[this whole thing with the animated comic book panels would actually be pretty cool if it wasn't so invasive. will is not really a fan of seeing the events of his life play out for everyone to see in full color and high definition - but there's no stopping it.
when he raises a hand to wave to rita, a set of panels pops up.]
Will heard a splatter from behind the rock.
He nearly jumped in fright. Next there was a sickening tearing sound, then a pained cry. Had the cynocephali found another victim first? Were they eating each other? He fleetingly wondered if this had bought him some time, and he suddenly knew he couldn't just sit there and wait for them to attack first.
He was a demigod! The son of Apollo! And his boyfriend needed him now.
There was another grouping of stones a few metres away, so Will pressed his hands and feet into the ground and sprang forward, racing to the rocks and diving behind them. He was overjoyed to see his backpack sitting there, and he quickly pulled out his hoodie and put it on. Then he hoisted the pack onto his shoulders. Another bright flash illuminated his surroundings, so Will poked his head above the rock.
He could not believe what he saw.
An entire pack of cynocephali were fighting a large, translucent, glowing cat. The feline hissed and growled at one of the dog-headed monsters, then swiped an enormous paw at it, drawing blood. The big cat leaped onto the cynocephalus and tore at its neck, then jumped out of the way as another member of the pack tried to attack. The cynocephalus on the ground jerked around a bit, and then its body dissolved.
The cat turned in Will's direction, and he was able to see its fierce front fangs, which hung down below its bottom jaw, red with the blood of cynocephali. It had a spotted pattern over its coat, making it look a whole lot like a –
Wait.
Like a sabre-toothed tiger.
"Small Bob?" Will said, rising.
The feline's ears perked up, and then it bounded in his direction. For a moment Will believed he'd made yet another terrible mistake, but the cat skidded to a stop in front of him and shrank. Seconds later, it was a... a cat.
A regular house cat with an orange-and-brown calico coat, and it was purring, slipping in and out of Will's legs.
"You're kidding me," muttered Will.
He wanted to kneel down and pet it – because it was evil not to pet a cat that was being so friendly – but he had a more immediate problem to deal with.
The other cynocephali were closing in.
The lead one lifted its top lip in a growl as it advanced. Will quickly counted, and once he got to twelve he realized that maybe he had a better use for his time.
"Small Bob," he said. "If you can understand me, I need you to do that sabre-toothed-tiger thing again."
The cat purred and rubbed his head on Will's leg.
"Right now would be great!"
Small Bob meowed.
"Any second now!"
The cynocephali circled Will, and the leader lowered its head, preparing to pounce.
"Please don't scratch me," said Will as he bent down and picked up Small Bob. He pressed the cat to his chest with his hand covering Small Bob's other ear, and with his free hand he put his fingers to his lips. The lead cynocephalus leaped at him.
And Will let loose an earsplitting whistle.
The cynocephalus dropped in mid-jump and cried out in pain while the flock of Stymphalian birds fell from the air. The rest of the dog-headed men tumbled all over themselves and one another, giving Will what he needed – a temporary advantage. He let go of Small Bob, who jumped out of Will's arms. Before the cat hit the ground, there was a flash, and Will could see the skeletal outline of Small Bob as he grew, his legs and paws and body swelling and elongating until a full-fledged sabre-toothed tiger hit the packed earth.
Small Bob wasted no time. He decimated as many cynocephali as he could while they were incapacitated, and Will stood there in shock, watching the spirit-like cat lay waste to nearly a full pack of dog-headed monsters. Blood spilled on the ground, and the dead cynocephali disappeared, sent back to regenerate here in Tartarus again. Small Bob had killed nearly all the creatures when a new sound rang out from down the hill.
A voice.
"Get back here!" it snarled.
And there, darting in between some intact regeneration pods, was Nico and his glowing purple sword.
"Nico!" Will called out, his heart leaping in both excitement and terror.
He briefly glanced back to Small Bob, who was fighting three cynocephali at once.
"You seem to be doing just fine here," Will told the cat. "I'm gonna go save my boyfriend!"
Small Bob roared. Will thought it sounded a lot like a roar of encouragement.
So, in the myths, spartoi were warriors that sprung up from drakon's teeth that were sown in the earth. But this little guy - years back, there was a mix-up at a museum, I think? The people trying to create them sowed a saber-toothed tiger's teeth, instead.
Yeah, something like that. I don't really get all the details myself, but - the facts are, he exists, and he's super tough. But also super friendly? He's a good cat.
[ rita is still thinking deeply about the scientific explanations for how a cat can also be a magical buddy, when another set of panels appear. here's a memory. ]
[well. he does try to politely look away from the panels to give rita her privacy, but whenever he does the panels pop up in front of him again, so. he can't.
Yeah, it's - it's one of the only safe places for people like us. We're brought there and trained while we're young, that way when we go out into the world we're equipped to defend ourselves from whatever comes up. [he chuckles] ...and things do come up.
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week 4, tuesday
Date: 2023-10-18 01:00 pm (UTC)when he raises a hand to wave to rita, a set of panels pops up.]
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Date: 2023-10-18 02:22 pm (UTC)That's a pretty incredible cat...
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Date: 2023-10-18 10:01 pm (UTC)Right? He's super tough!
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Date: 2023-10-19 04:31 am (UTC)[ whose kitty is this. ]
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Date: 2023-10-19 05:06 am (UTC)[first "him" being small bob, second "him" being bob. words are so hard.]
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Date: 2023-10-19 05:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-19 05:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-20 06:15 am (UTC)... Any idea why he can do that whole transformation thing?
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Date: 2023-10-20 02:54 pm (UTC)So, in the myths, spartoi were warriors that sprung up from drakon's teeth that were sown in the earth. But this little guy - years back, there was a mix-up at a museum, I think? The people trying to create them sowed a saber-toothed tiger's teeth, instead.
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Date: 2023-10-20 03:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-21 06:50 am (UTC)Yeah, something like that. I don't really get all the details myself, but - the facts are, he exists, and he's super tough. But also super friendly? He's a good cat.
[anyway give me a rita mem]
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Date: 2023-10-21 08:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-21 03:22 pm (UTC)instead, he's just floored by what he sees.]
Whoa.
[eloquent.]
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Date: 2023-10-21 03:48 pm (UTC)Impressive, right? No one's ever used magic to create a spirit before.
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Date: 2023-10-21 03:49 pm (UTC)[SUPER impressive. he is impressed.]
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Date: 2023-10-22 04:16 am (UTC)Y... yeah. It was.
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Date: 2023-10-22 04:50 am (UTC)[he is clearly fascinated]
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Date: 2023-10-22 06:01 am (UTC)So after that, we went on to create more spirits.
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Date: 2023-10-22 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-22 10:09 am (UTC)... and then, thousands.
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Date: 2023-10-22 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-22 04:52 pm (UTC)There's a reason people call me a genius.
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Date: 2023-10-22 04:55 pm (UTC)[he grins]
Man. I'd love to see you sit down with some of the people from the Athena and Hephaestus cabins - you guys would come up with so much neat stuff.
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Date: 2023-10-22 04:56 pm (UTC)[ she doesn't really know much about it. ]
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Date: 2023-10-22 05:00 pm (UTC)Yeah, it's - it's one of the only safe places for people like us. We're brought there and trained while we're young, that way when we go out into the world we're equipped to defend ourselves from whatever comes up. [he chuckles] ...and things do come up.
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