frowned as he glanced down he recognized that laugh, “oh great Keres is here as well…” he thought with a sigh as he turned his attention back to his conversation.

“Θέλω να είστε προσεκτικοί όταν χρησιμοποιείτε το power εδώ ... δεν ξέρουμε ποιος είναι εδώ, ή γιατί είμαστε εδώ. Αλλά διαισθάνομαι θανάτου στον αέρα ... και οχι δεν είναι…” ((I would be careful about using your power here... we do not know who is here, or why we are here. But I sense death in the air... and no it is not her.)) He told him as he stood up and wiped the hair out of his face, he walked on to find a place where he could sit, he saw one man stand up and start to head towards the door leading out. Thanatos gently stepped out of his way.