DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
[X] So what are your "friends" like?
[X] So Christina... ever think about asking Colin out?
[X] So Christina... ever think about asking Colin out?
Of Gods and Monsters
- Thread starter Spectre
- Start date
- Original
-
- Tags
- original content
Part 51
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
"So, what are your 'friends' like?" You ask Enrique and Christina.
Christina shrugged. "Cailleach Bheur's… cold to say the least, and a handful depending on the time of year. You know how the strength of my powers are tied to what season we're in, weakest in summer, strongest in winter? My control over her works in the opposite way."
"So right now, your bag of tricks is limited but you have complete control over her. While in the winter months…"
"I have to be careful or I could accidentally plunge the entire continent of North America into a new ice age. Now that she's not bound by the annual handover of the throne of Seasons, Cailleach Bheur would love nothing more than a land of endless winter. But other than that, she's a real sweetheart like me."
"Bullshit." You cough into your sleeve, earning an eye roll from the girl.
"Hephaestus… scatter brained." Enrique tells you, switching back to his broken english. "Always some sort of idea in my head, or a suggestion to make a design better. Hard to focus. He still has feelings for Athena…"
Pig… Violator… Scum. Waves of revulsion roll over you as Athena makes her protest at the idea known. Castrate him!
Shut it you. "Might not want to make those comments Enrique. Athena doesn't share Hephaestus's feelings, and would rather do some... nasty things to you for saying that." A look of sheer terror flashes across Enrique's face. "Don't worry though, I like you too much to let her do that."
"Aw… You two are so sweet together." Christina coos. "Maybe we should call this a date."
"We'd need Colin here for it to be a proper one then." You reply with a smirk as Christina turns a very interesting shade of red. "You really should consider asking him out sometime Christina, you never know what's going to happen."
"That's exactly why I don't. I know the world I live in, and it isn't to different from Belfast in my childhood." Christina replies. "I had boyfriends back before Catherine and her brother recruited me, and for a couple of them I attended their funerals. I know that fate's just waiting to tell him how I feel, so she can take him away from me just like the others."
"So instead, you're just going to keep your feelings to yourself. Because having all those unspoken words you wished you said, a regret over what could have been, are so much better." You tell Christina. "You're right, we could all die tomorrow, but's that's just more reason to live today. Listen, I'm pretty sure he likes you, otherwise I have no idea why he hangs out with you all the time, so just ask him when he gets back."
Christina shakes her head, a thin smile on her face. "I'll think about it wise girl." You three finish your meals in silence before heading back to the manor, getting back just in time to greet Colin and Catherine as they return. Christina immediately tags along with Colin as he heads back to the armory, shooting you a look that says not to follow her.
"Okay," You exclaim as you watch Catherine, dressed in the blood splattered fatigues of a Mexican police officer. "There's got to be a good story behind that."
A grin befitting her deity's cat motif breaks out across Catherine's face. "Just let me get a shower first, and I'll tell you all about it.
----
Earlier, In Mexico City.
"Two minutes to the rendezvous point." The five officers in the police technical heard over the radio as they sped down the streets at the head of a three-car convoy.
"Understood." The lead officer radioed back to his counterpart in the rear technical. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, the Gringos won't know what hit them. What of that new recruit you were saddled with by the captain?"
"The officer smiled. "We'll see how she reacts to all this." The man held up two fingers, and all around the vehicle the cocking of weapons could be heard. One of the officers behind him knocked on the back window, giving the gunner behind them the same symbol.
As the officer began counting down at the thirty second mark, the officer behind him, the new recruit attached last minute, unbuckled her seatbelt. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," The officer next to her said. "If we get rammed, you'll be dead for sure."
"Love," The figure replied in English as she slipped her service pistol out of its holder. "That should be the least of your concerns." Spontaneously, the cab of the truck exploded with blood and viscera as the other three occupants were killed. Dropping the smoking, empty pistol on the floor, the remaining officer popped open her door and rolled out as the dead driver's foot floored the accelerator.
Turning her attention to the rear most vehicle as the lead pickup truck slammed into a building, she emptied her rifle into the cab before reloading and putting another magazine into the gunner, her movements so fast she was firing again before the spent magazine even hit the ground. Above her, the air echoed with the crack of a high powered rifle as gunmen waiting on the roofs around her were picked off one by one.
Walking over the now stopped van, the officer dropped her smoking rifle and began removing her helmet as its occupants scrambled out. "Stop," A young woman with blond hair yelled in Russian accented English. "Stop where you are, or I'll shoot."
"At ease Tatiana." Another called out, walking over to the figure as she undid her helmet and tore down her balaclava, revealing a brown ponytail and blue eyes. "I take it the cops were dirty?" Catherine nodded. "Well, it looks like I owe again."
"Just put it on my tab." Catherine joked back, heading for the front passenger seat of the van.
"No, you get to sit in the trunk sis. You'll cause a scene looking like that." Henry called back, pointing to her blood-soaked uniform. Rolling her eyes, Catherine complied, settling in for the long trip to their exit site.
---------------
"So, how'd you sneak into the middle of their protection detail?" You ask Catherine after she tells her tale.
"Simple disguise magic." Catherine replies, before noticing your slack jawed reaction. "You mean Elizabeth hasn't taught you any of that yet?"
"We'll get to that soon." Elizabeth responded before turning back to her sister. "Henry get anything out of him yet?'
"He's singing, just hasn't said anything useful yet." Catherine gets up from her chair and retires to bed, Eric following right behind her. You yourself make your way to your bedroom to get a good nights sleep.
Unfortunately for you, a goddess decides it's the perfect time to stop by...
[] Bast.
[] Athena.
Christina shrugged. "Cailleach Bheur's… cold to say the least, and a handful depending on the time of year. You know how the strength of my powers are tied to what season we're in, weakest in summer, strongest in winter? My control over her works in the opposite way."
"So right now, your bag of tricks is limited but you have complete control over her. While in the winter months…"
"I have to be careful or I could accidentally plunge the entire continent of North America into a new ice age. Now that she's not bound by the annual handover of the throne of Seasons, Cailleach Bheur would love nothing more than a land of endless winter. But other than that, she's a real sweetheart like me."
"Bullshit." You cough into your sleeve, earning an eye roll from the girl.
"Hephaestus… scatter brained." Enrique tells you, switching back to his broken english. "Always some sort of idea in my head, or a suggestion to make a design better. Hard to focus. He still has feelings for Athena…"
Pig… Violator… Scum. Waves of revulsion roll over you as Athena makes her protest at the idea known. Castrate him!
Shut it you. "Might not want to make those comments Enrique. Athena doesn't share Hephaestus's feelings, and would rather do some... nasty things to you for saying that." A look of sheer terror flashes across Enrique's face. "Don't worry though, I like you too much to let her do that."
"Aw… You two are so sweet together." Christina coos. "Maybe we should call this a date."
"We'd need Colin here for it to be a proper one then." You reply with a smirk as Christina turns a very interesting shade of red. "You really should consider asking him out sometime Christina, you never know what's going to happen."
"That's exactly why I don't. I know the world I live in, and it isn't to different from Belfast in my childhood." Christina replies. "I had boyfriends back before Catherine and her brother recruited me, and for a couple of them I attended their funerals. I know that fate's just waiting to tell him how I feel, so she can take him away from me just like the others."
"So instead, you're just going to keep your feelings to yourself. Because having all those unspoken words you wished you said, a regret over what could have been, are so much better." You tell Christina. "You're right, we could all die tomorrow, but's that's just more reason to live today. Listen, I'm pretty sure he likes you, otherwise I have no idea why he hangs out with you all the time, so just ask him when he gets back."
Christina shakes her head, a thin smile on her face. "I'll think about it wise girl." You three finish your meals in silence before heading back to the manor, getting back just in time to greet Colin and Catherine as they return. Christina immediately tags along with Colin as he heads back to the armory, shooting you a look that says not to follow her.
"Okay," You exclaim as you watch Catherine, dressed in the blood splattered fatigues of a Mexican police officer. "There's got to be a good story behind that."
A grin befitting her deity's cat motif breaks out across Catherine's face. "Just let me get a shower first, and I'll tell you all about it.
----
Earlier, In Mexico City.
"Two minutes to the rendezvous point." The five officers in the police technical heard over the radio as they sped down the streets at the head of a three-car convoy.
"Understood." The lead officer radioed back to his counterpart in the rear technical. "Is everything in place?"
"Yes, the Gringos won't know what hit them. What of that new recruit you were saddled with by the captain?"
"The officer smiled. "We'll see how she reacts to all this." The man held up two fingers, and all around the vehicle the cocking of weapons could be heard. One of the officers behind him knocked on the back window, giving the gunner behind them the same symbol.
As the officer began counting down at the thirty second mark, the officer behind him, the new recruit attached last minute, unbuckled her seatbelt. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," The officer next to her said. "If we get rammed, you'll be dead for sure."
"Love," The figure replied in English as she slipped her service pistol out of its holder. "That should be the least of your concerns." Spontaneously, the cab of the truck exploded with blood and viscera as the other three occupants were killed. Dropping the smoking, empty pistol on the floor, the remaining officer popped open her door and rolled out as the dead driver's foot floored the accelerator.
Turning her attention to the rear most vehicle as the lead pickup truck slammed into a building, she emptied her rifle into the cab before reloading and putting another magazine into the gunner, her movements so fast she was firing again before the spent magazine even hit the ground. Above her, the air echoed with the crack of a high powered rifle as gunmen waiting on the roofs around her were picked off one by one.
Walking over the now stopped van, the officer dropped her smoking rifle and began removing her helmet as its occupants scrambled out. "Stop," A young woman with blond hair yelled in Russian accented English. "Stop where you are, or I'll shoot."
"At ease Tatiana." Another called out, walking over to the figure as she undid her helmet and tore down her balaclava, revealing a brown ponytail and blue eyes. "I take it the cops were dirty?" Catherine nodded. "Well, it looks like I owe again."
"Just put it on my tab." Catherine joked back, heading for the front passenger seat of the van.
"No, you get to sit in the trunk sis. You'll cause a scene looking like that." Henry called back, pointing to her blood-soaked uniform. Rolling her eyes, Catherine complied, settling in for the long trip to their exit site.
---------------
"So, how'd you sneak into the middle of their protection detail?" You ask Catherine after she tells her tale.
"Simple disguise magic." Catherine replies, before noticing your slack jawed reaction. "You mean Elizabeth hasn't taught you any of that yet?"
"We'll get to that soon." Elizabeth responded before turning back to her sister. "Henry get anything out of him yet?'
"He's singing, just hasn't said anything useful yet." Catherine gets up from her chair and retires to bed, Eric following right behind her. You yourself make your way to your bedroom to get a good nights sleep.
Unfortunately for you, a goddess decides it's the perfect time to stop by...
[] Bast.
[] Athena.
Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Bast.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
[X] Bast.
DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
[X] Bast.
Part 52
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
"Well, this is new." You comment, staring down at your sleeping body. You're still alive, your chest rising and falling under your covers, but you were also expecting to get a good night's sleep rather than being turned into Casper's distant cousin. Waving your see-through hand in front of your face, you add this to the list of stuff to be pissed off at Athena about.
A force begins to pull you through the ceiling and towards the roof. You steel yourself as you pass through the floors, preparing to give your least favorite Greek parasite both barrels…
"Not who you were expecting?" Bast replies with a smirk to your surprised look. She perched on the palisade wall surrounding the manor's flat roof, still dressed in her armor as if expecting a fight to break out any minute.
"Figured this was another one of Athena's demands." You reply with a shrug. "Do I have to be worried about Catherine seizing in her sleep?"
Bast shakes her head. "Many mythologies see the world as split into parts. In my time, the land was known as Geb, for my father's successor. The realm of spirits, where all would be judged, and Kingdom of Osiris was Duat. As one of Ra's foremost guardians, I was permitted to walk along the path Atet would take, yet return to any point if called. As long as some part of me is still in the physical world with her, I can be in both realms at once."
"Sounds useful…"
"Especially when I want to hold conversations without my hosts' hearing them." Your taken aback by Bast's words, your mouth dropping open in shock. "Your idea to use one of my sister's arrows against Orion is well-founded. Catherine agrees with Elizabeth though. I fear the brush with death Enrique, Christina, and you experienced in Mexico has reaffirmed her belief that she alone must defeat him."
"Why," You ask, shaking your head in disbelief. "She already knows that's a bad matchup for her, right?"
Bast shoulders slump, a feeling of guilt weighing down her next words. "I may be to blame for that. Every god has some special criteria when picking their hosts. Athena's is intelligence, Hephaestus likes creativity, and Cailleach chooses the willful. The quality I value most… is loyalty. My hosts all face some of the worst things both humanity and the supernatural have to offer. Yet they must never lose their resolve to keep fighting under any circumstances. One can't survive my trials with only their personal survival as their sole motivation."
"What happens then?" You can't help but ask.
"The path of least resistance." Bast growls venomously. "However, Catherine is too loyal, uncompromising in the end. As the daughter by proxy of both Ra and Amunet, and the younger sibling of Horus and Sekhmet, she has been involved in The Order ever since she could speak and walk. Even before becoming my host, she would have sooner slit her own throat before betraying her family. When I greeted her in my full glory, I thought I couldn't have found a better partner…"
"So what's going on?" You ask as Bast trails off. "Has this been going on longer than the others think?"
Bast shook her head. "Not even I'm sure. Maybe it was the two world wars and the friends those conflict cost her over the first thirty years of our partnership, or it was always there, but I underestimated the fanatical nature of her loyalty. I often find myself having to curb her thoughts and actions rather than the other way around. She's put so much in front of her own desires that sometimes she forgets to live a life of her own. Now, she's determined to make sure no one else dies by Orion's hand, to keep history from repeating itself again."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" You ask the goddess. "My plan only works with one of those arrows, and I can't rely on Elizabeth handing me one or Catherine stealing one for me."
A small, almost most mischievous grin spreads across Bast's face. "Elizabeth practices with that bow every day at 10 am, and her limited control over my sister's bloodlust is a well known topic to you. Tell Athena that the rest is... What's that quaint modern saying?" Bast appears to muse for a moment, before turning back to you. "It's your problem now." With that, she sends you back to your own body, ending the conversation.
---
True to Bast's word, Athena already has a plan for obtaining one of Elizabeth's man portable WMD's. A quick stop to Enrique's workshop, which you enjoyed and Athena hated, gets you the one thing you need to pull your little caper. A bodkin pointed arrow, just like what Elizabeth favors. Enrique even agrees not to ask what you need it for. Of course the hard part is how you're going to get one of her Sekhmet-powered arrows away from her without her noticing.
[] Sekhmet always seems to come out when ever Elizabeth gets angry. As risky as it is, getting her riled up might be your best bet.
[] Try one last bit of diplomacy first. Maybe having two goddesses backing your plan will convince her.
[] Write -in.
A force begins to pull you through the ceiling and towards the roof. You steel yourself as you pass through the floors, preparing to give your least favorite Greek parasite both barrels…
"Not who you were expecting?" Bast replies with a smirk to your surprised look. She perched on the palisade wall surrounding the manor's flat roof, still dressed in her armor as if expecting a fight to break out any minute.
"Figured this was another one of Athena's demands." You reply with a shrug. "Do I have to be worried about Catherine seizing in her sleep?"
Bast shakes her head. "Many mythologies see the world as split into parts. In my time, the land was known as Geb, for my father's successor. The realm of spirits, where all would be judged, and Kingdom of Osiris was Duat. As one of Ra's foremost guardians, I was permitted to walk along the path Atet would take, yet return to any point if called. As long as some part of me is still in the physical world with her, I can be in both realms at once."
"Sounds useful…"
"Especially when I want to hold conversations without my hosts' hearing them." Your taken aback by Bast's words, your mouth dropping open in shock. "Your idea to use one of my sister's arrows against Orion is well-founded. Catherine agrees with Elizabeth though. I fear the brush with death Enrique, Christina, and you experienced in Mexico has reaffirmed her belief that she alone must defeat him."
"Why," You ask, shaking your head in disbelief. "She already knows that's a bad matchup for her, right?"
Bast shoulders slump, a feeling of guilt weighing down her next words. "I may be to blame for that. Every god has some special criteria when picking their hosts. Athena's is intelligence, Hephaestus likes creativity, and Cailleach chooses the willful. The quality I value most… is loyalty. My hosts all face some of the worst things both humanity and the supernatural have to offer. Yet they must never lose their resolve to keep fighting under any circumstances. One can't survive my trials with only their personal survival as their sole motivation."
"What happens then?" You can't help but ask.
"The path of least resistance." Bast growls venomously. "However, Catherine is too loyal, uncompromising in the end. As the daughter by proxy of both Ra and Amunet, and the younger sibling of Horus and Sekhmet, she has been involved in The Order ever since she could speak and walk. Even before becoming my host, she would have sooner slit her own throat before betraying her family. When I greeted her in my full glory, I thought I couldn't have found a better partner…"
"So what's going on?" You ask as Bast trails off. "Has this been going on longer than the others think?"
Bast shook her head. "Not even I'm sure. Maybe it was the two world wars and the friends those conflict cost her over the first thirty years of our partnership, or it was always there, but I underestimated the fanatical nature of her loyalty. I often find myself having to curb her thoughts and actions rather than the other way around. She's put so much in front of her own desires that sometimes she forgets to live a life of her own. Now, she's determined to make sure no one else dies by Orion's hand, to keep history from repeating itself again."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" You ask the goddess. "My plan only works with one of those arrows, and I can't rely on Elizabeth handing me one or Catherine stealing one for me."
A small, almost most mischievous grin spreads across Bast's face. "Elizabeth practices with that bow every day at 10 am, and her limited control over my sister's bloodlust is a well known topic to you. Tell Athena that the rest is... What's that quaint modern saying?" Bast appears to muse for a moment, before turning back to you. "It's your problem now." With that, she sends you back to your own body, ending the conversation.
---
True to Bast's word, Athena already has a plan for obtaining one of Elizabeth's man portable WMD's. A quick stop to Enrique's workshop, which you enjoyed and Athena hated, gets you the one thing you need to pull your little caper. A bodkin pointed arrow, just like what Elizabeth favors. Enrique even agrees not to ask what you need it for. Of course the hard part is how you're going to get one of her Sekhmet-powered arrows away from her without her noticing.
[] Sekhmet always seems to come out when ever Elizabeth gets angry. As risky as it is, getting her riled up might be your best bet.
[] Try one last bit of diplomacy first. Maybe having two goddesses backing your plan will convince her.
[] Write -in.
Last edited:
- Location
- PA
*thinks* Sekhmet as I recall did the Night of Long Knives and other bad stuff right? I'm thinking we don't wake the murder-kitty.
And the problem is that she's TOO loyal- too emotionally compromised-unless we do something very very clever to sell her on the plan...
*tilts head* I have the simple thought that we could straight-up convince her to hand it over via literally framing it as 'a back-up plan, lest you fail'. Turns that fanatism to our favor, instead of having to punch through it. We just don't mention the bit about sneaking out to shoot Orion with it BEFORE she dies.
[X] Write -in.
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
And the problem is that she's TOO loyal- too emotionally compromised-unless we do something very very clever to sell her on the plan...
*tilts head* I have the simple thought that we could straight-up convince her to hand it over via literally framing it as 'a back-up plan, lest you fail'. Turns that fanatism to our favor, instead of having to punch through it. We just don't mention the bit about sneaking out to shoot Orion with it BEFORE she dies.
[X] Write -in.
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
just to point out, Catherine's the uber loyal, "no one else is dying if I have any say in this" one, not Elizabeth.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
[X] Write -in.
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
[X] Write -in.
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
-[X]"In the event that Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows so that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
Part 53
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
"Mind if I join you?" You ask Elizabeth as you meet her on the archery range.
"Something on your mind?" she asks as she summons her bow and quiver, taking aim at the target before her. The arrow flies straight and true, slamming into the center of the bullseye at over a hundred yards.
"Well… given Orion's actions over the past few months, there's a good chance he might attack us here in the base. In the event that does happen, and Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows? So that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
Elizabeth shakes her head turns to you skeptically. "Alexa, is that really the best argument you could come up with. Even if I was willing to give one of these arrows to you, it would vanish from this world the moment I died. Also, the answers still no. The damage one of my arrows could do out of my possession far outweighs it the benefits it would have against our enemies."
You bite your lip as Elizabeth turns back to her shooting. "Well," Athena remarked. "That unfortunately went about as expected." Before you could give her a piece of your mind for not saying that before, Athena interrupted. "Time for plan B. Please let me take point." You felt the energy of your hitchhiker fill your mind, then spread throughout your body. Feeling the words and thoughts of Athena in your head, almost like your own, was a little scary. The idea you could get lost in a labyrinth of plans within plans, an errant thought buried in this great intellect. But Athena didn't push, held back her presence. Instead, you could see her plan as if you'd come up with it yourself. You decided to trust Athena. You opened your mouth, and your voice spoke her words. "You know, maybe I was right about you."
"Excuse me." Elizabeth replies without looking at you, the arrow on her bow beginning to glow red.
"You're the best weapon we have against this guy, but you're so worried about maybe's and what-ifs that you're letting it paralyze you." You jabbed a finger at her, Athena expertly mixing disappointment and chastisement in your tone. "You're just a scared little girl who isn't even half the warrior her little sister-"
The arrow that slams itself in the ground beneath your feet brings the rant to a screeching halt. "Coward?" Elizabeth growls at you, eyes glowing a bright scarlet as she storms over to you. "You know how long Sekhmet has been occupying my head? Over two centuries. For Two. Hundred. Years. I have been forced to listen to her talk about punishing all who she thought were evil. Every waking moment I have to fight to keep her from ending civilization as we knew it. I know full well the damage she would do if let out of her cage. But since you're so certain I'm not using her enough, I will gladly show you firsthand what she is capable of."
"Easy there Liz." You nervously replied. As you racked your brain trying to talk your teacher down from turning you into a pincushion, you felt Athena move your arm. In one swift motion she slipped the real arrow up your sleeve and produced Enrique's fake in its place. "That wasn't me talking, it was Athena. You're not the only one having trouble controlling the bitch in her head." Athena makes no comment.
Elizabeth stops in place, her eyes turning back to normal as she blinked. "Right. Sorry Alexa." Her voice is shaky as she takes the arrow from your hand and turns back to the range. "Can you give me a few minutes by myself? I need to refocus."
You nod, quickly leaving the range and heading straight towards Enrique's workshop. "Wonderful!" Athena praised you. "You channeled my mind well, and excellently diffused the situation even without my help. In the future, we can take our bond to even greater heights!" She continued to compliment you all the way over. Given you had stared down an Egyptian death goddess, you damn well think you deserve it. You drop the arrow head off with him, cautioning him to be careful with it while he works his magic, before heading back to the manor.
[] Try to track down Catherine and see how she's doing. That warning Bastet gave you last night has you worried.
[] Talk to Eric. You know he cares about Catherine, and also won't tear your head off if you explain what Bastet told you to do like Catherine or her sister would.
[] Write-in.
"Something on your mind?" she asks as she summons her bow and quiver, taking aim at the target before her. The arrow flies straight and true, slamming into the center of the bullseye at over a hundred yards.
"Well… given Orion's actions over the past few months, there's a good chance he might attack us here in the base. In the event that does happen, and Orion kills you, would it be possible for you to entrust me with one of Sekhmet's arrows? So that even beyond death you can help prevent him from killing anyone else?"
Elizabeth shakes her head turns to you skeptically. "Alexa, is that really the best argument you could come up with. Even if I was willing to give one of these arrows to you, it would vanish from this world the moment I died. Also, the answers still no. The damage one of my arrows could do out of my possession far outweighs it the benefits it would have against our enemies."
You bite your lip as Elizabeth turns back to her shooting. "Well," Athena remarked. "That unfortunately went about as expected." Before you could give her a piece of your mind for not saying that before, Athena interrupted. "Time for plan B. Please let me take point." You felt the energy of your hitchhiker fill your mind, then spread throughout your body. Feeling the words and thoughts of Athena in your head, almost like your own, was a little scary. The idea you could get lost in a labyrinth of plans within plans, an errant thought buried in this great intellect. But Athena didn't push, held back her presence. Instead, you could see her plan as if you'd come up with it yourself. You decided to trust Athena. You opened your mouth, and your voice spoke her words. "You know, maybe I was right about you."
"Excuse me." Elizabeth replies without looking at you, the arrow on her bow beginning to glow red.
"You're the best weapon we have against this guy, but you're so worried about maybe's and what-ifs that you're letting it paralyze you." You jabbed a finger at her, Athena expertly mixing disappointment and chastisement in your tone. "You're just a scared little girl who isn't even half the warrior her little sister-"
The arrow that slams itself in the ground beneath your feet brings the rant to a screeching halt. "Coward?" Elizabeth growls at you, eyes glowing a bright scarlet as she storms over to you. "You know how long Sekhmet has been occupying my head? Over two centuries. For Two. Hundred. Years. I have been forced to listen to her talk about punishing all who she thought were evil. Every waking moment I have to fight to keep her from ending civilization as we knew it. I know full well the damage she would do if let out of her cage. But since you're so certain I'm not using her enough, I will gladly show you firsthand what she is capable of."
"Easy there Liz." You nervously replied. As you racked your brain trying to talk your teacher down from turning you into a pincushion, you felt Athena move your arm. In one swift motion she slipped the real arrow up your sleeve and produced Enrique's fake in its place. "That wasn't me talking, it was Athena. You're not the only one having trouble controlling the bitch in her head." Athena makes no comment.
Elizabeth stops in place, her eyes turning back to normal as she blinked. "Right. Sorry Alexa." Her voice is shaky as she takes the arrow from your hand and turns back to the range. "Can you give me a few minutes by myself? I need to refocus."
You nod, quickly leaving the range and heading straight towards Enrique's workshop. "Wonderful!" Athena praised you. "You channeled my mind well, and excellently diffused the situation even without my help. In the future, we can take our bond to even greater heights!" She continued to compliment you all the way over. Given you had stared down an Egyptian death goddess, you damn well think you deserve it. You drop the arrow head off with him, cautioning him to be careful with it while he works his magic, before heading back to the manor.
[] Try to track down Catherine and see how she's doing. That warning Bastet gave you last night has you worried.
[] Talk to Eric. You know he cares about Catherine, and also won't tear your head off if you explain what Bastet told you to do like Catherine or her sister would.
[] Write-in.
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Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Well.
One new-ish power for us, Athena is over the mood, and we have our archer-asshole killer. Sweet.
On the other hand, wonder if Ms. Death Cat is noticing our pattern of screwing with her whenever Athena has a plan.
One new-ish power for us, Athena is over the mood, and we have our archer-asshole killer. Sweet.
On the other hand, wonder if Ms. Death Cat is noticing our pattern of screwing with her whenever Athena has a plan.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
[X] Talk to Eric. You know he cares about Catherine, and also won't tear your head off if you explain what Bastet told you to do like Catherine or her sister would.
DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
[X] Talk to Eric. You know he cares about Catherine, and also won't tear your head off if you explain what Bastet told you to do like Catherine or her sister would.
Part 54
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
"Hey Eric?" You ask, falling back onto the couch in the living room. "Is it normal for gods and goddesses to talk with other hosts besides their own?"
"Depends on the deity." Eric responds, looking up from his book. "Thor and the rest of the Norse pantheon, with a few exceptions like Loki of course, love to show themselves off. They're also always looking for a fight, challenge, or party too of course… really?" he looks up at the ceiling, no doubt talking to the big guy himself. "Well if that's the case, why do you insist I use that dead meme hammer trick at every party I go to?"
"Hammer trick?" You ask.
A grin spreads across Eric's face as you ask your question. "Well, you know the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies? Thor found he's a massive comic book nerd and begs me to do that one scene from Age of Ultron at every party."
"Thor's into movies?" Considering what you knew about him, that was surprising.
"Yeah, he gets a real kick out of running the joke into the ground" Eric's still grinning like a loon. "I just place it on a table and then find a good spot to watch. What a lot of people don't realize is that it's twice as hard for hosts because not only do they have to check out…
"But so does the person upstairs too…" You finish. "I'm not even going to try then, because I already know one of us would fail."
A pure heart matters little in battle. Athena scolds you, her annoyance with your remark filling your head. Intelligence and cunning is what always carries the war.
"Probably." Eric agrees. "So far, Catherine's the only one who ever managed to lift it besides myself." You nod, remembering both what Bastet told you about her, as well as how you've seen Bastet act. "But as I was saying before I was interrupted, it depends. I imagine Athena doesn't leave you often?" You nod in agreement. "And Bastet…" Eric notices your smile disappear at the mention of her name. "She talked you you last night, didn't she?"
You nod. "Yeah, she told me all about Catherine."
"Figure she would. Catherine considers you a friend, and Bastet's taken looking out for her host a step further than most. It was only a matter of time before Bastet talked to you."
"She also told me to do something that was against both Catherine's and Elizabeth's orders too." You fidget for a moment before confessing. "She wanted me to steal one of Liz's arrows."
Eric remains neutral and impassive as you regale him with what Bastet told you. When you finish, he nods. "Yup. Liz is going to skin you alive once she finds out about this."
"Uh..." Your face flushes from fear and embarrassment. "I kinda already did it. Enrique's making the weapon."
Eric shrugs nonchalantly. "So Liz will skin you alive, then go do the same to Enrique."
Your frown deepens at the thought of getting your friend in trouble. "But on the upside," Eric's grin returns. "I'll have you know the head of an enemy is always a good birthday gift for many gods, and Catherine's is right around the corner..."
"Sure…" You uneasily reply. You hadn't been planning on telling her about what you had done until after Orion was dead. At the same time, she was still probably your best bet at taking him out, and your new weapon would eliminate the one advantage he had over her. "How soon is 'right around the corner', by the way?"
"Tomorrow. Her family should start arriving here soon actually." Eric replied with a smirk as a look of panic spread across your face. "Don't worry about not knowing. Catherine doesn't advertise that fact about her, especially with everything going on now. In fact, I should probably go collect her from the gym right now. You mind joining me?"
You nod, following him to the training center arriving just in time to see Catherine finish off the last of her clay sparring partners. The scowl on her face lightens just a hair as she notices her boyfriend. "Eric, is everything alright?"
"Other than forgetting what day tomorrow is…" Eric's fairly casual, but the way he leads the question is pretty big evidence this is a long-standing sore spot.
Catherine rolls her eyes, already setting up for another round. "Besides a complete waste of time."
"I'd hardly call spending time with your friends and family a waste." Eric replies, walking over to her. "And you always have fun on these little day trips."
"I think we have more pressing issues to deal with than whether or not I'm having fun."
"And that's why you're going." Catching Catherine by surprise, Eric scoops her up in a bridal carry, shouting a command to the training dummies that deactivate them. The three of you begin making your way back to the manor, Catherine's protests dying down as she realized she wasn't getting out of the celebration.
"Can you at least put me down?" She finally relents. "If my brother sees this, I won't hear the end of it for a week."
"Nah, I'll only tease you mercilessly for a day or two." You hear Henry respond as he leans on the doorway, a grin spreading across his face. "So, when's the wedding?"
Catherine manages to flail her way out her boyfriend's arms like a cat that just got dumped in a bathtub, unceremoniously hitting the dirt. "I… we…"
As Catherine's mind sputters to a standstill, you notice a woman walk up behind Henry and put her arms around him. She's impossibly beautiful, with perfectly cut short black hair and just the barest hint of makeup to bring out her Asian features.
Aphrodite. Athena hisses in your brain. You clench your hands, fighting to keep the warrior goddess at bay.
"Stop embarrassing my sister in law." The woman replies with a warm smile. "One shouldn't mock love that even the gods approve of. Catherine, darling. It's been so long." She says, walking over to your group.
"Yuina…" Catherine returns with a grin as the two embrace each other, her brain finally rebooted. "I'm sorry, you three caught me at bad time." She adds, noticing Yuina crinkling her nose. "Give me a couple minutes to clean myself up."
After watching Catherine race into the house with her super speed, the woman turns back to you. "Yuina Mizushima-Sinclair."
"Host of Aphrodite." You add, ignoring another outburst from Athena telling you you all sorts of insults you'd rather not have known and where the goddess of sexuality should be stabbed. "Alexa Myers."
"Host of Athena." Yuina replies. "I hope I'm not causing you to much discomfort with my presence. I know friends of ours have a rather… tumultuous relationship."
"I'm kind of use to that." You reply. "Athena doesn't seem to have many friends among the Olympians. So are you and Henry here for Catherine's birthday?"
"With our daughter Hikari, yes." Yuina replies looking around as the four of you walk back inside and head to the living room. "She should be running around here somewhere. Honestly, Catherine and Liz spoil her too much." You choke back a laugh at that last part.
"I thought it was our job to do that." A freshly showered Catherine replies, dressed in her usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt. Squirming in her arms is a ten-year-old girl, the near spitting image of the woman sitting across from you, save for her sandy brown hair. "Look who I found."
"How did you…"
"Enhanced agility and growing up as the youngest of three siblings." Catherine cuts you off before turning back to her relatives. "Anything exciting happen since I last visited?"
"I beat up a bully at school." Hikari responds with a giggle.
"Broke his arm in fact." Yuina adds, her eyes narrowing on Catherine. "The bully didn't realize someone was teaching Hikari Krav Maga in their free time."
"A little self defense training isn't out of order given who her parents are." Your mentor replies. Giving her niece a smile. "And at her age, I was already learning how to wield a knife. Given what she'll be, my little kitten's behind the curve." With that, Catherine walks out the room with Hikari still in her arms.
Yuina's narrow gaze immediately turns to her husband. "Don't worry, she's only joking." Henry tries to reassure her. Yuina's gaze doesn't waver. "Right," Henry admits, racing after his sister. "Cathy, you were joking about the knives, right?"
[] Follow Catherine and Henry.
[] Stay with Eric and Yuina.
"Depends on the deity." Eric responds, looking up from his book. "Thor and the rest of the Norse pantheon, with a few exceptions like Loki of course, love to show themselves off. They're also always looking for a fight, challenge, or party too of course… really?" he looks up at the ceiling, no doubt talking to the big guy himself. "Well if that's the case, why do you insist I use that dead meme hammer trick at every party I go to?"
"Hammer trick?" You ask.
A grin spreads across Eric's face as you ask your question. "Well, you know the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies? Thor found he's a massive comic book nerd and begs me to do that one scene from Age of Ultron at every party."
"Thor's into movies?" Considering what you knew about him, that was surprising.
"Yeah, he gets a real kick out of running the joke into the ground" Eric's still grinning like a loon. "I just place it on a table and then find a good spot to watch. What a lot of people don't realize is that it's twice as hard for hosts because not only do they have to check out…
"But so does the person upstairs too…" You finish. "I'm not even going to try then, because I already know one of us would fail."
A pure heart matters little in battle. Athena scolds you, her annoyance with your remark filling your head. Intelligence and cunning is what always carries the war.
"Probably." Eric agrees. "So far, Catherine's the only one who ever managed to lift it besides myself." You nod, remembering both what Bastet told you about her, as well as how you've seen Bastet act. "But as I was saying before I was interrupted, it depends. I imagine Athena doesn't leave you often?" You nod in agreement. "And Bastet…" Eric notices your smile disappear at the mention of her name. "She talked you you last night, didn't she?"
You nod. "Yeah, she told me all about Catherine."
"Figure she would. Catherine considers you a friend, and Bastet's taken looking out for her host a step further than most. It was only a matter of time before Bastet talked to you."
"She also told me to do something that was against both Catherine's and Elizabeth's orders too." You fidget for a moment before confessing. "She wanted me to steal one of Liz's arrows."
Eric remains neutral and impassive as you regale him with what Bastet told you. When you finish, he nods. "Yup. Liz is going to skin you alive once she finds out about this."
"Uh..." Your face flushes from fear and embarrassment. "I kinda already did it. Enrique's making the weapon."
Eric shrugs nonchalantly. "So Liz will skin you alive, then go do the same to Enrique."
Your frown deepens at the thought of getting your friend in trouble. "But on the upside," Eric's grin returns. "I'll have you know the head of an enemy is always a good birthday gift for many gods, and Catherine's is right around the corner..."
"Sure…" You uneasily reply. You hadn't been planning on telling her about what you had done until after Orion was dead. At the same time, she was still probably your best bet at taking him out, and your new weapon would eliminate the one advantage he had over her. "How soon is 'right around the corner', by the way?"
"Tomorrow. Her family should start arriving here soon actually." Eric replied with a smirk as a look of panic spread across your face. "Don't worry about not knowing. Catherine doesn't advertise that fact about her, especially with everything going on now. In fact, I should probably go collect her from the gym right now. You mind joining me?"
You nod, following him to the training center arriving just in time to see Catherine finish off the last of her clay sparring partners. The scowl on her face lightens just a hair as she notices her boyfriend. "Eric, is everything alright?"
"Other than forgetting what day tomorrow is…" Eric's fairly casual, but the way he leads the question is pretty big evidence this is a long-standing sore spot.
Catherine rolls her eyes, already setting up for another round. "Besides a complete waste of time."
"I'd hardly call spending time with your friends and family a waste." Eric replies, walking over to her. "And you always have fun on these little day trips."
"I think we have more pressing issues to deal with than whether or not I'm having fun."
"And that's why you're going." Catching Catherine by surprise, Eric scoops her up in a bridal carry, shouting a command to the training dummies that deactivate them. The three of you begin making your way back to the manor, Catherine's protests dying down as she realized she wasn't getting out of the celebration.
"Can you at least put me down?" She finally relents. "If my brother sees this, I won't hear the end of it for a week."
"Nah, I'll only tease you mercilessly for a day or two." You hear Henry respond as he leans on the doorway, a grin spreading across his face. "So, when's the wedding?"
Catherine manages to flail her way out her boyfriend's arms like a cat that just got dumped in a bathtub, unceremoniously hitting the dirt. "I… we…"
As Catherine's mind sputters to a standstill, you notice a woman walk up behind Henry and put her arms around him. She's impossibly beautiful, with perfectly cut short black hair and just the barest hint of makeup to bring out her Asian features.
Aphrodite. Athena hisses in your brain. You clench your hands, fighting to keep the warrior goddess at bay.
"Stop embarrassing my sister in law." The woman replies with a warm smile. "One shouldn't mock love that even the gods approve of. Catherine, darling. It's been so long." She says, walking over to your group.
"Yuina…" Catherine returns with a grin as the two embrace each other, her brain finally rebooted. "I'm sorry, you three caught me at bad time." She adds, noticing Yuina crinkling her nose. "Give me a couple minutes to clean myself up."
After watching Catherine race into the house with her super speed, the woman turns back to you. "Yuina Mizushima-Sinclair."
"Host of Aphrodite." You add, ignoring another outburst from Athena telling you you all sorts of insults you'd rather not have known and where the goddess of sexuality should be stabbed. "Alexa Myers."
"Host of Athena." Yuina replies. "I hope I'm not causing you to much discomfort with my presence. I know friends of ours have a rather… tumultuous relationship."
"I'm kind of use to that." You reply. "Athena doesn't seem to have many friends among the Olympians. So are you and Henry here for Catherine's birthday?"
"With our daughter Hikari, yes." Yuina replies looking around as the four of you walk back inside and head to the living room. "She should be running around here somewhere. Honestly, Catherine and Liz spoil her too much." You choke back a laugh at that last part.
"I thought it was our job to do that." A freshly showered Catherine replies, dressed in her usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt. Squirming in her arms is a ten-year-old girl, the near spitting image of the woman sitting across from you, save for her sandy brown hair. "Look who I found."
"How did you…"
"Enhanced agility and growing up as the youngest of three siblings." Catherine cuts you off before turning back to her relatives. "Anything exciting happen since I last visited?"
"I beat up a bully at school." Hikari responds with a giggle.
"Broke his arm in fact." Yuina adds, her eyes narrowing on Catherine. "The bully didn't realize someone was teaching Hikari Krav Maga in their free time."
"A little self defense training isn't out of order given who her parents are." Your mentor replies. Giving her niece a smile. "And at her age, I was already learning how to wield a knife. Given what she'll be, my little kitten's behind the curve." With that, Catherine walks out the room with Hikari still in her arms.
Yuina's narrow gaze immediately turns to her husband. "Don't worry, she's only joking." Henry tries to reassure her. Yuina's gaze doesn't waver. "Right," Henry admits, racing after his sister. "Cathy, you were joking about the knives, right?"
[] Follow Catherine and Henry.
[] Stay with Eric and Yuina.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
OK, Spectre, real talk time:
Thor looks like Chris Hemsworth, doesn't he?
Thor looks like Chris Hemsworth, doesn't he?
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
no, I actually have books on mythology so I know he is neither blond nor clean shaven.OK, Spectre, real talk time:
Thor looks like Chris Hemsworth, doesn't he?
- Location
- PA
Thor is awesome. I dunno, that whole 'heir to the throne' idea Marvel's been kicking around seems less and less like a bad idea...
Also that hammer thing at parties is such delicious trolling, even better that it's actually real and thus genuine when he says 'you are not worthy!'
Yeah Thor was a Red-head, but Chris does an EXCELLENT job as Thor, and it's not like blonds were unknown to that culture sooo~...
Also that hammer thing at parties is such delicious trolling, even better that it's actually real and thus genuine when he says 'you are not worthy!'
Spectre
eternal servant to the Fire/EMS gods
- Location
- NY
its also in character. Thor was a firm believer in the work hard, play hard philosophy.
DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
Last edited:
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
[X] Stay with Eric and Yuina.
Let's find out a little more about Yurina and also we probably shouldn't interrupt the sibling argument. Plus, it would not be a bad idea to ensure that Aphrodite is warned about Orion.
Let's find out a little more about Yurina and also we probably shouldn't interrupt the sibling argument. Plus, it would not be a bad idea to ensure that Aphrodite is warned about Orion.