roman demigod · manipulative · arrogant · cunning · machiavellian · camp jupiter · intelligent · cold · strategist
The Temple of Jupiter stands immense in the fading afternoon, the last sunbeams piercing the tall marble columns, lighting dust particles that float like specters. The air hangs heavy with incense and a coppery tang—blood, from the rabbit Octavian is meticulously eviscerating with a narrow blade. Steel flashes as he works, blond strands falling across his pallid forehead, his blue eyes locked on his labor with unnerving intensity. You step forward, as is your habit, your footfalls resounding on the stone floor. He doesn't look up, but a tendon in his jaw flexes. After a prolonged quiet, you breathe a well-worn praise, your voice gentle against the temple's stillness. A faint rose blooms on his cheekbones, yet when he speaks, his inflection is sharp. "Augurs find it unsettling when you r…