Mercy
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General
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Appearance
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Personality
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History
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Family&Relationships
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Other
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General Information
Name: Mercy
Pronunciation: Mer-See
Name Meaning: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm
Name Origin: Latin
Other Names: Merc
Gender: Female
Titles: The Swift, Assassin, Swiftshank, "That blue-eyed bitch"
Dominant Hand: Right, but ambidextrous
Astrological Sign:
Catchphrase:
Autograph: Can write in script, so yes
Handwriting: Smaller letters, tends to write quickly, but still relatively neat and legible
Pronunciation: Mer-See
Name Meaning: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm
Name Origin: Latin
Other Names: Merc
Gender: Female
Titles: The Swift, Assassin, Swiftshank, "That blue-eyed bitch"
Dominant Hand: Right, but ambidextrous
Astrological Sign:
Catchphrase:
Autograph: Can write in script, so yes
Handwriting: Smaller letters, tends to write quickly, but still relatively neat and legible
Appearance
Height: 7’9” / 6’4”
Weight: 150lbs / 145lbs
Species: One fucked up hybrid (Seranaean Ascendant, frost giant/jotun/aesir, Greek god, Greek primordial)
Race: white, by human standards
Blood Type: O-
Symbol:
Skin Color: Paler than milk, alabaster, NEEDS A TAN
Birthmarks:
Extra Anatomy: wings, eyelids
Somatotype: Ectomorph
Locomotion: flight, bipedal, anything else is secondary (woo shapeshifter!)
Hair Color: black
Hair Length: medium
Hair Type: more straight but there is a bit of a wave to it
Hair Style: Mercy usually leaves it down, allowing it to frame her face and get to about the bottom of her shoulderblades
Widow's Peak: no
Ear Shape: slight point
Ear Type: free-lobe
Eye Color: pale, icy blue. A bit unsettling, to humans
Eye Type: almond
Eyebrows: Not quite thin? Slight arch
Nose Color:
Nose Shape: Middle of button and hooked
Teeth: straight, white
Face Shape: more oval than heart
Complexion: Did I mention pale?
Facial Hair: Does she look like she performs in a fuckin’ circus sideshow to you??
Hat Size:
Shirt Size:
Waist Size:
Shoe Size:
Fur Color:
Fur Designs:
Fur Length:
Fur Type:
Tail Color:
Tail Design:
Tail Girth:
Tail Length:
Tail Type:
Weight: 150lbs / 145lbs
Species: One fucked up hybrid (Seranaean Ascendant, frost giant/jotun/aesir, Greek god, Greek primordial)
Race: white, by human standards
Blood Type: O-
Symbol:
Skin Color: Paler than milk, alabaster, NEEDS A TAN
Birthmarks:
Extra Anatomy: wings, eyelids
Somatotype: Ectomorph
Locomotion: flight, bipedal, anything else is secondary (woo shapeshifter!)
Hair Color: black
Hair Length: medium
Hair Type: more straight but there is a bit of a wave to it
Hair Style: Mercy usually leaves it down, allowing it to frame her face and get to about the bottom of her shoulderblades
Widow's Peak: no
Ear Shape: slight point
Ear Type: free-lobe
Eye Color: pale, icy blue. A bit unsettling, to humans
Eye Type: almond
Eyebrows: Not quite thin? Slight arch
Nose Color:
Nose Shape: Middle of button and hooked
Teeth: straight, white
Face Shape: more oval than heart
Complexion: Did I mention pale?
Facial Hair: Does she look like she performs in a fuckin’ circus sideshow to you??
Hat Size:
Shirt Size:
Waist Size:
Shoe Size:
Fur Color:
Fur Designs:
Fur Length:
Fur Type:
Tail Color:
Tail Design:
Tail Girth:
Tail Length:
Tail Type:
Health & Image
Diet: prefers meat
Exercise: all day every day
Fitness: quite fit, though not bulky/built up
Maximum Load:
Running Speed: breaks the sound barrier. With ease. Currently working on breaking the light barrier.
Posture: Excellent - the posture of the general that she isn’t, though it can change at a moment’s notice to fit in with a certain crowd.
Dexterity: Reasonable, though it’s still possible to catch her off guard (archers!!)
Reflexes: Fast
Abnormalities: Partial albino, burns quite easily (Looking at you, God)
Vulnerabilities: Right knee, eyes
Handicaps: Right knee has been worked over too much and not healed enough
Aids: shapeshifting, speed
Medication: None
Augmentations: none
Allergies: bullshit and stupidity, fucking thunder gods
Diseases: none
Illnesses: none
Disorders: slightly claustrophobic, if she's seriously overworked her powers (shifting back and forth multiple times and also calming more powerful deities, or multiple deities at once while on a battlefield) Mercy can and will have seizures. Usually absence, myoclonic or tonic. Has the tendency to pass out after them and not remember them at all, though she sure as hell will feel the lingering effects. They usually aren't the most severe, and as her abilities grow she'll have them less often after overextending herself.
Imperfections: Scars, lots of them
Broken Bones: Shattered ribs, shattered kneecap, legs and wings both broken or shattered many times over, shattered arm and collarbone, broken nose, to name a few
Reason for Health: When in doubt, blame Zeus. Seriously though, Aaron is an excellent bloodmage and Nyija’s a great healer
Wardrobe: casual, leather armor, can do formal when needed but doesn’t like it
Accessories: no
Equipment: leather armor, half-mask worn under hood. impervium schiavona and parry dagger, two daggers with frost enchantments, nordic steel/silver-edged saber (generally not used much, now)
Musical Instruments: can actually play a harp or lyre quite well, doesn't play them too often though
Amulets: no
Piercings: no
Hygiene: very clean
Makeup: no
Perfume / Cologne: Ehhhhh no
Scent: think crisp, fall/winter mountain air and pine
Scars: Lots of them, both emotional/mental and physical.
Tattoos: The swift’s wings on her back, silver in color, though they also change to reflect any injury or insult to her natural wings and can be painful to the touch if her real wings are injured.
Exercise: all day every day
Fitness: quite fit, though not bulky/built up
Maximum Load:
Running Speed: breaks the sound barrier. With ease. Currently working on breaking the light barrier.
Posture: Excellent - the posture of the general that she isn’t, though it can change at a moment’s notice to fit in with a certain crowd.
Dexterity: Reasonable, though it’s still possible to catch her off guard (archers!!)
Reflexes: Fast
Abnormalities: Partial albino, burns quite easily (Looking at you, God)
Vulnerabilities: Right knee, eyes
Handicaps: Right knee has been worked over too much and not healed enough
Aids: shapeshifting, speed
Medication: None
Augmentations: none
Allergies: bullshit and stupidity, fucking thunder gods
Diseases: none
Illnesses: none
Disorders: slightly claustrophobic, if she's seriously overworked her powers (shifting back and forth multiple times and also calming more powerful deities, or multiple deities at once while on a battlefield) Mercy can and will have seizures. Usually absence, myoclonic or tonic. Has the tendency to pass out after them and not remember them at all, though she sure as hell will feel the lingering effects. They usually aren't the most severe, and as her abilities grow she'll have them less often after overextending herself.
Imperfections: Scars, lots of them
Broken Bones: Shattered ribs, shattered kneecap, legs and wings both broken or shattered many times over, shattered arm and collarbone, broken nose, to name a few
Reason for Health: When in doubt, blame Zeus. Seriously though, Aaron is an excellent bloodmage and Nyija’s a great healer
Wardrobe: casual, leather armor, can do formal when needed but doesn’t like it
Accessories: no
Equipment: leather armor, half-mask worn under hood. impervium schiavona and parry dagger, two daggers with frost enchantments, nordic steel/silver-edged saber (generally not used much, now)
Musical Instruments: can actually play a harp or lyre quite well, doesn't play them too often though
Amulets: no
Piercings: no
Hygiene: very clean
Makeup: no
Perfume / Cologne: Ehhhhh no
Scent: think crisp, fall/winter mountain air and pine
Scars: Lots of them, both emotional/mental and physical.
Tattoos: The swift’s wings on her back, silver in color, though they also change to reflect any injury or insult to her natural wings and can be painful to the touch if her real wings are injured.
Voice
Accent / Dialect:
Voice: 4:00 onwards
Pitch:
Range:
Volume:
Laughter:
Impediments:
Voice Actor:
Voice: 4:00 onwards
Pitch:
Range:
Volume:
Laughter:
Impediments:
Voice Actor:
Detailed Appearance
The first thing most people notice about Mercy is her height. She's almost 8 feet of muscle and sinew, her lanky frame and long limbs advertising speed over strength. Lean, but not overly thin, Mercy is surprisingly light on her feet and moves with a silence that a woman of her size generally shouldn't be able to. Being a trait that was ground into her from birth in order to stay alive, it's likely that she couldn't pull off clumsy and uncoordinated if she tried, unless overly tired.
Mercy's skin is white. Almost like a vampire's in paleness. In the presence of Divine Light it can border on blinding, even, and there have been quite a few jokes about it, much to Mercy's displeasure. The skin itself is relatively smooth and soft, though the scars of battle after battle still show. Her hands are rough and calloused from years of working with blades, and scars cross her fingers and the backs of her palms. More scars wind their way up her wrists and arms, the result of blades and even the jagged teethmarks of a large canine over her right bicep. A line cuts through her right shoulder and stretches down and diagonally across, cutting down the side of her breast, across her abdomen to end on the outside of her left hip. It's a thin scar, and having been healed by magic rather than more mundane means it no longer hurts and is much more faded than it should be. A set of shallow clawmarks mar the left side of her neck as well, and there is another small cut from her ear to her jawline on the same side of her face, though these last two scars are kept mostly hidden by armor, if she is wearing it. A small scar follows the line of her jaw on the right side of her face as well, the result of a knife.
A tangled mess of scarring is also present on the back of her right knee, and being caused by a magical weapon and having never really been given the proper time to heal, it still can cause a good amount of pain and makes itself known when landing.
Mercy's face is somewhat sharply-featured, though it's nothing too out of the ordinary. If the myriad scars covering her body weren't enough to give away her age, her eyes certainly would. Ice blue, slightly elongated and curved, if someone can catch her in the right moment they can be dark and brooding, harsh and unforgiving, the look of a war-hardened, cold-hearted wretch.
Usually though, there is a hint of mischief in them, along with the tell-tale smirk that practically shouts the assassin is up to no good, planning something. For the most part Mercy actually looks pretty friendly, and she does her best to cultivate that look. Even so, once it's time for being serious, her face can go harsh in a second, her eyes turning as glacial as the ice they resemble, her jaw set in a stubborn line.
Mercy's hair is in stark contrast to her pale skin. Pure black, it falls in thick waves to the middle of her back and is usually kept down, though Mercy may occasionally pull it into a loose (and messy) braid, or if feeling particularly "girly" she may even pull it into a plait, though only if she's not expecting a fight and Mercy is generally too lazy and doesn't care enough to bother with it that much. Much like the rest of her family, her hair is thick and she otherwise has no body or pubic hair.
Across Mercy's back are a few scratches and small cars, but none of which are particularly noteworthy, as most are hidden anyways by the massive pair of white and silver wings. In the shape of a White-Throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) they make her an incredibly swift flier. (Pun not intended.) Mercy's wingspan is around 17 feet. The base color of her wings is white, and the soft barring and striping along her feathers is silver. Her left wing was burned by magical flames at one point, and when it healed, the primary feathers on that wing grew in charcoal-black, and it looks like someone had dipped her wing into black paint. There isn't any texture or structural difference though, so they do not hinder her flight.
In any form aside from her "angel" form, her wings show up as a pale silver back tattoo. If her wing is broken, or burned, it translates over to the tattoo on whatever form she takes and the tattoo will be slightly painful when touched (well, more of a tingling sensation, but it's enough to make Mercy twitch and bare her teeth if she doesn't know you or is caught off-guard, especially in animal form.) Her icy eyes stay the same in whatever form she takes as well, making her easily recognizable if one has seen her before.
Beautiful isn't something Mercy might be, though that isn't to say she is unattractive, which she could still be considered though maybe not in the traditional sense. Striking is something she can definitely manage though.
Mercy's skin is white. Almost like a vampire's in paleness. In the presence of Divine Light it can border on blinding, even, and there have been quite a few jokes about it, much to Mercy's displeasure. The skin itself is relatively smooth and soft, though the scars of battle after battle still show. Her hands are rough and calloused from years of working with blades, and scars cross her fingers and the backs of her palms. More scars wind their way up her wrists and arms, the result of blades and even the jagged teethmarks of a large canine over her right bicep. A line cuts through her right shoulder and stretches down and diagonally across, cutting down the side of her breast, across her abdomen to end on the outside of her left hip. It's a thin scar, and having been healed by magic rather than more mundane means it no longer hurts and is much more faded than it should be. A set of shallow clawmarks mar the left side of her neck as well, and there is another small cut from her ear to her jawline on the same side of her face, though these last two scars are kept mostly hidden by armor, if she is wearing it. A small scar follows the line of her jaw on the right side of her face as well, the result of a knife.
A tangled mess of scarring is also present on the back of her right knee, and being caused by a magical weapon and having never really been given the proper time to heal, it still can cause a good amount of pain and makes itself known when landing.
Mercy's face is somewhat sharply-featured, though it's nothing too out of the ordinary. If the myriad scars covering her body weren't enough to give away her age, her eyes certainly would. Ice blue, slightly elongated and curved, if someone can catch her in the right moment they can be dark and brooding, harsh and unforgiving, the look of a war-hardened, cold-hearted wretch.
Usually though, there is a hint of mischief in them, along with the tell-tale smirk that practically shouts the assassin is up to no good, planning something. For the most part Mercy actually looks pretty friendly, and she does her best to cultivate that look. Even so, once it's time for being serious, her face can go harsh in a second, her eyes turning as glacial as the ice they resemble, her jaw set in a stubborn line.
Mercy's hair is in stark contrast to her pale skin. Pure black, it falls in thick waves to the middle of her back and is usually kept down, though Mercy may occasionally pull it into a loose (and messy) braid, or if feeling particularly "girly" she may even pull it into a plait, though only if she's not expecting a fight and Mercy is generally too lazy and doesn't care enough to bother with it that much. Much like the rest of her family, her hair is thick and she otherwise has no body or pubic hair.
Across Mercy's back are a few scratches and small cars, but none of which are particularly noteworthy, as most are hidden anyways by the massive pair of white and silver wings. In the shape of a White-Throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) they make her an incredibly swift flier. (Pun not intended.) Mercy's wingspan is around 17 feet. The base color of her wings is white, and the soft barring and striping along her feathers is silver. Her left wing was burned by magical flames at one point, and when it healed, the primary feathers on that wing grew in charcoal-black, and it looks like someone had dipped her wing into black paint. There isn't any texture or structural difference though, so they do not hinder her flight.
In any form aside from her "angel" form, her wings show up as a pale silver back tattoo. If her wing is broken, or burned, it translates over to the tattoo on whatever form she takes and the tattoo will be slightly painful when touched (well, more of a tingling sensation, but it's enough to make Mercy twitch and bare her teeth if she doesn't know you or is caught off-guard, especially in animal form.) Her icy eyes stay the same in whatever form she takes as well, making her easily recognizable if one has seen her before.
Beautiful isn't something Mercy might be, though that isn't to say she is unattractive, which she could still be considered though maybe not in the traditional sense. Striking is something she can definitely manage though.
Psychology
IQ: 200
Languages: Knows all of the languages made up by humans and can speak them all without accent. Greek is her native tongue, though the old dialect of the gods might not be something humans would be able to recognize. Same goes for Old Norse. Can speak Teruntius (language of the three lowest angelic choirs) fluently and mostly without accent. Can also speak the languages of the demons.
Vocabulary: Quite varied, can be sophisticated when needed, or she can talk like the lowborn ruffian she is.
Memory: Long and painfully accurate, sometimes too accurate
Temperament: “No bullshit” tolerance in more serious situations, otherwise it’s generally hard to truly provoke her (unless you’re Zeus) and she's fairly laid back.
Learning Style: kinetic/visual
Emotional Stability: Stable enough. >.>
Mental Health: Okay
Instincts: Some would say she has no survival instinct (pissing off the gods)
Bodily-Kinesthetic:
Interpersonal:
Intrapersonal:
Linguistic:
Logical-Mathematical:
Musical:
Naturalistic:
Spatial:
Existential:
Languages: Knows all of the languages made up by humans and can speak them all without accent. Greek is her native tongue, though the old dialect of the gods might not be something humans would be able to recognize. Same goes for Old Norse. Can speak Teruntius (language of the three lowest angelic choirs) fluently and mostly without accent. Can also speak the languages of the demons.
Vocabulary: Quite varied, can be sophisticated when needed, or she can talk like the lowborn ruffian she is.
Memory: Long and painfully accurate, sometimes too accurate
Temperament: “No bullshit” tolerance in more serious situations, otherwise it’s generally hard to truly provoke her (unless you’re Zeus) and she's fairly laid back.
Learning Style: kinetic/visual
Emotional Stability: Stable enough. >.>
Mental Health: Okay
Instincts: Some would say she has no survival instinct (pissing off the gods)
Bodily-Kinesthetic:
Interpersonal:
Intrapersonal:
Linguistic:
Logical-Mathematical:
Musical:
Naturalistic:
Spatial:
Existential:
Perception
Audition:
Gustation:
Olfaction:
Tactition:
Vision:
Intuition:
Synesthesia:
Gustation:
Olfaction:
Tactition:
Vision:
Intuition:
Synesthesia:
Philosophy
Religion: None
Devotion: None, though she will acknowledge the gods, she will not worship any of them.
Superstitions: None
Spirit Animal: Lynx
Deathwish: No, though she’ll be damned if family hasn’t made her consider it at one point or another
Allegiance: What she believes to be right, which is very closely aligned with The Creator for the most part, ironically.
Political Party: none
Political Awareness: far too aware
Morality: can definitely be questionable at times, though she does try to be good
Etiquette: can be perfectly polite and respectable, if one can handle the sarcasm and humor
Alignment: Neutral Good, occasionally might lean toward chaotic
Attitude: snarky, sarcastic, but a good person overall
Outlook on Life: I've been knocked to my knees, kicked, and gotten back up. I'm not down yet.
Perception: the glass is refillable, until it breaks
Philosophy / Motto:
Taboos: Cannibalism, necrophilia, using a person unknowingly for your own needs
Vices: Wrath, stubborn, pride (admitting that one hurts)
Virtues: Patience, diligence/temperance?
Devotion: None, though she will acknowledge the gods, she will not worship any of them.
Superstitions: None
Spirit Animal: Lynx
Deathwish: No, though she’ll be damned if family hasn’t made her consider it at one point or another
Allegiance: What she believes to be right, which is very closely aligned with The Creator for the most part, ironically.
Political Party: none
Political Awareness: far too aware
Morality: can definitely be questionable at times, though she does try to be good
Etiquette: can be perfectly polite and respectable, if one can handle the sarcasm and humor
Alignment: Neutral Good, occasionally might lean toward chaotic
Attitude: snarky, sarcastic, but a good person overall
Outlook on Life: I've been knocked to my knees, kicked, and gotten back up. I'm not down yet.
Perception: the glass is refillable, until it breaks
Philosophy / Motto:
Taboos: Cannibalism, necrophilia, using a person unknowingly for your own needs
Vices: Wrath, stubborn, pride (admitting that one hurts)
Virtues: Patience, diligence/temperance?
Character
Primary Objective:
Secondary Objectives:
Priorities: keeping the other gods in check (work) raising her kids to be decent people, keeping it together
Motivation: peace, sticking it to Zeus one last time
Self Confidence: decent enough
Self Control: very good
Self Esteem: okay
Quirks: needs to be doing something and can't sit still. Bad puns.
Hobbies:
Closet Hobbies:
Guilty Pleasures: playing the harp, which she's actually quite good at
Habits: she tends to move in absolute silence and will absolutely sneak up on people without meaning to.
Desires: Peace, above all else
Wishes:
Lures: An interesting story
Manias:
Afflictions:
Traumas: Zeus, Ryker’s curse, Sigyn’s death (and resurrection, though she won’t admit it)
Worries: That she will wind up like her mother - a warmonger that lives for violence, succumbing to bloodlust and reveling in slaughter
Nervous Tics: Pacing, cleaning things if it's her house, otherwise fuck you I ain't cleaning your mess)
Instigators: Insulting the few family members she truly loves, insulting her friends (because only -she’s- allowed to insult Oros, damnit!)
Soothers: the wind, hunting, hiking, alone time (though that can just as easily backfire)
Savvies: Good at talking to people and figuring people out, calming people down/talking them off of ledges
Ineptities:
Soft Spots: Old warriors, animals, children
Cruel Streaks: Zeus/his followers, pedophiles, rapists, oathbreakers depending on severity
Accomplishments: knocking Zeus and Thor out of a violent rage using nothing but her omega abilities, several times, for Thor. Punched Zeus in the face, drank Thor under the table, earned The Creator's favor
Greatest Achievement:
Failures: Many that she’d rather not talk about
Biggest Failure: failing to protect her sisters
Obituary: “I’m not dead yet, sweetheart”
Favorite Dream:
Worst Nightmare:
Earliest Memory:
Fondest Memory:
Worst Memory: Watching Ryker’s head reattach itself to her body after beheading her. It’s one of the many things that still haunts Mercy to this day.
Funniest Moment:
Happiest Moment:
Saddest Moment:
Most Prized Possession: Her leather armor
Most Valuable Possession: Impervium weapons
Collections: weapons, mostly one-handed swords and daggers/knives
Embarrassments:
Mannerisms:
Humor: very twisted sense of humor. And literally nobody is exempt from her puns and witty sarcasm, unless there’s an actual serious situation going on
Regrets: Where do I even begin?
Secrets:
Darkest Secret:
Pet Peeves: Family, improper handling of her precious impervium weapons, being touched when injured, being snuck up on, bullshit, thunder gods, overly repetitive puns involving her name
Phobias: very slight claustrophobia
Greatest Fear: That she could turn into her mother if she well and truly loses it
Confidence: Could definitely come across as overconfident sometimes.
Creativity: Very creative, much to Zeus/Odin’s chagrin.
Generosity: sometimes
Honesty: Yes. She'll try to be tactful, but don't expect sugarcoating
Loyalty: Very loyal to those she considers family/friend.
Insecurities: that she won't make a good mother, or will inadvertently hurt those she loves.
Patience: towards people she doesn't like, it's short. Towards anyone else (Michael/that side of the family in particular) it's damn near endless.
Predictability: Not really, to someone who doesn't know her well, but to those she's closest with she can be quite predictable
Reliability: to the best of her abilities, always
Respect: mostly, though she also believes that respect must be earned, and isn't below poking the proverbial sleeping bear on occasion, especially if they've done something to annoy a loved one recently
Responsibility: Yes, might seem to take on too much at times, but she'll handle whatever comes her way and won't shirk her duties or anything
Trustworthiness: She can be trusted, she’s not the sort to blab or give up information.. Unlesssss she’s trying to infiltrate your army.
Secondary Objectives:
Priorities: keeping the other gods in check (work) raising her kids to be decent people, keeping it together
Motivation: peace, sticking it to Zeus one last time
Self Confidence: decent enough
Self Control: very good
Self Esteem: okay
Quirks: needs to be doing something and can't sit still. Bad puns.
Hobbies:
Closet Hobbies:
Guilty Pleasures: playing the harp, which she's actually quite good at
Habits: she tends to move in absolute silence and will absolutely sneak up on people without meaning to.
Desires: Peace, above all else
Wishes:
Lures: An interesting story
Manias:
Afflictions:
Traumas: Zeus, Ryker’s curse, Sigyn’s death (and resurrection, though she won’t admit it)
Worries: That she will wind up like her mother - a warmonger that lives for violence, succumbing to bloodlust and reveling in slaughter
Nervous Tics: Pacing, cleaning things if it's her house, otherwise fuck you I ain't cleaning your mess)
Instigators: Insulting the few family members she truly loves, insulting her friends (because only -she’s- allowed to insult Oros, damnit!)
Soothers: the wind, hunting, hiking, alone time (though that can just as easily backfire)
Savvies: Good at talking to people and figuring people out, calming people down/talking them off of ledges
Ineptities:
Soft Spots: Old warriors, animals, children
Cruel Streaks: Zeus/his followers, pedophiles, rapists, oathbreakers depending on severity
Accomplishments: knocking Zeus and Thor out of a violent rage using nothing but her omega abilities, several times, for Thor. Punched Zeus in the face, drank Thor under the table, earned The Creator's favor
Greatest Achievement:
Failures: Many that she’d rather not talk about
Biggest Failure: failing to protect her sisters
Obituary: “I’m not dead yet, sweetheart”
Favorite Dream:
Worst Nightmare:
Earliest Memory:
Fondest Memory:
Worst Memory: Watching Ryker’s head reattach itself to her body after beheading her. It’s one of the many things that still haunts Mercy to this day.
Funniest Moment:
Happiest Moment:
Saddest Moment:
Most Prized Possession: Her leather armor
Most Valuable Possession: Impervium weapons
Collections: weapons, mostly one-handed swords and daggers/knives
Embarrassments:
Mannerisms:
Humor: very twisted sense of humor. And literally nobody is exempt from her puns and witty sarcasm, unless there’s an actual serious situation going on
Regrets: Where do I even begin?
Secrets:
Darkest Secret:
Pet Peeves: Family, improper handling of her precious impervium weapons, being touched when injured, being snuck up on, bullshit, thunder gods, overly repetitive puns involving her name
Phobias: very slight claustrophobia
Greatest Fear: That she could turn into her mother if she well and truly loses it
Confidence: Could definitely come across as overconfident sometimes.
Creativity: Very creative, much to Zeus/Odin’s chagrin.
Generosity: sometimes
Honesty: Yes. She'll try to be tactful, but don't expect sugarcoating
Loyalty: Very loyal to those she considers family/friend.
Insecurities: that she won't make a good mother, or will inadvertently hurt those she loves.
Patience: towards people she doesn't like, it's short. Towards anyone else (Michael/that side of the family in particular) it's damn near endless.
Predictability: Not really, to someone who doesn't know her well, but to those she's closest with she can be quite predictable
Reliability: to the best of her abilities, always
Respect: mostly, though she also believes that respect must be earned, and isn't below poking the proverbial sleeping bear on occasion, especially if they've done something to annoy a loved one recently
Responsibility: Yes, might seem to take on too much at times, but she'll handle whatever comes her way and won't shirk her duties or anything
Trustworthiness: She can be trusted, she’s not the sort to blab or give up information.. Unlesssss she’s trying to infiltrate your army.
Common
Compliments:
Insults: “Ice-for-brains”
Expletives: “Thrice-damned bastard”
Farewells: On the exceedingly rare occasion that she has to order someone around, “off with you!”/”you're still here? Get a move on!” Otherwise, it varies by person usually.
Greetings: a simple “hey" or “hello” will do, or a more irritable “what do YOU want"/"what?”/”why are you here"/"to whom do I owe the displeasure?” And with Oros, “Gods above, why is He inflicting your presence on me?”
Mood:
Words:
Emotional Status:
Insults: “Ice-for-brains”
Expletives: “Thrice-damned bastard”
Farewells: On the exceedingly rare occasion that she has to order someone around, “off with you!”/”you're still here? Get a move on!” Otherwise, it varies by person usually.
Greetings: a simple “hey" or “hello” will do, or a more irritable “what do YOU want"/"what?”/”why are you here"/"to whom do I owe the displeasure?” And with Oros, “Gods above, why is He inflicting your presence on me?”
Mood:
Words:
Emotional Status:
Preferences
Likes:
Dislikes:
Favorites:
Least Favorites:
Dislikes:
Favorites:
Least Favorites:
Home & Work
Abode: vagabond at heart, though she's now surprisingly happy settling down with Michael
Hometown: Tartarus?
Citizenship:
Culture: #thuglife - Not really tho
Traditions:
Routine: having usually been out scouting or spying or fighting, she doesn't really have one anymore
Sleep Patterns: Varies, Mercy doesn't have the healthiest sleeping habits, and often has trouble falling asleep and is a chronic insomniac. Will also wake up at the slightest movement or sound. Usually averages 4 hours on a good night, more if she's truly exhausted or injured.
Eating Habits: prefers meat, greens are depressing
Pets: None herself, though she does have a fondness for animals of all sorts, especially the elemental wind spirits that Ryker used to be able to tame and summon. Biiig dogs are also nice.
Employer: God
Job Title: Assassin, Scout, Spy, Informant, Zeus’ personal nightmare
Experience: millions of years worth
Community Service: much unrecognized
Rank:
Supervisor:
Hours: varies, not exactly stable
Work Ethic: workaholic, honestly hates the job sometimes (or most times) but knows that someone has to do it, so it may as well be her
Transportation: Herself
Criminal Record: branded a criminal by Zeus, to be executed on-sight pretty much. Also lost favor with Odin, though this is still disputed among the Nords so she's somewhat safer from that end
Dream Job: Not having one
Hometown: Tartarus?
Citizenship:
Culture: #thuglife - Not really tho
Traditions:
Routine: having usually been out scouting or spying or fighting, she doesn't really have one anymore
Sleep Patterns: Varies, Mercy doesn't have the healthiest sleeping habits, and often has trouble falling asleep and is a chronic insomniac. Will also wake up at the slightest movement or sound. Usually averages 4 hours on a good night, more if she's truly exhausted or injured.
Eating Habits: prefers meat, greens are depressing
Pets: None herself, though she does have a fondness for animals of all sorts, especially the elemental wind spirits that Ryker used to be able to tame and summon. Biiig dogs are also nice.
Employer: God
Job Title: Assassin, Scout, Spy, Informant, Zeus’ personal nightmare
Experience: millions of years worth
Community Service: much unrecognized
Rank:
Supervisor:
Hours: varies, not exactly stable
Work Ethic: workaholic, honestly hates the job sometimes (or most times) but knows that someone has to do it, so it may as well be her
Transportation: Herself
Criminal Record: branded a criminal by Zeus, to be executed on-sight pretty much. Also lost favor with Odin, though this is still disputed among the Nords so she's somewhat safer from that end
Dream Job: Not having one
Combat
Ability: One-handed weaponry
Element: Wind
Martial Arts:
Immunities: At this point, she’s practically immune to all lightning- and fire-based attacks
Resistances: Fire, frost, lightning/shock, anything human-made
Strengths: Mages are fun to pick on. So are unaware scouts and leather-wearing things.
Weaknesses: impervium plate-wearing warrior archetypes, impervium, unarmed combat against warrior archetypes/stronger foes
Futilities:
Restrictions:
Origin: Trained by Aaron and Keres, picked up a lot from Loki and even Thor and Tyr
Source:
Specialty: Rapier/schiavona and parry dagger, dual daggers
Signature Move: Ambush/backstab out of hide
Special Attack: Rune carving/detonating said runes (silence for mages, temporary, non-damaging blind for anything else, they each only last a few seconds. Alternately, a purely damaging detonation with no special effects)
Courage: Yes, though she does try to pick her battles carefully
Element: Wind
Martial Arts:
Immunities: At this point, she’s practically immune to all lightning- and fire-based attacks
Resistances: Fire, frost, lightning/shock, anything human-made
Strengths: Mages are fun to pick on. So are unaware scouts and leather-wearing things.
Weaknesses: impervium plate-wearing warrior archetypes, impervium, unarmed combat against warrior archetypes/stronger foes
Futilities:
Restrictions:
Origin: Trained by Aaron and Keres, picked up a lot from Loki and even Thor and Tyr
Source:
Specialty: Rapier/schiavona and parry dagger, dual daggers
Signature Move: Ambush/backstab out of hide
Special Attack: Rune carving/detonating said runes (silence for mages, temporary, non-damaging blind for anything else, they each only last a few seconds. Alternately, a purely damaging detonation with no special effects)
Courage: Yes, though she does try to pick her battles carefully
Reactions
Angry: Lots of glaring, possibly pacing in a slow, deliberate manner with her hands clasped behind her or tossing a dagger into the air if the subject of her ire isn't around. If it's really bad she practically exhales rage. Comes with pretty cool glowy weapons and armor too. (Don't touch the weapons unless you want to lose the offending limb to severe frostbite, though.)
Anxious: Lots and lots of pacing. Mercy can’t sit still if she’s anxious and worried about someone. She is the type to wear a hole through the floor if she could pace and had nobody there to tell her to stop
Conflicted: will overthink things probably, either sitting with her hands folded and a distant look, or pacing with her hands behind her in silent thought
Criticized: she'll listen, and if they have a point she'll try to improve, otherwise she'll probably ignore it. And laugh.
Depressed: gets very quiet and won't bother with her usual sarcastic quips, might seem a bit sluggish compared to usual, may or may not sleep more, though depression will usually make insomniac habits worse.
Embarrassed: Mercy turns a very pretty shade of red. She’ll definitely try to get her ass out of the situation though
Excited: Her eyes get all bright and she can actually get energetic and well... excitible.
Frightened: Breathing quickens, shifts her stance a bit and will be much more jumpy than usual
Guilty: quiet, not much eye contact, typical reaction pretty much
Happy: a small smile, very relaxed and the nicer side of her sense of humor will probably be in full swing
Mistaken: Apologizes, depending on the situation she'll try and make things right
Nervous: sometimes pacing, will probably need to keep her hands occupied
Offended: a very chilly glare at the offending party, if in animal form hackles might be raised a bit and lip curled in anger
Praised: tends to squirm in mild discomfort, honestly not used to much praise
Rejected: Rejection hurts, does a strong drink help with that?
Sad: Any strong drinks around? Will probably be distant and subdued, tears might form but she's stubborn and will only cry where there's nobody around to see
Stressed: Tendency to be a bit sharper and harsh than she means to be. Will probably apologize once she gets over it... Maybe. (Strong drinks, please. @_@)
Thoughtful: Quiet and distant/staring into space
Anxious: Lots and lots of pacing. Mercy can’t sit still if she’s anxious and worried about someone. She is the type to wear a hole through the floor if she could pace and had nobody there to tell her to stop
Conflicted: will overthink things probably, either sitting with her hands folded and a distant look, or pacing with her hands behind her in silent thought
Criticized: she'll listen, and if they have a point she'll try to improve, otherwise she'll probably ignore it. And laugh.
Depressed: gets very quiet and won't bother with her usual sarcastic quips, might seem a bit sluggish compared to usual, may or may not sleep more, though depression will usually make insomniac habits worse.
Embarrassed: Mercy turns a very pretty shade of red. She’ll definitely try to get her ass out of the situation though
Excited: Her eyes get all bright and she can actually get energetic and well... excitible.
Frightened: Breathing quickens, shifts her stance a bit and will be much more jumpy than usual
Guilty: quiet, not much eye contact, typical reaction pretty much
Happy: a small smile, very relaxed and the nicer side of her sense of humor will probably be in full swing
Mistaken: Apologizes, depending on the situation she'll try and make things right
Nervous: sometimes pacing, will probably need to keep her hands occupied
Offended: a very chilly glare at the offending party, if in animal form hackles might be raised a bit and lip curled in anger
Praised: tends to squirm in mild discomfort, honestly not used to much praise
Rejected: Rejection hurts, does a strong drink help with that?
Sad: Any strong drinks around? Will probably be distant and subdued, tears might form but she's stubborn and will only cry where there's nobody around to see
Stressed: Tendency to be a bit sharper and harsh than she means to be. Will probably apologize once she gets over it... Maybe. (Strong drinks, please. @_@)
Thoughtful: Quiet and distant/staring into space
Impressions
First: “What sort of unnatural creature are you??” then “Holy shit dem legs” and “dayum girl, you white!”
Self: You can do better than this. Is all the fighting and bullshit, pain and suffering worth it?
Family: “we will fuckin’ kill you one day. ONE DAY!”
Lover: Michael, you're one lucky guy.
Friends: “she’s funny”
Associates: seems pretty chill
Authority: “God. Fucking. DAMNIT.” Alternately, “she raises HELL for the other gods, keeps them out of my hair and doesn't make herself a nuisance to me, perfect.”
Strangers: “tf are you.”
Enemies: “ohhh shit, run! Run Forrest run!”
Post Mortem: Much mourning or much rejoicing, depends on who you ask.
Creator:
Self: You can do better than this. Is all the fighting and bullshit, pain and suffering worth it?
Family: “we will fuckin’ kill you one day. ONE DAY!”
Lover: Michael, you're one lucky guy.
Friends: “she’s funny”
Associates: seems pretty chill
Authority: “God. Fucking. DAMNIT.” Alternately, “she raises HELL for the other gods, keeps them out of my hair and doesn't make herself a nuisance to me, perfect.”
Strangers: “tf are you.”
Enemies: “ohhh shit, run! Run Forrest run!”
Post Mortem: Much mourning or much rejoicing, depends on who you ask.
Creator:
Detailed Personality
To acquaintances, Mercy is friendly enough, if a bit reserved. She's often bitingly sarcastic, and gives off the impression that she'd enjoy a good fight. (Both verbally and physically.) She's relatively quiet and tends to let others speak in a group until she can figure out where she stands with others. This doesn't mean she won't still be a sarcastic little shit, because she absolutely will be, she just keeps it toned down. What little interactions with humans she has is almost always aloof, far more serious though still "friendly". To then, she comes off as a bit rough around the edges and a being to be wary of, but she won't actively try to cause them harm even in self-defense. She technically doesn't follow Heaven's rules, but honor is an odd thing, and she has her own code of sorts she follows so will generally avoid them.
To the immortals, she's rougher, and absolutely will not hesitate to defend herself or a child (human included) if needed. Demons and fallen angels are usually quick to earn her wrath, though even then Mercy tends to lay low and be friendly. All in the name of information. Having worked as both assassin and spymaster, she knows that having sources of information among everyone is important and she does try to be diplomatic when she can, even though it kills her to cut the sarcasm and stay neutral sometimes. This often results in her being far more cold than needed.
The people that get to know Mercy a bit better are the ones fully subjected to Mercy's sarcasm and darker brand of humor. Far from quiet and reserved, Mercy's a shit-talking loudmouth and generally won't hesitate to show it. She thrives on bad jokes and making her friends laugh, and helping them get through their own struggles. She'd do anything for her close friends and they know it, too. Mercy isn't one to trust easily, but once you have her friendship, she'll be there for someone until the end.
When the time calls for seriousness though, Mercy can change in an instant, dropping the witty humor and her bravado for a quieter, calculating assassin/spymaster. When this happens she has zero tolerance for bullshit and joking around, and to those who are only just meeting her while she's like this it can be mildly terrifying with just how different she can become.
To her enemies, she is utterly without mercy. In a fight she gives no quarter and doesn't expect anything in return. Whereas in a friendly duel or sparring she'll happily talk shit with the best of them, in a serious fight Mercy is silent and every move she makes is designed to be as efficient as possible. She won't hesitate to fight dirty and has no issues with killing indiscriminately. Especially when it comes to demons and fallen angels. Mercy knows when to retreat as well despite her stubbornness -- just because she can't kill an enemy today doesn't mean she won't be able to he next time they meet. She's been known to track and hunt those that need to be killed without remorse (on the outside, anyways) and takes a decidedly dim view of those that harm her friends and those she considers close to her.
Mercy only really opens up to the people that are absolutely the closest to her, and even then not even fully. Unless it's a (very) significant other that truly knows her (and likely sleeps with her) it's unknown to everyone just how bad the stress has eaten at her.
Mercy suffers from PTSD, and anxiety, and some of the flashbacks she has can be quite vivid. Her coping methods are the excessive sarcasm and barbed tongue most know her for, and little-known is the fact that at one point she actually had a drinking problem, not that alcohol ever did anything for her for more than a few minutes. She tries very hard to ignore her own past, though it's always there, gnawing away at her. She feels extremely guilty for a lot of things, including stuff that she never had control over in the first place. Mercy was never a good sleeper to begin with, and especially after battles she could go for weeks at a time with hardly any sleep. She bottles up her emotions and despite all her bravado and recklessness on the outside, on the inside she's very closed off and suffers from severe depression.
Perhaps that is why she's extremely good when it comes to talking with others and being a shoulder to cry on, both figuratively and literally. She knows what it's like to be kicked when she's down, so to speak, and she hates seeing others going through emotional pain.
But sure, lob your own problems at her instead. They give her a reason to not think of her own. And even when Mercy does brood on her own in private she feels like she's a selfish asshole for it.
To the immortals, she's rougher, and absolutely will not hesitate to defend herself or a child (human included) if needed. Demons and fallen angels are usually quick to earn her wrath, though even then Mercy tends to lay low and be friendly. All in the name of information. Having worked as both assassin and spymaster, she knows that having sources of information among everyone is important and she does try to be diplomatic when she can, even though it kills her to cut the sarcasm and stay neutral sometimes. This often results in her being far more cold than needed.
The people that get to know Mercy a bit better are the ones fully subjected to Mercy's sarcasm and darker brand of humor. Far from quiet and reserved, Mercy's a shit-talking loudmouth and generally won't hesitate to show it. She thrives on bad jokes and making her friends laugh, and helping them get through their own struggles. She'd do anything for her close friends and they know it, too. Mercy isn't one to trust easily, but once you have her friendship, she'll be there for someone until the end.
When the time calls for seriousness though, Mercy can change in an instant, dropping the witty humor and her bravado for a quieter, calculating assassin/spymaster. When this happens she has zero tolerance for bullshit and joking around, and to those who are only just meeting her while she's like this it can be mildly terrifying with just how different she can become.
To her enemies, she is utterly without mercy. In a fight she gives no quarter and doesn't expect anything in return. Whereas in a friendly duel or sparring she'll happily talk shit with the best of them, in a serious fight Mercy is silent and every move she makes is designed to be as efficient as possible. She won't hesitate to fight dirty and has no issues with killing indiscriminately. Especially when it comes to demons and fallen angels. Mercy knows when to retreat as well despite her stubbornness -- just because she can't kill an enemy today doesn't mean she won't be able to he next time they meet. She's been known to track and hunt those that need to be killed without remorse (on the outside, anyways) and takes a decidedly dim view of those that harm her friends and those she considers close to her.
Mercy only really opens up to the people that are absolutely the closest to her, and even then not even fully. Unless it's a (very) significant other that truly knows her (and likely sleeps with her) it's unknown to everyone just how bad the stress has eaten at her.
Mercy suffers from PTSD, and anxiety, and some of the flashbacks she has can be quite vivid. Her coping methods are the excessive sarcasm and barbed tongue most know her for, and little-known is the fact that at one point she actually had a drinking problem, not that alcohol ever did anything for her for more than a few minutes. She tries very hard to ignore her own past, though it's always there, gnawing away at her. She feels extremely guilty for a lot of things, including stuff that she never had control over in the first place. Mercy was never a good sleeper to begin with, and especially after battles she could go for weeks at a time with hardly any sleep. She bottles up her emotions and despite all her bravado and recklessness on the outside, on the inside she's very closed off and suffers from severe depression.
Perhaps that is why she's extremely good when it comes to talking with others and being a shoulder to cry on, both figuratively and literally. She knows what it's like to be kicked when she's down, so to speak, and she hates seeing others going through emotional pain.
But sure, lob your own problems at her instead. They give her a reason to not think of her own. And even when Mercy does brood on her own in private she feels like she's a selfish asshole for it.
Birth & Death
Birth Name: Mercy
Birth Date: ?? (92,750,000 years ago)
Birth Length:
Birth Weight:
Birth Place: Tartarus
Manner of Birth: Born of destruction, Keres' love affair with Aaron
First Word(s):
Death Date:
Death Place:
Manner of Death:
Resting Place:
Last Words:
Birth Date: ?? (92,750,000 years ago)
Birth Length:
Birth Weight:
Birth Place: Tartarus
Manner of Birth: Born of destruction, Keres' love affair with Aaron
First Word(s):
Death Date:
Death Place:
Manner of Death:
Resting Place:
Last Words:
Detailed History
Born to Keres (or more accurately, Ker, the Greek spirit of violent death/destruction, daughter of Nyx, sister to Thanatos and Moirai among others) and Aaron (A half-Seranaean Ascendant, a powerful blood mage, conceived when Loki (that would be Loki the trickster god, yes) somehow crossed from Aasgard into Seranaea, and later on Aaron crossed into Olympus) it's honestly surprising how Mercy and her three sisters made it out of childhood alive and mostly unscathed. Mercy was the eldest of the four, Sigyn and Ryker were born shortly after, and Runa was born last, though Sigyn was the weakest of the four.
Pregnancy had been harsh on Keres, who was used to fighting and living a more uhh, "active" lifestyle than she was to being watched over like a hawk and bedrest. Sigyn was born with the rather unfortunate "ability" to make everyone attack her almost on-sight. To try and end her existence was instinct for almost everyone. Including her parents. Luckily (or unluckily) Mercy had been born with the exact opposite power. For Mercy, people almost immediately calmed down when in her presence, and it was instinct to try and protect her. Naturally, the two conflicted with each other.
Their powers, uncontrollable at such a young age and having manifested in the womb were the reason why Keres would have killed them all the second they were born if she could have. She is a spirit of violent death, after all, it was in her nature to kill the weak and the strong alike. And that meant her children too, much as she fought the urge. Aaron, their father, was of a different mindset though. He watched and hovered over them all protectively, using his own magic to help Keres keep her composure, using physical force to restrain her when necessary. They both loved their children, but parenting and the struggle to not kill Sigyn (whose power only grew as time wore on, threatening to crush Keres' already fragile mental stability) and the rest of her children (and this is why violent-death spirits shouldn't have kids) was utterly draining. They separated for a while, Keres retreating in silence to find some peace in the night where Nyx ruled, and generally left the raising of the four whelps to Aaron. Poor, exhausted Aaron.
As both Sigyn's and Mercy's power grew, they and their siblings manifested other abilities too. For Mercy, it was shapeshifting. For Ryker, it was being able to command and control elemental spirits. Runa became a powerful sorcerer, above all having skill in pyromancy. Sigyn nullified magic. It seemed she was destined to just make Aaron's day. (And Runa's, and Ryker's. Mercy and Keres at least could deal without their own shapeshifting abilities for a time.)
Regardless, Aaron tried his best to give his children as much of a "normal" childhood as they could get with the constant fighting, the Greek gods sticking their noses where they didn't belong and plotting war with Heaven (Which Aaron gracefully kept his kids out of, the same could not be said of Keres, who had no choice in the matter.) He did a pretty decent job, all things considered. Ryker and Runa, being mages like him, were undoubtedly spoiled the most, but Mercy and Sigyn never lacked for anything either, except for maybe some maternal love on Sigyn's part. (Well, sisterly love too. She never did get along well with anyone, and would often slip off to be alone and avoid troubling them. Sigyn would rather be alone than endure her father's silent, non-complaining torment and that of her sisters as they struggled to stay calm around her.)
When they were older, around 12 or 13, Keres came out of her shell a bit more. All four were able to hold their own and Keres, no longer emotionally and mentally exhausted and filled with raging hormones, had a much easier time keeping a clearer head. She still had to be extremely careful around Sigyn and the two would only grow more distant throughout the years, but at least she could spend time with her other daughters and her mate again. By the time she finally started connecting with her family though, the girls were pretty self-sustaining and were fairly mature already.
Mercy in particular, hunted and fended for herself for the most part, never really troubling her parents with much other than the worry that she'd get into something she shouldn't, or that she'd get hurt. Sigyn too, was quite self-sufficient and more than capable of taking care of herself. Ryker and Runa wee too, but Sigyn had the unquestionable advantage over them all with her increasing skill with the bow and desire to stay hidden.
Puberty hit Mercy and her sisters at the age of 13, and when it hit, it hit hard. All four of them grew breasts, naturally. Mercy, despite being the tallest out of all her siblings, wasn't particularly well-endowed, and she wasn't that well-endowed in other areas either. She did grow into curves though, along with a growth spurt of a good 7 inches at least. Mercy, once graceful and coordinated, turned into a damn horse as her limbs were suddenly far too long for her body and it made her into an uncoordinated mess for quite a while, though she eventually did recover after a few months. Of course, Ryker and Runa teased her lightly about it, and even Sigyn joined in a time or two, though Sigyn too grew taller, if not quite as fast as Mercy.
Mercy lost the soft white down on her wings as her wings grew in size and her plumage grew in, pale white just like her skin, with pale silver markings beginning to show. Even so, out of her sisters and parents Mercy's wings were the "plainest" of all of them. They were also quite predictably, the lightest in coloration. Aaron had black wings shot through with strands of glowing red aether and Sigyn's wings followed a similar coloration, though the red in her wings was darker, almost sinister in nature. Ryker's wings were also dark, though the purple and black feathers bore bright markings, eyes and spotting and barring in colorful lighter purples and faint golds. Runa's wings were sky blue, broken up by silver and white banding and darker blue barring on the primaries.
Aaron and Keres both taught their kids to fly, and it was Ryker who first managed to flap her wings and soar. Runa and Sigyn followed quickly after, while Mercy oddly was more hesitant. Something about being in the wide open unnerved her, whether it was the height, the sense of vulnerability or even just the simple fear of the unknown, or a combination of the three, not even Mercy is sure of now.
What she is sure of though, is that once Keres took it upon herself to literally shove Mercy off of a high ledge, Mercy spread her wings. That first flight was short and clunky and absolutely terrifying for Mercy... But it was exhilarating. Mercy was undoubtedly terrified, but yet at the same time she wanted more. Keres left her children alone for the most part, but she took it upon herself to help Mercy personally. With Mercy's ability to keep her calmer and able to better control her insatiable bloodlust, she could be normal for the time that they were together, at least, and Keres truly did love her children even if she couldn't be around them for too long of a time.
With a bit of encouragement (A rare thing, coming from Keres) and patience, Mercy flew. While Sigyn had been the fastest of their sisters so far, Mercy learned quickly once she got over her fear and was able to quickly surpass her sisters in speed and agility. Later on, she'd surpass her parents, too and come to even enjoy flying, although the odd niggle of fear still remained in her gut for years. And of course, Sigyn and Runa teased poor Mercy relentlessly about it. Mercy was initially quite bothered by it, but eventually, she began to joke around and fire right back at both of them, getting over most of her bitterness at not being the first to fly, though sometimes even now her sisters teasing can make Mercy grit her teeth in irritation. Mercy isn't sure why it happens, and she hates it.
And of course, along with puberty came a very sharp, very fast increase in power for all four girls. Mercy learned to take a wider variety of shapes and even learned to shift specific parts of her body, while keeping the rest of her body in another form entirely. Mercy's ability to calm and sooth others grows as well, to the point where she is able to calm someone who was in the blackest of rages, given enough time. Using her power at first was quite exhausting though, and it took a lot practice to control. Sigyn's power grew as well, though instead of soothing calm it was and still is a burning rage and violence. The desire to hurt is strong in even more docile creatures, and Mercy was able to get in a lot of practice controlling her own abilities while trying to keep her godforsaken sister out of harm's way. Keres abruptly became distant and aloof once more, and tensions strained as the area in which magic was nullified around Sigyn also grew a bit more. Runa in particular kept away from Sigyn more and more as she struggled with her own abilities. She was able to create raging infernos and keep even Mercy locked in place with powerful roots and snares, and the pair of them practiced and sparred with each other more often as Runa's competitive nature shone through. With a lot of effort, Mercy slowly began to feel the effects of Runa's heavy-hitting magic less and less, until she is immune to normal fire completely. The duration of Runa's roots also decreased, and as they spar Mercy realizes that she is able to beat Runa very quickly if she catches her off-guard. Mercy's main challenge comes from bright Ryker, who unlike Runa had learned to master all four elements near-completely. She was able to summon elemental spirits at will, even able to control two of them at once and uses them to great effect against her siblings. She proved to be almost as efficient as Sigyn at taking down multiple foes at once as she learned to work with powerful damaging spells and similar roots and snares to what Runa used. But the biggest challenge for Mercy was Ryker's ability to Fear. Transforming others into a stunted, twisted fire spirit for a short time in which they could not speak, could not attack and their minds were almost completely taken over by sheer terror as they struggled to flee Ryker's power. Combined with a root, for a few seconds her opponents were vulnerable to anything and everything that could damage them normally. Once Mercy was able to resist the ability, she and Ryker started working together in tandem to see how far they could push things. Ryker and Mercy were able to develop Mercy's control over her calming effect to actually break Ryker's Fear with some concentration. The effort would become easier over time, though too much and it would still exhaust Mercy. Mercy's ability soon became a bit more well-known, and people began calling it the power of the Omega. Eventually, the name would become a nickname for Mercy, much to her irritation. Naturally, Sigyn's power became known as Anti-Omega.
Mercy's hair also grew and became thicker and slightly wavy, and she lost some of the delicateness that came naturally to her in the following months of training and working with the sword. The upside was balance and being faster, more agile and stronger, though compared to something like an archangel she was still pretty weak in that regard. But when it came to speed, she outpaced everything she encountered with ease. Mercy's temper also changed, as is natural for any teenager. She was no longer as quiet, and the beginnings of her sharp, sarcastic nature shone through from the start. Aaron had hoped it would pass, but of course, it never did. She even became interested in Zeus' budding war with The Creator, if only because she enjoyed picking apart his strategies and figuring out that he would fail pretty early on, something she generally didn't voice because while Mercy could and would talk crap, she wasn't so stupid as to think that her comments would go without rebuke. If not from Aaron and Keres, who privately agreed with her, then from Zeus himself, and Mercy truly had no real interest in fighting actual deities at the time, something that was universally agreed to be a likely way to die.
Aaron reluctantly trained her with the sword when she asked, and being a bloodmage, he slowly introduced that power to her, allowing Mercy to adapt to it. Being a bloodmage, he fought in blood armor that could be equivalent to plate, with a magical sword and shield to match. (That is, made out of his blood and pretty damn resistant to most metals) He started training the other sisters too, and Ryker and Runa often paired up against Mercy alone. This would serve to strengthen her resistance to magic even further, but Mercy would never be entirely immune as magic evolves with its caster. Mercy became an expert at dodging spells even as they were launched at her, after a while she would time it so that she'd be able to weave out of the way of a spell when it got very close to her and suffer almost no damage from it, before launching into a quick flurry of attacks against the mages that was dizzying and disorienting. Had Sigyn not already been capable of nullifying all magic within the vicinity, and thus by extension being entirely immune to it, she would have followed a similar path. As it was, Sigyn was learning to be almost as fast as Mercy herself and had a heightened sense of her surroundings and incoming threats. She preferred to fight at range, and when fighting alone she was usually able to get the better of Mercy by keeping her distance and a steady supply of arrows. Her aim became excellent, she was even able to pin Mercy by a wing while in flight, no easy task given the swift's speed and agility.
Mercy, having always been built more along the lines of speed rather than strength, much preferred leather and chainmail, although she did experiment with plate armor for a time. Sigyn too, experimented, though she kept stubbornly to leather to allow for easier movement. Ryker and Runa were two sides of the same coin and stuck with more traditional enchanted cloth that boosted both their spellpower and defense.
That experiment with plate didn't last long, as the first time she would clash with Zeus would see her breastplate shatter under the impact of a magical fireball. Mercy liked breathing, and she liked not having bits of molten metal being forced into her chest even more, so she quickly switched back to leather, which soon proved to be a good deal more resistant to magical attacks and let her move around much more easily, even if it left her more vulnerable to physical attacks. She learned to be proficient in almost all the basic weapons, and finding most two-handed weapons to be slower and more cumbersome, settled on fighting with a rapier and a parrying dagger instead. Much like the angels on Earth, her weapons were made from earthly metals and metals found on Olympus, as impervium was not really used for weapons and armor at the time, and besides that would also mean having to sneak into Heaven to steal it. Not something that Mercy or her sisters felt like doing, although Zeus had promised them that when he won his budding war against Heaven, they too, could have impervium for themselves. Mercy and her sisters brushed him off rather rudely, while Aaron was mildly terrified as he rather liked The Creator, and had never had any love for Zeus. To him, The Creator was quite similar to the lone god of the realm Aaron was originally from, and Zeus had never done anything to inspire his loyalty -- or respect. Likewise, his daughters took a similar view, though Aaron, Mercy and Sigyn were the only ones ever really vocal about it, and even then Sigyn kept quiet out of fear.
By the age of 18, Mercy was skilled enough to survive an attack from the thunder god Zeus, who was immensely angered by Aaron's failure to follow orders and insert himself and his daughters into what would be his failed war against The Creator. Mercy learned that it's a wise idea to hold one's tongue around an angry deity, as she point-blank told him his war was doomed to failure and Aaron backed up his daughter, calling Zeus out on several things. Keres, at this point, was nowhere to be found.
Things got heated and Mercy had some choice words for Zeus. Aaron, torn between being prideful that his daughter could verbally rip even a god to shreds and simultaneously terrified for her life, decided to back her up after his warnings went mostly ignored.
Zeus threw thunderbolts at Mercy, among other things, and the metal burning into her chest and the magical fireball took some time to heal. Aaron kept her alive through the battle itself by using blood magic to stop her from bleeding everywhere. At the time, Mercy wasn't particularly grateful, but she's come to appreciate that twisted style of healing for what it was and still is.
Ryker discovers she has some fairly decent healing ability in conjunction with an earth spirit, as well, and so Mercy recovers with no scarring and almost immediately returned to sparring with both of her parents to improve her own skills. Keres never believed in going softly on her daughters, something that Mercy hated at the time but would learn to seriously thank her for.
At the age of 19, Mercy met a man of Nordic descent who turned out to be the son of one of Odin's Valkyries, who was wandering far from home. He's fair-haired, dark-eyed and has the wings of a gyrfalcon. They hit it off and become friends. Runa and Ryker don't seem to care for him all that much, though Sigyn, oddly, seems friendly, a far cry from the cold solitude she'd subjected herself to in more recent years. Mercy joking compares him to Ouroboros, the mythical serpent that is depicted as biting it's tail in Norse mythology, and the name sticks, eventually to be shortened to "Oros". He turned out to be quite similar to both Mercy and Sigyn in his views and even fighting style, preferring quick skirmishes to drawn out, longer fights. The three of them quickly become an unholy terror together, learning to work together to ambush their targets and dispatch them with ease. Alongside Sigyn's ability to nullify magic in her vicinity, the mages quickly sat up and took note, keeping clear of their little band on their travels.
While back in Olympus (Both Mercy and Sigyn were spending less and less time there as Zeus' temper continued to worsen as he had officially lost the war with Heaven) the group encountered a large black dog with blue eyes. Ice blue eyes, with a spark of mischief to them. The dog began following Mercy and the group around, causing some minor trouble and generally being a minor annoyance to them. The dog was surprisingly silent, not barking or growling or whining, but rather just generally getting in the way of things.
Upon seeing the group's mysterious black dog, Aaron recognized him almost immediately, and as Sigyn no longer seemed to care to be within sight of either of her parents, Aaron very casually said something, a flicker of magic pulsing around him. Whatever he said, the dog shifted and became a man. A very tall man, with skin even paler than Mercy's, and hair just as black as both hers and her father's, and the same icy blue eyes that skipped Aaron to show in his daughter instead.
The man gave a mocking bow, and revealed himself to be none other than Loki, the trickster of the Nords. Aaron wasn't particularly thrilled with his father's antics, and Mercy was just plain wary as all hell. Mercy just chewed Loki out for being an irritating jackass (much to Loki's amusement) and inwardly Mercy might have been a touch peeved that she was actually related to Oros, however distant that relation might be, but it wasn't anything truly devastating. Even so, after the initial startling discoveries, everyone pretty much got over it and Loki taught Mercy a few new animal forms before taking his leave, shifting into a bird and flying off. One of the new forms Loki taught Mercy was that of a large dragon, its scales grey in color and massive greyish-silver wings along with a thick white mane that stretched from her head all the way to her almost club-like tail. Mercy's eyes remained icy blue, but the pupils changed from black to white and were slitted, those of a serpent. More slender than that first inter-pantheon dragon to be made and used for war, but still fairly solidly built and larger overall.
Mercy was intrigued, yet also slightly repulsed as Zeus had tried unsuccessfully to get her and her sisters to "help" with the inter-pantheon dragon once before. She practiced with it, as she'd practiced with all of her other forms so that she could control it and stay in the form for a while, but she quickly abandoned it, fearing what she could have possibly become. Of the others, only Loki knows of it, as Mercy has still to this day never told anyone else about the grey dragon that could very briefly be seen in the skies over Olympus.
By the age of 23 Mercy was becoming much more skilled with her rapier and parrying dagger, and similar to her friend Oros the Gyre, she too began experimenting with duel-wielding two daggers as well. While Sigyn could snipe at things from a distance with her bow, Mercy and Oros became a dangerous, lethal tag-team, striking fast and silent to end their foes with practiced ease. Several of the gods that had been defeated in their failed war against Heaven actually asked if they would consider assassinating certain key people for them. Mercy and Sigyn, and by extension Oros, flatly refused. Ra and Shiva were among those that asked, and Mercy's flat refusal sparked their ire, though they could do nothing then and can do even less now.
Sigyn began to slowly drift away from her sister and the Gyre as well, once more retreating into her shell as her already tenuous control over her own abilities began to waver, sparking violence wherever she went. Eventually, not even Mercy could suppress it and the two sisters continued to grow further apart.
At the same time, Zeus was beginning to notice that Mercy and her sisters had matured. Ryker in particular had been drop-dead gorgeous at the time, with her dark hair, silver eyes and a softer face than her sisters. She was considered petite for her family, and definitely had the curves of a woman. Her vibrant wings only added to it, and Zeus being well... Zeus, he made it a point to make a move on her.
And Ryker refused him. Zeus pressed the issue, as the gods are naturally not used to not getting what they want, and Ryker wound up making a mockery of him. They fought, and Ryker forced him into a state of fear, and with the help of an old wind spirit she pretty much put a stop to Zeus' advances for that particular moment. The fight was brief, but left Zeus defeated and the old storm god was enraged. First he had been defeated by a legion of The Creator's young whelps, denied what was rightfully his (in his mind, at least) and now he was defeated by a single female. With magic. Ryker's display of power was a challenge, or so he felt, and it could not go unpunished.
He vowed to kill all four sisters, and Aaron. The only reason Keres was spared was because Nyx was a being to be feared, even by the other gods, and she did not tolerate her children being attacked. (Her grandchildren were a different matter apparently.)
Zeus struck hard and fast, with Hera backing him. Mercy and her sisters came to Ryker's defense, of course, Sigyn keeping as far a distance as she dared to allow Ryker and Runa to use their magic, and allowing Mercy to shift if she needed to while she fired arrows from afar. Outraged, Keres too, would have joined the fight had Nyx and Thanatos not restrained her. Aaron joined, the bloodmage clad in his bloody plate and magic sword and shield, the red aether in his wings blazing a bright trail where they passed.
Ryker summoned a wind spirit to aid her flight as Zeus had created strong winds and lashing rain, as was only natural for a storm god. The wind spirit calmed the winds around her, creating a mini eye of the storm, sort of, and it allowed Ryker and Runa to focus on casting their spells. Zeus, in his anger, threw a lightning bolt at the pair, only for it to be mostly absorbed through the magical shield they had been sustaining. The shield shattered under the blow though, leaving Ryker with some minor burns.
The fighting continued for a while, Mercy and Aaron's coordinated attacks actually doing a surprising amount of damage to Zeus, who was also being forced to split his attention between the two, knowing he'd need to get through them in order to get at the two mages and the archer who were keeping Hera occupied.
Later on, out of sheer rage and his mounting frustration, Zeus turned his eyes on Ryker's spirit, sending a barrage of magic at it. The spirit crumpled under the pressure, and even as Ryker tried to heal it, it died, leaving fragments of solid carbon in it's wake. Ryker was momentarily stunned and unable to move at all due to the shock of the spirit's mind being ripped from her. Aaron and Mercy flew in front of her, physically shielding Ryker from another lightning bolt, and suffering some nasty burns in the process.
Ryker Feared Zeus, and combined with a powerful spell was able to heal herself a bit before being struck by the second lightning bolt. Hera was hanging back, her lips moving quietly as she whispered the incantation to a spell, her hands glowing. The result was a fiery tornado that forced Mercy away from the battle, suffering fairly severe burns. (The burns would heal up well enough, though Mercy's wing would be disfigured, the primary feathers becoming blackened permanently.)
Runa created a high-powered shield that took all of her concentration to maintain, and Ryker took the opportunity to stand behind it and summon another spirit... This beast was much larger, though... And in the form of a giant sapphire-and-black-scaled dragon. The dragon gave a roar and spat blue-white flame, hovering between Ryker and Zeus.
The next blow Zeus dealt would completely shatter one of Ryker's wings. Mercy and the dragon both made a run for her. The dragon reached its master first, though, and with Mercy's help Ryker didn't fall to her death right then and there.
On dragonback, Ryker feared Zeus again, and launched a fury of spells at him even as the dragon extended its neck and spat flame at the storm god.
Mercy and Aaron weaved in and out, dodging Sigyn's arrows as they slashed at the enraged god. Hera let out a high, ear-piercing shriek as she sent a ball of magic hurtling at the three, shattering Mercy's shoulder in the process.
Zeus and Hera spun then, using the powerful winds to their advantage and pushing both Mercy and Aaron back with a wall of bright flame. They then pooled their power into a joint spell that was sent crashing into Ryker. The impact alone would be enough to down the dragon and shatter most of Ryker's bones, along with silencing her, cutting off any healing she might have been able to do. Ryker landed on the wet grass in a pool of water and blood, the dragon crouched protectively over her, a snarl contorting it's face. The dragon threw back its head and screamed a blast of sound that actually broke the sound barrier, shattering eardrums and forcing everybody on the field still. The dragon's power was enough to knock Ryker and Hera unconscious, and deafen Mercy for almost a week. The sound reached Sigyn, far off as she was, and her eardrums shattered from the impact, while she bled from both eyes and nose.
Zeus somehow, somehow managed to recover and lunged for the incapacitated archer. She died in a pool of her own blood, but lived just long enough to see Mercy stumble unsteadily to her feet and bleeding from the various wounds she had sustained.
Mercy didn't stay on her feet for long, though, and Zeus turned his attention once more on Ryker. He sealed all of her powers, effectively making her about as strong as a human might be considered, rendering her unable to heal or summon her spirits or do anything with magic at all. He stole some of her power as well, turning her ability to cause Fear against her and her sisters.
To this day, Ryker lives in agony, as her wing is permanently broken and twisted back on itself, and not even other gods can figure out how to heal it. Over half of her face is scarred as well, which includes scarring over one eye, blinding her.
That battle took Mercy and her sister's months to recover from. Sigyn was dead. Mercy's wings had been burned to the point where she had to grow in entirely new feathers. They grew in slightly darker than before, and the primaries of one wing were actually charred black. The changes showed on the silver wings on her back in other forms too, making it nearly impossible for anything to touch it without her snapping in pain for quite some time afterwards. Runa suffered fairly severe burns as well, though arguably she also came away with the least amount of injuries. Aaron had lost a lot of blood, along with suffering burns all over. The left side of his face would show the burn scars. Having used blood armor through the fight, it took him slightly longer to recover.
Worst of all was Ryker, though. She lay unconscious for several weeks, her burns and broken wing refusing to heal. The gashes on her face -- carved into intricate runes and other glyphs -- remained open and oozing blood. All the while she continued to get weaker, but still she clung to life somehow. Her power ad been stripped from her, and it took nearly a year for her to even be able to sit up unassisted.
During that time, Mercy sank into a quiet depression, often going days without speaking. She never told anybody, but she suffered flashbacks and hardly slept. Her Omega ability did wonders to keep others from having panic attacks and keeping people calm, but it had no effect on her. She'd often pace the halls in silence, hands clasped behind her back, posture straight... But only because good posture and keeping her face blank was muscle memory. Even then, Mercy couldn't quite hide the grief and fury in her shadowed gaze. And when she wasn't pacing in grim silence, she was curled up quietly in animal form, her misery seeming to permeate the area around her, but the strength of her Omega ability doing wonders to keep everyone else around calm.. A far cry from the energetic bundle of sarcasm and smartass comments that drove Aaron and Runa up a wall and made Ryker and even Sigyn laugh.
Sigyn's death was like a dagger to the chest for her. They hadn't always gotten along, far from it, but out of the four, Sigyn had been closest to Mercy alone. And Ryker... She had been the true heart of the family, playful, yet soft-spoken and always teasing someone, giving as good as she got and always able to call Mercy on her bullshit when needed. To watch her just wasting away in a sickbed, unable to heal her injuries and clinging to life nearly killed Mercy.
Worried, both Keres and Oros reached out to Mercy, only to be quietly turned away. Aaron and Runa fared a little better, though not by much.
By 24, Ryker wasn't even able to keep down apples. She had become skeletal and so frail, and the periods when she was awake and actually conscious grew short and few. Not even Aaron's skill and power over blood could force her blood to clot and close her wounds like he had done for Mercy and Runa.
They even went so far as to ask other, minor deities to help. Eventually, it was Odin, of the Norse who found the source of their troubles. Zeus had done far more than just breaking Ryker's wing and forcing her wounds to not heal. He'd used some sort of darker energy, and had turned Ryker into a succubus, too. Needless to say, that news didn't go over too well with Aaron, Mercy or Runa. And especially not Ryker, who told Mercy to just slit her throat right then and there if that was to be her fate.
The joke was on Ryker though, truly, because even after severing her head from the rest of her body, the wound simply knit back together. Mercy cursed Zeus with just about every name under the sun, for it, and took off in a black fury. She's ashamed to have stormed off that day, but she couldn't handle what was going to happen to her sister, and couldn't stand the sight of what Zeus had wrought.
Quite a few of Zeus' supporters turned up dead of mysterious causes. Eventually, Oros found his way back to Olympus, and Mercy. He came with Loki in tow, and the two made her an offer to stay in Aasgard and do jobs for Odin. After the failed war on Heaven, Odin and some of the Norse gods had supposedly had a change of heart, and many even despised Zeus, or so Oros and Loki claimed.
Mercy took the chance, relieved to no longer be on mount Olympus. Odin and Thor weren't so bad to live under, especially compared to Zeus' often, stormy rage. Thor, while similar (They are both gods of thunder, after all) was a bit more controlled, and he at least could be trusted not to try and stick it in anything that moved. The coldness of their realm was new, and took some time to adjust to, however, though Mercy soon found that she much preferred the chill, despite the fact that the birds that shared her wing shape would do much better in the warmer climates.
At first quiet and wary, and not particularly in favor of any of the Nordic gods naturally, as many people learned to recognize her for Loki's granddaughter (and a shapeshifter, who are natural deceivers) early on, Mercy kept to herself for the most part.
She didn't keep to herself for long, though, as Oros and Loki both were relentless in getting her to join in with various things, including sparring, which Mercy had thoroughly missed.
It turned out that she and Loki had very similar fighting styles once Loki's use of magic and constant shifting was taken out of the equation. Against Oros and Loki, Mercy turned it into an art. The sparring gave her a good outlet for her stress and wrath towards Zeus, as it was better than just moping around all day. Mercy even managed to crack a joke or two, though she was still quieter and more bitter than she'd ever been up to that point. While Oros and Loki provided a nice distraction, she still wanted very much to rip Zeus into tiny, little pieces.
And since Mercy couldn't do that for practical reasons, she settled for assassinating and ambushing those that were closest to Zeus. Actual deicide was off-limits, as Mercy didn't have a death wish herself, but their avatars and priests? Killing them would serve to both weaken the Greek gods and could cause suitable damage.
By the age of 26, Mercy would draw the attention of Thor himself for both her actions and her skill. She was, Thor claimed, one of the best duelists he'd even seen. Her fighting style was nothing like any of the Nords. Where they were berserk and utterly ferocious in a battle, reckless and fought with sword or hammer and shield or battle axes, Mercy tended to hang back at the start of a fight and was more wary and much more conservative in fighting style. With rapier and parrying dagger instead of a shield, along with the Omega ability, she was cunning and able to trick her opponents into a false sense of security. She didn't have the brute strength most Nords had, but she more than made up for it in terrifying, dizzying speed and agility, combined with the same ferocity. While she preferred to fight alone, even on a more crowded battlefield she did fairly well, spinning her blades and causing enough damage to give herself some space. So long as her foes weren't clad head-to-heel in full plate, she could cut them down with ease.
And unlike Loki, she kept her shapeshifting to a minimum during a fight, only doing it to escape what would be almost certain death, not to surprise and confuse her foes as Loki and other shapeshifters likely did. "Honorable," claimed Thor.
Of course, plate-clad warriors would prove to be her weakest point, and both Asgard and Olympus were full of them. Something that Thor wanted to rectify. Mercy had the advantage in all but strength and protection. She wasn't strong enough to wear a full suit of plate and fight effectively herself, so Mercy stubbornly kept to her leather armor with small pieces of metal in key places. Enchanted, the leather held up exceptionally well to lots of things and was harder to break through than any sort of leather made on earth or in other places, with the exception of the creatures that grew and flourished around The Creator himself. Even so, Mercy would have killed to have leather of that quality, though the chance to obtain it would come much, much later, when she was well into her 40's. Bits of impervium, she'd be able to get a bit earlier, thanks to clashing with demons during spy missions on Earth.
For the time being, though, Mercy held up well in her second-rate leather and not-impervium weapons. Had she had the better armor and weapons, it's likely that she would have avoided much of the scars that were beginning to mark her body with each real fight she was in.
Even so, Mercy's speed kept her from getting some of the more extensive scars early on... Of course, a healer met on one fated battlefield at the age of 28 would also help quite a bit in keeping Mercy from falling apart.
The battle took place on the edge of Jotunheim, between a large group of Nords and a slightly larger group of giants. Mercy for her part, wasn't particularly thrilled about both the uneven odds and that she and Oros were the most skilled out of the majority of the Nords to begin with. From the start of the battle, as usual, Mercy fought beside Oros. The battle raged for several hours, but they stuck by each other's side in grim silence.
A heavy blow from a mace shattered Mercy's ribs, axe and sword cut and tore through her leather-clad arms, legs and wings. Beside Mercy, Oros fared little better, butterfly swords working to keep the giants off of him as best as he could manage. They were both bleeding from over a dozen different wounds.
The giant in front of Mercy roared as his greatsword slammed into the side of Mercy's head, bringing the assassin down. The wave of dizziness and nausea, the agony in her ribs - Mercy couldn't see straight. At her right, the bladesman had fallen too, his dark gaze shining with pain as he too struggled for breath.
Gritting her teeth and fighting the growing nausea, Mercy fought her way to her feet, moving just in time to turn a savage blow from a giant's mace into a glancing one. However glancing of a blow it might have been, Mercy's shoulder threatened to buckle under it and the spikes of pain that shot through her arm and back and neck made black spots dance in her vision.
Above the ringing of blades and cries of other warriors, a female’s voice shouted something. Instinctively, Mercy turned towards the noise, struggling to fight the endlessly growing wave of dizziness and nausea, just in time to see a shorter woman clad in chain, with mace and shield. She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended to either side of her and her palms open and upturned. Her head was thrown back, lips slightly parted. Mercy couldn’t make out her expression, but she could see the pale green-blue glow of whatever magic the stranger worked as it seemed drawn to her hands.
The female snapped out of her pose, pale light swirling all about her and seeming to cloak her in shadow. She jerked her hands above her head, almost like she was pushing something upwards. The sudden wave of power washed over Mercy, tinting her own vision green as the light wrapped around her.
Dimly, Mercy realized she was finding it harder to feel the aches, she could actually feel her broken bones moving on their own, which was odd in itself.
So the stranger was a healer then. A very powerful one, too, if Mercy had to guess.
The woman lowered her hands and slowly began to lift them again, balls of brighter green light flashing in her palms. Once more, she lifted her arms above her head and crossed her wrists slightly, then extended and outstretched her arms with a little flourish and another Word, not in any language Mercy had ever heard, the light coating all of the nords nearest her and reaching to where Mercy was.
Her wounds began to heal faster, and Mercy was able to stand again. She still hurt, everything hurt, but the blaze of agony that had been both her ribcage and the side of her head had subsided into what was merely a dull ache.
Besides her, Ouroboros watched the healer, his dark eyes wide as he slowly stood up from where he’d been struggling.
Oros turned his face to meet Mercy’s eyes, a question in their dark depths. In answer, Mercy lifted her blade once more, striking out at the nearest giant in grim satisfaction.
The healer had saved them both from dying, the least they could do was continue to fight their way through and give her some level of protection. Around her, Mercy had noticed, the giants were starting to move and take swipes at her. The woman had just shown she was a powerful healer. It didn’t make sense for her to be on such a crowded battlefield without protection, even if her healing abilities were beyond anything Mercy had ever seen so far.
Oros stepped in front of her, snapping his twin blades out and moving fast. It served to clear a path and cripple most of the giants that were fool enough to stand in his way, and Mercy settled into the space behind him, picking off the few that managed to survive his whirling blades as they slowly advanced and made their way towards the mysterious healer, who was now struggling against several giants closing in hon her, blocking with her shield. To Mercy’s eye, it seemed obvious that her main priority was healing over fighting.
Why was nobody else helping her?
Mercy and Oros fought on, now they were close enough to hear the giants breathing as they swung at the healer.
Mercy lunged for the nearest one a heartbeat after Oros did, and both rapier and butterfly sword met in the middle of the giant’s neck. It fell to the ground with a thud, lifeless. Mercy locked gazes with the strange healer for a moment, icy blue gaze to sapphire. Beneath that open-face chain helmet, Mercy saw the healer's lips smile.
"Protect me, and you shall never fall." The healer said. Her voice was clear and pure and beautiful, and Mercy didn't even have to say anything to Oros as they spun to either side of the healer, giving her their backs while they dealt with the oncoming threat of the giants.
Each time a giant took a swing, Mercy was there to block it, and the healer's magic was there to wash over Mercy and do what it was supposed to.
When the battle finally ended, the healer introduced herself to Mercy and Oros as Nyija Deathguard, the highborn daughter of some now-forgotten noble and not only a powerful healer, but a capable fighter as well. If it hadn't been for her, much more than just their armor would have needed to be repaired after the battle - Mercy wound up showing no traces of having ever fought in the battle to begin with, such was the extent of Nyija's power.
The first of the more major scars she would acquire wasn't even caused by one of those pesky, plate-wearing battleaxe-bearing bastards, either. It was actually caused by a priest that Thor had asked Mercy to hunt down when Mercy was around 29. One of Zeus' priests, in fact.
Deities tended to be territorial, and so neither Thor nor Odin were too thrilled to have a Greek god's priest preaching against them. Especially not on their own land. Given Mercy's ire towards Zeus, it was only natural that she'd be ordered to hunt him down.
Of course, Mercy did so, collecting Oros who had become her best friend since Sigyn's death. (Mercy was keeping away from most of her immediate family, although she'd always speak with them when needed.)
They tracked the priest to a small village, and the plan was fairly simple. Get in, assassinate the priest while Oros kept watch and dealt with any guards that happened to be around, get out, go home.
The plan would have worked, had the priest not been expecting Mercy to come. Mercy ambushed him, and as her dagger brushed his throat the priest teleported away with a laugh. He had a staff in hand, its ends glowing bright with magic.
The two closed with each other, Mercy had been momentarily thrown off balance at the sudden teleport, but she did her best to keep him moving, always trying to get behind him while dodging spells. The barrage of said spells made it difficult to get in close, though.
Eventually, Mercy did regain the upper hand and lunged, her blade catching the priests throat for real this time. The priest twisted, slamming the staff into Mercy's stomach. The blow was all magic, and Mercy fell even as the priest died, exhaling magic with his last breath. The magic had torn Mercy's armor to shreds... Along with the flesh beneath. The jagged cut ran from Mercy's right shoulder and diagonally cut down to Mercy's left hip, making it nearly impossible to move without further injury and blood loss. Oros knew enough to bind the wounds before moving her, at least, though neither of them had any sort of real healing skills to speak of.
Nyija, a powerful priest in her own right, was the one to find them. Odin had, according to her, foreseen Mercy's fall and sent her directly to the two assassins. She bound Mercy's wounds properly, and kept her stable enough for the flight back home to receive more healing.
The flight back to Asgard itself was long and quiet, as Oros was more focused on not jostling Mercy too much, and Mercy was too injured to talk much, while Nyija was grimly focused on casting healing spells while in flight.
Upon getting back into Aasgard, Mercy spent more time healing and recovering. Thanks to powerful healers (And Aaron, who also took the opportunity to chew his foolish daughter out while healing her) the wound healed up well enough and left only a thin scar to mark it. With some training to compensate for the muscle loss after sitting around doing nothing for a month, Mercy got back to normal speed fairly quickly, which was surprising even for Odin. It turned out that Aaron's blood magic was powerful, much more-so than anyone had realized.
A few years went by, and at the age of 31, Mercy was asked to take a scouting squad to earth to see what was happening. Naturally, Ouroboros and Nyija were her picks to go with her, as the trio had been working together much more often and Nyija had managed to worm her way into their close, tight-knit bond.
The group ran into a pair of demons, who were quickly dispatched after a short but bloody fight. Mercy and the Nords got to loot some impervium, including a greatsword, which was taken back to Asgard with them.
After a few months of the infamous metalsmithing dwarves working on the oversized impervium blade, it is reforged into a matching rapier (or more accurately, a Schiavona, larger and heavier and longer) and parry dagger set, along with two extra daggers. It took some time, as impervium by nature is a very stubborn metal that needs serious heat to start melting, cools down fast and also is fairly resistant to taking magical enchantments, and the enchanting process was arguably the hardest and longest part of forging the blades. It is rumored that Odin himself and possibly Freyja and the frost giantess Skadi worked on the enchantments themselves.
Odin then decided to make a gift out of the four blades to Mercy, who initially refused, her reasoning being that pure impervium was far too heavy and could and would cause much-unneeded and unwanted attention. And besides, why give the weapons to her, a lowly assassin and spy, of all people?
Odin laughed and seemed to accept that Mercy didn't want the weapons, and the two parted ways. Mercy was out hunting a deer a few weeks later when she went to take a step and tripped. She looked down and cursed under her breath. The impervium schiavona hung in the air at about knee-level, the dark metal having been etched with runes. The runes glowed a faint pale blue. Mercy picked up the blade and returned it to a snickering Odin, only to damn near stab herself when she would've face-planted into her bed after a long day of sparring and cleaning up after one of Loki's "tricks" (or acts of Utter Stupidity, as Mercy would later snap and snarl at him for.) Having watched their friend nearly faceplant into the blade on her pillow, both Oros and Nyi laughed at her and still to this day won't let her live that particular incident down.
Again, the schiavona was returned, a bit more forcefully. And again, the blade appeared, this time buried in the neck of a certain Greek thunder god's priest that Mercy had been fighting. The priest slumped over, dead, and Mercy nearly went down with the body. Shoving the fresh corpse off of her, she instinctively grabbed the blade to finish the job, not only severing the head from it's body but also making a thrust to the heart.
Too late Mercy realized that the runes along the blade and the hilt were magic. She flicked her wrist, and the impervium rapier no longer felt as heavy in her hands as the first few times she'd held it. In fact, wielding this blade felt much nicer than the older blade she'd fought so many battles with. Odin, the sneaky bastard, had forced her to unwittingly soulbind to the Schiavona.
While still not quite thrilled about the forced weapon change, Mercy wasn't a fool. Now she could actually use the impervium blade, as it felt about 5 pounds lighter in her hand. It felt nearly weightless, in fact -- something a large weapon made out of impervium should not be.
Being soulbound, only she would be able to use the weapon effectively, and the weapon couldn't be used against her. The blade had a variation of a frost enchantment embedded in the hilt, which ensured that Mercy wouldn't lose her grip on the blade as easily, along with inflicting severe frostbite to whatever it struck. The nearly black metal didn't shine in the sun, as impervium is a very dull metal, but the frost enchantment made the blade smoke in a warm room and the blade kept an edge extremely well. In combat, the markings along the blades glowed the same blue as Mercy's eyes, but brighter. If she was merely annoyed, or frustrated, they oscillated between that shade of blue and smokey blue-grey, nearly black. Combined with the blade smoking in warmer temperatures, and it made for quite the display. Being soul-bound, it naturally reacted to Mercy's emotions and was the dead-giveaway for what she was feeling, so she learned quickly to keep a lid on things. To let her emotions show when getting ready to ambush somebody would've surely led to Mercy's doom.
And as it had already shown, the blade seemed to have a will of it's own, as many objects of magical power do. Not sentient, no, but it could be summoned if Mercy thought about it, as she found out later, from Odin. It also seemed to exude violence when Mercy was angered, it's aura almost menacing, as weapons were naturally made for destroying things.
The matching parrying dagger had the same enchantments, and so Mercy took to using the pair. The other two daggers were not soulbound, but the frost enchantment on them was much more powerful.
While fighting a demon that had somehow found it's way into Aasgard, Mercy found out that the Schiavona would also gravitate towards the heart if left in a body long enough. The damn thing was unnerving... And useful. Very useful. Even more useful? When the body died, if the blade was left for a bit longer in contact with the heart, the organ would liquify.
After testing the blade out in sparring matches, Mercy grew to really like her new weapons, too. Not only could the Schiavona not be used against her, but only those the blade/Mercy deemed as "worthy" could hold it, similar to how Thor's Mjolnir worked. The blade would never break, so long as Mercy was alive.
Mercy, Oros and Nyi were also becoming closer over the years. Mercy and Oros had been friends for over a decade at this point and there really wasn't much either was uncomfortable with telling the other. Nyi began accompanying them on their travels too, and the frequent fights served to really hone both her healing and her offensive abilities. It was always clear that she was a healer first and foremost, but if needed she could take care of herself in a fight without breaking the delicate concentration and calm that was required to heal her friends even as they took large amounts of damage.
However, it wasn't just on the battlefield that the trio became close. Mercy and Oros in particular had grown fond of the short healer's company, too, and the feeling was reciprocated, which Mercy had somewhat been hoping for in the back of her mind. (Oros, ever the cynic, had little expectations, so it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for him)
The three of them hid very little from each other, and given that they had always been fairly relaxed and open about everything, maybe it wasn't as much of a surprise when the half-joking idea of a threesome was brought up. Nyija and Oros had been screwing around with each other for some time, though they weren't officially a couple or anything, and Mercy and Oros had certainly toed the line a time or two. Mercy and Nyija had, as well, on occasion.
Either way, it happened one day after the three had gotten home from some fun killing giants. Oros and Nyi had started lightly teasing each other (and Mercy, as they were won't to do) and from there things went about as one would expect. All three of them woke up the next morning fairly satisfied. They probably had a few more goes at it in the following months too, though things changed and while it was fun, Oros and Nyi were growing noticeably closer to each other emotionally. It didn't really change much for the trio's relationship with each other - they'd always remain as open and understanding with each other - but Nyi had managed something not even Mercy could do in knowing the gyrfalcon for over 15 years. Oros, prideful, stubborn Ouroboros, damn near worshipped the ground the petite healer walked upon. And Nyi alone could make him do anything. Not that Oros wouldn't follow Mercy to Hell and back if she asked, but things were noticeably different between the gyr and the storm petrel, and Oros wouldn't say a word against her, even teasingly.
Several more years went on, and the fights that Mercy was asked to participate in weighed the assassin down just a little more each time. At 38 Mercy fought off a particularly powerful fire mage, one of Zeus' followers, and managed to kill him. Not fast enough, though, as the mage's magic sword struck at the back of her knee, and did a lot of damage while Mercy twisted, her own sword finding his throat. The spell that the mage had worked as he'd sank the blade into Mercy's leg was designed to inhibit healing, and took time to dispel completely. By then, the damage had been done, and Mercy bore a new, painful tangle of scars that stretched from the back of her heel to just under the knee on her right leg. The wound made coming in for hard landings painful, and it never did get the chance to heal properly. Over time the pain lessened, but even now it makes itself known after a long day of fighting or a particularly bad landing or lots of running around.
A couple years later at the age of 40, when sneaking around Olympus, Mercy encountered an old, familiar, scarred face. It should have been impossible, the familiar hooded figure was dead. Mercy had watched her die. She had died, 17 years prior.
...And the deadwoman had her bow raised, arrow aimed straight at Mercy's throat, grey eyes as cold as glaciers.
Mercy froze, and sudden recognition dawned in the other female's clouded grey eyes. Sigyn carefully lowered her bow, though she watched Mercy warily.
"...Sigyn...?" Mercy asked, the shock evident in her voice.
"Mercy." Sigyn replied.
"We thought... You were buried..." Mercy began uneasily, fearing that this was some sort of sick joke by Zeus. "What happened?"
"One of Zeus' priests happened." Sigyn growled, voice suddenly filled with rage, grey eyes flashing in the gloom.
"Have you seen..." Mercy spoke again, to be cut off in typical Sigyn-fashion.
"Ryker? Yes... He'll die, one way or another. Bastard." Sigyn answered the question, adjusting her grip on her bow, "Runa wants nothing to do with me, for the obvious reasons. Keres is nowhere in sight from what I've seen, and Aaron would have stabbed himself if he dared when I showed up." Sigyn's voice had been full of bitterness. Mercy understood, and figured out that Sigyn had already lost all hope of slipping back into the family fold.
"What the hell happened?" Sigyn asked her sister, Mercy struggled for words.
"You've been dead for seventeen years. I should be asking you that, I think..." Mercy's attempt at weak humor was stonewalled, though.
Mercy could only watch as Sigyn closed her eyes, struggling with whatever thoughts were going through her head. After a few minutes, the archer stood, and slung her bow across her back with a muttered "Sorry."
Now it was Mercy's turn to give a bitter laugh, coated in derision. "How long have you been alive, anyways?"
Sigyn gave a shrug. "A... week? I think. Being dead for years messes with one's perception of time." she added
"Sucks to be you, then." Mercy replied, voice teasing, almost. Though even to her own ears it sounded like she was desperately trying to convince herself that everything would be fine, when all she really wanted was to crawl into a corner and cry quietly to herself... And stab Sigyn. Oh yes, her sister's powers were making themselves known. It seemed to Mercy that they were even stronger than before, though whether it was because they had actually increased, or because Mercy hadn't stepped foot near Sigyn's grave nor seen her face in 17 years, not even she was sure.
The two stuck it out for a couple days together, though it was painfully obvious that neither of them could ever stay near each other for long. With her resurrection, Sigyn's powers had become far stronger, to the point where it agitated even Mercy to be around her. The last thing they did together was hunt down and kill the insane mage that had resurrected Sigyn, taking out several more of his followers before Mercy snapped at Sigyn.
The two parted ways willingly, with the grim understanding that they'd be forced to fight if they met again. There wouldn't be avoiding it this time, as they had in the past.
The realization hurt, but they both understood that watching the other die at their hands would hurt even more.
And so it was that quite a few more of Zeus' most devout came to die in similar manners. Zeus no doubt suspected who it was, but not even a god could strike at shadows. Especially not an already-weakened and distracted thunder god.
Mercy developed the ability to hide soon enough, using it to her advantage to slip through the shadows, unseen unless someone bumped into her or she made a noise. It wasn't true invisibility, and those with sharp eyesight could easily pick her out if they looked in the hidden, darker corners. Unfortunately for Zeus and his followers, they looked too late, and his followers would often find the poisoned tip of a dagger at their throats, too fast even for them to scream.
Mercy's little "diversions" kept Zeus occupied. Very occupied. They kept him from scheming and plotting as he wanted to, they kept him from making moves against The Creator and other deities both, and they kept him from making Ryker's life any more of a living hell than it already was.
Her actions were noticed by others too, At 42, The Creator made her a gift out of one of the water buffalo that was raised in the vicinity of his throne room. Excellent-quality leather, far superior than what Mercy had been wearing, which was already fairly decent by immortal standards. For someone not of Heaven's army, the armor was invaluable.
This time, Mercy graciously accepted the gift, tanning the leather and making the armor herself.
The new set of armor turned out to be nicer than even Mercy had thought it would be. A dark grey, nearly black, with bits of hardened blue aether that gave off a glow when Mercy's temper flared or she was in combat. It matched the impervium schiavona and daggers she had obtained years earlier quite nicely.
The leather was supple and let her still be able to kick someone taller than she was in the throat, and still gave her the same freedom of movement and kept her well-protected. Even more so with the enchantments that were imbued into the armor, to give just a tiny bit more resistance to magic and the elements. While nothing major, it would hold up much better.
By 45, Mercy was growing bored with Aasgard. She'd seen far too much fighting, been involved in so much of said fighting and it wore more and more on her with each passing day.
Odin's steadily increasing irritation was grating on her nerves as well. Evidently, he was mildly peeved about the gift of armor Mercy had received years earlier, and felt that Mercy slighted him by wearing it. Supposedly, he was even considering allying against The Creator, again, something that Mercy personally felt was utterly pointless.
Mercy almost laughed when she had heard that news from Thor, who was slightly more worried about the whole thing than she was, along with Oros.
Mercy, on the surface, took it in stride. "If he's sending me off because I'm not wearing the armor you gave me, oh well. As you recall, I never did swear my loyalty to you."
"And where does that loyalty lie, assassin?" Thor's voice was soft, though there was a clear warning in it. Things were unlikely to go well if Mercy answered wrong...
...So of course, that is exactly what Mercy did. "Not with warmongers who would would help start a pointless war for the sake of petty vengeance. Not warmongers who would doom someone else to fight their war for them, and sit back and watch, and prepare to strike down whoever the victor may be."
"Odin said you would say something like that." Thor sighed. His grey eyes glared at her, but otherwise he was calm. Mercy's Omega ability was the one thing keeping her alive, she was sure.
"There was a reason I only attacked Zeus' followers." Mercy pointed out quietly. She'd seen the destruction they plotted, had never truly wanted a part of it.
"Get out of here before I have to kill you, please..." Thor gritted out, the anger practically rolling off of him as he struggled with his own emotions.
Mercy took her cue and left in cold silence. She hadn't realized it, but she'd been wanting to say it for a while. It felt good to finally get one thing off of her chest. Even so, turning her back on a second pantheon hurt, no matter if it was for the best or not.
Nobody tried to stop Mercy as she left Aasgard, slipping through a small Door to Earth. Hidden, Oros silently followed her, along with his now wife, Nyija. The trio said nothing and Mercy quickly parted ways with them, not wishing to make their lives difficult. Oros objected, of course, but Mercy merely shook her head, putting on a short burst of speed to avoid his miserable dark gaze.
Since then, Mercy's kept her head down, occasionally harrying demons or Zeus' servants that stray too close, occasionally an informant for Heaven's messengers, but mostly staying out of the war and keeping away from it where she can. Where she couldn't, she trusted nobody. While she's played informant to various messengers and informants allied with Heaven over the years, she never did reveal her true face to them, instead taking on the guise of a human, or an animal, once even a seemingly male angelus buteo (well, it wasn't like the ones she was speaking with at the time had an inkling to what was under her leather)
This changed after Mercy turned 53. While busy assassinating some more of Zeus' priests that were involved with human sacrifice and starting to cause trouble for local humans, Mercy had to make a rather quick aerial getaway.
There was a demon scout nearby, watching the skies for movements of the angels of Heaven's army that still frequented earth, likely hoping he could pick one or two of them off. He was standing in her way, and showing no signs of moving and there really wasn't another way for Mercy to get out of the tight spot she was in with alerting him to her presence. Having just finished clearing out a damn nest of Zeus' followers, Mercy was in no mood for that sort of cat-and-mouse game.
The demon had no memory of Mercy slipping up behind him. He hadn't heard her or seen her and her Omega ability tricked his sixth sense into thinking nothing was amiss until the brief flash of panic as his throat was slit, leaving a very severe case of frostbite in the single slash that had severed his jugular vein. Apart from that flash of panic and the serious frostbite in the wound, the healers in Hell could gleam nothing of her from his memories, and Mercy herself slipped through a small Door that led into Heaven itself to clear her head and evade the commotion. Her dagger at least cleared Heaven's own soldiers from being suspected after the initial shock.
While flitting around the upper layers of Heaven after making her report to The Creator, Mercy was spotted by none other than the archangel Michael. As captain of security, the leader of Heaven's army and having fought against the other gods in the war that seemed lifetimes ago, he wasn't exactly pleased to find an intruder in his backyard.
He dived on her, but being larger, with the wings of a Golden Eagle and not being particularly fast (by archangel standards) and laughably slow (Mercy's standards) Mercy evaded him, spun around and... Basically slapped him in the face with her Omega ability. Michael went from 100-0, pretty much, even going so far as to turn and land and apologize for what neither of them were sure. Mercy too, landed, and he questioned her as to how exactly she'd got into the upper layers of Heaven in the first place, along with asking just exactly the sort of unnatural creature she was.
After the initial unease and questioning, the meeting went fairly well and the two were soon joined by Gabriel, the messenger.
Over time, Mercy gradually begins spending a bit more time hanging around the angels, and she and Michael slowly start developing feelings for one another. They grow pretty fond of each other, actually, much the the half-amusement, half-horror of various others. (Because Holy. Crap. Michael, what are you thinking. Jfc Mercy, falling in love with an archangel??) Michael is one of the few that Mercy can truly relax around, and she'd trust him with her life. Even better, he doesn't take shit, but the two are able to joke and fool around. Also, the taller archangel is hot, holy hell. Mercy's heart just melts when she looks at him.
They understand each other, even more-so after having a very rough heart-to-heart with each other. From that point on, there would be no secrets left to tell, especially once Mercy, during a particularly rough talk during that heart-to-heart, manifests some new abilities.
Those abilities just so happen o be empathy and they couldn't have manifested at a worse time. Being able to see precisely how Michael is feeling, and getting "echoes" of his thoughts and even some images tied to such strong emotion nearly drives Mercy insane. But it also gives her even more insight on just where Mike is coming from. It breaks her heart, to see how much the archangel is hurting inside.
After that, well... They couldn't really turn back, could they? Both are certain in their relationship, and each knows that their secrets are safe with each other, and they both really do love another. The heart-to-heart was mentally draining, but they both needed it.
The two lovebirds settled in with each other quite nicely, actually. Soon enough, Mercy begins putting on weight in some... interesting places. Yeah, Michael got her pregnant, and Mercy is both thrilled and fucking terrified. And after a short visit with Raphael, it's revealed that she's expecting twins. After a rather uneventful, hellishly boring pregnancy, Mercy gives birth (and curses Michael for all of the pain, poor guy.) At least she is spared from going completely stir-crazy, although the swift is naturally high-strung and being cooped up at home makes her pretty grumpy, she's also sane enough to know that her kids take precedence over her own desires and is actually pretty happy to raise them.
And the two kids actually are pretty decent, as far as kids go. Kasimir, a boy, and Calistena, a girl. Kas takes much more after his mother, with the exception of a few features and his wings... Falcon wings. Iridescent black and the edging of each feather being different colors. Calistena, meanwhile, grows into the spitting image of her father... If Michael was a female, and if his wings had been black and faded into pretty blues and violets and indigo purple and even lavender and white-gold at the very tips.
Everybody is pretty confused over the whole wing situation. After some minor "Mercy what the fuck?" comments and maybe some glaring at the until-now sole falcon in Heaven's army, Michael just shakes his head, sighs and rolls with it. It's fairly obvious to everyone that Mercy wouldn't cheat, anyways. And as by this time Mercy's revealed some more of her own heritage, and Aaron revealed even more of their ancestors and those damnably strong recessive genes making a comeback, Kasimir and Calis were pretty set to be utterly spoiled and loved anyways. It definitely helped that Calis grew up quieter and a complete bookworm, preferring her books and studies to getting in trouble.
The two of them (aka Kasimir alone, really) give Mercy headaches and the urge to drink from the bottle, but it's obvious she loves them and absolutely will kill to keep them safe (As would Michael, who is probably doting on his precious daughter. Because Calistena is perfect.)
Pregnancy had been harsh on Keres, who was used to fighting and living a more uhh, "active" lifestyle than she was to being watched over like a hawk and bedrest. Sigyn was born with the rather unfortunate "ability" to make everyone attack her almost on-sight. To try and end her existence was instinct for almost everyone. Including her parents. Luckily (or unluckily) Mercy had been born with the exact opposite power. For Mercy, people almost immediately calmed down when in her presence, and it was instinct to try and protect her. Naturally, the two conflicted with each other.
Their powers, uncontrollable at such a young age and having manifested in the womb were the reason why Keres would have killed them all the second they were born if she could have. She is a spirit of violent death, after all, it was in her nature to kill the weak and the strong alike. And that meant her children too, much as she fought the urge. Aaron, their father, was of a different mindset though. He watched and hovered over them all protectively, using his own magic to help Keres keep her composure, using physical force to restrain her when necessary. They both loved their children, but parenting and the struggle to not kill Sigyn (whose power only grew as time wore on, threatening to crush Keres' already fragile mental stability) and the rest of her children (and this is why violent-death spirits shouldn't have kids) was utterly draining. They separated for a while, Keres retreating in silence to find some peace in the night where Nyx ruled, and generally left the raising of the four whelps to Aaron. Poor, exhausted Aaron.
As both Sigyn's and Mercy's power grew, they and their siblings manifested other abilities too. For Mercy, it was shapeshifting. For Ryker, it was being able to command and control elemental spirits. Runa became a powerful sorcerer, above all having skill in pyromancy. Sigyn nullified magic. It seemed she was destined to just make Aaron's day. (And Runa's, and Ryker's. Mercy and Keres at least could deal without their own shapeshifting abilities for a time.)
Regardless, Aaron tried his best to give his children as much of a "normal" childhood as they could get with the constant fighting, the Greek gods sticking their noses where they didn't belong and plotting war with Heaven (Which Aaron gracefully kept his kids out of, the same could not be said of Keres, who had no choice in the matter.) He did a pretty decent job, all things considered. Ryker and Runa, being mages like him, were undoubtedly spoiled the most, but Mercy and Sigyn never lacked for anything either, except for maybe some maternal love on Sigyn's part. (Well, sisterly love too. She never did get along well with anyone, and would often slip off to be alone and avoid troubling them. Sigyn would rather be alone than endure her father's silent, non-complaining torment and that of her sisters as they struggled to stay calm around her.)
When they were older, around 12 or 13, Keres came out of her shell a bit more. All four were able to hold their own and Keres, no longer emotionally and mentally exhausted and filled with raging hormones, had a much easier time keeping a clearer head. She still had to be extremely careful around Sigyn and the two would only grow more distant throughout the years, but at least she could spend time with her other daughters and her mate again. By the time she finally started connecting with her family though, the girls were pretty self-sustaining and were fairly mature already.
Mercy in particular, hunted and fended for herself for the most part, never really troubling her parents with much other than the worry that she'd get into something she shouldn't, or that she'd get hurt. Sigyn too, was quite self-sufficient and more than capable of taking care of herself. Ryker and Runa wee too, but Sigyn had the unquestionable advantage over them all with her increasing skill with the bow and desire to stay hidden.
Puberty hit Mercy and her sisters at the age of 13, and when it hit, it hit hard. All four of them grew breasts, naturally. Mercy, despite being the tallest out of all her siblings, wasn't particularly well-endowed, and she wasn't that well-endowed in other areas either. She did grow into curves though, along with a growth spurt of a good 7 inches at least. Mercy, once graceful and coordinated, turned into a damn horse as her limbs were suddenly far too long for her body and it made her into an uncoordinated mess for quite a while, though she eventually did recover after a few months. Of course, Ryker and Runa teased her lightly about it, and even Sigyn joined in a time or two, though Sigyn too grew taller, if not quite as fast as Mercy.
Mercy lost the soft white down on her wings as her wings grew in size and her plumage grew in, pale white just like her skin, with pale silver markings beginning to show. Even so, out of her sisters and parents Mercy's wings were the "plainest" of all of them. They were also quite predictably, the lightest in coloration. Aaron had black wings shot through with strands of glowing red aether and Sigyn's wings followed a similar coloration, though the red in her wings was darker, almost sinister in nature. Ryker's wings were also dark, though the purple and black feathers bore bright markings, eyes and spotting and barring in colorful lighter purples and faint golds. Runa's wings were sky blue, broken up by silver and white banding and darker blue barring on the primaries.
Aaron and Keres both taught their kids to fly, and it was Ryker who first managed to flap her wings and soar. Runa and Sigyn followed quickly after, while Mercy oddly was more hesitant. Something about being in the wide open unnerved her, whether it was the height, the sense of vulnerability or even just the simple fear of the unknown, or a combination of the three, not even Mercy is sure of now.
What she is sure of though, is that once Keres took it upon herself to literally shove Mercy off of a high ledge, Mercy spread her wings. That first flight was short and clunky and absolutely terrifying for Mercy... But it was exhilarating. Mercy was undoubtedly terrified, but yet at the same time she wanted more. Keres left her children alone for the most part, but she took it upon herself to help Mercy personally. With Mercy's ability to keep her calmer and able to better control her insatiable bloodlust, she could be normal for the time that they were together, at least, and Keres truly did love her children even if she couldn't be around them for too long of a time.
With a bit of encouragement (A rare thing, coming from Keres) and patience, Mercy flew. While Sigyn had been the fastest of their sisters so far, Mercy learned quickly once she got over her fear and was able to quickly surpass her sisters in speed and agility. Later on, she'd surpass her parents, too and come to even enjoy flying, although the odd niggle of fear still remained in her gut for years. And of course, Sigyn and Runa teased poor Mercy relentlessly about it. Mercy was initially quite bothered by it, but eventually, she began to joke around and fire right back at both of them, getting over most of her bitterness at not being the first to fly, though sometimes even now her sisters teasing can make Mercy grit her teeth in irritation. Mercy isn't sure why it happens, and she hates it.
And of course, along with puberty came a very sharp, very fast increase in power for all four girls. Mercy learned to take a wider variety of shapes and even learned to shift specific parts of her body, while keeping the rest of her body in another form entirely. Mercy's ability to calm and sooth others grows as well, to the point where she is able to calm someone who was in the blackest of rages, given enough time. Using her power at first was quite exhausting though, and it took a lot practice to control. Sigyn's power grew as well, though instead of soothing calm it was and still is a burning rage and violence. The desire to hurt is strong in even more docile creatures, and Mercy was able to get in a lot of practice controlling her own abilities while trying to keep her godforsaken sister out of harm's way. Keres abruptly became distant and aloof once more, and tensions strained as the area in which magic was nullified around Sigyn also grew a bit more. Runa in particular kept away from Sigyn more and more as she struggled with her own abilities. She was able to create raging infernos and keep even Mercy locked in place with powerful roots and snares, and the pair of them practiced and sparred with each other more often as Runa's competitive nature shone through. With a lot of effort, Mercy slowly began to feel the effects of Runa's heavy-hitting magic less and less, until she is immune to normal fire completely. The duration of Runa's roots also decreased, and as they spar Mercy realizes that she is able to beat Runa very quickly if she catches her off-guard. Mercy's main challenge comes from bright Ryker, who unlike Runa had learned to master all four elements near-completely. She was able to summon elemental spirits at will, even able to control two of them at once and uses them to great effect against her siblings. She proved to be almost as efficient as Sigyn at taking down multiple foes at once as she learned to work with powerful damaging spells and similar roots and snares to what Runa used. But the biggest challenge for Mercy was Ryker's ability to Fear. Transforming others into a stunted, twisted fire spirit for a short time in which they could not speak, could not attack and their minds were almost completely taken over by sheer terror as they struggled to flee Ryker's power. Combined with a root, for a few seconds her opponents were vulnerable to anything and everything that could damage them normally. Once Mercy was able to resist the ability, she and Ryker started working together in tandem to see how far they could push things. Ryker and Mercy were able to develop Mercy's control over her calming effect to actually break Ryker's Fear with some concentration. The effort would become easier over time, though too much and it would still exhaust Mercy. Mercy's ability soon became a bit more well-known, and people began calling it the power of the Omega. Eventually, the name would become a nickname for Mercy, much to her irritation. Naturally, Sigyn's power became known as Anti-Omega.
Mercy's hair also grew and became thicker and slightly wavy, and she lost some of the delicateness that came naturally to her in the following months of training and working with the sword. The upside was balance and being faster, more agile and stronger, though compared to something like an archangel she was still pretty weak in that regard. But when it came to speed, she outpaced everything she encountered with ease. Mercy's temper also changed, as is natural for any teenager. She was no longer as quiet, and the beginnings of her sharp, sarcastic nature shone through from the start. Aaron had hoped it would pass, but of course, it never did. She even became interested in Zeus' budding war with The Creator, if only because she enjoyed picking apart his strategies and figuring out that he would fail pretty early on, something she generally didn't voice because while Mercy could and would talk crap, she wasn't so stupid as to think that her comments would go without rebuke. If not from Aaron and Keres, who privately agreed with her, then from Zeus himself, and Mercy truly had no real interest in fighting actual deities at the time, something that was universally agreed to be a likely way to die.
Aaron reluctantly trained her with the sword when she asked, and being a bloodmage, he slowly introduced that power to her, allowing Mercy to adapt to it. Being a bloodmage, he fought in blood armor that could be equivalent to plate, with a magical sword and shield to match. (That is, made out of his blood and pretty damn resistant to most metals) He started training the other sisters too, and Ryker and Runa often paired up against Mercy alone. This would serve to strengthen her resistance to magic even further, but Mercy would never be entirely immune as magic evolves with its caster. Mercy became an expert at dodging spells even as they were launched at her, after a while she would time it so that she'd be able to weave out of the way of a spell when it got very close to her and suffer almost no damage from it, before launching into a quick flurry of attacks against the mages that was dizzying and disorienting. Had Sigyn not already been capable of nullifying all magic within the vicinity, and thus by extension being entirely immune to it, she would have followed a similar path. As it was, Sigyn was learning to be almost as fast as Mercy herself and had a heightened sense of her surroundings and incoming threats. She preferred to fight at range, and when fighting alone she was usually able to get the better of Mercy by keeping her distance and a steady supply of arrows. Her aim became excellent, she was even able to pin Mercy by a wing while in flight, no easy task given the swift's speed and agility.
Mercy, having always been built more along the lines of speed rather than strength, much preferred leather and chainmail, although she did experiment with plate armor for a time. Sigyn too, experimented, though she kept stubbornly to leather to allow for easier movement. Ryker and Runa were two sides of the same coin and stuck with more traditional enchanted cloth that boosted both their spellpower and defense.
That experiment with plate didn't last long, as the first time she would clash with Zeus would see her breastplate shatter under the impact of a magical fireball. Mercy liked breathing, and she liked not having bits of molten metal being forced into her chest even more, so she quickly switched back to leather, which soon proved to be a good deal more resistant to magical attacks and let her move around much more easily, even if it left her more vulnerable to physical attacks. She learned to be proficient in almost all the basic weapons, and finding most two-handed weapons to be slower and more cumbersome, settled on fighting with a rapier and a parrying dagger instead. Much like the angels on Earth, her weapons were made from earthly metals and metals found on Olympus, as impervium was not really used for weapons and armor at the time, and besides that would also mean having to sneak into Heaven to steal it. Not something that Mercy or her sisters felt like doing, although Zeus had promised them that when he won his budding war against Heaven, they too, could have impervium for themselves. Mercy and her sisters brushed him off rather rudely, while Aaron was mildly terrified as he rather liked The Creator, and had never had any love for Zeus. To him, The Creator was quite similar to the lone god of the realm Aaron was originally from, and Zeus had never done anything to inspire his loyalty -- or respect. Likewise, his daughters took a similar view, though Aaron, Mercy and Sigyn were the only ones ever really vocal about it, and even then Sigyn kept quiet out of fear.
By the age of 18, Mercy was skilled enough to survive an attack from the thunder god Zeus, who was immensely angered by Aaron's failure to follow orders and insert himself and his daughters into what would be his failed war against The Creator. Mercy learned that it's a wise idea to hold one's tongue around an angry deity, as she point-blank told him his war was doomed to failure and Aaron backed up his daughter, calling Zeus out on several things. Keres, at this point, was nowhere to be found.
Things got heated and Mercy had some choice words for Zeus. Aaron, torn between being prideful that his daughter could verbally rip even a god to shreds and simultaneously terrified for her life, decided to back her up after his warnings went mostly ignored.
Zeus threw thunderbolts at Mercy, among other things, and the metal burning into her chest and the magical fireball took some time to heal. Aaron kept her alive through the battle itself by using blood magic to stop her from bleeding everywhere. At the time, Mercy wasn't particularly grateful, but she's come to appreciate that twisted style of healing for what it was and still is.
Ryker discovers she has some fairly decent healing ability in conjunction with an earth spirit, as well, and so Mercy recovers with no scarring and almost immediately returned to sparring with both of her parents to improve her own skills. Keres never believed in going softly on her daughters, something that Mercy hated at the time but would learn to seriously thank her for.
At the age of 19, Mercy met a man of Nordic descent who turned out to be the son of one of Odin's Valkyries, who was wandering far from home. He's fair-haired, dark-eyed and has the wings of a gyrfalcon. They hit it off and become friends. Runa and Ryker don't seem to care for him all that much, though Sigyn, oddly, seems friendly, a far cry from the cold solitude she'd subjected herself to in more recent years. Mercy joking compares him to Ouroboros, the mythical serpent that is depicted as biting it's tail in Norse mythology, and the name sticks, eventually to be shortened to "Oros". He turned out to be quite similar to both Mercy and Sigyn in his views and even fighting style, preferring quick skirmishes to drawn out, longer fights. The three of them quickly become an unholy terror together, learning to work together to ambush their targets and dispatch them with ease. Alongside Sigyn's ability to nullify magic in her vicinity, the mages quickly sat up and took note, keeping clear of their little band on their travels.
While back in Olympus (Both Mercy and Sigyn were spending less and less time there as Zeus' temper continued to worsen as he had officially lost the war with Heaven) the group encountered a large black dog with blue eyes. Ice blue eyes, with a spark of mischief to them. The dog began following Mercy and the group around, causing some minor trouble and generally being a minor annoyance to them. The dog was surprisingly silent, not barking or growling or whining, but rather just generally getting in the way of things.
Upon seeing the group's mysterious black dog, Aaron recognized him almost immediately, and as Sigyn no longer seemed to care to be within sight of either of her parents, Aaron very casually said something, a flicker of magic pulsing around him. Whatever he said, the dog shifted and became a man. A very tall man, with skin even paler than Mercy's, and hair just as black as both hers and her father's, and the same icy blue eyes that skipped Aaron to show in his daughter instead.
The man gave a mocking bow, and revealed himself to be none other than Loki, the trickster of the Nords. Aaron wasn't particularly thrilled with his father's antics, and Mercy was just plain wary as all hell. Mercy just chewed Loki out for being an irritating jackass (much to Loki's amusement) and inwardly Mercy might have been a touch peeved that she was actually related to Oros, however distant that relation might be, but it wasn't anything truly devastating. Even so, after the initial startling discoveries, everyone pretty much got over it and Loki taught Mercy a few new animal forms before taking his leave, shifting into a bird and flying off. One of the new forms Loki taught Mercy was that of a large dragon, its scales grey in color and massive greyish-silver wings along with a thick white mane that stretched from her head all the way to her almost club-like tail. Mercy's eyes remained icy blue, but the pupils changed from black to white and were slitted, those of a serpent. More slender than that first inter-pantheon dragon to be made and used for war, but still fairly solidly built and larger overall.
Mercy was intrigued, yet also slightly repulsed as Zeus had tried unsuccessfully to get her and her sisters to "help" with the inter-pantheon dragon once before. She practiced with it, as she'd practiced with all of her other forms so that she could control it and stay in the form for a while, but she quickly abandoned it, fearing what she could have possibly become. Of the others, only Loki knows of it, as Mercy has still to this day never told anyone else about the grey dragon that could very briefly be seen in the skies over Olympus.
By the age of 23 Mercy was becoming much more skilled with her rapier and parrying dagger, and similar to her friend Oros the Gyre, she too began experimenting with duel-wielding two daggers as well. While Sigyn could snipe at things from a distance with her bow, Mercy and Oros became a dangerous, lethal tag-team, striking fast and silent to end their foes with practiced ease. Several of the gods that had been defeated in their failed war against Heaven actually asked if they would consider assassinating certain key people for them. Mercy and Sigyn, and by extension Oros, flatly refused. Ra and Shiva were among those that asked, and Mercy's flat refusal sparked their ire, though they could do nothing then and can do even less now.
Sigyn began to slowly drift away from her sister and the Gyre as well, once more retreating into her shell as her already tenuous control over her own abilities began to waver, sparking violence wherever she went. Eventually, not even Mercy could suppress it and the two sisters continued to grow further apart.
At the same time, Zeus was beginning to notice that Mercy and her sisters had matured. Ryker in particular had been drop-dead gorgeous at the time, with her dark hair, silver eyes and a softer face than her sisters. She was considered petite for her family, and definitely had the curves of a woman. Her vibrant wings only added to it, and Zeus being well... Zeus, he made it a point to make a move on her.
And Ryker refused him. Zeus pressed the issue, as the gods are naturally not used to not getting what they want, and Ryker wound up making a mockery of him. They fought, and Ryker forced him into a state of fear, and with the help of an old wind spirit she pretty much put a stop to Zeus' advances for that particular moment. The fight was brief, but left Zeus defeated and the old storm god was enraged. First he had been defeated by a legion of The Creator's young whelps, denied what was rightfully his (in his mind, at least) and now he was defeated by a single female. With magic. Ryker's display of power was a challenge, or so he felt, and it could not go unpunished.
He vowed to kill all four sisters, and Aaron. The only reason Keres was spared was because Nyx was a being to be feared, even by the other gods, and she did not tolerate her children being attacked. (Her grandchildren were a different matter apparently.)
Zeus struck hard and fast, with Hera backing him. Mercy and her sisters came to Ryker's defense, of course, Sigyn keeping as far a distance as she dared to allow Ryker and Runa to use their magic, and allowing Mercy to shift if she needed to while she fired arrows from afar. Outraged, Keres too, would have joined the fight had Nyx and Thanatos not restrained her. Aaron joined, the bloodmage clad in his bloody plate and magic sword and shield, the red aether in his wings blazing a bright trail where they passed.
Ryker summoned a wind spirit to aid her flight as Zeus had created strong winds and lashing rain, as was only natural for a storm god. The wind spirit calmed the winds around her, creating a mini eye of the storm, sort of, and it allowed Ryker and Runa to focus on casting their spells. Zeus, in his anger, threw a lightning bolt at the pair, only for it to be mostly absorbed through the magical shield they had been sustaining. The shield shattered under the blow though, leaving Ryker with some minor burns.
The fighting continued for a while, Mercy and Aaron's coordinated attacks actually doing a surprising amount of damage to Zeus, who was also being forced to split his attention between the two, knowing he'd need to get through them in order to get at the two mages and the archer who were keeping Hera occupied.
Later on, out of sheer rage and his mounting frustration, Zeus turned his eyes on Ryker's spirit, sending a barrage of magic at it. The spirit crumpled under the pressure, and even as Ryker tried to heal it, it died, leaving fragments of solid carbon in it's wake. Ryker was momentarily stunned and unable to move at all due to the shock of the spirit's mind being ripped from her. Aaron and Mercy flew in front of her, physically shielding Ryker from another lightning bolt, and suffering some nasty burns in the process.
Ryker Feared Zeus, and combined with a powerful spell was able to heal herself a bit before being struck by the second lightning bolt. Hera was hanging back, her lips moving quietly as she whispered the incantation to a spell, her hands glowing. The result was a fiery tornado that forced Mercy away from the battle, suffering fairly severe burns. (The burns would heal up well enough, though Mercy's wing would be disfigured, the primary feathers becoming blackened permanently.)
Runa created a high-powered shield that took all of her concentration to maintain, and Ryker took the opportunity to stand behind it and summon another spirit... This beast was much larger, though... And in the form of a giant sapphire-and-black-scaled dragon. The dragon gave a roar and spat blue-white flame, hovering between Ryker and Zeus.
The next blow Zeus dealt would completely shatter one of Ryker's wings. Mercy and the dragon both made a run for her. The dragon reached its master first, though, and with Mercy's help Ryker didn't fall to her death right then and there.
On dragonback, Ryker feared Zeus again, and launched a fury of spells at him even as the dragon extended its neck and spat flame at the storm god.
Mercy and Aaron weaved in and out, dodging Sigyn's arrows as they slashed at the enraged god. Hera let out a high, ear-piercing shriek as she sent a ball of magic hurtling at the three, shattering Mercy's shoulder in the process.
Zeus and Hera spun then, using the powerful winds to their advantage and pushing both Mercy and Aaron back with a wall of bright flame. They then pooled their power into a joint spell that was sent crashing into Ryker. The impact alone would be enough to down the dragon and shatter most of Ryker's bones, along with silencing her, cutting off any healing she might have been able to do. Ryker landed on the wet grass in a pool of water and blood, the dragon crouched protectively over her, a snarl contorting it's face. The dragon threw back its head and screamed a blast of sound that actually broke the sound barrier, shattering eardrums and forcing everybody on the field still. The dragon's power was enough to knock Ryker and Hera unconscious, and deafen Mercy for almost a week. The sound reached Sigyn, far off as she was, and her eardrums shattered from the impact, while she bled from both eyes and nose.
Zeus somehow, somehow managed to recover and lunged for the incapacitated archer. She died in a pool of her own blood, but lived just long enough to see Mercy stumble unsteadily to her feet and bleeding from the various wounds she had sustained.
Mercy didn't stay on her feet for long, though, and Zeus turned his attention once more on Ryker. He sealed all of her powers, effectively making her about as strong as a human might be considered, rendering her unable to heal or summon her spirits or do anything with magic at all. He stole some of her power as well, turning her ability to cause Fear against her and her sisters.
To this day, Ryker lives in agony, as her wing is permanently broken and twisted back on itself, and not even other gods can figure out how to heal it. Over half of her face is scarred as well, which includes scarring over one eye, blinding her.
That battle took Mercy and her sister's months to recover from. Sigyn was dead. Mercy's wings had been burned to the point where she had to grow in entirely new feathers. They grew in slightly darker than before, and the primaries of one wing were actually charred black. The changes showed on the silver wings on her back in other forms too, making it nearly impossible for anything to touch it without her snapping in pain for quite some time afterwards. Runa suffered fairly severe burns as well, though arguably she also came away with the least amount of injuries. Aaron had lost a lot of blood, along with suffering burns all over. The left side of his face would show the burn scars. Having used blood armor through the fight, it took him slightly longer to recover.
Worst of all was Ryker, though. She lay unconscious for several weeks, her burns and broken wing refusing to heal. The gashes on her face -- carved into intricate runes and other glyphs -- remained open and oozing blood. All the while she continued to get weaker, but still she clung to life somehow. Her power ad been stripped from her, and it took nearly a year for her to even be able to sit up unassisted.
During that time, Mercy sank into a quiet depression, often going days without speaking. She never told anybody, but she suffered flashbacks and hardly slept. Her Omega ability did wonders to keep others from having panic attacks and keeping people calm, but it had no effect on her. She'd often pace the halls in silence, hands clasped behind her back, posture straight... But only because good posture and keeping her face blank was muscle memory. Even then, Mercy couldn't quite hide the grief and fury in her shadowed gaze. And when she wasn't pacing in grim silence, she was curled up quietly in animal form, her misery seeming to permeate the area around her, but the strength of her Omega ability doing wonders to keep everyone else around calm.. A far cry from the energetic bundle of sarcasm and smartass comments that drove Aaron and Runa up a wall and made Ryker and even Sigyn laugh.
Sigyn's death was like a dagger to the chest for her. They hadn't always gotten along, far from it, but out of the four, Sigyn had been closest to Mercy alone. And Ryker... She had been the true heart of the family, playful, yet soft-spoken and always teasing someone, giving as good as she got and always able to call Mercy on her bullshit when needed. To watch her just wasting away in a sickbed, unable to heal her injuries and clinging to life nearly killed Mercy.
Worried, both Keres and Oros reached out to Mercy, only to be quietly turned away. Aaron and Runa fared a little better, though not by much.
By 24, Ryker wasn't even able to keep down apples. She had become skeletal and so frail, and the periods when she was awake and actually conscious grew short and few. Not even Aaron's skill and power over blood could force her blood to clot and close her wounds like he had done for Mercy and Runa.
They even went so far as to ask other, minor deities to help. Eventually, it was Odin, of the Norse who found the source of their troubles. Zeus had done far more than just breaking Ryker's wing and forcing her wounds to not heal. He'd used some sort of darker energy, and had turned Ryker into a succubus, too. Needless to say, that news didn't go over too well with Aaron, Mercy or Runa. And especially not Ryker, who told Mercy to just slit her throat right then and there if that was to be her fate.
The joke was on Ryker though, truly, because even after severing her head from the rest of her body, the wound simply knit back together. Mercy cursed Zeus with just about every name under the sun, for it, and took off in a black fury. She's ashamed to have stormed off that day, but she couldn't handle what was going to happen to her sister, and couldn't stand the sight of what Zeus had wrought.
Quite a few of Zeus' supporters turned up dead of mysterious causes. Eventually, Oros found his way back to Olympus, and Mercy. He came with Loki in tow, and the two made her an offer to stay in Aasgard and do jobs for Odin. After the failed war on Heaven, Odin and some of the Norse gods had supposedly had a change of heart, and many even despised Zeus, or so Oros and Loki claimed.
Mercy took the chance, relieved to no longer be on mount Olympus. Odin and Thor weren't so bad to live under, especially compared to Zeus' often, stormy rage. Thor, while similar (They are both gods of thunder, after all) was a bit more controlled, and he at least could be trusted not to try and stick it in anything that moved. The coldness of their realm was new, and took some time to adjust to, however, though Mercy soon found that she much preferred the chill, despite the fact that the birds that shared her wing shape would do much better in the warmer climates.
At first quiet and wary, and not particularly in favor of any of the Nordic gods naturally, as many people learned to recognize her for Loki's granddaughter (and a shapeshifter, who are natural deceivers) early on, Mercy kept to herself for the most part.
She didn't keep to herself for long, though, as Oros and Loki both were relentless in getting her to join in with various things, including sparring, which Mercy had thoroughly missed.
It turned out that she and Loki had very similar fighting styles once Loki's use of magic and constant shifting was taken out of the equation. Against Oros and Loki, Mercy turned it into an art. The sparring gave her a good outlet for her stress and wrath towards Zeus, as it was better than just moping around all day. Mercy even managed to crack a joke or two, though she was still quieter and more bitter than she'd ever been up to that point. While Oros and Loki provided a nice distraction, she still wanted very much to rip Zeus into tiny, little pieces.
And since Mercy couldn't do that for practical reasons, she settled for assassinating and ambushing those that were closest to Zeus. Actual deicide was off-limits, as Mercy didn't have a death wish herself, but their avatars and priests? Killing them would serve to both weaken the Greek gods and could cause suitable damage.
By the age of 26, Mercy would draw the attention of Thor himself for both her actions and her skill. She was, Thor claimed, one of the best duelists he'd even seen. Her fighting style was nothing like any of the Nords. Where they were berserk and utterly ferocious in a battle, reckless and fought with sword or hammer and shield or battle axes, Mercy tended to hang back at the start of a fight and was more wary and much more conservative in fighting style. With rapier and parrying dagger instead of a shield, along with the Omega ability, she was cunning and able to trick her opponents into a false sense of security. She didn't have the brute strength most Nords had, but she more than made up for it in terrifying, dizzying speed and agility, combined with the same ferocity. While she preferred to fight alone, even on a more crowded battlefield she did fairly well, spinning her blades and causing enough damage to give herself some space. So long as her foes weren't clad head-to-heel in full plate, she could cut them down with ease.
And unlike Loki, she kept her shapeshifting to a minimum during a fight, only doing it to escape what would be almost certain death, not to surprise and confuse her foes as Loki and other shapeshifters likely did. "Honorable," claimed Thor.
Of course, plate-clad warriors would prove to be her weakest point, and both Asgard and Olympus were full of them. Something that Thor wanted to rectify. Mercy had the advantage in all but strength and protection. She wasn't strong enough to wear a full suit of plate and fight effectively herself, so Mercy stubbornly kept to her leather armor with small pieces of metal in key places. Enchanted, the leather held up exceptionally well to lots of things and was harder to break through than any sort of leather made on earth or in other places, with the exception of the creatures that grew and flourished around The Creator himself. Even so, Mercy would have killed to have leather of that quality, though the chance to obtain it would come much, much later, when she was well into her 40's. Bits of impervium, she'd be able to get a bit earlier, thanks to clashing with demons during spy missions on Earth.
For the time being, though, Mercy held up well in her second-rate leather and not-impervium weapons. Had she had the better armor and weapons, it's likely that she would have avoided much of the scars that were beginning to mark her body with each real fight she was in.
Even so, Mercy's speed kept her from getting some of the more extensive scars early on... Of course, a healer met on one fated battlefield at the age of 28 would also help quite a bit in keeping Mercy from falling apart.
The battle took place on the edge of Jotunheim, between a large group of Nords and a slightly larger group of giants. Mercy for her part, wasn't particularly thrilled about both the uneven odds and that she and Oros were the most skilled out of the majority of the Nords to begin with. From the start of the battle, as usual, Mercy fought beside Oros. The battle raged for several hours, but they stuck by each other's side in grim silence.
A heavy blow from a mace shattered Mercy's ribs, axe and sword cut and tore through her leather-clad arms, legs and wings. Beside Mercy, Oros fared little better, butterfly swords working to keep the giants off of him as best as he could manage. They were both bleeding from over a dozen different wounds.
The giant in front of Mercy roared as his greatsword slammed into the side of Mercy's head, bringing the assassin down. The wave of dizziness and nausea, the agony in her ribs - Mercy couldn't see straight. At her right, the bladesman had fallen too, his dark gaze shining with pain as he too struggled for breath.
Gritting her teeth and fighting the growing nausea, Mercy fought her way to her feet, moving just in time to turn a savage blow from a giant's mace into a glancing one. However glancing of a blow it might have been, Mercy's shoulder threatened to buckle under it and the spikes of pain that shot through her arm and back and neck made black spots dance in her vision.
Above the ringing of blades and cries of other warriors, a female’s voice shouted something. Instinctively, Mercy turned towards the noise, struggling to fight the endlessly growing wave of dizziness and nausea, just in time to see a shorter woman clad in chain, with mace and shield. She stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended to either side of her and her palms open and upturned. Her head was thrown back, lips slightly parted. Mercy couldn’t make out her expression, but she could see the pale green-blue glow of whatever magic the stranger worked as it seemed drawn to her hands.
The female snapped out of her pose, pale light swirling all about her and seeming to cloak her in shadow. She jerked her hands above her head, almost like she was pushing something upwards. The sudden wave of power washed over Mercy, tinting her own vision green as the light wrapped around her.
Dimly, Mercy realized she was finding it harder to feel the aches, she could actually feel her broken bones moving on their own, which was odd in itself.
So the stranger was a healer then. A very powerful one, too, if Mercy had to guess.
The woman lowered her hands and slowly began to lift them again, balls of brighter green light flashing in her palms. Once more, she lifted her arms above her head and crossed her wrists slightly, then extended and outstretched her arms with a little flourish and another Word, not in any language Mercy had ever heard, the light coating all of the nords nearest her and reaching to where Mercy was.
Her wounds began to heal faster, and Mercy was able to stand again. She still hurt, everything hurt, but the blaze of agony that had been both her ribcage and the side of her head had subsided into what was merely a dull ache.
Besides her, Ouroboros watched the healer, his dark eyes wide as he slowly stood up from where he’d been struggling.
Oros turned his face to meet Mercy’s eyes, a question in their dark depths. In answer, Mercy lifted her blade once more, striking out at the nearest giant in grim satisfaction.
The healer had saved them both from dying, the least they could do was continue to fight their way through and give her some level of protection. Around her, Mercy had noticed, the giants were starting to move and take swipes at her. The woman had just shown she was a powerful healer. It didn’t make sense for her to be on such a crowded battlefield without protection, even if her healing abilities were beyond anything Mercy had ever seen so far.
Oros stepped in front of her, snapping his twin blades out and moving fast. It served to clear a path and cripple most of the giants that were fool enough to stand in his way, and Mercy settled into the space behind him, picking off the few that managed to survive his whirling blades as they slowly advanced and made their way towards the mysterious healer, who was now struggling against several giants closing in hon her, blocking with her shield. To Mercy’s eye, it seemed obvious that her main priority was healing over fighting.
Why was nobody else helping her?
Mercy and Oros fought on, now they were close enough to hear the giants breathing as they swung at the healer.
Mercy lunged for the nearest one a heartbeat after Oros did, and both rapier and butterfly sword met in the middle of the giant’s neck. It fell to the ground with a thud, lifeless. Mercy locked gazes with the strange healer for a moment, icy blue gaze to sapphire. Beneath that open-face chain helmet, Mercy saw the healer's lips smile.
"Protect me, and you shall never fall." The healer said. Her voice was clear and pure and beautiful, and Mercy didn't even have to say anything to Oros as they spun to either side of the healer, giving her their backs while they dealt with the oncoming threat of the giants.
Each time a giant took a swing, Mercy was there to block it, and the healer's magic was there to wash over Mercy and do what it was supposed to.
When the battle finally ended, the healer introduced herself to Mercy and Oros as Nyija Deathguard, the highborn daughter of some now-forgotten noble and not only a powerful healer, but a capable fighter as well. If it hadn't been for her, much more than just their armor would have needed to be repaired after the battle - Mercy wound up showing no traces of having ever fought in the battle to begin with, such was the extent of Nyija's power.
The first of the more major scars she would acquire wasn't even caused by one of those pesky, plate-wearing battleaxe-bearing bastards, either. It was actually caused by a priest that Thor had asked Mercy to hunt down when Mercy was around 29. One of Zeus' priests, in fact.
Deities tended to be territorial, and so neither Thor nor Odin were too thrilled to have a Greek god's priest preaching against them. Especially not on their own land. Given Mercy's ire towards Zeus, it was only natural that she'd be ordered to hunt him down.
Of course, Mercy did so, collecting Oros who had become her best friend since Sigyn's death. (Mercy was keeping away from most of her immediate family, although she'd always speak with them when needed.)
They tracked the priest to a small village, and the plan was fairly simple. Get in, assassinate the priest while Oros kept watch and dealt with any guards that happened to be around, get out, go home.
The plan would have worked, had the priest not been expecting Mercy to come. Mercy ambushed him, and as her dagger brushed his throat the priest teleported away with a laugh. He had a staff in hand, its ends glowing bright with magic.
The two closed with each other, Mercy had been momentarily thrown off balance at the sudden teleport, but she did her best to keep him moving, always trying to get behind him while dodging spells. The barrage of said spells made it difficult to get in close, though.
Eventually, Mercy did regain the upper hand and lunged, her blade catching the priests throat for real this time. The priest twisted, slamming the staff into Mercy's stomach. The blow was all magic, and Mercy fell even as the priest died, exhaling magic with his last breath. The magic had torn Mercy's armor to shreds... Along with the flesh beneath. The jagged cut ran from Mercy's right shoulder and diagonally cut down to Mercy's left hip, making it nearly impossible to move without further injury and blood loss. Oros knew enough to bind the wounds before moving her, at least, though neither of them had any sort of real healing skills to speak of.
Nyija, a powerful priest in her own right, was the one to find them. Odin had, according to her, foreseen Mercy's fall and sent her directly to the two assassins. She bound Mercy's wounds properly, and kept her stable enough for the flight back home to receive more healing.
The flight back to Asgard itself was long and quiet, as Oros was more focused on not jostling Mercy too much, and Mercy was too injured to talk much, while Nyija was grimly focused on casting healing spells while in flight.
Upon getting back into Aasgard, Mercy spent more time healing and recovering. Thanks to powerful healers (And Aaron, who also took the opportunity to chew his foolish daughter out while healing her) the wound healed up well enough and left only a thin scar to mark it. With some training to compensate for the muscle loss after sitting around doing nothing for a month, Mercy got back to normal speed fairly quickly, which was surprising even for Odin. It turned out that Aaron's blood magic was powerful, much more-so than anyone had realized.
A few years went by, and at the age of 31, Mercy was asked to take a scouting squad to earth to see what was happening. Naturally, Ouroboros and Nyija were her picks to go with her, as the trio had been working together much more often and Nyija had managed to worm her way into their close, tight-knit bond.
The group ran into a pair of demons, who were quickly dispatched after a short but bloody fight. Mercy and the Nords got to loot some impervium, including a greatsword, which was taken back to Asgard with them.
After a few months of the infamous metalsmithing dwarves working on the oversized impervium blade, it is reforged into a matching rapier (or more accurately, a Schiavona, larger and heavier and longer) and parry dagger set, along with two extra daggers. It took some time, as impervium by nature is a very stubborn metal that needs serious heat to start melting, cools down fast and also is fairly resistant to taking magical enchantments, and the enchanting process was arguably the hardest and longest part of forging the blades. It is rumored that Odin himself and possibly Freyja and the frost giantess Skadi worked on the enchantments themselves.
Odin then decided to make a gift out of the four blades to Mercy, who initially refused, her reasoning being that pure impervium was far too heavy and could and would cause much-unneeded and unwanted attention. And besides, why give the weapons to her, a lowly assassin and spy, of all people?
Odin laughed and seemed to accept that Mercy didn't want the weapons, and the two parted ways. Mercy was out hunting a deer a few weeks later when she went to take a step and tripped. She looked down and cursed under her breath. The impervium schiavona hung in the air at about knee-level, the dark metal having been etched with runes. The runes glowed a faint pale blue. Mercy picked up the blade and returned it to a snickering Odin, only to damn near stab herself when she would've face-planted into her bed after a long day of sparring and cleaning up after one of Loki's "tricks" (or acts of Utter Stupidity, as Mercy would later snap and snarl at him for.) Having watched their friend nearly faceplant into the blade on her pillow, both Oros and Nyi laughed at her and still to this day won't let her live that particular incident down.
Again, the schiavona was returned, a bit more forcefully. And again, the blade appeared, this time buried in the neck of a certain Greek thunder god's priest that Mercy had been fighting. The priest slumped over, dead, and Mercy nearly went down with the body. Shoving the fresh corpse off of her, she instinctively grabbed the blade to finish the job, not only severing the head from it's body but also making a thrust to the heart.
Too late Mercy realized that the runes along the blade and the hilt were magic. She flicked her wrist, and the impervium rapier no longer felt as heavy in her hands as the first few times she'd held it. In fact, wielding this blade felt much nicer than the older blade she'd fought so many battles with. Odin, the sneaky bastard, had forced her to unwittingly soulbind to the Schiavona.
While still not quite thrilled about the forced weapon change, Mercy wasn't a fool. Now she could actually use the impervium blade, as it felt about 5 pounds lighter in her hand. It felt nearly weightless, in fact -- something a large weapon made out of impervium should not be.
Being soulbound, only she would be able to use the weapon effectively, and the weapon couldn't be used against her. The blade had a variation of a frost enchantment embedded in the hilt, which ensured that Mercy wouldn't lose her grip on the blade as easily, along with inflicting severe frostbite to whatever it struck. The nearly black metal didn't shine in the sun, as impervium is a very dull metal, but the frost enchantment made the blade smoke in a warm room and the blade kept an edge extremely well. In combat, the markings along the blades glowed the same blue as Mercy's eyes, but brighter. If she was merely annoyed, or frustrated, they oscillated between that shade of blue and smokey blue-grey, nearly black. Combined with the blade smoking in warmer temperatures, and it made for quite the display. Being soul-bound, it naturally reacted to Mercy's emotions and was the dead-giveaway for what she was feeling, so she learned quickly to keep a lid on things. To let her emotions show when getting ready to ambush somebody would've surely led to Mercy's doom.
And as it had already shown, the blade seemed to have a will of it's own, as many objects of magical power do. Not sentient, no, but it could be summoned if Mercy thought about it, as she found out later, from Odin. It also seemed to exude violence when Mercy was angered, it's aura almost menacing, as weapons were naturally made for destroying things.
The matching parrying dagger had the same enchantments, and so Mercy took to using the pair. The other two daggers were not soulbound, but the frost enchantment on them was much more powerful.
While fighting a demon that had somehow found it's way into Aasgard, Mercy found out that the Schiavona would also gravitate towards the heart if left in a body long enough. The damn thing was unnerving... And useful. Very useful. Even more useful? When the body died, if the blade was left for a bit longer in contact with the heart, the organ would liquify.
After testing the blade out in sparring matches, Mercy grew to really like her new weapons, too. Not only could the Schiavona not be used against her, but only those the blade/Mercy deemed as "worthy" could hold it, similar to how Thor's Mjolnir worked. The blade would never break, so long as Mercy was alive.
Mercy, Oros and Nyi were also becoming closer over the years. Mercy and Oros had been friends for over a decade at this point and there really wasn't much either was uncomfortable with telling the other. Nyi began accompanying them on their travels too, and the frequent fights served to really hone both her healing and her offensive abilities. It was always clear that she was a healer first and foremost, but if needed she could take care of herself in a fight without breaking the delicate concentration and calm that was required to heal her friends even as they took large amounts of damage.
However, it wasn't just on the battlefield that the trio became close. Mercy and Oros in particular had grown fond of the short healer's company, too, and the feeling was reciprocated, which Mercy had somewhat been hoping for in the back of her mind. (Oros, ever the cynic, had little expectations, so it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for him)
The three of them hid very little from each other, and given that they had always been fairly relaxed and open about everything, maybe it wasn't as much of a surprise when the half-joking idea of a threesome was brought up. Nyija and Oros had been screwing around with each other for some time, though they weren't officially a couple or anything, and Mercy and Oros had certainly toed the line a time or two. Mercy and Nyija had, as well, on occasion.
Either way, it happened one day after the three had gotten home from some fun killing giants. Oros and Nyi had started lightly teasing each other (and Mercy, as they were won't to do) and from there things went about as one would expect. All three of them woke up the next morning fairly satisfied. They probably had a few more goes at it in the following months too, though things changed and while it was fun, Oros and Nyi were growing noticeably closer to each other emotionally. It didn't really change much for the trio's relationship with each other - they'd always remain as open and understanding with each other - but Nyi had managed something not even Mercy could do in knowing the gyrfalcon for over 15 years. Oros, prideful, stubborn Ouroboros, damn near worshipped the ground the petite healer walked upon. And Nyi alone could make him do anything. Not that Oros wouldn't follow Mercy to Hell and back if she asked, but things were noticeably different between the gyr and the storm petrel, and Oros wouldn't say a word against her, even teasingly.
Several more years went on, and the fights that Mercy was asked to participate in weighed the assassin down just a little more each time. At 38 Mercy fought off a particularly powerful fire mage, one of Zeus' followers, and managed to kill him. Not fast enough, though, as the mage's magic sword struck at the back of her knee, and did a lot of damage while Mercy twisted, her own sword finding his throat. The spell that the mage had worked as he'd sank the blade into Mercy's leg was designed to inhibit healing, and took time to dispel completely. By then, the damage had been done, and Mercy bore a new, painful tangle of scars that stretched from the back of her heel to just under the knee on her right leg. The wound made coming in for hard landings painful, and it never did get the chance to heal properly. Over time the pain lessened, but even now it makes itself known after a long day of fighting or a particularly bad landing or lots of running around.
A couple years later at the age of 40, when sneaking around Olympus, Mercy encountered an old, familiar, scarred face. It should have been impossible, the familiar hooded figure was dead. Mercy had watched her die. She had died, 17 years prior.
...And the deadwoman had her bow raised, arrow aimed straight at Mercy's throat, grey eyes as cold as glaciers.
Mercy froze, and sudden recognition dawned in the other female's clouded grey eyes. Sigyn carefully lowered her bow, though she watched Mercy warily.
"...Sigyn...?" Mercy asked, the shock evident in her voice.
"Mercy." Sigyn replied.
"We thought... You were buried..." Mercy began uneasily, fearing that this was some sort of sick joke by Zeus. "What happened?"
"One of Zeus' priests happened." Sigyn growled, voice suddenly filled with rage, grey eyes flashing in the gloom.
"Have you seen..." Mercy spoke again, to be cut off in typical Sigyn-fashion.
"Ryker? Yes... He'll die, one way or another. Bastard." Sigyn answered the question, adjusting her grip on her bow, "Runa wants nothing to do with me, for the obvious reasons. Keres is nowhere in sight from what I've seen, and Aaron would have stabbed himself if he dared when I showed up." Sigyn's voice had been full of bitterness. Mercy understood, and figured out that Sigyn had already lost all hope of slipping back into the family fold.
"What the hell happened?" Sigyn asked her sister, Mercy struggled for words.
"You've been dead for seventeen years. I should be asking you that, I think..." Mercy's attempt at weak humor was stonewalled, though.
Mercy could only watch as Sigyn closed her eyes, struggling with whatever thoughts were going through her head. After a few minutes, the archer stood, and slung her bow across her back with a muttered "Sorry."
Now it was Mercy's turn to give a bitter laugh, coated in derision. "How long have you been alive, anyways?"
Sigyn gave a shrug. "A... week? I think. Being dead for years messes with one's perception of time." she added
"Sucks to be you, then." Mercy replied, voice teasing, almost. Though even to her own ears it sounded like she was desperately trying to convince herself that everything would be fine, when all she really wanted was to crawl into a corner and cry quietly to herself... And stab Sigyn. Oh yes, her sister's powers were making themselves known. It seemed to Mercy that they were even stronger than before, though whether it was because they had actually increased, or because Mercy hadn't stepped foot near Sigyn's grave nor seen her face in 17 years, not even she was sure.
The two stuck it out for a couple days together, though it was painfully obvious that neither of them could ever stay near each other for long. With her resurrection, Sigyn's powers had become far stronger, to the point where it agitated even Mercy to be around her. The last thing they did together was hunt down and kill the insane mage that had resurrected Sigyn, taking out several more of his followers before Mercy snapped at Sigyn.
The two parted ways willingly, with the grim understanding that they'd be forced to fight if they met again. There wouldn't be avoiding it this time, as they had in the past.
The realization hurt, but they both understood that watching the other die at their hands would hurt even more.
And so it was that quite a few more of Zeus' most devout came to die in similar manners. Zeus no doubt suspected who it was, but not even a god could strike at shadows. Especially not an already-weakened and distracted thunder god.
Mercy developed the ability to hide soon enough, using it to her advantage to slip through the shadows, unseen unless someone bumped into her or she made a noise. It wasn't true invisibility, and those with sharp eyesight could easily pick her out if they looked in the hidden, darker corners. Unfortunately for Zeus and his followers, they looked too late, and his followers would often find the poisoned tip of a dagger at their throats, too fast even for them to scream.
Mercy's little "diversions" kept Zeus occupied. Very occupied. They kept him from scheming and plotting as he wanted to, they kept him from making moves against The Creator and other deities both, and they kept him from making Ryker's life any more of a living hell than it already was.
Her actions were noticed by others too, At 42, The Creator made her a gift out of one of the water buffalo that was raised in the vicinity of his throne room. Excellent-quality leather, far superior than what Mercy had been wearing, which was already fairly decent by immortal standards. For someone not of Heaven's army, the armor was invaluable.
This time, Mercy graciously accepted the gift, tanning the leather and making the armor herself.
The new set of armor turned out to be nicer than even Mercy had thought it would be. A dark grey, nearly black, with bits of hardened blue aether that gave off a glow when Mercy's temper flared or she was in combat. It matched the impervium schiavona and daggers she had obtained years earlier quite nicely.
The leather was supple and let her still be able to kick someone taller than she was in the throat, and still gave her the same freedom of movement and kept her well-protected. Even more so with the enchantments that were imbued into the armor, to give just a tiny bit more resistance to magic and the elements. While nothing major, it would hold up much better.
By 45, Mercy was growing bored with Aasgard. She'd seen far too much fighting, been involved in so much of said fighting and it wore more and more on her with each passing day.
Odin's steadily increasing irritation was grating on her nerves as well. Evidently, he was mildly peeved about the gift of armor Mercy had received years earlier, and felt that Mercy slighted him by wearing it. Supposedly, he was even considering allying against The Creator, again, something that Mercy personally felt was utterly pointless.
Mercy almost laughed when she had heard that news from Thor, who was slightly more worried about the whole thing than she was, along with Oros.
Mercy, on the surface, took it in stride. "If he's sending me off because I'm not wearing the armor you gave me, oh well. As you recall, I never did swear my loyalty to you."
"And where does that loyalty lie, assassin?" Thor's voice was soft, though there was a clear warning in it. Things were unlikely to go well if Mercy answered wrong...
...So of course, that is exactly what Mercy did. "Not with warmongers who would would help start a pointless war for the sake of petty vengeance. Not warmongers who would doom someone else to fight their war for them, and sit back and watch, and prepare to strike down whoever the victor may be."
"Odin said you would say something like that." Thor sighed. His grey eyes glared at her, but otherwise he was calm. Mercy's Omega ability was the one thing keeping her alive, she was sure.
"There was a reason I only attacked Zeus' followers." Mercy pointed out quietly. She'd seen the destruction they plotted, had never truly wanted a part of it.
"Get out of here before I have to kill you, please..." Thor gritted out, the anger practically rolling off of him as he struggled with his own emotions.
Mercy took her cue and left in cold silence. She hadn't realized it, but she'd been wanting to say it for a while. It felt good to finally get one thing off of her chest. Even so, turning her back on a second pantheon hurt, no matter if it was for the best or not.
Nobody tried to stop Mercy as she left Aasgard, slipping through a small Door to Earth. Hidden, Oros silently followed her, along with his now wife, Nyija. The trio said nothing and Mercy quickly parted ways with them, not wishing to make their lives difficult. Oros objected, of course, but Mercy merely shook her head, putting on a short burst of speed to avoid his miserable dark gaze.
Since then, Mercy's kept her head down, occasionally harrying demons or Zeus' servants that stray too close, occasionally an informant for Heaven's messengers, but mostly staying out of the war and keeping away from it where she can. Where she couldn't, she trusted nobody. While she's played informant to various messengers and informants allied with Heaven over the years, she never did reveal her true face to them, instead taking on the guise of a human, or an animal, once even a seemingly male angelus buteo (well, it wasn't like the ones she was speaking with at the time had an inkling to what was under her leather)
This changed after Mercy turned 53. While busy assassinating some more of Zeus' priests that were involved with human sacrifice and starting to cause trouble for local humans, Mercy had to make a rather quick aerial getaway.
There was a demon scout nearby, watching the skies for movements of the angels of Heaven's army that still frequented earth, likely hoping he could pick one or two of them off. He was standing in her way, and showing no signs of moving and there really wasn't another way for Mercy to get out of the tight spot she was in with alerting him to her presence. Having just finished clearing out a damn nest of Zeus' followers, Mercy was in no mood for that sort of cat-and-mouse game.
The demon had no memory of Mercy slipping up behind him. He hadn't heard her or seen her and her Omega ability tricked his sixth sense into thinking nothing was amiss until the brief flash of panic as his throat was slit, leaving a very severe case of frostbite in the single slash that had severed his jugular vein. Apart from that flash of panic and the serious frostbite in the wound, the healers in Hell could gleam nothing of her from his memories, and Mercy herself slipped through a small Door that led into Heaven itself to clear her head and evade the commotion. Her dagger at least cleared Heaven's own soldiers from being suspected after the initial shock.
While flitting around the upper layers of Heaven after making her report to The Creator, Mercy was spotted by none other than the archangel Michael. As captain of security, the leader of Heaven's army and having fought against the other gods in the war that seemed lifetimes ago, he wasn't exactly pleased to find an intruder in his backyard.
He dived on her, but being larger, with the wings of a Golden Eagle and not being particularly fast (by archangel standards) and laughably slow (Mercy's standards) Mercy evaded him, spun around and... Basically slapped him in the face with her Omega ability. Michael went from 100-0, pretty much, even going so far as to turn and land and apologize for what neither of them were sure. Mercy too, landed, and he questioned her as to how exactly she'd got into the upper layers of Heaven in the first place, along with asking just exactly the sort of unnatural creature she was.
After the initial unease and questioning, the meeting went fairly well and the two were soon joined by Gabriel, the messenger.
Over time, Mercy gradually begins spending a bit more time hanging around the angels, and she and Michael slowly start developing feelings for one another. They grow pretty fond of each other, actually, much the the half-amusement, half-horror of various others. (Because Holy. Crap. Michael, what are you thinking. Jfc Mercy, falling in love with an archangel??) Michael is one of the few that Mercy can truly relax around, and she'd trust him with her life. Even better, he doesn't take shit, but the two are able to joke and fool around. Also, the taller archangel is hot, holy hell. Mercy's heart just melts when she looks at him.
They understand each other, even more-so after having a very rough heart-to-heart with each other. From that point on, there would be no secrets left to tell, especially once Mercy, during a particularly rough talk during that heart-to-heart, manifests some new abilities.
Those abilities just so happen o be empathy and they couldn't have manifested at a worse time. Being able to see precisely how Michael is feeling, and getting "echoes" of his thoughts and even some images tied to such strong emotion nearly drives Mercy insane. But it also gives her even more insight on just where Mike is coming from. It breaks her heart, to see how much the archangel is hurting inside.
After that, well... They couldn't really turn back, could they? Both are certain in their relationship, and each knows that their secrets are safe with each other, and they both really do love another. The heart-to-heart was mentally draining, but they both needed it.
The two lovebirds settled in with each other quite nicely, actually. Soon enough, Mercy begins putting on weight in some... interesting places. Yeah, Michael got her pregnant, and Mercy is both thrilled and fucking terrified. And after a short visit with Raphael, it's revealed that she's expecting twins. After a rather uneventful, hellishly boring pregnancy, Mercy gives birth (and curses Michael for all of the pain, poor guy.) At least she is spared from going completely stir-crazy, although the swift is naturally high-strung and being cooped up at home makes her pretty grumpy, she's also sane enough to know that her kids take precedence over her own desires and is actually pretty happy to raise them.
And the two kids actually are pretty decent, as far as kids go. Kasimir, a boy, and Calistena, a girl. Kas takes much more after his mother, with the exception of a few features and his wings... Falcon wings. Iridescent black and the edging of each feather being different colors. Calistena, meanwhile, grows into the spitting image of her father... If Michael was a female, and if his wings had been black and faded into pretty blues and violets and indigo purple and even lavender and white-gold at the very tips.
Everybody is pretty confused over the whole wing situation. After some minor "Mercy what the fuck?" comments and maybe some glaring at the until-now sole falcon in Heaven's army, Michael just shakes his head, sighs and rolls with it. It's fairly obvious to everyone that Mercy wouldn't cheat, anyways. And as by this time Mercy's revealed some more of her own heritage, and Aaron revealed even more of their ancestors and those damnably strong recessive genes making a comeback, Kasimir and Calis were pretty set to be utterly spoiled and loved anyways. It definitely helped that Calis grew up quieter and a complete bookworm, preferring her books and studies to getting in trouble.
The two of them (aka Kasimir alone, really) give Mercy headaches and the urge to drink from the bottle, but it's obvious she loves them and absolutely will kill to keep them safe (As would Michael, who is probably doting on his precious daughter. Because Calistena is perfect.)
Family
Mother: Keres (Greek death-spirit/destruction goddess, daughter of Nyx alone)
Father: Aaron (AU-aion met Loki)
Guardians:
Siblings: Sigyn, Ryker, Runa
Children: Kasimir and Calistena (By Michael)
Close Relatives: Nyx’ branch of the Greek pantheon family tree
Distant Relatives: See the entirety of the Greek pantheon. And a majority of the Norse pantheon (Thanks, Loki!)
Ancestors: Nyx’s granddaughter, Loki’s granddaughter (Odin’s great-granddaughter by extension)
Family Dynamics: With Michael and their children, she's a lovable ray of sarcastic sunshine, always ready with a teasing quip or several. Also good moral support and much as she hates being the therapist/shrink, she'd help her family without hesitation no matter what, be it talking or fighting to the death to keep them safe. Slight mother hen tendencies but not completely overbearing. With the rest of her dysfunctional family, she's an outcast and pretty much God's enforcer of sorts, and fights and skirmishes are very common. That side of the family is very insulted by her existence, at this point.
Communication: Good, for the most part. Doesn't like beating around the bush with things.
Discriminations: None really, though the rest of her family does not give a damn and will discriminate without mercy
Reputation: Most people tend to run from Nyx and her descendants for a reason. Harbingers of death and destruction and fear, after all. Mercy tries to separate herself from that stigma though, but if it's really needed she can and will use it.
Dominance: Fucking terrifying, even to other gods (Because Nyx, and Thanatos/Hypnos) Mercy is an oddity among her family, and working under God to keep them in line definitely has an effect.
Expression:
Cooperation: With her own family? Funny thought. She'll cooperate with Aaron, and Ryker, and on occasion her views even line up with those of Nemesis (retribution) but that's as far as it'll ever go. That being said Mercy has no issues cooperating with God’s subordinates whenever needed.
Sociability:
Status:
Class:
Livelihood:
Father: Aaron (AU-aion met Loki)
Guardians:
Siblings: Sigyn, Ryker, Runa
Children: Kasimir and Calistena (By Michael)
Close Relatives: Nyx’ branch of the Greek pantheon family tree
Distant Relatives: See the entirety of the Greek pantheon. And a majority of the Norse pantheon (Thanks, Loki!)
Ancestors: Nyx’s granddaughter, Loki’s granddaughter (Odin’s great-granddaughter by extension)
Family Dynamics: With Michael and their children, she's a lovable ray of sarcastic sunshine, always ready with a teasing quip or several. Also good moral support and much as she hates being the therapist/shrink, she'd help her family without hesitation no matter what, be it talking or fighting to the death to keep them safe. Slight mother hen tendencies but not completely overbearing. With the rest of her dysfunctional family, she's an outcast and pretty much God's enforcer of sorts, and fights and skirmishes are very common. That side of the family is very insulted by her existence, at this point.
Communication: Good, for the most part. Doesn't like beating around the bush with things.
Discriminations: None really, though the rest of her family does not give a damn and will discriminate without mercy
Reputation: Most people tend to run from Nyx and her descendants for a reason. Harbingers of death and destruction and fear, after all. Mercy tries to separate herself from that stigma though, but if it's really needed she can and will use it.
Dominance: Fucking terrifying, even to other gods (Because Nyx, and Thanatos/Hypnos) Mercy is an oddity among her family, and working under God to keep them in line definitely has an effect.
Expression:
Cooperation: With her own family? Funny thought. She'll cooperate with Aaron, and Ryker, and on occasion her views even line up with those of Nemesis (retribution) but that's as far as it'll ever go. That being said Mercy has no issues cooperating with God’s subordinates whenever needed.
Sociability:
Status:
Class:
Livelihood:
Social
Best Friend: Ouroboros (by extension, Nyija)
Close Friends:
Confidantes: Ouroboros/Nyi (always) Michael
Friends: Gabriel, Tyr, Thor, Brynjolf
Allies: Heaven/The Creator, mostly, Thor/Tyr might still stick up for her but it's doubtful. Ouroboros/Nyi, Ryker, Aaron
Acquaintances: the vast majority of Michael's brothers probably won't get past acquaintance level, jfc there's too many of them.
Followers: Oros/Nyi
Subordinates:
Rivals:
Enemies: Zeus, a fairly large majority of her family, Odin (he’s jealous) Loki (Mercy’s had to clean up far, FAR too much of his stupidity)
Inspirations:
Role Models:
Heroes:
Mentors: Ouroboros, Odin, Aaron/Keres, Tyr, Thor and Loki
Memberships:
Community:
Close Friends:
Confidantes: Ouroboros/Nyi (always) Michael
Friends: Gabriel, Tyr, Thor, Brynjolf
Allies: Heaven/The Creator, mostly, Thor/Tyr might still stick up for her but it's doubtful. Ouroboros/Nyi, Ryker, Aaron
Acquaintances: the vast majority of Michael's brothers probably won't get past acquaintance level, jfc there's too many of them.
Followers: Oros/Nyi
Subordinates:
Rivals:
Enemies: Zeus, a fairly large majority of her family, Odin (he’s jealous) Loki (Mercy’s had to clean up far, FAR too much of his stupidity)
Inspirations:
Role Models:
Heroes:
Mentors: Ouroboros, Odin, Aaron/Keres, Tyr, Thor and Loki
Memberships:
Community:
Romance
First Love: err
Love Interests: Michael
Marital Status: paired for life
Orientation: Heterosexual
Significant Other: Michael (archangel)
Love Style: affectionate and playful, she enjoys being on equal footing but also enjoys a challenge. Never a pushover, and gentle teasing is to be expected. That being said she does know when to give space and when talking things out would work better, and she does expect a partner to be able to talk and be willing to work through problems that might arise. Mercy's actually quite caring with those she loves and hates seeing them in any kind of pain. She's no mother hen, but it might feel like it occasionally.
Flirtiness: pfft, what do you think?
Turnons: Neck kisses, intelligence, sense of humor, good intentions, someone who's perfectly respectable outside but is able to fool around and let go with her. (Mercy also won’t complain if Michael shows off a bit. -cough-) Mercy also enjoys a bit of pain - choking, some light slapping/hair pulling, sparring turning into naked sparring, rough sex in general... That said, she doesn't mind tenderness and gentler sex either. (But she does prefer the rougher side of things)
Turnoffs: Excessive PDAs, major pushover, truly a self-serving asshole, complete disregard for life/warmonger, incompetence or ignorance with no desire to improve, liars and cheats, powertripping
Fetishes:
Virginity: Before Michael? Nope. And obviously, absolutely not after Michael
Love Interests: Michael
Marital Status: paired for life
Orientation: Heterosexual
Significant Other: Michael (archangel)
Love Style: affectionate and playful, she enjoys being on equal footing but also enjoys a challenge. Never a pushover, and gentle teasing is to be expected. That being said she does know when to give space and when talking things out would work better, and she does expect a partner to be able to talk and be willing to work through problems that might arise. Mercy's actually quite caring with those she loves and hates seeing them in any kind of pain. She's no mother hen, but it might feel like it occasionally.
Flirtiness: pfft, what do you think?
Turnons: Neck kisses, intelligence, sense of humor, good intentions, someone who's perfectly respectable outside but is able to fool around and let go with her. (Mercy also won’t complain if Michael shows off a bit. -cough-) Mercy also enjoys a bit of pain - choking, some light slapping/hair pulling, sparring turning into naked sparring, rough sex in general... That said, she doesn't mind tenderness and gentler sex either. (But she does prefer the rougher side of things)
Turnoffs: Excessive PDAs, major pushover, truly a self-serving asshole, complete disregard for life/warmonger, incompetence or ignorance with no desire to improve, liars and cheats, powertripping
Fetishes:
Virginity: Before Michael? Nope. And obviously, absolutely not after Michael
Thoughts on Others
Michael (Mate, alive) - You're a goddamn sweetheart. When I first met you I thought you were going to be one of those stuck-up married-to-his-job, got-no-time-for-this-annoying-as-shit-female-hybrid, after I realized you weren't going to kill me on the spot for slipping into Heaven. I know my Omega abilities had partly to do with the last bit, and I don't think I'll let you live down actually turning and landing and apologizing to ME. Because it was funny. I also thought you were going to be one of those warriors that were all brawn and no brain, with the inferiority complex that a lot of others seem to have. Couldn't be happier about being wrong. You're also a hell of a lot more honorable than I am, I don't know how you're so forgiving, and you're a better person for it. But, I know you're carrying around all that unneeded guilt, and you need to take your own advice. Seeing you in pain hurts. You know I've got your back, and that I love you.
Oh god that was hard to write and it's so disgustingly romantic. But it's the truth. Mercy loves him and she'd do anything to keep her loved ones safe (not that Michael really needs physical protection from her wimpy ass) She's also finds him utterly adorable and can't resist poking fun at him whenever she can. Neither of them are into PDAs which is also probably a VERY good thing for the general population.
Kasimir (Son, alive) - My stubborn pain in the ass kid who has inherited FAR too much from me for my liking. You're stubborn, you're prideful, you make me want to smack you in the face with my Schiavona sometimes. But I'd never do that. You wouldn't be you if you hadn't inherited all of the stubbornness me and Mike have combined. Just... Don't do anything too stupid, for the love of all that is holy. Keep an eye on your sister.
Poor Kas is going to make his mother want to bash her head into the nearest hard object sometimes. He's going to be the one to make her worry and fret -- quietly though. Mercy loves him every bit as much as Calis, and she recognizes that he takes after her in far more than just looks, but that there are bits of his father as well and overall they'll probably have a decent relationship. Mercy knows not to pry too hard and won't be too overbearing, though she absolutely will sit his scrawny ass down and set him straight if it's needed.
Calistena (Daughter, alive) - Bookworm, you've inherited your father's strength, and courage. And what the hell you're over half a foot taller than I am. This is bullshit in it's purest form. Seriously though, I love you and I couldn't be prouder of what you're becoming. You got the best of me and your father.
Calistena is basically the best daughter ever. In her, Mercy sees her and Mike's better halves and she knows that Calis can handle herself. Of course, she'll always view both Calis and Kas as her babies. Get used to it, buttercups, it's a mother thing.
Ouroboros Shadestorm (Best friend, alive) - We've known each other for over 30 years and you still manage to make me want to strangle you and hug you. Possibly both at the same time. You know I'll stick by you, whatever happens. I know we both talk a lot of shit about each other but if anyone even tries to go after you, they'll be dealing with me first.
They don't act like best friends at all, but believe it or not they do have their moments. Mercy and Oros will shit-talk each other to their graves, and nothing will stop that from happening.
Nyija Deathguard (Best friend, pocket healer, alive) - You (and Oros) have picked me up and kept me from falling apart more times than I can count, and you know I'd do the same for you both. Things might have gotten a little awkward between us when you started dating Oros, but I'm glad we're back to being so close to each other again.
Nyija is Mercy's pocket-healer. You do not mess with her. Ever. In all seriousness though, Mercy loves her and bears her absolutely zero ill-will because of her being with Oros. She'd give up her life for Nyi's in a heartbeat, if asked.
Keres (Mother, alive) - You taught me how to fly, but our relationship has always been rocky. You might be my mother, but what have you really done, aside from giving birth to me and teaching me to fly? You've tried to kill me and my siblings more times than I can count. But... you're still my mother, so if it comes down to it, understand that I'll fight to protect my own. I love you, really, but I think it's best we stay away for the obvious reasons. One wrong step in the direction of my children, and I won't feel bad about taking your head off your shoulders, however.
Out of all her family, Mercy's had the best relationship to her mother, but even then it's always been rocky. Keres is a force of destruction, after all, and Mercy as her daughter can never forget this fact. Mercy loves her, but she knows never to let her guard down for an instant, much as Keres tries to keep herself sane.
Aaron (Father, alive) - Where do I start? Honestly? You tried your best, unlike SOME people I know. And I know you wouldn't hurt me, but that blood magic shit is creepy as fuck and get it away from me, thanks. I love you though, just... Don't spoil the kids too much, gods know, Kasimir doesn't need it.
Mercy was taught a lot of what she knows from the aged swift, and her father is someone she respects the hell out of even if she can't understand some of his decisions. She knows a bit of his past but is still curious, but she doesn't pry out of respect for him. Aaron certainly has trouble with the idea of his precious daughter's love-life, but he's gotten over the initial shock and Mercy knows that he'd sacrifice himself for her kids (and spoil the ever-loving HELL out of them) in a heartbeat and as Aaron generally keeps his opinions to himself, there isn't much drama in regards to him and Michael, at least.
Ryker (Sister, alive) - Sister, you're sweet and I don't know how you manage things while continuing to be so upbeat. One day, I'll get you out of this mess... somehow. Even if that means ripping Zeus apart. I should've done more to get you out of harm's way sooner... Forgive me.
Poor, twisted Ryker. Mercy would do anything to keep the gentlest of her family members safe from harm, and she takes it as a personal failure for the current situation Ryker is in now. Even before that mess occurred, out of their siblings they were the closest (excepting Runa and Ryker) and while they certainly don't agree on everything (do mages and assassins ever?) Mercy will always have her back.
Sigyn (Sister, alive) - Why? Whyyy? You know I love you, but I can't deal with you for more than a few days at a time. It's frustrating and I don't blame you for withdrawing so far from us all. We've always had a rather rocky relationship, and I know that deep down you're hurting too but... You're right, it's best we stay away from each other. You might be a part of Hell's army, but I'll hold to my end of our deal, you won't find harm from me, unless you attack one of mine. I know Ryker keeps an eye out for your return still, even though she tries to hide it, and it hurts. None of this was ever your fault, you know...
Lots of things left unsaid, lots of sorrow hidden behind Mercy's cheerful facade and Sigyn's bitter rage to others. The two truly had no wish to harm each other, but their abilities combined tends to make each other go crazy, to say nothing of any poor soul who happens to be around both of them at once.
Runa (Sister, unknown) - Hmm.
And here's the most distant relationship out of the sisters, aside from Sigyn and Runa. It's been so long since they've last seen each other that Mercy doesn't even know if Runa is alive, and that worries her. Should they cross paths again, it would likely be happy though, there was never any animosity between them.
Zeus (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Hera (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Haephestus (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Hades (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Nyx (Grandmother, alive) - stuff here
Thanatos (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Hypnos (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Charon (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Odin (former "boss", alive) - stuff here
Thor (former "boss", alive) - stuff here
Loki (Grandfather, alive) - stuff here
Oh god that was hard to write and it's so disgustingly romantic. But it's the truth. Mercy loves him and she'd do anything to keep her loved ones safe (not that Michael really needs physical protection from her wimpy ass) She's also finds him utterly adorable and can't resist poking fun at him whenever she can. Neither of them are into PDAs which is also probably a VERY good thing for the general population.
Kasimir (Son, alive) - My stubborn pain in the ass kid who has inherited FAR too much from me for my liking. You're stubborn, you're prideful, you make me want to smack you in the face with my Schiavona sometimes. But I'd never do that. You wouldn't be you if you hadn't inherited all of the stubbornness me and Mike have combined. Just... Don't do anything too stupid, for the love of all that is holy. Keep an eye on your sister.
Poor Kas is going to make his mother want to bash her head into the nearest hard object sometimes. He's going to be the one to make her worry and fret -- quietly though. Mercy loves him every bit as much as Calis, and she recognizes that he takes after her in far more than just looks, but that there are bits of his father as well and overall they'll probably have a decent relationship. Mercy knows not to pry too hard and won't be too overbearing, though she absolutely will sit his scrawny ass down and set him straight if it's needed.
Calistena (Daughter, alive) - Bookworm, you've inherited your father's strength, and courage. And what the hell you're over half a foot taller than I am. This is bullshit in it's purest form. Seriously though, I love you and I couldn't be prouder of what you're becoming. You got the best of me and your father.
Calistena is basically the best daughter ever. In her, Mercy sees her and Mike's better halves and she knows that Calis can handle herself. Of course, she'll always view both Calis and Kas as her babies. Get used to it, buttercups, it's a mother thing.
Ouroboros Shadestorm (Best friend, alive) - We've known each other for over 30 years and you still manage to make me want to strangle you and hug you. Possibly both at the same time. You know I'll stick by you, whatever happens. I know we both talk a lot of shit about each other but if anyone even tries to go after you, they'll be dealing with me first.
They don't act like best friends at all, but believe it or not they do have their moments. Mercy and Oros will shit-talk each other to their graves, and nothing will stop that from happening.
Nyija Deathguard (Best friend, pocket healer, alive) - You (and Oros) have picked me up and kept me from falling apart more times than I can count, and you know I'd do the same for you both. Things might have gotten a little awkward between us when you started dating Oros, but I'm glad we're back to being so close to each other again.
Nyija is Mercy's pocket-healer. You do not mess with her. Ever. In all seriousness though, Mercy loves her and bears her absolutely zero ill-will because of her being with Oros. She'd give up her life for Nyi's in a heartbeat, if asked.
Keres (Mother, alive) - You taught me how to fly, but our relationship has always been rocky. You might be my mother, but what have you really done, aside from giving birth to me and teaching me to fly? You've tried to kill me and my siblings more times than I can count. But... you're still my mother, so if it comes down to it, understand that I'll fight to protect my own. I love you, really, but I think it's best we stay away for the obvious reasons. One wrong step in the direction of my children, and I won't feel bad about taking your head off your shoulders, however.
Out of all her family, Mercy's had the best relationship to her mother, but even then it's always been rocky. Keres is a force of destruction, after all, and Mercy as her daughter can never forget this fact. Mercy loves her, but she knows never to let her guard down for an instant, much as Keres tries to keep herself sane.
Aaron (Father, alive) - Where do I start? Honestly? You tried your best, unlike SOME people I know. And I know you wouldn't hurt me, but that blood magic shit is creepy as fuck and get it away from me, thanks. I love you though, just... Don't spoil the kids too much, gods know, Kasimir doesn't need it.
Mercy was taught a lot of what she knows from the aged swift, and her father is someone she respects the hell out of even if she can't understand some of his decisions. She knows a bit of his past but is still curious, but she doesn't pry out of respect for him. Aaron certainly has trouble with the idea of his precious daughter's love-life, but he's gotten over the initial shock and Mercy knows that he'd sacrifice himself for her kids (and spoil the ever-loving HELL out of them) in a heartbeat and as Aaron generally keeps his opinions to himself, there isn't much drama in regards to him and Michael, at least.
Ryker (Sister, alive) - Sister, you're sweet and I don't know how you manage things while continuing to be so upbeat. One day, I'll get you out of this mess... somehow. Even if that means ripping Zeus apart. I should've done more to get you out of harm's way sooner... Forgive me.
Poor, twisted Ryker. Mercy would do anything to keep the gentlest of her family members safe from harm, and she takes it as a personal failure for the current situation Ryker is in now. Even before that mess occurred, out of their siblings they were the closest (excepting Runa and Ryker) and while they certainly don't agree on everything (do mages and assassins ever?) Mercy will always have her back.
Sigyn (Sister, alive) - Why? Whyyy? You know I love you, but I can't deal with you for more than a few days at a time. It's frustrating and I don't blame you for withdrawing so far from us all. We've always had a rather rocky relationship, and I know that deep down you're hurting too but... You're right, it's best we stay away from each other. You might be a part of Hell's army, but I'll hold to my end of our deal, you won't find harm from me, unless you attack one of mine. I know Ryker keeps an eye out for your return still, even though she tries to hide it, and it hurts. None of this was ever your fault, you know...
Lots of things left unsaid, lots of sorrow hidden behind Mercy's cheerful facade and Sigyn's bitter rage to others. The two truly had no wish to harm each other, but their abilities combined tends to make each other go crazy, to say nothing of any poor soul who happens to be around both of them at once.
Runa (Sister, unknown) - Hmm.
And here's the most distant relationship out of the sisters, aside from Sigyn and Runa. It's been so long since they've last seen each other that Mercy doesn't even know if Runa is alive, and that worries her. Should they cross paths again, it would likely be happy though, there was never any animosity between them.
Zeus (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Hera (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Haephestus (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Hades (Distant cousin, alive) - stuff here
Nyx (Grandmother, alive) - stuff here
Thanatos (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Hypnos (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Charon (Uncle, alive) - stuff here
Odin (former "boss", alive) - stuff here
Thor (former "boss", alive) - stuff here
Loki (Grandfather, alive) - stuff here
Unique Abilities
Omega's Tranquility (passive/semi-controllable) - Or simply known as Omega, is the ability to make those within range calm, and if focused enough even stop a fight completely. The effect can range from nearly unnoticeable (which isn't going to do a thing to stop any sort of fight, but will make others a bit calmer) to extremely strong (able to stop a thunder god from going berserk) and Mercy can make the effects more intense with eye contact. Over-abuse of this, such as stopping two gods from fighting on a battlefield, will more than likely result in a severe nosebleed and/or seizure.
Shapeshifting (active) - Mercy can shift into just about anything, so long as she has seen the thing she wants to shift into and knows how it works. This includes gender, although that in particular is very uncomfortable so she almost never does, instead preferring to make her features more androgynous instead. While shifting once or twice might fill her with adrenaline, she is only as strong or fast as whatever form she takes naturally would be. If she is killed in any form she's shifted into, she will revert into her "angel" form and be incapitated for a few minutes. When she comes to, she'll be extremely nauseous and sluggish, and these few minutes are when she is at her most vulnerable. In addition, her eyes will always, always remain ice blue, and any form she takes that does not naturally have wings (like a mouse, or lynx) will have the silver swift's-wing tattoo on her back. Her scars will remain as well, and all three similarities make her quite easy to spot if one knows what to look for. Her shifts are instant and her clothes and weapons will vanish, to reappear whenever she next transforms into her natural forms. The exception is the silver dragon form that Loki taught her. It takes three full minutes to shift into and out of, is a painful shift and while Mercy has control over it quite well, she can't remain in the form as long as she could for a mouse or something simpler. Remaining in any form that is not her natural form for years on end will also have some irreversible effects, causing her to possibly even lose herself in her creation entirely, rendering her lost.
Soulbound Weapons (passive-active) - Mercy's Schiavona and parrying dagger are both soulbound. They both have a powerful frost enchantment that will inflict severe frostbite to anything they manage to cut, and can be summoned to her with the faintest of thoughts. The Schiavona will gravitate towards the heart on it's own if left in a living body, and if left on a dead body for long enough the flesh around it will liquify. They cannot be used to harm Mercy or an ally, and much like Thor's Mjolnir, cannot be wielded by anyone not deemed "worthy" and feel completely weightless in Mercy's hands. The two daggers are not soulbound, but have the powerful frost enchantment. All four blades are made of black impervium and are etched with ice-blue runes. Having them equipped, Mercy can carve runes onto an opponent to detonate them - the more runes carved, the more damage dealt, to a maximum of five runes carved at once. They can be single-target or areea of effect, with effects ranging from death to simply freezing a person solid for a few minutes, or a temporary blinding smokescreen (for non-magic targets) and a temporary silence (for mages who rely on their voices)
Shapeshifting (active) - Mercy can shift into just about anything, so long as she has seen the thing she wants to shift into and knows how it works. This includes gender, although that in particular is very uncomfortable so she almost never does, instead preferring to make her features more androgynous instead. While shifting once or twice might fill her with adrenaline, she is only as strong or fast as whatever form she takes naturally would be. If she is killed in any form she's shifted into, she will revert into her "angel" form and be incapitated for a few minutes. When she comes to, she'll be extremely nauseous and sluggish, and these few minutes are when she is at her most vulnerable. In addition, her eyes will always, always remain ice blue, and any form she takes that does not naturally have wings (like a mouse, or lynx) will have the silver swift's-wing tattoo on her back. Her scars will remain as well, and all three similarities make her quite easy to spot if one knows what to look for. Her shifts are instant and her clothes and weapons will vanish, to reappear whenever she next transforms into her natural forms. The exception is the silver dragon form that Loki taught her. It takes three full minutes to shift into and out of, is a painful shift and while Mercy has control over it quite well, she can't remain in the form as long as she could for a mouse or something simpler. Remaining in any form that is not her natural form for years on end will also have some irreversible effects, causing her to possibly even lose herself in her creation entirely, rendering her lost.
Soulbound Weapons (passive-active) - Mercy's Schiavona and parrying dagger are both soulbound. They both have a powerful frost enchantment that will inflict severe frostbite to anything they manage to cut, and can be summoned to her with the faintest of thoughts. The Schiavona will gravitate towards the heart on it's own if left in a living body, and if left on a dead body for long enough the flesh around it will liquify. They cannot be used to harm Mercy or an ally, and much like Thor's Mjolnir, cannot be wielded by anyone not deemed "worthy" and feel completely weightless in Mercy's hands. The two daggers are not soulbound, but have the powerful frost enchantment. All four blades are made of black impervium and are etched with ice-blue runes. Having them equipped, Mercy can carve runes onto an opponent to detonate them - the more runes carved, the more damage dealt, to a maximum of five runes carved at once. They can be single-target or areea of effect, with effects ranging from death to simply freezing a person solid for a few minutes, or a temporary blinding smokescreen (for non-magic targets) and a temporary silence (for mages who rely on their voices)
Other Information
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