I should have learned by now that Fate will never let a scion stay happy for long. Never. It was still a day till we reached NYC so I decided to be productive and went to try one last time to settle things with Rhia. This time it went so much better than the first time. First off there was no one else there with us and while I love Ben dearly and have grown to care for Wuyi too...they would have made it worse. I explained to her, better this time, that I didn't want an apology for her sleeping with my father. I honestly understand she had to. What killed me was her treating my feelings like they were nothing..like I was nothing to her. As is her way, Rhia apologized without doing so but I know it was there and I felt us immediately fall back into place.
Soon enough though we were pulling into NYC and after much round about and a chat with our dark skinned benefactor, who sadly was NOT eaten by sharks, it was decided we would let the horses be unloaded so as to not get the ship in trouble, and he would whisk us and the horses away. But as Rhia went to inform the horses a funny thing happened...Ben and I noticed Wuyi was being..pouty and elbowed a filly Rhia had been stroking out of the way. Wuyi was jealous of the attention Rhia was giving the herd! It was both ludacris and funny all at once and I knew the feeling well. I really need to discuss boundaries with Kelly at some point...
So we met in the cargo hold and the ramp lowered to reveal a warehouse with two Keepers and a short fat man...and a Magic holding circle made of coral. We convinced we were the ones to unload the horses and Rhia told the herd not to enter it. Then a thin filly started for the fat man hunger plain in her eye. Rhia decided to let her apparently and honestly I agreed with her. This man worked with Keepers. He deserved what he got. He turned to run but another horse and circled behind him and the filly quickly took a chunk out of him. Wuyi on the other hand did not agree with this and yanked the man to safety and bound his wound in an uncharacteristically defiant act. Meanwhile the Keepers watched as Eli ran into the ship to tell the captain they needed to leave then to each other and started to leave. Ben quickly followed and Kelly, of course, was right on his heels...I swear if she ever touches him I will take her heart without even thinking about it...sorry for that, the girl grinds on my nerves. Then several things happened. Rhia ordered the little man to go away, our dark skinned friend engulfed the area in a thick darkness....gods I hate not being able to see but at least I knew where everything was...and the Keepers were sniffing at Ben and Kelly! I shouted for him to get back to us as we were leaving and right after I heard the Keeper say they smelled like Enbarr...they smelled like gods. Blessedly Kelly and Ben made it to use and we were whisked away into...
...a sewer. A nasty, stinky sewer. The man led us to a dry chamber with a wooden door guarded by a 13yr old boy. I used some of my divine power to make myself clean and Rhia used some water she carries about to clean herself and the horses. When we were ready the boy opened the door and it was absolute darkness...fuck I hate this, but with Ben holding firmly onto my hand we stepped into it and waited as the door closed. Belgaretes informed us he had some memories still to sell but the rest was sold to others. Some of it he could tell us who had them...others had paid for his silence. After much round and round we decided that unnamed favors were worth the memories and names. Wu's were in the hands of her father...all of them. Rhia's were in the hands of Morrigan, Dionysus, and my father...and that made me incredibly nervous and weary and sent a kick to my gut but I ignored it. I love Rhia, she's my bro, and I'll do what I have to, to help her get her memories back...all of them. Kelly's were bought by someone she trusted and enshrined in a shrine dedicated to her memory. He made the strands he had appear and I couldn't help myself I reached for mine...
...dear gods I was to have a son. A little Ben. And he was sacrificed to Coatlicue...my own little one was taken from my womb and given to that hideous bitch. We took our revenge on her but that didn't matter as the unbearable pain of losing a child flooded into me. As the tears came I heard Belgaretes say mine and Ben's memories had been split. A woman came demanding them all but she could not afford them and left with barely half...her name was Alicia Chase. The second half were in the city, bought recently by Keepers and held in a fortified warehouse...Balor himself paid their price. Rupper's were in the hands of the Sayters and his father as well as many ghosts. I vaguly heard the others begin to discuss where we were going to start first when we noticed he had one more thread. Rhia reached for it and it became red and oily as her body absorbed it.
We left the room and I heard Ben apologize to me for something but I was having a hard enough time keeping myself from breaking down right there. When we got out Rupper asked about Balor and Wuyi had the oddest look play across her face. After some prodding she laid another bomb on us...I am pregnant. My mind realed. In the memory we had decided no children til the war ended and now...then I heard Rhia say Alicia was Ben's daughter and I felt like a truck had run me over...HIS DAUGHTER?! My husband was a father before me? What had happened? Had he run out on his child? Would he run out on me? Did she like me? All this ran through my mind as fast as I myself run and then I heard Pepper squawk that she hated me... Alicia had been there when I sacrificed Ben, and I felt the pain of that action come crashing back down on me. Then I heard the last thing I needed to hear...Kelly started giggling.
I exploded leaping off the floor and lunging at her, obsidian dagger in hand and screamed at her asking what in the hells she found so funny. I tried to slash at her as she explained she was in her own little world AGAIN but was held back by Ben and Wuyi grabbed my wrist. Ben went into bird song trying to apologize to me and reassure me of his love but I was lost in my pain and fury at that moment and barely registered it as I screamed at Kelly before collapsing onto the floor in sobs and I pounded on the floor. There was some chatter and Kelly reached her arm around me and I threw her off of me.. literally threw her. She had no idea what I was feeling...hells I barely knew what I was feeling and she thought somehow SHE out of everyone around me was the one who could help?! Fuck her. I don't even count her as a friend all I wanted was to cry and scream it out..just get it out, because keeping it in would surely kill me. After tossing her off me again and some soft words from Ben, of course, she left so my friends and husband could be there with me. It was then, after more crying, I decided to tell Wu and Rhia of my first memory...the one I had only told Ben...the one where I sacrificed my husband to my father.
It took a bit but finally managed to get a weak smile out of me by teasing me about getting fat. Ben was sure Alicia would understand but I know she won't and Rhia claims she will just miss out on a wonderful relationship. I pulled Rhia to the ground and gave her a hug. I don't know how I would have dealt with this without her. She is my rock and while I know my emotions drive her nuts and make her uncomfortable I know she feels the same about me. She teased Ben a bit about going after Alicia if she's hot but he was too busy apologizing to me again as I hugged him. I assured him it isn't his fault and that we would get through this and reminded him that we had a little one on the way again...we had to pull through. I kissed him to take his mind of Rhia pursuing his daughter and Rhia made her usual comment on our love to which she earned my middle finger and Ben pulled me to a drier alcove with a grin I now know all too well as he whispered he loved me then confirmed his smile by kissing my neck which of course drives me wild...and right there in that alcove, in that sewer, with our friends around the corner we connected on a level I could never connect with anyone else on. He and I are one and I will let nothing tear us apart.
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