Arcadian Forest Party

[askmenosecrets]

This was more work that he usually bothered to put in, Pan thought, especially here, at home, but everything was set.




At first glance, it appeared to be a forest clearing, beautiful and wild but nothing different than a hundred other clearings spread throughout the woods of the Arcadian mountains. But when you looked again, Pan thought, you saw something quite different. Hidden in the trees were a series of structures suspended in air, hung with ivy and dew, and through the mist-shrouded branches you could see the faint glow of light, and you could smell the scent of fire and food. There was the fire pit, a circle suspended in the arms of a large oak with a crackling golden fire, a roast, and bowls of marshmallows, chocolate and crackers waiting. There was the bar, stocked with a rich variety of wines and alcohols and staffed by two of the satyrs. And then there was the forest floor itself, bare now, but waiting for the dancing. On all sides of the floor, there were cushions on the low branches and benches of fallen logs, each accompanied with wooden buckets full of wine and beer bottles and glassed suspended with vine.

"Well," he said to Zaffre, currently wrapped around his neck, "I think we're ready." Pan flicked a leaf off his forest green turtleneck and looked around with approval before pausing. "We're almost ready," he corrected, and pulled his pan flute up to his lips.

The forest filled with music as he played, music that began as the mystical songs of the flute, but transformed as he let the instrument fall to his side - transformed into thrumming, sensual rhythms and intricate guitars that would encourage the party-goers to...well, Pan thought with a sharp grin, to be bad. Very bad.

"Let the games begin," Pan said.

[Notes: Everyone in fortuna_invicta is invited, the more the merrier in Pan's opinion. If anyone needs directions to the right section of the forest, let Pan know on the SWS post. Mingle! Get drunk! Stuff your face! Find a secluded tree and do naughty things! Pan approves highly of all these pursuits. Format = narrative third person, if you please!]

Comments

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

She took her glass and took a long sip. She clearly wasn't going to be drinking herself into a stupor before mingling. "Well, I got this random text about a party, and then Pan brought me here. I'm a friend of Apollo's, you see. I, ummm, I'm a little intimated, to be honest."

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"Any friend of Apollo's." And how odd it felt to be saying that after so many centuries of thinking the opposite. Eros grinned as he accepted his own glass and squeezed her arm against his side. "Intimidated? Don't be, darling, it only encourages them."

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

Addie laughed a little at his words, feeling just a touch relaxed. "Well, okay, I'll try. I'm just afraid that if I say something wrong, I'm going to be turned into a tree."

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that's only happened a few times," Eros said with a dismissive wave of his drink. "Pan would never allow such rudeness at his party."

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

And that made her both on ease, and also concerned again. Addie figured that's how she would always feel if she continued seeing Apollo. "That's a relief, I suppose," she replied. "So I have to know, how do you feel about western culture's depiction of you? I personally like this one more."

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"Oh no," Eros groaned, holding his glass against his forehead to ward off the headache. "Little winged cherubs with heart-tipped bows? Valentine's Day, Hallmark. Honestly, the first six weeks of the new year are mortifying. It's also one of my busiest times, so I can't just hide out in my temple until it's over."

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

"My apologies. You know, it's shame they didn't get your actual likeness. I think I would prefer to see you on my Valentine's cards. But I've always preferred men to boys."

...how strong had this screwdriver been? Why was she spouting off things like this?

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

Loose tongues were a side-effect of proximity to Eros. One of the many reasons he held the title Eleutherios, or the Liberator, along with Dionysus.

He laughed, his smile warming as he took a sip of his drink, watching her over the rim. "That's very kind of you, darling. I'd be more than willing to model, if only they would ask."

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

Addie giggled as she took another sip of her screwdriver. Giggling, honestly?

"If I ever make a friend in the greeting card industry, I'll make sure to suggest it."

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"You're too kind to me," Eros murmured. He tried to make an effort to ratchet down his influence a few notches; it was still strong from his introduction to Freya.

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

She cleared her throat and downed the rest of her screwdriver. "So ummm, do you have a house elsewhere like Apollo does? Or do you still like to hang out on Mt. Olympus?"

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"My only home is my temple on Olympus, but I don't spend much time there," he answered, leaning against the bar again. "I mostly sleep, when I'm at home," he answered with a laugh. "I'm out in the world most of the time. What do you do? And how did you meet Apollo, if you don't mind my asking?"

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

She asked the satyr for another drink before turning back to Eros. "The long term goal is to be a professional singer. The current career is bartending. And that's how I met Apollo. He wandered into my bar, we struck up a conversation, I didn't freak out when he told me who he was, and then he invited me to his beach house."

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"Sounds like you did just exactly the right thing," Eros answered with a grin. "It's nice there, isn't it? So relaxing, and just gorgeous. What kind of a singer are you?" Then his grin went mischievous. "Do we get a demonstration tonight?"

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

Addie nodded. "Yeah, it is. So peaceful and beautiful. It's really a shame that I've only gotten to spend a couple days there." At his questions she blushed a little. "I'm a soft kind of pop. Like a grown-up, non-country, Taylor Swift. As for a demonstration, ah, well...if you want..."

Addie never had a problem with stage fright, but when asked to perform in front of deities...that was a different story all together.

[lovessweetbait.livejournal.com]

"I do want. Although...maybe I'll be selfish and request a solo performance." He drained his glass and set it on the bar with a wink at Demetrius, then took Addie's hand and tugged her toward the dance floor. "After a dance."

[addiesands.livejournal.com]

"I think starting with a solo performance would be much better." She was only able to catch another mouthful of her screwdriver before nodding. There was no way that she was going to be to turn down a dance. So she abandoned her glass at the bar and followed him to the dance floor.