Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn can't help but squirm a bit at the mention of Apollo. She'd thought her fear of him was banished after she destroyed his mortal form; apparently she was wrong. "I hope we don't end up meeting him in there... He's going to be very angry at me. I... kind of blew him up."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hades looks rather amused by Sigrlinn's words, though he does not laugh. His face droops back to what you might expect is his normal expression, which is neutral with an obvious hint of gloomy.

HADES: (to Sigrlinn) "Congratulations on defeating my nephew appears to be in order. If it is any consolation to you, he was rather humbled by the experience and is taking his fate rather well."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn blinks. "Really? ...Wow. That does make me feel better." Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

 

[tbgg]

Kell looks at Artemis. "So there's no plan for us to discuss with Hades?"

She tells Sigrlinn, "We can go elsewhere if you are leery of running into Apollo."


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn shakes her head. "If Apollo's had time to cool down, so to speak, I think it'll be fine. Who knows, we might be able to actually talk with him rather than just get shot at."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Artemis replies to Kell, "I expected Hera to be the one you'd reason with first, but…"

Aphrodite chimes in, "Hades tends to consider the points of views of others. He doesn't punish those who think differently from him."

HADES: "Good and evil both rest in my domain, as do soldiers from various conflicting forces. They all have their stories."

Aphrodite goes on, "If he grants you safe passage, you will have it. I can't say I would take Hera at her word, but I would take Hades at his."

HADES: ​"I will not see you harmed, and my brothers can neither reach nor seek you in my domain. You will have safe passage, if you choose to enter, provided you do behave yourselves. Should you violate any of my rules, you will be informed as a warning."

 

[tbgg]

Kell smiles at Artemis. "She's the one I have the biggest pull toward, but I know winning her over won't be easy. Plus there's something I sent to Scheria Bay that I'm hoping she'll agree to letting me loan her. I could probably find a way to send it to her, but it would be nice to be able to just hand it to her. I'll admit I wasn't expecting to hit the Underworld next, but you can't really beat the travel time." Her grin turns wry.

She asks Hades, "Would you mind giving us an overview of your rules?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

HADES: "All of them?" (he hesitates) ​"I expect most are common sense, such as not feeding Cerebus. As you are among the living, he would very much like to eat you as opposed to any bacon you might happen to keep in your purse."

ORACLE: "I don't think bacon is typically—"

HADES: (ignoring Bob) "Generally keep the atmosphere restful. Any grudges you might hold with those at eternal rest are not to be brought up. I would think the no-fighting rule is in your best interest more than anyone's, as if you defeat the dead, they simply respawn, where if you were to die, you would remain in my realm along with the rest of the dead.

"Should you prove to be a nuisance, know that I would have no incentive to do anything rash. Killing a nuisance, for example, would mean I am stuck with said nuisance. I would simply banish one with whom I do not wish to deal to a place where a mortal is likely to survive."

Aphrodite says, "Translation: mind your manners; Hades won't kill you."

HADES: "What would be the point? You will die eventually. I derive no pleasure from a mortal dying by my hand."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn listens carefully, then nods. "That seems reasonable enough. But, uh, how are we going to get in and out again? Through the hearth, or something else?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell nods. "Sounds simple enough. How do we do this?"


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[Legendary Sidekick]

HADES: "I believe my sister's magic can get you in."

Hess says in her own voice, "…sister…"

HADES: "At the end of your visit, you may use the hearth to return. Or if you wish to speak to my sister-and-sister-in-law, the River Styx would lead you to the west side of Hesperides. That is a decision for later.

"Regarding the decision for now…"

Hades looks at his childlike sister Hestia. Though no apparent spell is cast, the flames of the hearth become a deep purple. You no longer see visions through the Grææ eye, but a tunnel that leads to Bob and Hades.

Bob's skin is rather pasty white, not the brilliant orange you saw through the fiery hues of HearthVision™.

HADES: "Do you wish to enter?"

 

[tbgg]

Kell nods again. "Yes."


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[Ireth]

Sigrlinn nods too. "Yes."

She looks at Icarus. "How about you?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Icarus asks, "Will I get to see my dad?"

Hades nods.

"I'm in!"

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn smiles at her companions, then walks confidently toward the tunnel in the hearth.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Artemis gives Sigrlinn a circlet. "Wear this. You'll be able to hear my thoughts."

Aphrodite says, "Wow… you'd think I'd own jewelry like that." She says to Kell, "I'll just pass messages through Helix. Artemis can fill me in on anything I can't see for myself. I assume the two of you don't plan on separating while you're down there."

Hades says, "Ah, yes. That is another rule. Please remain in close proximity to your guide. That will be me, unless I need to excuse myself, in which case I will assign a trusted guide who will abide by my declaration of safe passage."

 

[Ireth]

Sigrlinn pauses and turns to Artemis, accepting the circlet with a smile. "Thank you." As she puts it on, she wonders whether Artemis will be able to hear her thoughts too. Then she remembers how Artemis responded to the questions she never vocalized, back in her cottage in Sardis. The perks of being a goddess.

To Aphrodite she says, "We're definitely going to stay together for safety's sake."

 

[tbgg]

Kell thinks to Helix, 'Can you hear me, sidekick? I'm heading to Hades as a mortal and may need you to relay messages between Aphrodite and me for a bit. Can you handle that?'

Pushing Icarus' shoulder, she, too, moves toward the tunnel in the hearth, following along behind the boy.


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[Legendary Sidekick]

Helix replies,

Yeah, I'll sit by Aphrodite's side and coach you from afar. Shame I can't fit into the hearth, though. I'll miss out on seeing all those dead people and three-headed dogs 'cause I'll be stuck in a mansion being fed by goddesses. That's goddesses plural. Artemis would feed me, right? She likes animals, don't she?

 

[tbgg]

Kell replies to Helix, 'I've hardly said two sentences to her, so I'm not sure. I know she likes to hunt animals and she cares about her nymphs, and that's about it. Aphrodite might be better able to answer that question.'


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