Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn

[Legendary Sidekick]

Aprhodite replies, "You not being quick to write someone off is the reason you and Vin have a future. It's an admirable quality, but Athena and Artemis are quite young next to the res of Olympus. We're talking about the difference between millions of years and thousands."

Artemis adds, "And Zeus ate Athena's mother! Though Metis was a shape-changer, so I think she simply hid in my father's brain and gave birth to Athena, then got out of his head the way she got in there—in the form of an insect."

When the two goddesses speak, Aphrodite seems to be calmly stating facts. Artemis clearly resents Zeus, which is especially noticeable when she refers to him as her 'father.'

 

[tbgg]

Kell steps over to Artemis and studies the goddess carefully. What has Zeus done to her to cause this reaction?

Placing a hand on the goddess' arm, she says softly, "There's an injustice he's done you personally, isn't there? Something you feel much more keenly than him eating Athena's mother?" Although Kell phrases it in the form of a question, she's sure she's right - nothing else adequately explains Artemis' reaction. "I apologize if my questions have caused you distress. I can assure you that was not my intention. And I am truly sorry for the pain you have had to bear." She lets Artemis see the empathy in her eyes.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Artemis says, "My twin is dead today. I thought Apollo was redeemable, and maybe he was at one point. But dear old dad discussed the possibility of my brother as his successor. Ares is too unstable, he said. And what could be a more fitting god than the sun god? My brother did unspeakable things, including 'saving' my virginity by tricking me into shooting Orion, the one male hunting partner I allowed myself to get close to. He was looking out for me, I told myself.

"Skinning a satyr alive over a silly matter and executing children was harder to forgive, but just the same, I sat out the rebellions that happened in my lifetime. I just wanted to stay out of politics.

"So of course Athena didn't bother o approach me three years ago, and instead came to Hera with her gripe that Zeus' demigod sons—Heracles especially—keep violating the amazons. She said Zeus would pay, expecting Hera to side with her. Hera went straight to Zeus with this. He did nothing to Athena though. Instead, he took Callisto—my most beloved nymph. He took my lack of involvement as a sign of weakness. What he did to Callisto was meant as a lesson. This is how he would always hurt me for not taking a side.

"I don't care how big the hole in his brain is. I will fill it with arrows."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn is quiet as Kell questions the goddesses, unsure of how to react to any of this, and even less sure of what she can say. At last she says, "Some people just seem to enjoy causing others pain, and brush off any collateral damage their selfishness causes. Loki, for one. He thought nothing of killing my entire village, and torturing my father as he lay dying, just to make me suffer before he stole my entire past from me." Her voice breaks in anger and pain, and she clenches her hands as they start to shake. "Zeus seems not much different to me. How many people's lives has he ruined just to feed his desires?"

 

[tbgg]

Releasing Artemis' arm, Kell tells Sigrlinn, "At times any two things can look similar but still be different. Take a bowl of fruit and a drawing of a bowl of fruit. Or the person who temporarily loses control of himself in a fit of passion and does something evil and the person who regularly chooses to do evil. While I would not deny that you and your village experienced great pain at Loki's hands, sometimes that very pain can impair your impartiality. That's all I'm trying to do - be impartial."

She asks Artemis, "When you say that Zeus took Callisto from you, what exactly do you mean by that?" She leans forward, gazing at the goddess intently.


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn huffs. "Then Zeus must not have much self-control, if his passion drives him to hurt people over and over again. It would be different if he were sorry. Has he apologized for anything he's done?" She asks this of both goddesses. "Ever?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell nods to Sigrlinn. "That's a reasonable question, and one worth hearing the answer to. It's one of the many pieces that should be looked at before making a judgment."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

When Kell asks Artemis for details, Aphrodite says, "Kell, dear, there's a point where the questions become a bit too per—"

Artemis interrupts, "He disguised as me and f—" Icarus' brows raise at the virgin goddess' use of the f-word. "—ed her! And the worst of it was that even after he impregnated her, she thought it was me—like I had the power to…" There's a look of disgust on her face as she says, "…alter the physiology of my nether region." She goes on, "And like an idiot, I went to Hera in Callisto's defense. She turned her into a bear and told Callisto I wanted her punished because she enjoyed it. Not when she found out what happened, of course, but while she thought it was me it seems my father showed her a good time."

When asked if Zeus ever apologized, Aphrodite simply says, "No."

Artemis says, "You apologize when you spill wine on your neighbor's carpet. When you rape and torture and kill millennia after millennia, you're long past the point where a 'sorry' would suffice."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn cringes in horror at Artemis' explanation of what happened to her and Callisto, but turns to Kell with a look of rather cold satisfaction. "I know you're trying to see the good in Zeus, Kell, but it's clear to me that if there was any, he'd be more willing to stop hurting others. At this point, he deserves whatever repayment we can dish out to him. As does Loki."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Aphrodite says, "Don't stop trying to find the good in people, Kell. I adore this quality in you. But with Zeus it's a dangerous way to think. We Olympians all want to believe our leader is harsh, but has his reasons. And there are moments he helps mortals… but usually by involving himself in a war—either striking down an armada with lightning or bedding a king's young wife to weaken a leader politically. So even his acts of supposed benevolence tend to involve hurting people. And his demigod sons have been praises as heroes though most of them gleefully abuse women. My nymphs have been fortunate. Muscular men consider amazons a more worthy opponent, so it is they who suffered most at the hands of Zeus' boys."

 

[tbgg]

Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn

Kell tells Artemis, "I am sorry. I should have explained my reasons for asking. I was not asking for the sake of mere personal curiosity. We spoke to Callisto via Hearthvision...not all that long ago. She told us nearly the exact same story you just did, with one notable exception: she genuinely thought you must have impregnated her. We'd heard enough of the stories of Zeus to have our suspicions about what more likely happened, and we shared them with her. Artemis, she needs you to confirm it wasn't you who impregnated her. And she's been missing you every bit as much as you've been missing her. Why have you not reached out to her? When we set out for Sardis Forest, one of our purposes to find you and speak to you on her behalf."

Kell doesn't take offense at Sigrlinn's manner. She knows it's not personal.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Artemis is in shock.

"She... she really thinks it was me?!

"Oh. I suppose she would since I..." Understanding dawns in the goddess' eyes, followed by a cold look. "Hera. She was expecting me to go after Callisto myself. But I have no influence in her domain. I mean... I have a bow that can't miss. But that's part of the problem. Where I'm not powerless, I'm lethal. If Hera sets a trap for me, a lot of those bestial people will die carrying out her orders.

"Maybe after the rebellion is finished..."

Samus-Arachne chimes in, "Kell. You did express interest in telling Hera about my tapestry. Is there any chance you were planning to travel to Hesperides anyway?"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn nods, looking at Kell. "I remember it was something to do with Kell-Pi potentially helping Hera, if we could convince them both to agree."

She frowns and turns to Artemis. "Speaking of bows... did mine happen to survive the fire or the lake? And my arrows, for that matter?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell tells Arachne, "Yes, that's part of why I asked about that. I'm wondering if it's possible to come and empathize with Hera's situation - she's been raped, and now here she is the Goddess of marriage who can't keep her own husband in line. Mortals go to the Immortals when we need help, but who does an Immortal go to when things are falling apart?"

"I had an idea to go in and offer Hera support. A woman I was very close to had a husband who had a lot of affairs, and I have two of the journals she kept while all of that was going on. I plan to offer Hera the loan of them. We also want to talk to her about the possibility of loaning her Kell-Pi, Heph and Aphrodite's marriage counselor, to give her support in the pain, rage, and frustration she probably feels with what Zeus is doing. I want to suggest that she reframe her experience. Instead of being the goddess who has to have the perfect marriage, let her be the goddess who fights for true marriage, and gets up and leaves her husband if he insists on being abusive. There's great dignity in that, and she could no doubt in time develop a great following from women in difficult marriages."

"We should be safe because we're virgins and Aphrodite has trained us so we can't be forced against our will. If we can persuade Hera to let us - and Kell-Pi, if she's willing - support her in her marriage and help her find a more constructive outlet for what she's feeling, we might be able to win her over and get her to stop hurting the women Zeus is deceiving. And we might be able to get some intel on Zeus, too."

"So yes, we plan to visit the Hesperides at some point, and we could certainly carry a message from Artemis to Callisto as well if need be."


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[Legendary Sidekick]

As you and the goddesses discuss options, you get the feeling they approve of your ways of approaching delicate situations, even if you don't take the same approach. Artemis tells Sigrlinn that her bow is in care of the nymphs. A quick trip through the hearth should take her directly to Amber's home--

--only the hearth is now burning bright! Hess is standing beside the hearth, ready to do some voice-acting...

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn nods and relaxes at Artemis' reassurance, and turns toward the hearth... only to perk up and lean forward when she notices Hess and the flames. Something's going on, and she's eager to find out.

 

[tbgg]

Kell turns over to glance at the flames, too. Is the oracle about to appear again?


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[Legendary Sidekick]

In the flames, you see Bob oracle and his camerawoman, Grææ. Grææ is manipulating a crystal ball and making strange sounds, voiced by Hess.

GRÆÆ: "Ah-oom……… ah-oom………"

Icarus looks at Hess, then asks, "Is this… normal?"

ORACLE: (whispering) "Greetings all you ladies and gentlemen in the Hearthland. I'm Bob Oracle, and as you may or may not realize, my camerawoman, Grææ, has two dear departed sisters. She's performing a seance in the hopes of speaking to one of her sisters now."

GRÆÆ: "I feel… something… I feel…"

Hess dry heaves as Grææ vomits. Bob rushes to her aid.

GRÆÆ: "Don't—Bob—I'm fine… I'm…"

The crystal ball shatters, and the vision suddenly changes to reveal a river. Naiads bathe in the river, and harpies fly about or rest on leafless branches of lifeless trees.

ORACLE: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, either I just died, or we're all experiencing a vision together. A vision of the River Styx!"

Some curious naiads rise up from the water and stand beside Bob. They are naked, but instead of seeing their bare breasts in the vision, there are red, gold and white squares obscuring their upper torsos. There is a similar effect covering a harpy's bare bottom as she swoops into view and lands.

ORACLE: "Shall we go further into the depths of the Underworld and pay a visit to the departed Grææ sisters?"

Bob just stands there.

Icarus says, "Is he asking us?"

ORACLE: "Of course I'm asking you! Instant feedback! That's how I give my audience what they want!"

Icarus asks, "But what if half your audience wants to explore the Underworld and half would rather watch… cats or something?"

ORACLE: "If I start losing my audience to cat videos, I'm giving up HearthVision™. But right now, I'm the only show on HV so really, do we explore the Underworld—which I may have to do anyway if that crystal ball explosion really did kill me—or… not? If it helps, I don't really have a show if we don't go in the Underworld. I could hang out with the naiads and harpies, I guess. They seem nice."

NELLY THE NAIAD: "Technically, I'm supposed to drown you to make sure you're actually dead. We've had too many heroes come in and try to kill the monsters here, which is just annoying since the monsters here already died, so killing them again is more like knocking them out for a while, but messy."

ORACLE: "I'm not a hero. I'm a journalist."

NORA THE OTHER NAIAD: "That's about as unheroic as you can get. You may pass."

NELLY THE NAIAD: "If his audience lets him." (snort laughs)

ORACLE: "I… happen to take pride in listening to my viewers. I don't see why you find humor in that."

NORA THE OTHER NAIAD: "No one ever tells jokes around here."

NELLY THE NAIAD: "Probably because this is where people are when they just realize they're dead."

NORA THE OTHER NAIAD: "That and you're always trying to drown them. How many people did you drown while they were just about to tell a joke?"

NELLY THE NAIAD: "How insubordinate! Give me one reason why I shouldn't drown you!"

ORACLE: "She's amphibious."

NELLY THE NAIAD: "Oh, shit. You're right."

Icarus watches Hess in amazement as she voices the two naiads talking over each other.

"Hey, this is really cool! But… should we just ask Bob to get away from the blurry naked ladies? They're making me uncomfortable."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn watches in confused interest as Bob and Grææ speak, and cringes as the latter vomits. The explosion of the crystal ball makes her flinch, but the sight of the river Styx is a novelty -- though, she hopes, one she'll never have to see in reality.

She looks at Icarus when he expresses discomfort at the naiads and harpies, then back at the HearthVision. "He has a point. I think it'd be wise to move on, or in, if that's where you're going."

 

[tbgg]

Wincing in sympathy when Graeae vomits, Kell momentarily studies the Underworld as shown through the Eye. What a strange place!

When Icarus expresses his discomfort, she steps up to him and places a hand over his eyes, saying, "Yeah, let's not give Icarus' father a reason to say we're a bad influence on him. Move the Eye, please. Journalist's choice, because I have no idea what we could learn from Graeae's sisters and I can't think of anyone offhand that we need to speak to in the Underworld."

She tells Icarus softly, "I'll remove my hand when it's safe for you to look again."




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