Practical Mythology, 1/4/12, Period 2, [Class Session 1]

[olympian-herc.livejournal.com]

Hercules was not a man of subtlety. Despite not needing it at all this week, he had the class meet in the Danger Shop. Once the students entered, they'd find themselves in a replica of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. A place long lost to decay and ruin in modern times, but this was all shining marble, dazzling gold, polished ivory. Classical decadence combined with the finest of architecture.

In front of the giant statue of Zeus was a series of plush cushions. In front of the cushions, at the feet of the statue, sat Hercules himself. He wore not the modern outfit of micro fibers and dragon skin armor plates. Today, it was back to the classics. The sash, the battle skirt, the long sandals with leather straps that went up to his thighs.

Once the class had gathered, he clapped his hands together and spoke in his booming, happy voice.

"I am Hercules," he greeted the class. "Some of you already know me. For those that do not, I must make it clear I am... well if not the Hercules, I am definitely a Hercules, in this multitude of multiverses. The son of Zeus, the conqueror of the twelve labors, faithful Argonaut, hero of Brooklyn, former star of my own reality television show, and so on and on. This class is called practical mythology because I want you to know two things. One, these myths are not merely story, for they have actually happened. Two, the lessons they teach are real, and ones that you can apply to your lives, even in this modern world of iPads and Snookis and occupation movements."

He cracked his knuckles and pointed behind him, up at the face of the statue of Zeus.

"This is a statue of my father, the lord of Olympus, the sky father, god of lightning. We will learn more of him next week. Mostly, he's a stubborn ass who cares more about wetting his whistle than anything else. We are here in a replica of one of his temples, because I thought it fitting. But before we can learn the lessons of the past, I would like us all to learn about each other. Camaraderie, knowing your fellow student, this is important not only for this class, but for life. The bonds of friendship are some of the most important, and I do hope to forge bonds that go beyond merely student-teacher and fellow students. Today we start forging friendships and learning more about one another. To that end, I want everyone to introduce their self. Give us your name, your grade, why you signed up for this course, and one interesting fact about yourself. Then, after introductions, I want you to pair up with another student and just talk. Find some common ground, perhaps you both enjoy the same television or book, or perhaps you come from the same country or something of that sort."

Hercules cleared his throat. "I will start. My name is Hercules, as I have said. I am not a student, so I have no 'grade'. I teach this course due to my personal knowledge of having either been there, or having spoken with most of the figures involved in classic myth. Through my time in Olympus and other travels. It seemed natural for me to share this knowledge."

Pity he didn't actually remember it all due to the whole 'getting hit on the head for a living' thing. But that was a problem for the coming weeks.

"For one interesting fact, I am currently a fugitive from Olympus itself." He grinned a bit at that. "I may have broken into an armory of the gods and taken a few items to use in the battle against those who would do evil. Hardly a true crime."

He pointed to a student at random. "You, you can go next."

[ooc: OCD coming up! Class is in session.]

Comments

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"He's a demi-god. His father flitted on down from Olympus to bed one if your kind," Loki explained with all the kindness in his heart. His tiny, black little heart. "I have no mortal blood running through my veins."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

Karla raised her eyebrow a little at that. "Not one of my kind," she said. "The Blood are descended from dragons."

It was a kneejerk reaction to Loki's assumption of superiority and her face flamed almost as soon as she finished speaking. Dammit, Loki. "Err, rather," she stuttered, "that is to say...there's nothing wrong with being a land--mortal. Person."

She was just going to shut up right now.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"Blood?" He asked curiously.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"My people," Karla explained. "We come from a different world. The Blood are the people of all races on my world who are born with the inborn ability to do Craft, a gift that was passed down to us from the great dragons of our world before they returned to the Darkness."

Excellent. She'd managed to go an entire answer without being offensive. Gold star, Karla.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

Well, it was Loki she was talking to there...

"So there are people who are not of Blood then," he replied, head tilted to the side as he put this world together in his head like a jigsaw puzzle. "One would assume. And what is this Darkness that put your dragons to sleep?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"Landens," Karla said. "The non-Blood members of every race." And, as always, defined by their lack, instead of the Blood being defined by what they had. "The Darkness is the beginning of all things, the existence between the stars and around the Winds. We are born from the Darkness and we return to it once our bodies die and the psychic reserves from our minds is gone."

Because the whole 'bodily death' didn't matter so much as long as there was still Craft to keep you going.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"Landens," Loki repeated as though to test the word. "Ah, what lies beyond your understanding."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"The source of our powers," Karla said, deliberately not answering that last observation. So, ummm, yes. "It's not a god, or, at least, what I've come to understand the term to mean. It just is."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"Just as many things are," Loki replied easily. "There are godly things as I gather many of your kind view them and then there are Godly things. They are not the same."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"Until I came here, I had heard of either," Karla said. "We honor the Darkness and revere it, but we don't worship it. That's just silly."

The Blood worshipped nothing, not even Witch. Why should they? They were clearly the pinnacle of everything.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"I haven't asked anyone to worship me," he pointed out. "The opinions and deeds of mortals are rarely of our concern."

Until Asgard was on Earth, that was. But it was more curiosity than anything else.

"Other than the ones with a fondness for young flesh. That tends to be more Greek."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"If you did, I would laugh," Karla admitted. "So what do gods do if they have no truck with mortals? What makes a god a god anyway?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"We exist, the same as your lot." Loki shrugged, looking away. "What makes a mortal? Small, insignificant lifespan? Perhaps some have powers, perhaps some don't. A god is what your people have called us from when they still feared the wolves in the darkness, huddled in their little caves."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"One of my uncles is over fifty thousand," Karla said wryly.

...She wasn't going to explain that that lifespan was a rather surprising one for even her people. And that he belonged to a long-lived race that she did not.

"That still doesn't exactly explain what a god is or does. You are a god because several thousand years ago, people called you one?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

Loki just hummed thoughtfully. Like it was just another piece to a the puzzle.

"Do?" he asked with a laugh. "What makes you think we do anything?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"From the myths I've heard, I'm rather inclined to agree. But what separates you from mortals like me?" Karla asked. "How do you know that I'm not a god, too?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"You're not," he assured her with a snort that possibly more than just a little condescending.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"Thank the Darkness for that," she sniffed. "Though I have yet to hear you give a good explanation of what a god is."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"And you'll never hear one," Loki replied. "Though, I must say, coming to me was possibly the wrong first step. I have... reputation, shall we say?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

Karla raised an eyebrow. "I assure you, you're a little late for my virtue."

And from the way Loki kept talking about mortals, that probably wasn't what he'd been talking about anyway.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

Loki gave her a disgusted look. "Curious how your mind goes there."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

Karla waved around at the temple of Zeus. "What little I know of gods, I learned from the Greeks," she admitted. "Plus, when males have a reputation at home, that's generally what they mean."

And it was funny.

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"You really don't know terribly much, do you?"

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[glacial_queen]

"You haven't exactly been helpful with that, have you?" Karla said. "I could say the same thing if you tried talking about kindred physiognomy."

Re: Grab a Partner and Talk!

[abitlowkey]

"I'm not interrogating you on the subject of your expertise," Loki replied easily. "Nor am I inclined to give you more answers on the subject of gods. You are quite a difficult and rude girl, aren't you?"