Phobos Test Scene

[call_me_phobos]

The meeting with Grandfather hadn't gone well.

At all.

Zeus felt that Alexander was not appropriately grateful for his place in the pantheon, granted to him only a few years ago. Okay, so he'd made some mistakes and upset a couple of the other gods on Olympus, but he couldn't be blamed if they just weren't able to keep up with a child of the modern age. After all, he was the son of the God of War, right? It was kind of his job to keep people on their toes wasn't it? 

All in all, Zeus decided that Alex needed a bit of humbling before he could return. So it was that Phobos, God of Fear, was stripped of the larger portion of his divinity and forbidden to return to Olympus until he 'learned humility and respect for those who came before him'. Alex very narrowly suppressed the urge to ask Zeus if he, himself, had done so when he deposed Cronos and the Titans. Wisely, he chose not to go there.

Father decreed that he should return to Earth and get started on his penance and while Alexander was annoyed at being shuffled off to Earth...there was at least one upside to his exile.

He appeared in the living room of his little sister, Roxanne, with his sword and bag.

"Sister? Are you here? I've come to visit."
 

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[call_me_phobos]

Alexander moved to sit down on the couch with his sister. She was the only person allowed to shorten his name. He never minded it from her. Father used to do it but once he became a man, Ares addressed him as 'Alexander' and that was that.

"Olympus just isn't the place for me right now and I wanted to come to Earth and see my sister. It's also ridiculously easy to make money here and I was thinking of starting up a business. I had a few ideas but I have to find something that people need and then give it to them." he said.

"And no, I won't bring the fear of Olympus to the Upper East Side unless it deserves such. Does it deserve such?"

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie shortened everyone's name, unfortunately. It was a habit. Vincent, when they'd been dating, had been Vince.

He was only Vincent now that they were broken up.

"Market it correctly, and people will believe they need anything," Roxie said, perhaps a touch too cynically. "How do you think the doughnut burger happened? Or pajama jeans?"

"Probably not," Roxie said with a laugh. "I can think of Avengers villains who could use a healthy - unhealthy? - dose of that fear, but not anyone here, specifically."

She paused. "You aren't avoiding Zeus for making goo-goo eyes at one of his romantic marks, are you?"

[call_me_phobos]

"I was really hoping both of those things you just named were bad jokes and not real things. I guess humanity still has some surprises in it." he laughed.

Her question about Zeus made him pause as well. He sighed.

"According to Grandfather, I'm a spoiled, arrogant boy with no regard for how things are done. I'm supposed to be learning 'humility and respect for those who came before me' during my exile." Alex said.

"Oh and I've been lowered back to my demi-god status." he sad. "So...yeah, as humans say it. I suppose it could be worse. And now I need to find something worthwhile to do with my life because I /refuse/ to go back to Olympus and apologize. I am far better than that." he said.

[avengingwarbird]

"Oh no, they're real," Roxie nodded. "One of the women who pushed the doughnut burgers now has diabetes, and the pajama jeans...well, nothing good can ever come of that," she said. "

Roxie listened to Alex's unfortunate story and frowned. "Thousands of years, and apparently he'll still never change," she said finally. "At least Grandmother likes me." She had a fairly close relationship with Hera. Olympian gold was partially how Roxie afforded her extravagant lifestyle.

"So you're one of...me...now," Roxie said, wryly. "I'm sorry about that, but at the same time, I don't care because it means I get my brother for an extended period of time."

[call_me_phobos]

"Grandmother says she'll speak to Grandfather on my behalf but that I shouldn't expect anything in the near future. Either way, she gave me some gold to work with so I have to figure out how to turn it into American dollars." Alexander said.

"Yes, I'm merely a demigod again. But I figured that now you can show me that good time you always promised. We can go to nightclubs and watch people fail at dating or picking up women." he laughed.

"I missed you, though, Roxanne. Olympus has many delights but it's not quite the same without my little sister. So...is Vincent going to be popping in tonight to take you out? I would like to know if I'll have to entertain myself this evening while you two are having fun.

Speaking of which, is he treating you well?" Alex asked.

[avengingwarbird]

"I know a place," Roxie said, waving her hand. "No questions asked, and generally, you get a little more than it's actually worth."

She paled a little bit at the mention of Vincent. Roxie hadn't really thought to fill Alex on everything that had gone on with her lately - from the Kreenapping to breaking up with Vincent to, well, Joe. Whatever was going on there.

"I missed you too," she finally said. "More than you know." She'd dealt somewhat okay with everything that had happened, but she hadn't really been sure how to break any of the bad news to her older brother.

He was, after all, her older brother. They tended to be overprotective.

"Vince and I broke up," she added after a moment. "A couple of months ago. Hence, the new digs," she said. "I let him keep my old apartment, since it was unfair to expect him and his little sister to move out after it had been their home, too." More that she wasn't saying? Oh, yes.

[call_me_phobos]

True concern appeared in Alexander's expression just then. Despite his reservations about his sister's choice of suitors, the only thing he wanted was for Roxanne to be happy. If a stuffy Asgardian mage made her happy, then Alexander couldn't really object to that.

But he could poke fun at the guy all he wanted, right?

"I'm sorry, Roxanne." he said, pulling her into a hug. "Why didn't you call me? I wouldn't have told Father if you didn't want me to. Does he know? Because I'm pretty sure if he knows, you'll be getting a visit from some hotshot favorite of his in the near future. He's always had that whole thing about you being with a Greek." Alexander said.

"You were kind to give them your home but at least here, you have your privacy." he said.

"Besides, with the idea that just popped into my head, I think you'll want to remain available for the near future." he said.

[avengingwarbird]

"I'm fairly certain that if Dad could resurrect Achilles or Theseus or Perseus or someone, he'd do it just to get them with me," Roxie laughed. "But he needs to understand that I'm more than just an Olympian demigoddess." She was human, too.

...and Kree.

A frown shadowed her features. She was tired of thinking about that, of remembering it, of being haunted by it, but it was so difficult to cut free from those events.

It had been easy with Joe, but Joe was disconnected from those events, and he was a reminder of a happier, simpler time.

Being around him made Roxie happier, too.

"Because there were some reasons why I broke up with Vince, and I didn't...want you and Dad to do something rash?" Because they so totally would have, Roxie was sure.

Pushing the thoughts of the Kreenapping away, she tilted her head as she peered at her brother. "What idea might that be?" she asked with caution in her voice.

[call_me_phobos]

"My idea is simple. I am a great artist. I draw extremely well. People need clothing for every season, don't they? They need dinnerwear and breakfast wear and stuff for parties and stuff for just relaxing with friends, right?" Alexander asked.

"Well...I could provide that for them. I can design clothes that not only look good, but are affordable. People want what they can afford, right? Yes, I think designing clothes would be a good way to show Grandfather that I'm a capable person.

But...who would wear these clothes? Who could get people to want to wear these clothes? I would need a model who exudes charisma, fashion sense and sex appeal. A woman that all women want to be and all men want to be with.

Now where would I find a woman like that?" Alexander asked innocently, smiling at his sister.

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie raised an eyebrow. "Alexander Aaron Designs?" She considered the idea for a moment before saying, "You know, it does have a certain ring to it. The name, the alliteration. It works well." Better than Phobos would as a name, in any case, all things considered. "As for the latter question, well. There's Aphrodite," Roxie said. Then she grinned. "And there's me, if that's where you were going with this."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander smiled brightly. "Alexander Aaron Designs...I like it. I'm going to use it." he said.

"I meant women I liked. Aphrodite is not one of my favorite people. You, on the other hand, are. I want you to be the face of my new company, Roxanne. It will give you something to do when you aren't punching evil-doers in the face." Alex said.

He paused a moment.

"Did Vincent hurt you? I promise that you can tell me and I'll wait a full day before I consider what to do about it." he said.

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie grinned. "I'm glad you approve," she nodded. And then, without hesitation, she added, "if you really want me as the face, then I'm only too glad to do it," she nodded. Roxie had, after all, some modeling experience in her background, both for print and on the ramp. She was no stranger to any of that.

"No. Vincent was never anything but loving and doting and pampering and passionate," Roxie said. "He treated me like a goddess," she added. "There were other, external circumstances that led us to breaking up." She paused for a moment, carefully considering her words. "He was blindsided by my decision - all of the blame here rests on me."

[call_me_phobos]

"It is a woman's prerogative to change her mind." Alexander said. He was sure there was something that Roxanne wasn't telling him. That made him worry.

"Did you meet someone else? There is no shame in that. You are young, beautiful and desirable. If the Asgardian was smothering you, then you have the right to find something more to your liking." Alexander said.

"But does this external force have anything to do with the coloring of your hair? It looks wonderful on you, of course, but changing your hair wasn't always a first impulse with you."

[avengingwarbird]

"Countess Violet would agree with you," Roxie nodded sagely.

Carefully stepping aside the question of having met someone else - because man, did she not know where things stood there - she instead self-consciously touched her hair. "I needed something different for awhile," she said. "To be someone who I wasn't." She'd needed change.

[call_me_phobos]

"Different is good when it's for the right reasons." Alexander noted, seeing that sister was still holding something back. They'd always had a fairly open relationship but the only time that Roxanne hid things from him was when she thought he couldn't handle the information.

Coincidentally, that was the same reason she hid things from their father.

"So tell me what else is going on in your life? How are things with the Avengers? They haven't all killed each other yet, have they?" Alexander asked.

[avengingwarbird]

"No, but there have certainly been threats," she said, filling him in on the craziness with going to Jotunheim to rescue Audhilde, Marcus' issues with Vincent, and some of the other membership changes that had befallen the team as of late.

Which included Joe's returning and being put on reserves.

Still no mention of his living there, though.

"For the most part we're as stable as ever but," pause, "Wait, were you thinking of joining up?"

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander listened to the tale of Joutenheim and was amazed that the humans managed the courage to go after Loki Laufeyson of their own accord. The Avengers were rumored to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the new generation didn't disappoint.

When she mentioned Joe, however, Alexander's face darkened perceptibly.

"Joe Rogers is back? I thought he left without nary a backward glance at anyone who supposedly mattered to him." Alex said. Roxanne's girlhood crush on Joe Rogers was perceptible to anyone with a set of eyes to see. Alexander endured several questions about what boys like from his younger sister during that time.

And then Joe simply left without little word and stayed out of touch. Alexander thought his sister was saddened by Joe's departure for a time but she bounced back and started seeing other people. Still, it led him to go looking for the errant young Rogers on his sister's behalf so that he could tell Joe to remedy his mistake...

only to find him in the company of another woman when he was supposedly 'at school'. Alexander mere disliked Joe Rogers before but after seeing that he'd cast Roxanne's feelings into the trash so easily, Phobos detested Joe Rogers.

He would not let him hurt Roxanne again.

"And how is Samuel? That is his given name, isn't it? Where has he been? What's he been doing? Didn't he go off to become a warrior of some kind?" Alexander asked.

[avengingwarbird]

They tried not to. The Avengers had a reputation to maintain, and it was one that Roxie believed very deeply in. She loved the Avengers.

What she didn't love was how her brother's face darkened.

"It wasn't like that, Alex," Roxie jumped to her friend's defense perhaps a little bit too quickly. "It's...I honestly...that's his story to tell. He's been through some things, and he's trying to deal with all of it." And there was much to be dealt with. "He needs some lo - er - support, right now."

[call_me_phobos]

"Oh yes. The poor, put-upon son of the great Captain America. Such a rough go of life." Alexander said snidely. His disdain for Joe was apparent.

But the way his sister was defending the man...

"Oh no. He's already sucked you back in, hasn't he? He's not going to hurt you again."

[avengingwarbird]

"Sucked me back - Alex!" Roxie glared at her brother. "I'm not some wishy-washy woman who's just going to get sucked back in when the...when someone who...when Joe..." She stopped speaking and let out a deep, low breath. "We're just friends. He needs someone to lean on, and we're old friends. What kind of a person would I be to leave him out in the cold when he needs a place of warmth and acceptance?" She paused and then scooted over a little bit, to the opposite end of the couch she and Alex were sprawled across. A throw pillow found itself on her chest as she hugged it tightly. There was a look on her face that Alex would recognize - it was the same look Roxie tended to get whenever she was about to confess something that any given member of her family would vehemently disapprove of.

"He's also my housemate." Awkward, sheepish smile. "But that's it. There's no...you know."

[call_me_phobos]

"You mean he's living HERE?!" Alexander asked, raising his voice. He looked for all the world like their father in the throes of his anger. Phobos was not Ares, though. Ares anger was a flame that consumed everything in its path.

Phobos took a deep breath and looked about the room for his sword. There it was. Would he need to use it? Roxanne would be angry with him but if he was protecting her, she would thank him eventually.

"I remember how you felt about him, Roxanne. I remember when he left, you were not yourself for several days. You were very sad. Father almost dragged you to Olympus he feared so much for you." Alexander said quietly.

He paused.

"Vincent Amorason was at least one of /us/, Roxanne. He might be an Asgardian, but he understands what it is to be trapped between two worlds, fully belonging to neither. What could Joe Rogers possibly understand about you? He couldn't even begin to appreciate the woman you are.

You are the kindest and warmest person I know, which is hard to come by when you consider our father's temperament in some regards. But why is it /your/ job to take care of him? He should worship /you/ for even deigning to give him your momentary attention.

For all his faults, Amorason at least knew that, which is why he was tolerable." Alexander said.

[avengingwarbird]

"I appreciate that you love me so much and think so highly of me, Alex," Roxie said, moving the pillow aside. She was glad he hadn't torn into a rampage, looking to see if Joe was at home just then.

She was also glad that he hadn't jumped to simply threatening to put the fear of Olympus into Joe. The poor guy had been through more than his share of pain right now, anyway.

"It means a lot. As does the fact that you want me to be happy and safe." She took a deep breath, then, mulling over her next few words. "I know that you might not understand it, but Joe is my happy place. Despite his not having been around, when he came back, there was this little burst of...he helped me. To start coming out of a dark place. And I'm doing the same for him. I'm not asking for anything in return. We're just...we're two people in a place that not a lot of people would understand. And so we're leaning on each other for support as we try to get out of our respective dark places." Pause. "My personal feelings aside, he's a wonderful man."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander took a deep breath before he spoke his next words to his sister.

"You care for him, don't you?" he asked. "As more than a friend? Each thing you say about him is followed by something wistful, as though you don't expect him to return those feelings."

Alexander had never been in love. Between his mother's passing and his time in Olympus, love wasn't something he thought of. Sure, he'd enjoyed the company of beautiful women for a night or several but he'd never felt anything like what Roxie had with Vincent. He'd never spoken warmly of someone the way she did of Joe.

And he'd never loved a woman the way his father loved his mother, or Roxie's. The God of Fear, in his heart of hearts, wondered if he would ever know what that was like. But how could he, when he understood the darkest emotions that a human could possess?

"Perhaps it will go as I've seen it, then." he said, more to himself than her.

"I don't suppose any of your female friends will wish to model for me as well? I mean, you'll probably want days off now and again, right?" he asked, abruptly switching subjects to something that didn't darken his mood so much.

[avengingwarbird]

"You know me," she confessed, trying to keep it light. "I wear my heart on my sleeve."

She thought about Alex's words as she reached back and pulled her long mane of hair over to one shoulder. He'd whispered something to himself a moment earlier, but she hadn't quite caught what it was. She stared at him, puzzled, before finally saying, "You know how there's those girls who, you know, tend to have more male friends than she does female." She smiled wanly at him. "I'm one of those girls. But I can ask around the Avengers, see if anyone's interested." Her closest friend growing up had been one Brooke Wyngarde, until high school happened and Roxie grew obsessed with boys and partying and Brooke did with being the school's Queen Bee. They'd drifted apart after that, though they'd roomed together for awhile in college, until Roxie had gotten a place with Vince. Brooke was many things, but the modeling type was not one of them. She was too stiff, too self-conscious to let loose in front of the camera.

"Maybe Sofia Strange, or that new girl, Erin."

[call_me_phobos]

"That you do, sister. One member of our family should, since Father and I...tend to be less kind about certain things." Alexander smiled.

"Men flock to you because you can be like them without emasculating them. You're the woman they wish the would meet." Alexander chuckles.

"Please do ask around. I'd love to meet the female friends you /do/ have. I get the feeling they're well chosen." he grins.

Even with Roxie being the face of the company, he still needed other models to wear his designs. Perhaps there might be another diamond in the rough out there that he could do something for.

It would be nice to have a dark priestess to worship him, after all.

"Sofia Strange. I like the alliteration, much like my own name." he said.

[avengingwarbird]

"That's a light way of putting it," Roxie teased. "But yes, I'll ask around, see if there's anyone who's interested." She smiled. "I'm sure that there will be some girls who are."

As for dark priestesses, Roxie knew a couple of girls who could fill that role. Well, two, specifically. One was pretty, wild, and fun. The other was pretty, uptight, and possibly a sociopath.

"Sofia's fun. She, uh, had a thing with Remi - our displaced Atlantean prince - for awhile. She's the Sorceress Supreme over in Limbo, though here she's more of a magical warrior girl." Evidently, her powers were only at their strongest in Limbo. "Very strong, pretty face," she added.

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander nodded, listening to Roxie's description of Sofia. She sounded interesting, though this ex sounded as though he could be a problem. No matter.

"Sorceress Supreme of Limbo? She sounds powerful. Powerful is good. Men desire powerful women." he said.

"I know you'll bring me the best people you can find. Soon enough, I'll need men to work with you, too. I suppose I should work on that." he said.

"Is there anything I can help with, Roxanne? Anything you need at all? Don't feel like you have to hold back."

[avengingwarbird]

"Are you one of those men who desires powerful women?" Roxie asked wryly. While she'd been the one to have many romantic dalliances - indeed the last filled up most of the alphabet, starting from Apollo all the way down to Vincent - she was certain that her brother had less romantic entanglements than she did.

Which was a pity. She'd seen the way women - goddesses and mortals alike - as well as some men looked at Alex.

Frankly, she didn't blame them.

She paused and fiddled with the golden tassle on the pillow. Were there things he could help her with? She wanted the nightmares to stop. She wanted to be able to fly out into space again, without worrying about a surprise Kree ship waiting to nab her again. She wanted Joe to come back.

"I'm fine right now," she said instead, working her lips up into a smile. "Some issues I need to deal with, but if they get too bad, I promise I'll pull you into my chaos. For now, I'm just glad that you're here, even if the circumstances for it are less than stellar."

[call_me_phobos]

"Powerful women intrigue me. A woman who knows how to use power is attractive." he said, returning the smile.

Alexander's romantic entanglements, such as they were, were all one-sided. The women he'd been with seemed to fall hard for him when he was under the impression that they were just having fun. Nothing ruined good fun (re: no strings attached sex) faster than hearing about how much someone wanted to really be with you.

It had led to more than a few broken hearts with those women and a great deal of confusion on his side. Perhaps he'd find a woman on Earth whose biological clock wasn't ticking so loudly that he could hear it from across the room.

When Roxanne said she was fine, Alexander decided not to press it further. She would speak in her own time or otherwise start asking questions to get him to ask her about what was going on. Her mention of the circumstances of his visit brought something up that he'd been meaning to address with her.

"Roxanne, I want to apologize for not being here with you more often. I want you to know that it isn't your fault. I'm inherent self-centered and you know that. I should be trying to keep you close, considering that you're the only human family that I have left." he said.

"I did the same thing to my mother. Stayed away for long periods of time before showing up only to leave again. She...didn't deserve that treatment. If Father hadn't been there for her at the end, she would have died alone. I didn't get to say goodbye to her, but I won't make that mistake with you.

I will /always/ be here for you, no matter what. I promise you that." Alexander said, suddenly very serious and staring into his sister's eyes.

"Anything you need, I'll be here for you. Remember that."

[avengingwarbird]

"Let's not worry about the past," Roxie said. "I appreciate the sentiment, but you're here now, and that's honestly all I care about. The past stuff...I understand, and it isn't as though I couldn't have come up to Olympus if I didn't want to." She leaned across and pulled her brother into one of her stronger hugs. "But thank you, Alex. For being there for me. It goes without saying, but it means a lot."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander hugged his sister, feeling human again for a brief moment. She was all the humanity he had left. If he lost Roxanne...

he wouldn't think about that.

"Always, little sister. Always."