Ch.2: "Trouble in Paradise" / Volcanic Paradise Island Arcadia

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto shudders at the description of Kell's dream. "Mine wasn't bad, exactly, but it was odd. I was tracking some kind of fish through the forest, and I found a silver boat. Sonja was in it in her mermaid form. Six nymphs came out of the water with oars to row the boat, and Sonja invited me in, but I didn't go. The boat rose into the sky, and I think it might have turned into the moon." She shrugs. "I have no idea what it means."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Awww," Sonja says, "I like your dream. Being in a moon boat sounds fun! Your dream obviously means I'm a very nice person, and if I were in a real moon boat, I'd let you in. In fact, I'm honored that your dream portrayed me so accurately."

Hanna says, "You probably hip checked her out of the moon boat."

"Not on purpose," says Sonja.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto laughs, looking at Sonja. "I think you might have, actually! After the boat rose up without me in it, you said I could stay on the floor."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell smiles at Vin, his words touching her heart. She says, "Like I told Leto yesterday, I'm guessing that punishing the women Zeus seduced is the only way Hera feels like she can have any control over her situation, not that I disagree with Vin. I DO think what's she's done is wrong. But when I try to put myself in Hera's shoes and ask what would drive me to punish the women my husband seduced, that's what comes up for me. What also comes up for me is that I would have tried everything else I could think of to get my husband to stop what he's doing and none of that worked, so this would be the only other thing I could think of - if I couldn't get him to change, by punishing the women he had the affair with, I could at least make them not want anything to do with either me or my husband. I would be feeling pretty desperate for a change by the time I got to this point."

She continues, "We mortals go to the gods whenever we have a problem that we can't seem to solve on our own. But when the Immortals have a problem like that, has anyone ever stopped to ask who they go to for help? It kind of seems like Zeus and Hera need help to work out some issues in their marriage, but who's qualified to help them? Who can help an Immortal?"

She pauses for a moment, then says, "I was telling Vin last night about a woman named Niobe, who was the closest thing I ever had to a mother. During my first year at Aphrodite's villa, I was pretty miserable. I knew I had the capacity to learn, and I was hungry to learn, but at the villa, they taught how to accentuate beauty and poise and gracefulness, exercises to accentuate physical beauty, and how to use those things to get a man to do what you want - how to 'manage' him using those things as tools, if you will, though that latter isn't taught until a nymph's third year. What I wanted to learn was literature and history and math - even a little science - stuff that would make me capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation."

"At any rate, I heard about this woman who would teach these subjects to the poor, and so during my free period, I would sneak out of the villa and go to the park where she taught - she didn't even have a building, and had this handheld chalk board that she'd write on. I'd take a journal with me and sit under a nearby tree where I could hear her, pretending to write in my journal, but in reality, I was writing down every word she said, every math problem she gave her class which I would try to solve, every date, every historical figure, every essay assignment and my attempt to do the work."

"One day when she was talking about the writings of Homer, I got so entranced that time got away from me, and when I realized the time, I dashed out of there without my journal, because the villa gets locked down at night and I knew I was really going to have to push it to make it back in time. She found my journal, and skimmed through it looking for clues as to where to find me. She of course saw my classwork. Long story short, she approached me when I returned to the park to look for my journal, we started talking, she learned I was unhappy at the villa, and eventually got permission from Aphrodite for me to study with her individually, under the condition that I apply myself to learning what I was being taught at the villa, and that if my grades at the villa slipped, I'd have to give up my sessions with Niobe. It was quite a useful threat, because I'm not certain anything else would have induced me to learn what was taught at the villa."

"To move this story toward the point, Niobe also let me know who SHE was, the bad as well as the good. She died my fifth year at the villa, but she left two of her journals to me. She, too, had a philandering husband, Neleos, and the first journal was about her trying to figure out what to do about that and expressing her pain and frustration. It was pretty raw. The second journal was basically about everything in that situation coming to a head. The second journal indicated that she put up with his philandering for about 15 years when one day she went to market and saw this little boy with a woman she knew for a fact her husband had had an affair with, and the child was the spitting image of Neleos. She overheard the woman tell the boy something about going to meet daddy, and the journal said that Niobe didn't know what possessed her, but she got the urge to follow the woman and see the boy's father. She stayed behind them at a discreet distance, and low and behold, the man the woman and her son went to meet was in fact Neleos, who kissed the woman on the cheek."

"Niobe was furious, and her journal indicates that incident was her breaking point. She went home, wrote to her sister to arrange a place to stay, quietly got some things together over the next few days, and started writing a letter to her husband telling him what she had discovered and telling him she was leaving him. The sister lived in Nyse, and Neleos followed Niobe there, telling her that he had always wanted a son, and that since and Niobe and he had been unable to have children, he felt that this was his opportunity to get to be a father and to try to do some good for the boy, but he swore up and down there was nothing between the boy's mom and him, that he had only just gotten back in touch with her and that he had only been friendly with the mother for the boy's sake. He said he didn't tell her about it because he wanted to have something concrete he could point to as evidence of his desire to change."

"But Neleos had lied to Niobe so much in the past about his reasons for being around other women without ever coming clean about it despite being confronted with evidence of his lies that Niobe didn't believe him. She told him that given these two facts, she would need much more compelling evidence and from a source other than him before she would believe it. She also reminded him that she had warned him the last time he had been unfaithful that if he was unfaithful again, she was going to leave him, and the way she saw it, she was just keeping her word. He started begging and pleading with her to come back, saying he hadn't done anything wrong this time, but to her it just sounded like more of his lies. She felt she'd already been down that road with him more times than she could count, she didn't see any hope of things being any different if she took him back, and she was just sick and tired of all the stress and drama and hurt without Neleos confessing anything or apologizing or doing anything to make things right again. She told Neleos he needed help to change, and that she wasn't willing to take him back unless a) he confessed to every single person he had wronged the infidelity and the lies he had told in support of it and b) he went and found some help to change. She told him that she wished she knew where he could find that help, but she didn't know and he would have to figure that part out on his own. She told him that she just couldn't keep living with things being the way they were. According to the journal, her last words to him were something like, 'I'm very sorry, but you really need to leave now and not come back until you've addressed what I've asked you to address.'"

"The journal said that Neleos indicated he would do so, but three weeks later, she got word that he had committed suicide. At the funeral, the boy's mother came to her and apologized to her for her part in the affair that had taken place in the past, but she also confirmed Neleos' story. The woman's name was Zenobia, and she said that after Neleos broke things off with her, she never expected to see him again, but that they had run into each other quite by chance just a few weeks before the meeting during which Niobe followed Zenobia. Zenobia had told Neleos that the boy, Tellis, looked just like him, and that Neleos had said, 'You know, I've done a lot of wrong in my life, and I'd like to try to start to make some of that up to people. I'd love to spend some time with the boy if you'd allow it.' Zenobia had told him she'd have to think about that, but recognizing her son's hunger for a father figure, she finally decided it was worth trying, and so she had contacted Neleos a few days prior to the incident Niobe had witnessed to arrange that meeting."

"The remainder of the second journal talked about Niobe's guilt over not believing her husband, though she always seemed at peace to me. Since I didn't learn any of this until after her death, I don't know how she came to be teaching the children of the poor. I asked her about it once, and all she said was, 'It seemed like a good that needed doing.'"

"Niobe told me once that I should always be sure to tell people that I love them, no matter what they've done. She said we just never know when that little piece of information might be what helps people hold on. The second journal doesn't mention her ever saying that to Neleos, so I have to wonder if that's something she regretted not telling him. But I do know that she had a close friend named Zenobia in Scheria Bay, and that she had a 'nephew' named Tellis of whom she was extremely proud. She even had a sketch of him that she kept in her house."

"So if I seem unusually empathetic to Hera, that's why."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell continues, "You know, we mortals like to assign blame and then sit back like we've done the world a favor by figuring out who did wrong. I don't want to say that apportioning blame has no value, because in terms of making things right again, healing comes when the wrong-doer comes to the point of taking steps to admit it, learn from it, and trying to be a better person."

"But sometimes I think we overemphasize the apportioning of blame. It's easy to say 'Zeus is causing Hera's pain', 'Hera is causing Callisto, Io, and Amy's pain', and 'Hera may be causing some of Zeus' pain', but while I see evil actions, I don't see evil gods and people, just people and gods trying to do their best to deal with the problems of life and maybe not doing such a good job at it because they're facing their pain alone. I see pain lines coming into and out of both Zeus and Hera, definitely from Zeus to Hera, but possibly also from Hera to Zeus. I see a pain line going from Hera to each of Zeus' lovers, and possible pain lines going from each of Zeus' lovers to the people in their lives. It looks more circular, or maybe cyclic, than linear to me. It seems to me like if we could come alongside some of the ones being hurt and either break the pain line or at least support that person enough that they can stop sending their pain forward, we could do some good in this world."

Then she blushes, gnawing her lower lip. "I'm sorry. I'm blathering, aren't I? I'm sure the rest of you have other things you'd rather talk about. I'll shut up now." And she looks down at her plate, focusing on cutting her pancakes and fruit into small, bite-sized pieces.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto smiles at Kell. "What you're saying makes perfect sense. I just wish I knew of a way we could stop the pain at its source, with the gods themselves. Helping the mortal victims is all well and good, but if Zeus and Hera are just going to keep doing the things they're doing... And even if we find a way to talk to them, however likely that is, how do we know they'll listen?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Vin says to Kell, "I'm glad you think the way you do. If you didn't think this way, you'd have left me to die."

Phoebe says to Kell, "That's true. I would've used my healing magic on Desma, but I saw you trying to keep Vin alive. I only healed him because of you." She says to Vin, "No offense."

"None taken," he replies. Putting his arm around Kell, he says, "Maybe you're fit to solve Zeus' and Hera's problem. You don't deny their wrongdoing, but you don't write them off as irredeemable either."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell says thoughtfully, "I don't think we can know ahead of time that they'll listen. But which would you respect more, the one who sits back and says, 'Gee, I sure hope X, Y, and Z get done to make things better' or the one who says, 'Let's make sure X, Y, and Z get done, even if we have to do it ourselves, to make things better, even if we fail.' Because it seems to me like the ones who do something might learn something of value, even if it isn't doesn't work in the situation at hand. Maybe they take what they tried in that situation and try to refine it so it can work the next time."

Kell leans into Vin, enjoying the closeness. "I'm going to have to think about this."

We have access to the gods and goddesses who are allied with Hess: Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, and the others. Could one of them get us an audience with Hera? She's the one most likely to know what motivates Zeus, and if there's anyone he would be likely to talk to about whatever's eating him. I'm supposed to be seeking Artemis and Athena to figure out which one to serve. Could one of them get me that audience? Or, since I need to have my own talk with Aphrodite, could she get me an audience with Hera?

I'll have see what Helix thinks about my chances of Aphrodite being able to get me an audience with Hera when I wake him up.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto nods. "I'd definitely respect the latter more. And that's what I'm trying to figure out, is how we can be those who talk to the gods about this. If we can't know for sure that they'll listen to us, we'll need a backup plan too."

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell walks over to Leto and whispers in her ear.

((PM to Ireth to follow with contents of whisper))

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto leans in as Kell whispers to her, then catches the nymph's eye and nods once in answer.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell returns to her seat, then lifts Vin's arm so she can scoot in and sit with his arm back around her. "I hope you don't mind," she tells him softly, reaching to hold his hand. At the moment, being close to Vin is more satisfying to her than food, though she does plan to finish her breakfast, given that the day is already looking to demand a lot of her energies.

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto turns her attention to her own breakfast. The contrast of hot pancakes and cool fruit is a pleasant one, and she savors the meal while trying not to let what's hot get cold.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Our heroines quietly finish breakfast, contemplating the long term plan in their minds. If Aphrodite is the immortal that might help reach out to Hera, they will need to travel to Nyse to meet Aphrodite. It happens that Nyse is not out of the way. Hesperides is west of the lagoon.

But the first order of business is in Arcadia. Wilbur hands Leto a hand cannon and an ammo belt that holds sixty bullets.

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Realizing she has a lot to do before she even heads out the door, Kell thanks Desma for the excellent breakfast, then makes a quick addition to her note, telling Callisto to have her birds look for the giant tree near Demeter's temple in Ogygia.

Then she finds Sapphire and says, "We've already used up half of the supplies from our Health Kit. Given how many of us there are going into this and that we hope to be adding to our numbers, could I buy 4 refills and fill us back up? I think that would be $20?"

She thinks to Helix, Good morning, sunshine! We should be heading your way fairly soon. But I had an idea this morning. I'll explain the full idea after we rescue the fiancees, but I'm wondering what you think the chances are of Aphrodite being willing to help Leto and me to get an audience with Hera for the sake of trying to learn what she knows about whatever is motivating Zeus to do the stuff he's doing?

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Helix replies, It's worth a try. Honestly, I think she'll be happy to see you approach her with this request. Go for it!

Sapphire refills the med kit for $20.

She says to Leto, "Now that you have a hand cannon, you can buy some special ammunition."

Copper and Silva fly over with a case, which Goldie opens. There are three strange 'bullets' inside. They actually look like six bullets connected by a ring.

Jump Shot - $123
Warning Shot - $321
Parting Shot - $543

 

[tbgg]

Kelleia

Kell suggests, "Why don't you tell Leto what each of those 'bullets' do?"

"And in the meantime, someone gave me a boomerang not long before we left Ogygia, but I don't have a convenient way to carry it. Do you have some kind of weapons belt or baldric available?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Sapphire looks at the three bullets. She tells Kell, "I… I don't really know what they do. But a baldric isn't a problem. We don't sell them, so I guess the easiest way to handle that is not to charge you."

Wilbur tells Leto, "The Jump Shot'll let out a powerful blast from your cannon. Fire straight down, and you'll go up! Shoot under someone else's feet, they go up. I've never used one of these on a person.

"The Warning Shot ain't lethal. You should aim in a space between people you want to stop, but not kill. I haven't tried one of these.

"Same for the Parting Shot. I have no idea what it does. But if it's like the other two, it's rechargeable! It takes all day or all night or something like that, but it might be worth the space in your ammo belt."

((@Ireth, the ammo belt can fit 60 bullets, but each special shot takes up 6 bullets' space. So you could buy all three and hold up to 42 bullets. If you have 10 special shots, you wouldn't carry regular bullets. The special shots are 1/day.))

 

[Ireth]

Leto

Leto listens curiously as Wilbur describes the shots, and purses her lips as she ponders the prices. She can afford to buy two of each sort, expensive though they are; it might be a worthwhile investment, especially considering the bounty she and Kell hope to collect by killing the Lava Demon (however they manage to do that). And she might as well stock up on arrows while she's here.

Leto buys two of each type of hand-cannon ammo and 30 arrows for her bow, spending $2004 in all. She'll have to be careful with her remaining money until they get the Lava Demon's bounty.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Oh, sorry," says Sapphire. "These are the only three I have. But I'll refund you $36 for the eighteen bullets you can no longer keep in your belt. That more than covers the price of 30 arrows. So that's $1,011 please."