So we decided to try for Hypnos' cave. After all we wanted out of here and we wanted our memories too. I have to tell you I am getting thoroughly sick and tired of not being heard. I don't know if it's some people's lack of intelligence or lack of common sense or just an unwillingness to try to see things from a perspective other than their own but I am getting tired of it. I refused to move on till we figured out more about Kathy so I pulled out my leather bound book and asked Fate some questions.
First: Who is Kathy really? *A shabti created by Ben* Second: Why did he create her? *to be an avatar for greater titan* Third: Is she the evil we imprisoned? *yes* Fourth: Did Ben create her for the greater good? *yes* Fifth: Does she still have the potential to channel and be controlled by the titan? *EMPHATICALLY YES!* (by this I mean my book started to smoke and had I not been immune to fire, I would have been burned.)
And yet even with all that Wuyi still has a flippant attitude toward the whole thing and Rhia was advocating bringing her along...suggesting she could be an ally. But the thing is once that titan claims her it won't matter how much she likes us...he/she will control her. THEN Wuyi compares the evil titan to Prometheus. Prometheus is a titan by birth and was condemned by Zeus because he helped man...if not for him humans would not be where they are. If anything he was a victim of Zeus throwing a hissy fit just like the Greeks are prone to do...nothing more. I'm not saying he is a good guy, I don't know him and have not asked Fate about him, but I certainly wouldn't start off by calling him evil.
Ben was silent through all this, internalizing it all I'm sure, so I got his attention to get him to step in. He's our leader and he needed to do something. Mean while Wuyi was trading her pants for her jacket to Kathy, basically ignoring my warnings as usual and writing me off like I was some less than interesting toy. And what Ben said next made my heart sink. He said we should keep her, because she is his responsibility. What in the hells was going on? Had they all lost their minds? He apologized and I told him to fuck off...I didn't want his apology. He said it wasn't personal and he's right it wasn't, it was about doing the gods damned sensible thing. We should drop her in one of these rivers and never look back. He worried she would get free but gods there are fire rivers and geysers everywhere! We could easily find out if she was immune to fire like me and if not drop her in and she'd burn to crisp...problem solved. Rhia told me to grow a heart and it was the first time I wanted to punch my best friend. GROW A HEART?! SHE IS THE EVIL WE LOCKED UP!!! She should be killed before she remembers anything! Then she argued we should lock Ben in cause he might go evil "again", I hate when people argue the preposterous against reality. It's dumb and a sign of a bad arguer. I told her Fate already clarified he was working for the greater good and pointed out we locked her in her and by extension some of the titan's power, and they were suggesting we bring it into the world with us. To which I got another lame argument "Oh you're right. We should trust the creepy book. My bad." SERIOUSLY?! Gods above and below Rhia it's FATE. I ask her questions she answers them truthfully. Just because you don't like the method I channel her does not make her answers less true. I finally had had it with them all and gave in, obviously out voted and walked off to cool down so I didn't attack my friends. Ben came over and tried to plead his case but I was done talking about it. He asked about the coins and I told him there were seven left.
After more discussion on the Ferryman we headed out with Ben in the lead and I took the rear, too distracted by my anger to pay as close attention as was needed to lead. Kelly apparently took some of Rupper's drugs cause I found my time occupied by babysitting her as we went along. When we reached the river Ben rang the bell. As soon as the Ferryman came I took my coin, tossed the bag at Ben, and lept on the boat handing the Ferryman the coin. The others followed and Prometheus stepped up and snapped the Ferryman's neck and tossed him in the river explaining he wanted none of the wrath for that to fall on us, thus he waited for us to pay. I like him, a coolly logical person so far...no wonder Zeus hated him.
Rhia took the oar and shoved us off and the river turned from easy and calm to rapids. Rhia expertly got us through them and we soon found ourselves rushing towards a cave with stalactites and stalagmites making it look like a maw of stone teeth. Ben fired at some and I hurled my spear at other giving us a hole to go through and Kelly's spider spun a web to help absorb some of the impact as well as released her sand to aid us. We made it through and were plunged into darkness...yay. I couldn't see but Rhia helped me aim my throws at more rock in the way as went through the tunnel and we suddenly plunged off another waterfall and dropped straight down into the river.
We awoke on a beach before a golden castle with no sign of Prometheus and his brother. I tried to track them with my magic and was greeted with a resounding NO. At first I thought it may be Pluto's castle as Prometheus mentioned it before, and then we noticed Kathy speaking perfect English...great she was starting to remember. The others started chattering about utter nonsense and I tuned them out as we headed to the castle which had the sounds of a party coming from it. When we entered there was a large table with people feasting, rooms with different types of music, and people gathered about a 10yr old playing video games. He one a game against his brother who turned out to be a mummified corpse...and then I knew we were starring at Lord Hypnos and his brother Thanatos. It was one of those times again where common sense should have kicked in. The others were quipping and commenting like they weren't standing before a god...one that could blink us out of existence should he so desire. I asked to see his piles ignoring the others and he showed me to them. I cast my tracking spell and was surprised to have it lead me to a lute player back in the main room...one of the strings on the lute was MY memory. A stab of pain laced into my heart and I was even more sure it was mine. He said I could not have it, as he takes the est memories and strings his instruments with them, so I focused on trying to find others only to discover NONE were here. I tried Ben's with the same result...I was certain that lute's strings were all a memory from each of us. Rupper asked about a trade and Hypnos said he would trade him for his relic guitar. Wuyi threatened Hypnos and another white hot lash of pain tore into me causing me to gasp and nearly double over as Rupper started to play, seeming to entrance Hypnos! I snatched the lute and he didn't resist...instead he raced to the Lethe and began drinking gulp after gulp of the water! As he drank and drank though the world around us began to crumble and shake and twist! Kathy suddenly broke open to reveal something horrible as it seemed to be releasing something evil into the world again....and then we woke up. On the shore. Prometheus and Joshua with us as well as a mummified corpse and a 10 year old boy face down in the river, and in my hand the golden lute and six silver strings...
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