Children of the Gods: Arc 2 [Game/Closed]

[hiei82]

"I cannot see those who you travel with, nor can Freyja, or the others. I suspect you are near something that hides you. Though they are capable fighters, do not place your trust in them. Much of their family is unaccounted for, or worse. Much of the world is dark to me, Hymir. Dark to all of us. Fight well; stay safe."

"Yes Father." Hymir said, nodding absentmindedly. However, as he said it his voice cracked slightly. In a twist of irony, Hymir was almost glad his father couldn't see him for his face had run pale. It was true then; The Asgard were on their last legs if even Heimdallr found himself blinded. They were scattered to the winds, leaderless, and their powers were fading. Ragnarok was no doubt nearing. He'd have to hurry.

Hymir heeded his father's warnings as well. He'd known the group was hunted by Zeus in one form or another so he at least trusted their motivations at least that far, but they'd made it clear that Loki's destruction was at best an alternative. For the time being their goals were aligned, but the seeds of dissent had been sown on the first day. Hymir would remain wary of the companions, trusting them and helping them as much as he could, but the moment Loki was broken and beaten before them, he'd slaughter the foe without pause no matter what tricks Loki used or what his allies thought. If they got in his way... he'd try not to kill them.

His thoughts were broken by Prometheus. "Are we good to go, Hymir?" Hymir turned and opened his eyes. He smiled widely and spoke. "Very nearly Shield-Brother. I must make the final arrangements with the woman for our information." he said, burying the thoughts of his Shield-Bothers and Sisters eventual, potential betrayal and what he'd need to do.

Making his way back over to the original shop, Hymir relayed the words of his father to the woman. "I have spoken with Heimdallr. He has agreed to give you passage, though he will inspect you himself to ensure there is no deception before allowing you passage over the Bifrost. So long as you're not trying to harm Asgard, there should be no issues."

 

[Lunar Templar]

"We didn't, I just assumed you'd be smart enough to travel with the rare collection of people who don't want you captured. Jon isn't a threat, and while you managed a whole year, the world is getting smaller for fugitives. The more people that are taken out, the less there are to hide among..."

"While all that is true, it also means there are less and less people to trust as well. As the 'pool' shrinks, those that remain become more desperate, more likely to appear friendly only to betray later." Rias said, and paused to let her words sink in. "I'm 'young', dear Titan, not stupid." Rias looked around the market a moment "The real question is, what are your designs for Loki? Simply hand him over for safety? Slay him, as I imagine the son of Heimdallr desires, or do you seek him to see if he's a means to fix the current state of the world?" she pondered her questions a bit "Though you should probably wait to answer those till we're away from such a questionable place. In any event, one can not sort through the betrayers from the potential allies without extending some measure of trust, so I agree to joining your group." Rias said turning back toward the Titan. 'So long as it continues to benefit me anyway' she thought as she extended her hand to seal the deal with a hand shake.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

"The Shinto Gods? Nothing new at least. Rumor has it most of them are shutting themselves off on some island. The older generation never did want any part in world affairs..."

Shiro sighed. "Alright then, thanks anyway." He should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy to hear about their whereabouts, though even if he did find them, what would he say to them, let alone his father?

He glanced over at the stacks of books. "You wouldn't happen to have any books on samurai or the like, do you? I think I'd like to get something before I leave."

 

[IFS]

"Good, good, take the phial. I'm sorry I don't know what it does. I'm sure you'll find out. Best not to drink it though, I'd say."

"...Right," she said, inspecting the phial before carefully stowing it away. Well I basically got it for free, but for all I know it's acid or poison or something. Maybe one of the others can figure it out, Prommy or Andrew might know.

That thought in mind she rejoined the others, Andrew looked to be busy on the phone but Prometheus at least seemed to be free. She held up the phial as she approached him, hoping he would recognize it by sight. Unlikely, there are tons of nonmagical black liquids, but you never know.

"Hey," she said "I basically got this for free, but the merchant couldn't tell me what it was other than I probably shouldn't drink it, do you have any clue as to what it might be?"

 

[Green Shoes]

Andrew heard the line ring, before a click, followed by a moment of static. The static then faded, to be replaced by a familiar voice.

"Andrew! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

Andrew could hear numerous voices in the background, accompanied by what sounded to be the ambiance of a crowded office-space.

-----

The woman flashed Hymir a smile as he strode back to relay the information. Putting her hands together, she nodded politely as he spoke, rolling her shoulders.

"I'm no threat to anyone, I assure you. That all sounds reasonable. Now, as for Loki..."

Ripping a page from her sketch-book, she produced a pencil, and quickly sketched an outline of the South-American continent. Tracing in the modern country lines, she circled the intersection of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Looking back at Hymir, she looked him up and down, before motioning him to come closer. Tearing off a strip of paper from the top, she wrote down a phone number, passing it into his hand.

With a wink, she spoke.

"Don't think I'm crushing on you - call me when you're at least on the continent and I'll let you know if he's moved about. Don't let anyone else get their hands on this phone number. And this conversation never happened."

Recoiling to an upright position, she smiled, before waving him away.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

------

The old man pulled a wood-bound book from his table. The bindings were of the traditional chinese style - the paper double folded to accommodate for the strong, dark ink. The wood was dyed faint blue. Thumbing to the title page, he showed Shiro the elegantly written Japanese script.

Spoiler: Book

Hidden by the Leaves.



A gift for the Lord of Storms,

From his retainer, Hachiman

​

Noticing Prometheus summoning the others, the man pressed the book into Shiro's hand, remarking -

"For free. You've given me quiet conversation - something that is more valuable than much of what is on display. I think your friend is looking for you though."

----
The Titan nodded in silent agreement with Rias. His plans for Loki were as yet undisclosed to the rest of the group - in particular Hymir - and he planned to keep it that way for as long as possible. He was glad Rias understood the necessity - she was aware of the constant danger perhaps more than anyone.

Taking her hand, he shook it firmly, maintaining eye contact. Although the Titan wanted to keep out of harms way as much as possible, his insatiable curiosity had the better of him - and he wanted to see her fight.

Switching his attention to Nicole, Prometheus brought his gaze level with the bottle, and gave it a few sharp taps on the side. A few bubbles could be seen to appear, before rising to the top and disappearing. Looking at Nicole, he shrugged.

"I have no idea. Not drinking it seems a given. But if it's free, it's free. I'm sure you'll find some use for it; if at least saying it's valuable and trading again!"

He gave her a grin, before cocking his head in the direction Andrew went.

"Andrew alright? I'm not sure how equipped we're going to be if he poisons another group of people."

Noticing Prail move away from the contract-peddler, he hailed her over.

"Prail! If you're finished market-hunting, I think we should get moving."

-----

The man frowned at Prail, crossing his arms. Clearly he thought he had made the sale.

"Absolutely not, I cannot replicate a contract like this! If you want your friends to look over it, that's fine with me, but if you're not ready to sign, then kindly take your business elsewhere!"

His veneer of charm and friendliness had quickly slipped away, and Prail could detect the deep reservoir of rage beneath his skin - his muscles twitched like that of a frenzied bear, and his eyes had tinged a light-red.

 

[hiei82]

"Pleasure doing business with you." the woman finished. Hymir took the papers, smiled, and replied. "Likewise. Safe travels."

Hymir quickly memorized the phone number then - not having a source of fire nearby - shrugged, crumpled up the paper, and threw it into his mouth; swallowed it. Making his way back to the group he smiled and spoke up. "We need to get a map of South America and some plane tickets." he said before holding up the sketch. "When we get closer, I've got a phone number for more detailed information."

 

[DarkRawen]

"Andrew! What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

Andrew wasn't sure what the noises were, he could make out some voices and steps and so on, but nothing accurate enough to let him know where it was, or if it was a bad time to be calling. However, he figured that Apollo would have sense enough to let him know.

I still shouldn't mention anything about where I am, or with who.

Just in case, of course.

"Hi, dad, I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but I need to know something."

That's a good start.

Andrew thought to himself. He had a lot of questions, more than he had expected when deciding to call. What was Apollo doing? Did Andrew being on the list bother Apollo at all? Because Andrew was very doubtful that the god didn't know. And, in that case, why hadn't the other called him to let him know about that development?

I'm not sure I want the answer to the last one.

Regardless, he spoke, ensuring that he wouldn't be bothered by people around him, and attempting to keep a more friendly tone than he wanted.

"Why am I on the list? The only reason I can come up with is because you are, and considering that you never warned me or let me know that I'm suddenly in a lot of danger, I do think you owe it to me to let me know what it is you're doing." He paused for a moment, letting some people walk past him and ensuring that he was once again completely calm -as well as attempting to sound less judgemental- before he continued.

"Please. I've just been called "spawn of the wretched", and I have a feeling this is not the last time whatever you are doing is going to make life difficult for me. Knowing would at least allow me to understand why."

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Shiro cautiously took the book, bowing politely. "Thank you very much, Sir. I will take good care of it."

Putting it away in his bag, Shiro bowed one more time before returning to the others. He couldn't help but overhear Prometheus's words, and wonder if his family had any enemies. Orochi, it seemed, was willing to let bygones be bygones, so...

Pushing aside those thoughts for now, he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"I'm ready to go, how about everyone else?"

 

[IFS]

"Andrew alright? I'm not sure how equipped we're going to be if he poisons another group of people."

"You know better than to think he'd do something like that," she said, rolling her eyes, she looked back down at the dark vial "I wonder if he'll be able to tell what this stuff is though."

"I'm ready to go, how about everyone else?"

"Yeah I'm ready to head out," she said, "I'll probably need to find a less conspicuous way to wear this armor, at least if I intend to have it on everywhere we go, but between it and the vial of mystery juice I made off pretty nicely, what about you Shiro?"

It was a big market and with all the strange things on display it made it hard not to wonder what the others had managed to acquire. Andrew had gotten a silver arrow certainly, though Prail seemed to have haggled her way out of being able to buy at least one item. She really should have just tried to take the deal as offered.

Still she could only wonder if what they had managed to purchase would be enough, the journey ahead was not likely to be pleasant so they had to be as prepared as they could.

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus whirled to look at Hymir - he had yet to get used to the rather abrupt manner of speaking, and his requests sounded more like orders than proposed plans. Looking at the map, Prometheus made a mental note that he thought his map was far superior. Nevertheless, while trying to catch a glimpse of the person Hymir obtained it from, the Titan agreed.

"I assume this is about Loki? Pursuing him fulfills several needs - movement, a goal, information. If we're taking a plane, you'll need to find a way to excuse your weapons. Actually, that goes for most of us..."

Looking over to Shiro as he approached, the Titan nodded.

"I believe so. I was just mentioning that we may need an explanation as to why we're carrying weapons. Any ideas?"

As Prail addressed him, he turned out his hands, indicating they were empty. Revealing the trace of the cut from earlier, he quickly withdrew it under his sleeve. Prail still scared him, just a little bit.

"Me? I like to rely on my good-looks and charm. I take it your transaction didn't go too well..."

Noticing everyone had gathered, save Andrew, Prometheus motioned for them to follow him.
Leading them back up the stairs, they emerged once again in Paddington station. Giving a short wave to Andrew, Prometheus cocked his head away from the rails as a train roared in to stop. Noticing a churro a stall, the Titan quickly paced over, fumbling in his pockets for change. Returning with several piping-hot cinnamon sticks, he offered them to the group, munching happily.

-----

Silence met Andrew on the line, save for the mildew of indistinguishable voices in the background. A sigh, and then Apollo's voice came through, hushed and stressed in an effort to stay quiet.

"Make no mistake, Andrew, if I was already dead you would still be on the list. I'm afraid it looks like we backed the wrong horse. I am sorry for not contacting you - I was hoping they would have larger fish to fry, giving me more time to organize something. But...things crop up."

The voices grew louder, and Andrew heard Apollo muffle the phone, as he shouted for silence. He returned to the conversation no longer accompanied by office-sounds.

"The wretched? That's a bit harsh. While I may not have acted decisively before the rapture, I assure you I'm doing the right thing. Unfortunately, when you take a side, you alienate anyone else not rallied to your cause. I assume you spoke to one of Qutbay's people - if it was Zeus's we wouldn't be having this conversation. He's just a business adversary - good chap, and I doubt he would bring harm to you."

Another pause, before a female voice jut in.

"Sir, you have several calls waiting, one of them from Dis - "

"Yes, yes, one moment. Sorry Andrew - I have to go. Oh! You'll be pleased to know that I've organized protection for your gal-pal. Not that she's in danger! Just a precaution. Don't say I never do anything. I have to g-"

The line cut early, and Andrew was left holding a silent phone.

"

 

[Lunar Templar]

After shaking the Titan's hand Rias simply waited in silence, barring the odd yawn, for them to get going. At least until the son of Heimdallr came up to then stating he had a rough idea and a map of where Loki was supposedly at. South America it seemed. Good to know she'd heard right but there was no point no in bringing it up, since the son of Heimdallr had a map and a number to supposedly call when they got there.

Not long after the group headed up the stairs and back to the station where the son of Apollo was talking on the phone with some one. Before she could ponder to deeply on it, the Titan handed her a Churro. While the gesture surprised her, she still accepted it, thanked him, and began to much away on it, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth a little, in that 'this pleases me' manner cats tended to do.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Make no mistake, Andrew, if I was already dead you would still be on the list. I'm afraid it looks like we backed the wrong horse. I am sorry for not contacting you - I was hoping they would have larger fish to fry, giving me more time to organize something. But...things crop up."

"I understand, it's okay," was Andrew's only reply to that.

He wasn't sure what else to say to something like this, but Apollo had apologized, and that was something. It wasn't much of an explanation, and he certainly had a suspicion that he wouldn't get to know any actual details. Still, there was one thing that stuck with him.

I'd be on the list if Apollo was dead? Why?

To him, that was an odd thought. Surely he was on the list because of Apollo, either as a way to get to the god, or because he was believed to be working with him. If not... there was another reason for Andrew being on the list? But... that made no sense.

No use worrying over that now, I suppose. No matter what, I'm on the list.

Regardless of what Prometheus wanted, it would likely stay that way. Andrew couldn't see himself trusting Zeus, and certainly not doing another quest for the god.

"The wretched? That's a bit harsh. While I may not have acted decisively before the rapture, I assure you I'm doing the right thing. Unfortunately, when you take a side, you alienate anyone else not rallied to your cause. I assume you spoke to one of Qutbay's people - if it was Zeus's we wouldn't be having this conversation. He's just a business adversary - good chap, and I doubt he would bring harm to you."

"Yeah, I---"

"Sir, you have several calls waiting, one of them from Dis - "

"Yes, yes, one moment. Sorry Andrew - I have to go. Oh! You'll be pleased to know that I've organized protection for your gal-pal. Not that she's in danger! Just a precaution. Don't say I never do anything. I have to g-"

More questions on his mind, though one was a lot more urgent than the others.

Gal-pal?

Andrew asked himself. He would have thought Nicole, but she was here, and he hadn't seen any protection around her. Did that mean that it was for Kirsten?

I don't know. I hope it is.

Andrew shook his head. That didn't matter either, as long as he kept in touch with her and made sure she was okay. He ignored the urge to send a message now, he would do it later, when he felt less... involved in something he didn't want to be involved in at all.

"I assure you I'm doing the right thing."

Andrew wanted to believe that. Perhaps he did. Besides, that might not matter, not if he was on the list for a different reason. Still, he went through the information he had received in his mind. He put the phone in his pocket, closing his eyes to visualize the information better in his mind.

He's pushing for a different cause than Zeus and this Qutbay, who was a business adversary. Apollo had planned to organize something, what something? Talking to me? Or something else?

It sounded like the god was rather busy, which he supposed was understandable.

I still don't know what his thing is, is he working against Zeus? Or is he simply doing something Zeus don't approve of?

Whatever it was, it sounded like it was something a lot bigger than what Andrew and the group was up to, simply protecting themselves.

Speaking of which, there they were, finally done with their "shopping". Noticing Prometheus motioning for him to come over, he did, grabbing one of the cinnamon sticks as he addressed the others.

"So, anything new? Do we know where we're going next?"

Andrew took a rather large bite of the cinnamon stick -it was clear that he'd need more than that to get rid of the hunger- and waited, choosing not to mention anything about what Apollo had said. After all, if they managed to get the Norse trickster, yet decided that Loki wasn't enough of a prize to make Zeus happy, would his father be next?

I don't know.

It kept coming to that. Andrew's facial expression was unreadable, he was still considering every little detail, fragments of emotions and expressions shut behind a temporary guard of distantness.

 

[IFS]

Nicole followed along as they left, and gladly indulged herself in a cinnamon stick when offered one. I suppose I still owe Andrew a burger, not that that fits with his diet but I doubt we should be worrying about stuff like that one this trip. Again she found herself wondering what they might face, people had died on their last trip, friends, and she wasn't about to let that happen again. We'd better be prepared for what's ahead now.

Glancing over at Andrew she noticed his blank expression, and began to approach him when he spoke.

"So, anything new? Do we know where we're going next?"

Good question. She turned towards Prometheus, waiting to hear what the answer was.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"South America" Rias said flatly as she finished her Churro and balled up the wrapper and licked the cinnamon and sugar off her fingers, though didn't bother turning to face the two Greek Demi gods. "As to where in South America." Rias shrugged then tossed the balled paper wrapper into the trash. "We'll find out once we're there I guess." Rias, have said her piece, just put her hands back in her pockets and waited for them to get going, hopefully on some for of transport that will allow her to sleep.

 

[hiei82]

"So, anything new? Do we know where we're going next?" Andrew said, drawing Hymir's attention. Rias gave the answer of South America, but failed to give a reason. For his part, Hymir hadn't answered due to the churro stuffed in his mouth. Quickly finishing the sugary pastry, Hymir answered the question in grater detail. "My... our prey, Loki, is there."

Returning his attention to Prometheus he looked at the titan inquisitively. "Why do I need to excuse my weapons?" he asked, having no idea that weapons weren't allowed on planes.

 

[DarkRawen]

"South America. As to where in South America. We'll find out once we're there I guess."

That's not particularly spesific.

Then again, South America seemed like an odd location to go to. He also was a bit inclined to suggest somewhere else, the fact that the fog-goddess was South American made it feel off. Risky, especially if he had insulted her enough to make her want to go after him as well as Jon.

But we're likely looking for Loki there.

Not long after, Hymir confirmed that assumption.

"My... our prey, Loki, is there."

Prey. That's right, he's aiming for the kill.

With that, Andrew made a decision.

There's too much that I don't know about. That needs to change.

Hymir had made it fairly clear what he intended to do with Loki, and Andrew doubted the other would change his mind easily.

Andrew didn't reply, he was caught up in thoughts, thinking about how to put it as he finished the cinnamon stick. It was unnecessarily dangerous to not address the fact that there seemed to be a blatant difference between what he wanted to do, and what Hymir would do. Not only that, but he didn't doubt that the others had their own ideas as well.

Prometheus seemed to have it worked out, when he suggested it.

Now, Andrew wasn't particularly revealing what was on his mind. Often, it was better for people not to know. However, he wanted to know what the others were thinking.

I'll have to try.

He would probably still hide some things himself, but the others... they didn't need to know this, it had no effect on what he would do. The issue with Loki, and, by extension, the issue with Zeus, was a different case altogether.

"Why do I need to excuse my weapons?"

What?

Andrew examined the other, who was addressing Prometheus. Was he serious? Then again, the Norse demigod seemed very out of touch with the world, so he didn't think it was completely

"Probably because we'll be flying," Andrew replied. "They're not going to let you guys take your weapons on board without any reason to. I think I'll be fine, though." He'd been fine on the way over at least. Then again, he was carrying a bow, not an ancient-looking sword.

Actually, that might work.

"I suppose, if someone was willing to pretend that they're a collector of old-fashioned weapons, they could make a case for the weapons, though they would have to be able to play the role well. Also..." Andrew looked to Prometheus.

"I'd like for us to discuss what our goal is before going on a trip to another continent. Do it here, or somewhere more privately, I honestly don't care. But if we're going ahead with a million different agendas, we might as well start killing each other here, because this isn't some quest with a clear goal. Several of the people here isn't even on the list." Eyes going from every person there, he continued.

"When we do discuss what we're aiming for, be it now or later, everyone needs to reveal their hands. Is that clear?" he asked. "I'll do the same, but only if I know what you're planning to do. Or, I suppose, we could just wander around aimlessly, get to where we need to get and bicker like morons over something we should have resolved a long time ago." He shrugged.

"It's up to you guys, really."

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus was about to answer a flurry of questions, before Rias and Andrew promptly supplied what was on his mind regardless. Listening with intent to Andrew's addendum, he nodded thoughtfully. However, he did have on qualm that he was quick to interject with.

"While it would be good to sit down and work something out, time is a luxury we don't really have at the moment. Especially with several of us hunted. I propose we work everything out on the trip there; if anyone has any major concerns, they can get a plane somewhere else. Or a train back in."

Looking up at the screen displaying train times, he flicked his gaze back to Hymir.

"Down here on Midgard, weapons are somewhat frowned upon. Just...say you're an anthropologist or something."

Realizing how truly terrible his suggestion was, he looked to Nicole and shrugged.

"Unless you can think of anything better."

Taking quick stock of the group, he resigned himself to waiting for the next train to Heathrow; advertised for three minutes ago, it was curiously late.

"There should be someone at the airport that can sell us some working passports. Hekate's artifices have been making her quite wealthy..."

----

As the train pulled up, the Titan motioned to the doors, raising his eyebrows.

"So? Any takers? Wouldn't mind seeing Loki again, considering the terms we left him on."