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

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus frowned as Nicole mentioned her training; he had underestimated the difficulty of returning to a somewhat normal routine. Though a small part of him was both satisfied and impressed that the youth had taken some initiative.

"Yes, I imagine something like this would prove quite a distraction. I'm glad you prepared though."

Shifting his gaze to Andrew, the Titan tried to conceal his immediate fear. While he was glad Andrew had found some small sliver of happiness in his time away, Prometheus was deeply troubled by the risk he had introduced. The titan had always considered Andrew as a somewhat cold and calculated individual; less susceptible to ransoms...

"That's wonderful news. Perhaps one day I'll have the honour of meeting her. In better circumstances that is."

Prometheus welcomed Shiro and Jon as they sauntered in, glad to see the two warriors were still intact.

"Shiro, just in time. Any news on your fathers pantheon, by any chance? Fujin, specifically?"

He eyed Jon with no small amount of suspicion, however; rumors of his mercenary work had circulated far and wide, though the Titan would rather know for sure than act rashly. Helping himself to a handful of bread, he spoke again to Hymir.

"Your assistance is appreciated. As far as I know, Odin is still in hiding; as are many other Gods. I personally only seek to ensure the safety of both my friends and myself. Other than that, I don't know what to do..."

Opening the conversation up to all, he smoothed out the piece of paper before continuing. Taking a deep breath, he tried to sound confident.

"Andrew, Nicole, Jonathan and Prail are all on the hunting list, courtesy of Zeus. I don't know why, though my first guess is that their - your parents have irked him. Or he simply wants to eliminate anyone who might stay in his path. I don't know. I also make an appearance, though I am certainly not their priority."

Breaking another piece of bread, he rubbed his temples.

"There aren't just two sides now; Gods still fight those loyal to Dionysus, while evading capture themselves. But Loki is at least a powerful figurehead, who we would be able to ransom, interrogate..."

Shifting his eyes to Hymir, he raised his hands in mock surrender. He knew that others had their own plans.

"And it would help our good friend Hymir here. Plus, constant movement is helpful for evasion..."

Munching again on Jon's bread, he raised his eyebrows in a brief moment of surprise. The brutal, violent Celt made some exceptional bread.

"I know that it seems like we should go after Zeus, but that's not an option right now. He's far more powerful than any God - more powerful than anything has been, in fact, for a good few thousand years. And if we were to oppose him, we would need support. A lot of it."

Switching the paper to face those present, he stared at Jon, though spoke to all.

"We share something in common with all those on this list. They are all also worth information, weapons, immunity - valuable tools for our own protection. What should we do?"

 

[DarkRawen]

"That's wonderful news. Perhaps one day I'll have the honour of meeting her. In better circumstances that is."

Andrew wasn't oblivious to the change in Prometheus' expression, even if the Titan was trying to conceal it. It was obvious that it wasn't all good news, not when Andrew himself was a target. He was well aware of the risk himself, though, he hadn't thought it would get this dire. Still, he worried for Kirsten, of course he did. However, he just nodded.

"Yes, hopefully everything will go well," Andrew replied. "I---" he trailed off as another of their former team-mates arrived, this one it was the violent and rude, if physically capable, guy, the one named Jonathan.

"Made some bread at work...thought you guys might want some"

Andrew didn't reply. As a matter of fact, he pretended not to acknowledge the presence of the demigod. It was certainly not all because he hadn't yet forgotten that one remark one year ago, but the man had struck him as highly unstable. Even if he seemed pleasant enough now, Andrew had realized his ability to make people like that snap at him as soon as he spoke his mind.

As for the bread, while he certainly wanted some, Andrew had no idea if he could eat it or not, due to Nicole's rather strict... ehm. Food list. Andrew was hungry, and if Nicole hadn't been there, he'd probably eat something, but he'd rather not get yelled off in case it was a no-no kind of item.

It's only for a little longer,

He thought to himself.

If I end up using my powers I won't care about what I'm allowed to eat, though.

He'd be damned if he let something like that hinder his abilities. Besides, he was tired of having to make sure the food was correct to eat it, he'd always been more fond of fruits than most other things, but being able to eat fast-food when he was busy was something he had missed. As he thought about this, he kept his attention at Prometheus, who continued.

"Andrew, Nicole, Jonathan and Prail are all on the hunting list, courtesy of Zeus. I don't know why, though my first guess is that their - your parents have irked him. Or he simply wants to eliminate anyone who might stay in his path. I don't know. I also make an appearance, though I am certainly not their priority."

I doubt I'm a priority either.

Andrew wasn't sure if he was on the list because of Apollo or not. He didn't know what his father had been doing -they'd kept in touch, but Apollo had no intention of letting Andrew know where he stood or what he was doing-, but he somehow doubted he was the right way to get to Apollo. Then again, Andrew on his own wasn't much of a threat, so he probably wasn't that important. While he knew his abilities were strong, his plague and archery were hardly enough to be considered dangerous, and his healing powers worked better with a group.

However, I'm an easy target.

That was one thing, though. Andrew could get targeted early on because he lacked combat abilities, a simple and not very risky target. And, with him being here, that meant Kirsten would be the one to get caught should anything happen. He really didn't like the thought of that, some gods seemed far too eager to get another kill for them to leave her alone.

I should tell her to take out money and travel around, only... I don't know how long I'll be gone.

Andrew wished he could bring her with him, but they would not be safer than her.

Hopefully, she'll not be threatened.

Andrew didn't know what he would do if something happened to her.

"There aren't just two sides now; Gods still fight those loyal to Dionysus, while evading capture themselves. But Loki is at least a powerful figurehead, who we would be able to ransom, interrogate... I know that it seems like we should go after Zeus, but that's not an option right now. He's far more powerful than any God - more powerful than anything has been, in fact, for a good few thousand years. And if we were to oppose him, we would need support. A lot of it."

Andrew sighed. He closed his eyes as he went through what they knew, deep in thoughts. He didn't like what he was hearing, it was too many aspects and sides when they didn't have enough info. Sure, it was a lot more than they had heard earlier, and, if Prometheus actually was on the list, what he said was at least considered.

Unless Prometheus is intending to sell us off.

He ignored the thought, being careful was good and all, but keeping up the assumption of that the Titan really was well-intended was probably for the best.

Still. This idea is... bad.

Andrew hadn't doubted for a moment that they had been the tools of Zeus back then. They had been told too little, and given a very large task. Back then, they had been expendable.

"Let's say we do try to get on the good side of Zeus by capturing Loki. Then what? We already took care of Dionysus for him, and all we got was being left behind in the North of Europe. Then some of us was put on a kill-list despite not having lifted a hand against him," Andrew muttered aloud.

There was more to it too, they were likely to be more valuable as targets than as anything else, even if Zeus felt that they had proven themselves.

"Besides, you said we are most likely on the list because of our parents, correct? That's the value we have as targets, as something between possible hostages and a way to take revenge on them, as opponents we probably do not count for much, and us proving that we support him doesn't change that. We might simply be targets taking out other targets, the "plague" killing itself."

There was more details to take into consideration, were all of their parents on the list? Andrew glanced over, while he couldn't see anyone else than Apollo on that side, it became obvious that Prail's god-parent was no longer alive, and that Jon's parent was missing -wasn't that the name of one of the Morrigans?-, which meant that, of the others' parents, Nike was the only one that they could possibly contact. If they did chose not to trust Zeus, could they really gather enough people to fight him?

"I'd say that battling Zeus is as likely to succeed as trusting him is, which means things aren't looking too well either way."


"We share something in common with all those on this list. They are all also worth information, weapons, immunity - valuable tools for our own protection. What should we do?"

"Decide which of them it would be most viable to aid us," Andrew replied. "If Nike is on the list, she could probably aid us, not only because she's Nicole's mother, but because I saved her life. I have kept in touch with my father, though, relying on him isn't exactly what I would recommend. As for the other demigods on the list, if we do approach them, keep in mind that they might want to get on Zeus' side as well, if we don't know their motivation, approaching them should be done with care."

He didn't wait for anyone's approval or rejection of what he was suggesting, just continued. "Apart from that... are deals and favors still valued? I do know that there's a couple of people who certainly owes us, and there should be people willing to give us aid as long as they get what they want."

Andrew then sat back, his arms folded, as he waited for other people's suggestions. Really, he was just speaking his mind, and he wouldn't be surprised if someone disagreed.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

"Shiro, just in time. Any news on your fathers pantheon, by any chance? Fujin, specifically?"

The teen shook his head. "No, sorry." He hadn't heard anything from his father in years, and, considering what was happening now, was a bit worried. To distract himself from these thoughts, he reached for some of the bread that Jon had brought. (Funny, he didn't seem like the baking type.)

Shiro gnawed absent-mindedly on his bread, listening to Prometheus talk. From what he could tell, things were getting bad. Really bad. He didn't realize how bad things were getting until now...

"We share something in common with all those on this list. They are all also worth information, weapons, immunity - valuable tools for our own protection. What should we do?"

"Decide which of them it would be most viable to aid us, If Nike is on the list, she could probably aid us, not only because she's Nicole's mother, but because I saved her life. I have kept in touch with my father, though, relying on him isn't exactly what I would recommend. As for the other demigods on the list, if we do approach them, keep in mind that they might want to get on Zeus' side as well, if we don't know their motivation, approaching them should be done with care."

He didn't wait for anyone's approval or rejection of what he was suggesting, just continued. "Apart from that... are deals and favors still valued? I do know that there's a couple of people who certainly owes us, and there should be people willing to give us aid as long as they get what they want." Andrew spoke up.

"I agree," Shiro said, a bit too quickly. "We need allies if we're going to find Loki." He sat back, waiting for anyone's response.

 

[Green Shoes]

Somewhere in London...

A pair of brown, almond eyes watched the slinky Egyptian girl from a distance. Munching aimlessly on a small pie, the man blended in with the other resident patrons; the small coffee stand was quite crowded for an afternoon, and there was nothing about his person that looked out of place. A plain brown jacket with slim-fit jeans; he could have been any young man, reading any crumpled bundle of papers.

Rias, daughter of Sekhmet...

His eyes flicked back towards her. As she paced further down the street, he got up, shifting in and out of the inner-city populace, his footfalls lost in background noise.

Tailing the youth as she strode briskly, the man bit his lip. She had failed to duck into one of the many curling, dark nooks or alleyways that dot the old city; instead keeping to main roads and transport. Still, he pressed on, the only betrayal of any ulterior motive was the occasional tugging at his coat pocket, which held something weighty, swinging as he strode.

 

[hiei82]

"There aren't just two sides now; Gods still fight those loyal to Dionysus, while evading capture themselves. But Loki is at least a powerful figurehead, who we would be able to ransom, interrogate..." Prometheus said, drawing Hymir's attention. There would be no ransom so far as he was concerned and interrogation... "Beware Shield-Brother. Loki isn't one to be "interrogated". If you give him the chance, he'll find a way to use his silver-tongue to talk you into anything. The only solution to a defeated Loki is a quick, merciless slitting of his throat." Hymir said, making his opinions on Loki and his continued existence quite apparent.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Rias trip to London was pretty OK up to this point. She'd seen some neat things, eaten some weird things, and generally had a decent time, well, much as she could while constantly watching her back.

So it came as no surprise to her when she started getting the feeling she was being watched as she headed out. She stuck to the main streets, to see if the feeling went away or not. It did not, and she found her self pondering how to handle it, if she should lure her stalker some where she could deal with them quietly or not, though for now she stuck to the main streets and pubic places where people where, till she came up with an idea she liked.

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus sat quietly as he considered the situation. Andrew raised a valid point - either side was wrought with danger, and any allies they could be sure of would be a valuable investment. Nike would certainly prove loyal to her daughter, if anyone. Apollo on the other hand. At least Andrew was aware of the mercurial temperament of his father.

"Andrew and Shiro raise good points. I think it's safest if we contact people we can be sure will help us, at least as we track Loki. I wouldn't count too much on favours - the old currency is currently out of, well, favour."

Cocking his head to Shiro, a thought struck him. His father was a powerful god, at least from what the Titan had learned. And judging by the near-unity of the Shintos...

"Are you on good terms with your father, Shiro? The islands around Japan remain quite secure, and if he's in control of one..."

Looking over those around him, his heart lurched. While Vera and Runa were accounted for, they were still missing Steven, Etna and Prail - a worrying thought, considering they all received his call. They would all know where the group was meeting, if they had been taken.

Considering Hymir, Prometheus met his unflinching gaze. While the warrior could probably be relied on as a loyal ally, it was clear that he held a clearly different objective regarding Loki. Where Prometheus saw a tool, he saw a target.

Then again, he's probably adverse to us anyway, considering our last altercation...

"Loki is dangerous, and the world is certainly safer rid of him for the moment. He's not to be underestimated though - we've already fought once and failed to kill him, with nearly 10 of us. And we were far better equipped, in a far simpler world."

Checking the time, he stood up, inviting the others to join him if they wished. Staying in one place for too long was a dangerous gamble, and he'd rather iron out a plan somewhere safer than a cafe.

Safety in numbers, as they say.

"This place will be closing soon, so I suggest we continue discussion somewhere safe - I've just been hotel jumping, but if anyone has a better idea I'm all ears."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Rias made her way through London, aware of her tracker, she bumped rather suddenly into a plain looking woman carrying a sports bag. Bright green eyes met dull amber, and as both of them regained steady footing, the tracker stopped dead further down the street, recognizing both of the half-gods. Pulling out a mobile, he quickly turned around and sidled into a spice store, out of sight.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Andrew and Shiro raise good points. I think it's safest if we contact people we can be sure will help us, at least as we track Loki. I wouldn't count too much on favours - the old currency is currently out of, well, favour."

"Understood," Andrew replied. "Deals are off the table, then. Not exactly reassuring, but good to know."

While it was a shame, it was also not much of a surprise, seeing what kind of shape the deals and alliances between gods appeared to be. He finished his cup of tea, stuffed a small piece of bread into his mouth when Nicole seemed not to be looking, and listened to the others. While he was a bit discouraged by the fact that several people on the list -Prail and Etna- had not yet shown up, Andrew hoped that meant that they were dealing with it on their own, somehow.

"Beware Shield-Brother. Loki isn't one to be "interrogated". If you give him the chance, he'll find a way to use his silver-tongue to talk you into anything. The only solution to a defeated Loki is a quick, merciless slitting of his throat."

Because that is of use to anyone else.

They simply didn't have the time to waste on "just" killing Loki. The god was simply too useful to not use, if they first followed him. Not that killing Loki seemed like it would be an easy task, considering how it had been a year ago. Andrew would have spoken up, had not Prometheus done so.

"Loki is dangerous, and the world is certainly safer rid of him for the moment. He's not to be underestimated though - we've already fought once and failed to kill him, with nearly 10 of us. And we were far better equipped, in a far simpler world."

I suppose there's no need to make a discussion out of it now, then.

Andrew was fairly sure that he'd be the one to bring it up later, but for now he decided to let it lie.

"This place will be closing soon, so I suggest we continue discussion somewhere safe - I've just been hotel jumping, but if anyone has a better idea I'm all ears."

"A hotel sounds fine," Andrew said, and stood up as well. "Though, I'd rather not share room with anyone." He hadn't gotten used to it a year ago, so he doubted he would now. And that meant that he'd be unable to sleep for most of the trip, something that he would avoid if he could. He didn't doubt Prometheus would rather avoid an exhausted Andrew as well, for as long as he could.

"I have a hard time sleeping when I do that." He paused, glanced over at Nicole, and continued. "I suppose I could share room with Nicole, if I have to share with anyone. I trust her."

Andrew had the feeling that it wouldn't be that easy, but as long as he could relax when his eyes were closed, be sure that no one would--- well. He wasn't really sure why he didn't like it. It felt like he was revealing a weaker side, or something like that, and apart from Prometheus and Nicole, there was no one here he really knew. They'd only picked up the two others towards the end of the trip, after all, and he wasn't sure he really trusted the titan either, not as much as he trusted Nicole.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

"Are you on good terms with your father, Shiro? The islands around Japan remain quite secure, and if he's in control of one..."

Shiro took a moment to think. "I believe so, but I haven't heard from him in a long time, though if I could contact them I would." He sat back, thinking.

While Shiro hadn't actually met any of his... father's family (in person, anyway), he wondered if they would be so inclined to help out...

 

[Rogue Trooper]

From listening in as the others talked, Jonathan could tell that the group were in a difficult position by the fact that compared to the enemy they were small in number and as yet had no real allies. The subject of acquiring Loki as an ally seemed to be the topic of conversation, but Jonathan had never met the god so he couldn?t really comment. However, once or twice he had noticed Prometheus stare at him. Did the titan know of what he done for Zeus? Most likely, Prometheus always struck Jonathan as the type who had his ear to the ground on most matters.

Jonathan knew that he would have to tell the group about what he done eventually, but Jonathan put off the matter wanting to wait to a better time to tell the group properly. Besides they were just about to leave.

"This place will be closing soon, so I suggest we continue discussion somewhere safe - I've just been hotel jumping, but if anyone has a better idea I'm all ears."

?Yeah I got an idea? Jonathan spoke standing up

?I hate to live up to my people?s stereotype, put I saw an Irish pub only a few blocks down the street. It?s out of the way and looks quiet. Besides..." he grunted glancing to the café?s clock ?It?s only early in the afternoon and I could go for a pint?

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus made a face at Andrew as he held the door open for the others to follow. His request seemed somewhat trivial, given the serious context of their current situation. And if it was a matter of trust, well. The Titan wasn't sure if there was anyone left in the world that Andrew might trust more. Still, there was no point making a scene.

"I'm sure we'll be able to work something out. Might just have to hang a sheet up though - not a lot of places left in London that I haven't stayed at."

Looking at Shiro, he smiled. The information needed to contact just about anyone, save perhaps Odin, was readily available, if one knew where to look. Though he wasn't too keen on the required payment, the benefits of having a storm God on their side were not to be ignored.
"If need be we can duck into town tomorrow and find out how to contact him. Not a lot of Gods left that can hide from Hermes."

Prometheus harbored a hope that the youth would pursue his father of his own accord, though if he wished not to, the Titan wouldn't force him.

Grinning at Jons suggestion, he closed the door as the last person left and motioned for him to lead the way. Prometheus hadn't touched a drop of alcohol for nearly a year; recent events had required an undue amount of concentration, that would be difficult to develop with several bottles of scotch lying around. However, he was all too happy to break routine.

"The pub actually sounds like a good idea. Lead on."

Walking on the wet cobbled streets, they came to Finn's Storehouse; a small, out-of-the-way pub housed in a red-brick façade. Pushing past the heavy faux-oak door, the pub was adorned with a mixture of light-woods and stained glass. A few elderly chaps were already seated at the bar or scattered amongst the dimly lit tables. The only sign of energy came from a long table, which seated 8 or so young men with thick, Northern Irish accents. The small collection of balloons advertised a 21st birthday, as did their boisterous congratulations to the red-haired birthday boy.

Ordering a scotch from the rather imposing barman, Prometheus took a seat at a rounded corner table. Pulling out the paper from earlier, he flipped it, and drew a pencil from behind his ear. Drawing a remarkably accurate world map, he began marking and annotating it, humming as he went. When finished, he weighted the corner down with his now half-empty glass, speaking quietly. His eyes kept darting to the stained green-and-red windows that looked out onto the streets, wary of lingering shadows.

Spoiler: Map

"These are all the places of note I can think of at the moment. They're also the places I recommend staying away from, unless we?re picking a fight, or need to find a particular person. I?m sure there are plenty of people we can contact to help fill in the blanks. Any questions?"

 

[DarkRawen]

"I'm sure we'll be able to work something out. Might just have to hang a sheet up though - not a lot of places left in London that I haven't stayed at."

Andrew walked out the door, opening his umbrella. "That really won't do much," he remarked, kinda annoyed that he'd been brushed off like that.

Hang up a sheet.

As if that would help.

If it had been that simple, it wouldn't have been an issue, and I certainly wouldn't have said it aloud.

"I hate to live up to my people's stereotype, put I saw an Irish pub only a few blocks down the street. It's out of the way and looks quiet. Besides "he grunted glancing to the café's clock "It's only early in the afternoon and I could go for a pint"

I could not.

Andrew would have spoken, argued that he'd been on a too long flight to want to go anywhere he couldn't get a moment to himself. First an airplane full of people, then a cafe full of people, and now a bar full of people, it was simply ridiculous. However, there were too many people even out here, and he opted for the non-arguing side, hopefully it wouldn't get approved of either way.

"The pub actually sounds like a good idea. Lead on."

Nevermind.

Knowing that the titan would drag them along regardless of what they said, Andrew followed, though, he made sure they knew it wasn't willingly. On the somewhat short trip to the bar, Andrew took the chance to message Kirsten. It was a simple message, telling her the flight had gone well, that he loved her, and asking her to be careful. He sent a similar message to his mother, then put the phone away.

Inside the pub, he asked for a glass of water, which was given to him with clear dismay. Andrew ignored the annoyed look on the bartender's face, and the way it had been delivered; with a loud noise as the bartender pretty much slammed it towards the counter. It wasn't as much Andrew not wanting to drink - a glass of cider would have been nice- as it was him wanting to make a point. While he did sit down at the same table as the rest, he pulled up a book from his backpack, and outright ignored whatever the rest had to say.

Instead of paying attention to Prometheus' and the whole map thing -probably important information, but he was making sure they knew that he wasn't approving one bit without actually speaking-, Andrew was reading a book in Russian about how the language had developed through the years. He was making sure he was as unapproachable as he could be, while he had opted out of being loud about it, he certainly wasn't above making it painfully clear that he didn't want to be there in other ways.

 

[IFS]

"I suppose I could share room with Nicole, if I have to share with anyone. I trust her."

"Sure, though we'd have to be sure to get separate beds, you are engaged after all so it wouldn't be proper otherwise," Nicole teased, clearly joking. She didn't comment on his statement of trust, but she had to admit she was proud to hear it, she knew he didn't trust easily and him admitting such a thing out loud meant a great deal.

After that Nicole sat and listened to the others talk, taking it all in. They were fugitives now it seemed, in need of help though she wasn't certain how to get that. Nike had never given her a particular way to contact her so that was probably a wash and while she agreed finding Loki could be useful she wasn't certain how they would do that or what they would do if they found him. I doubt he remembers us fondly after Aria threw him out of the plane, killing him is probably our best and safest option.

Jon suggested they relocate to a pub and Prometheus agreed, though Nicole wasn't so certain it was a good idea. Jon was acting bizarrely different than before, much calmer and apparently had taken up baking. But she followed the others nonetheless and soon they were in a new building looking over a map Prometheus had provided.

"These are all the places of note I can think of at the moment. They're also the places I recommend staying away from, unless we're picking a fight, or need to find a particular person. I'm sure there are plenty of people we can contact to help fill in the blanks. Any questions?"

"What about Verathragna's mansion?" she asked "could we go there? He helped us before maybe he could again."

Pausing briefly she glanced around at the others, wondering what they might suggest. Apollo certainly had resources before if only we could get in touch with him. The Morrigan also helped last time and I'm sure a few of the gods at the battle still like us... She considered her own suggestion though and found herself frowning.

"Then again Vera's not on the list, and getting him involved might endanger her," she said, Andrew already mentioned staying that Apollo probably isn't reliable for this, Shiro already said he doesn't know much about his dad... what about Jon?

"Jon, do you think you know anyone who can help us?" she asked, maybe he got back in touch with the rest of the Morrigan, "You haven't really said what you've been up to since the battle."

 

[Lunar Templar]

"It's ok, lots of people out, was bound to happen sooner or later" Rias replied to the woman as her ears twitched a bit, trying to get a bead on who ever was fallowing her, even turning her head slightly to get a better listen, before resuming her walk, and not getting very far before she noticed she was being fallowed again, though, it was different then the other, and it was getting on her nerves, not one but two tails on her 'Looks like another bloody day' she though as she started scanning for a place to 'deal' with her stalkers.

 

[Rogue Trooper]

Jonathan was a little surprised when Prometheus agreed to his idea of going to the pub. The seriousness in the titan?s tone several minutes ago seemed to Jonathan that there wouldn't be much of a chance for a little fun in the days and weeks that lay ahead. It was nice to see however that the old man knew when to kick back. He would have most likely gone on his own regardless, instead of going to a hotel like Andrew suggested. But still, it was good the whole group would be going. The company wouldn't hurt and it meant that if he got blitzed; Jonathan wouldn't have to stumble around London trying to find them and some-place to sleep. It had happened to the Celt the last time he had visited London. But that was a tale best left forgotten.

Stepping into the pub, Jonathan ordered a pint of Guinness and took a seat around the table that the rest of the group began to congregate around.

"Jon, do you think you know anyone who can help us? You haven't really said what you've been up to since the battle."

Jonathan took a long gulp of his Guinness in response to Nicole?s question. First question I get asked as soon as I sit down?just my luck he thought placing the class on the table and locking eyes with Nicole Still, no time like the present, better now than later

?No I don?t know anyone that could help us? he spoke still locking eyes on Nicole ?perks of being a drifter I guess?.

Jonathan then lay back in his chair and began to scratch his bearded face while his eyes drifted from one person in the group to the next ?But anyway guys there?s something I need to tell you lot?it?s about what I got up to after the battle?.

He then looked over to Prometheus ?There may have been?rumours about me working for Zeus as one of his enforcers...well there true. Sometime after the battle I started having these visions. I don?t know what exactly brought them on, but I couldn't sleep or do anything without them in my head?.

The Celt took a sip of his Guinness and continued on ?I soon started to become a fucked up mess from the lack of sleep and I was desperate for anything to help me, I even knocked myself out at one point it got that bad. But then Zeus offered me help in exchange for doing work for him?and I accepted.?

Jonathan then gulped down the rest of his pint and after slamming it down on the table he just stared blankly towards one of the Pub's walls. ?I tell yeah, I?ve done some fucked up things in my time. But what I was ordered to do made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to stop but what treatment they were giving to me worked and I didn't want to go back to what I was like. I just kept doing it and then eventually after I tortured this demi god or whatever the hell he was, in front of his family, I just said fuck it and walked off. I went back home to find my Ma but couldn't find any trace of her. A group of fairies took me in shortly afterwards and helped me. I then became a baker in an attempt to hide from what I had done??

Finished telling his tale Jonathan waited for the group to respond.

 

[Green Shoes]

Prometheus flicked his eyes from Nicole to the map. He knew Verathragna's home was somewhere in Turkey, though the exact location eluded him. The impressive warrior had been absent from all proscription lists that the Titan had seen; what that implied was anyone's guess.

"I'm sure Verathragna would be happy to help - however, I have no idea where his home may be, or indeed if he would still be there. Chances are he's either moving around, in hiding, or working for Zeus; all of which are unhelpful."

Breathing in, he followed bad news with worse, though wanted to portray it in the best possible way.

"I know your mother is holed up in the mountains with other stray deities. Under siege from Zeus. She's safe though - for a while. Very hard to break into."

As he finished his sentence, it dawned on him that Nike would probably be surrounded by those loyal to Zeus - who would probably not be too happy to harbor or help fugitives. Nicole would perhaps be eager to aid her mother; an action that would jeopardize the group. Folding his lips, he looked away from Nicole sheepishly. It sounded better in his head.

Listening to Jon, Prometheus could hardly feign surprise. While he had never confirmed it, he figured that Zeus would make use of such unbridled rage. Hell, the sickness was probably engineered from one of Zeus'-

"Hera."

The name tripped off his tongue so fast he could barely believe it. Ordering another drink, he straightened his shirt and elaborated.

"I assume your visions would have been at least worsened by Hera. She's known for that. Regarding your actions, you will at least recognize a few other mercenaries, as well as have a chance to redeem yourself..."

His voice trailed off. There wasn't much else to say. No consolation or words could help cheer the man up, nor would they express the complex blend of sympathy and suspicion the Titan held. Finishing his drink, he called Andrew's attention back to the discussion with a nudge.

"Whatever we do, we can't stay here for too long. I imagine we're already being tracked, and they can't be too far off..."

He was interrupted by a loud hoot, followed by a round of wolf-whistles. The drunk youths on the long table were staring at Nicole and brazenly teasing her; their cat-calls were impossible to understand, shrouded in a thick, slurred Irish accent.

"Why don't you come over here sweetheart!?"

"Birthday boy could use some company!"

"Her friends look like a right bunch of twats!"

Ignoring them, Prometheus shook his head and addressed Hymir.

"If you want information on Loki, we'll have to go underground tomorrow and talk to one of Hermes guys. They'll give us an update for a price. As well as any other odds and ends we might want..."

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As Rias turned a corner, she was shoved forcefully through a door with a strip of red paint, that sat awkwardly amongst the brick-work. Tumbling down stairs in darkness, her reflexes caught her and she landed squarely on the ground. As soon as she did so, the fluorescent bulb above flicked on; she was in a plain concrete cellar, whose only other occupant was a man, standing stock still against the wall. As the light came on, his eyes flicked wide open. Bald, deeply tanned and wearing nothing but dark brown pants, he cracked his shoulders before advancing mechanically. He was huge; at least 8 feet, and bulging with muscle.

"If you don't fight, I'll make it quick and painless. Please don't fight."

He threw his body forward in an attempt to crush the dark-haired girl...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prail saw as the strange girl she bumped into was shoved through a door, largely ignored by the crowd around her. The other unassuming man who had followed her previously now hung around outside the door, pre-occupied with his phone, though constantly glancing furtively, looking for the huntress.

 

[DarkRawen]

I soon started to become a fucked up mess from the lack of sleep and I was desperate for anything to help me, I even knocked myself out at one point it got that bad. But then Zeus offered me help in exchange for doing work for him...and I accepted."

Andrew could still hear most of what the others said, but reacted to the story told by Jon in the same manner he ignored everyone else. There was nothing to react to, they had all killed people on behalf on Zeus, when and why mattered little. Besides, guilt was a powerful motivation, or so he'd been told.

I suppose I wouldn't know that myself.

Andrew just kept ignoring them, though, he wasn't allowed to do that either, apparently. Prometheus nudged him, but all that resulted in was Andrew sending him an annoyed look, going: "Hmph.", and then going back to his book. Not for long, however.

"Whatever we do, we can't stay here for too long. I imagine we're already being tracked, and they can't be too far off..."

"Why don't you come over here sweetheart!?"

"Birthday boy could use some company!"

"Her friends look like a right bunch of twats!"

Honestly, Andrew didn't care about being called a twat. He wasn't opposed to Prometheus' suggestion of just ignoring them, not on his own behalf. However, Nicole was his friend, and some drunk morons calling for her was not acceptable. He imagined that Nicole could handle them herself, or that reacting to them would just bring attention to his own group.

I don't give a fuck about that.

He was already tired, he missed Kirsten and was worried sick about her, and had been dragged to this bar of all places. And now someone was bothering Nicole. Andrew didn't have a lot of people to be protective of, but when he first had a reason to, he tended to react rather strongly.

That's why he still stood up, put the book calmly down, and went over to them, smiling. One could easily see that it wasn't a real smile, though.

"Listen, you bunch of drunk imbeciles!" he said, not raising his voice completely, but to make sure they all heard it. He was still rather calm, anger wasn't a hot emotion in Andrew, it was ice cold. "If you don't stop bothering her, I will ensure that you'll feel a lot worse than that in the morning. So knock it off, scum, or I'll make you regret it."

Andrew examined them, he wasn't looking for a fight, honestly. However, if they did, he had learned that there was a difference between a human and a demigod when going to the gym and seeing the difference for himself, even if he was the least trained of the group. And he only needed to overpower them till he could poison the stupid out of them.

"So? You drunk bastards going to learn how to respectfully leave someone alone?"

By his lack of angry tone, as well as how calm he seemed, people who didn't know Andrew or hear his words would be likely to assume that he was just carefully telling them off.

 

[IFS]

Nicole frowned as Jon told his story, it certainly explained his change in demeanor but it also made him harder to trust. Although he is admitting to working for Zeus rather than trying to hide it... still should keep an eye on him. Prometheus soon spoke up in Jon's defense, even stating that some of their allies had been in the same boat as him. Beggars can't be choosers for help I suppose, still going to be cautious though. Prometheus also spoke up about her mother though, though it wasn't exactly good news.

"I know your mother is holed up in the mountains with other stray deities. Under siege from Zeus. She's safe though - for a while. Very hard to break into."

"We need to break that siege then," she said "Or draw off Zeus' forces to give them more time, or something..." she took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to hide how deeply the news about her mother upset her. It would probably be foolish to attack Zeus there, but there has to be something...

"Why don't you come over here sweetheart!?"

"Birthday boy could use some company!"

"Her friends look like a right bunch of twats!"

Any further train of thought was interrupted by a gather of drunks making cat-calls at her. For a moment she wasn't certain how to respond other than glare, their remarks were barely comprehensible and she knew that they would most likely just have a laugh at any response she could put together. Andrew however responded quite quickly, and in a threatening manner.

"So? You drunk bastards going to learn how to respectfully leave someone alone?"

"That's enough, I think they get the message," she called over to Andrew, turning to face him but not getting up "Besides we wouldn't want them to hurt themselves trying to get up."

The drunks would still probably have a laugh about that but she still appreciated Andrew's response, though she knew if they did pick a fight they would be in for quite a surprise. Though hopefully he wouldn't do anything bad enough that they wouldn't discount it as drinking too much. She turned her attention back to Prometheus, doing her best to ignore them.

"If you want information on Loki, we'll have to go underground tomorrow and talk to one of Hermes guys. They'll give us an update for a price. As well as any other odds and ends we might want..."

"What sort of price?" she asked, while also wondering what sorts of 'odds and ends' they might provide. She had managed to bring her sword with her, but the others might still need weapons, though perhaps even more important than all that was information.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Shiro listened to Jon's story, realizing the guy had been through a lot since the last time he'd seen him.

Then his thoughts were thrown off-track my the cat-calls of the indignant assholes at the other table, and, narrowing his eyes, instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it out slightly.

The punks were saved from a whupping when some of the others took it upon themselves to handle the problem. Shiro let go of his sword, ut not before making it clear to the... what was the term? Twats?... got a god look at it/

 

[Lunar Templar]

Rias rolled left, got a hand under her, sprang up and away from her attacker, and as she was about to touch feet to the floor again, she pulled two throwing knives out and threw them, one aimed at his knee the other at his neck. Rias took a couple steps to the side, stuck her hands in her long coats pockets, the fabric concealing a faint clicking sound before she rolled her shoulders back in such away as her coat just fell off her and as her coat cleared her hands, she took up a proper ready stance, her claws, which she was concealing in the specially tailored pockets of her coat, now on her hands. She didn't say anything, she didn't feel she needed to at this point, she also knew attacking head on was a bad idea with his size, she'd need to make him play to her strengths not his.