Cado Superum

She'd been back in the city for about two days, having checked into a hotel under a false name and changed appearance. It was good to be back in her city of choice, but it wasn't home. Baby steps. The nice thing about being home was that it was easier to tell what was going on, particularly with Momos, and all information pointed to him not going to work... a fact that was, given the length of time, starting to worry her. The fount of information that was her mother had dried up, and she had no doubt that that came from Kakia no longer sharing the news... which meant either Momos didn't want her knowing things, or he was fine, and just not ... doing his thing, for whatever reason. Neither pleased her.

It was for that reason she'd come home, slipping into the house in the morning - it didn't take much to figure out he was still asleep - what with his sleeping form in the bed being her first and best clue. Unable to bring herself to actually wake him, she set about making breakfast, trusting that the scent of coffee and or bacon would rouse him. If not? well... One couldn't have too much bacon.

The summers in Vancouver were mild, and perfect for filming, and it was one of the reasons so many places with random film crews. It made it a bit easier for someone to con their way into someplace they might not supposed to be. Not that beautiful women trying to get close to Alexander Mars was a new thing - he was hot, he was now, he was the current it many for action flicks.

It took a bit of work on her part, but when Mr. Mars finished filming his current scene, he'd find a leggy redhead in his trailer, short dress showing of just a few of her assets to the best of its ability. He might not even notice the slim tape recorder on the table beside her.

Dolos supposed there were worse ways to cut his mini-vacation short. Hurricane, zombies, and ex-husbands all topped that list. Finding out his best friend was in a coma on his couch? Not really something he thought he'd get a call about. But there was a first time for everything.

Unlocking the front door to the house he shared with Apate, he dropped his over night bag on the floor before he headed towards the living room.

"Oh, honey! I'm home. Did UPS drop off a comatose god for me today?"

After taking his wife to her spa appointment, Hypnos climbed back into their hired car and took a little nap on the way to his destination. He had some meetings later in the afternoon, but business played second fiddle to all of his other plans, as trivial as they were.

The driver headed downtown and stopped in front of the Golden Gate Hotel. His passenger, who was still sleeping when they arrived, awoke with a sluggish start at a beep of the horn. Once he'd pulled himself together and stumbled out of the car, Hypnos dismissed the driver and headed for the Bay City Diner, his stomach growling on the way.

A few people turned and looked at the small, sleepy, strangely-dressed man that walked into the Diner, but the waitress just smiled and showed him to a table. One of the perks of being a regular. After nipping over to the bar, the waitress returned and took his order. Hypnos ordered a coke and a cheeseburger and tucked his napkin into the top of his t-shirt as he waited for his meal.

Peitho was at work when she received a phonecall from Apate. She'd gotten through on her work number; Peitho's cell had been turned off for days so that Hermes couldn't call. Cruel yes, but since their relationship had always been tinged with a little cruelty, usually on her part, Peitho didn't see anything wrong with it.

And besides, he'd needed it. Waking her up in the middle of the night because some escapee theoi was giving him nightmares was one thing, but then he'd started to get far too involved in himself and his ego. Peitho was having none of that.

So she'd stonewalled him. Hermes had needed to know she wasn't on board with whatever insanity he'd planned. He'd needed to hear that message loud and clear. Not that her lack of support was enough to stop him doing something stupid, it never had been.

But perhaps this time he'd pushed his luck too far.

He was unconscious, Apate had said. No physical injuries, but they couldn't wake him. Peitho nodded through the details and hung up. "Put me on the next flight to DC," she told her assistant. The assistant looked up from her computer screen and creased her brow a little. "But you have a meeting at-" "Cancel it," Peitho interrupted. "Trust me, my boss will understand."

She headed into her office to pick up her purse, then headed out, rubbing at the links on her bracelet in absent worry. It was only a matter of time before Hermes pushed his luck too far, but she really hoped that time wasn't now.

"Good morning, Miss Banafrit. We want to thank you for meeting us so early in the morning."

"Thank you, Professor Daly, it was not an issue. Although, it's Mrs."

"Excuse me?"

Psyche smiled, a sweet simple smile, "It's Mrs. Banafrit," she corrected him.

Several members of the council looked at each other in surprise, she looked so young to be married. But then they noticed the very obvious wedding ring that sat on her finger and embarrassed looks covered their faces. "Oh, of course. I'm very sorry."

"It's alright, it happens all the time." She repeated her smile, just to ease their minds. It really did happen all the time. If they questioned her age, she simply told them she'd married her high school sweetheart. Which was, for the most part, true.

Professor Daly coughed to move along, "We invited you here this morning because there has been an opening in Washington D.C. for a paid internship at the FBI. This is a highly prestigious internship that would look excellent on any resume. Every school submits one post-graduate student candidate for consideration and one is chosen. You were our candidate and I'm pleased to tell you that you were chosen as their first choice."

Nodding, Psyche listened and her eyes widened at the news. "Oh, wow. That's wonderful news! Thank you so much!"

"Now, of course, this would mean that you would have to move to Washington D.C. and this would be a strenuous internship that would most likely leave you with little time to do anything else besides work on your thesis paper, which an extension would not be granted for. But we, here at Columbia, think that you are capable to not only excel in this position but also be an excellent representation of our school."

The entire board had their eyes on her as the Professor stopped talking, each eye taking in the nervous movement of Psyche's hands. Her fingers slowly twisted her wedding ring around and around as she thought about this wonderful opportunity and the issues that it would cause. It took her a minute or two before she finally spoke up.

"May I have twenty-four hours to think on it?" They agreed and Psyche left the University with quite a lot on her mind. She needed someone to talk to.

Limos frowned at his drink, his Blackberry unearthly silent as the buzz of the club disappeared into the background. He was, usually, rather talkative, but tonight he wasn't. The cops were backing off him as a main suspect, but the mysterious 'M' kept sending him things, texting him...and otherwise not telling him who they were.

He didn't like not knowing.

So he wasn't dancing tonight, he wasn't partying it up, and after a while he stood, paid his tab and left. What was the point of sulking into a drink around fat people if you couldn't enjoy the fact that they were all starving themselves to death? Nothing, if you asked him. His Blackberry buzzed, and he frowned again as he pulled it out of his pocket and peeked at it.

Leaving so soon?

He didn't know the number, but he was starting to learn he didn't need to. 'M' was the only one that ever texted him like that, and he was starting to find it annoying. Who knew stalkers could be annoying?

Where they at least thin? Might not be so bad if they were. The phone buzzed again.

Y wont u ever answer me?

Frowning he sighed as he found a park bench to plop down on.

I don't even know u. He hit send, and waited.

u could.

y should i?

arent u curious?

He frowned, a little.

ill met u at home.

...That didn't sound all that promising. But then again, it wasn't like they were a theoi. At least, most likely they were not.

There was absolutely no reason for her to be in New York. Not really. the South American didn't seem to be bothering anyone or even here, there was nothing she was learning that wasn't off the internet, there was nothing wrong with any of her family save Limos and his swiss cheese brain. So maybe she was keeping him out of further trouble, but she had no idea who M was, and Kia seemed to be handling the legal stuff just fine. It wasn't like she was that up on recent legal issues - she hadn't worked as legal counselor in decades. It didn't help that she hated New York in the summers - the crowds, the heat, the tourists - things that never bothered her in Vegas annoyed the piss out of her in New York. It also didn't help that she actively wanted to be elsewhere... but she wasn't going. He wasn't winning that easily.

These were the thoughts teeming through her head as she wandered into a coffee shop that was just a bit too posh for her liking. It did, however, havethe benefit of being on the street she happened to be strolling down, however scornfully, and if she remembered correctly they actually knew how to make turkish coffee. She was pulling her phone out of her pocket to check a text message as she pulled open the door, and that was how she missed the fact that someone was walking out, a fact soon hilighted by the fact that she bumped into him. She was voicing automatic apologies when she looked up, insincerities fading away as her smirk grew.

Eros.

And they said New York was a big city - seemed like a small town the way she ran into people all the time.

"Q. Long time no see."

Some three hours after little Oizys flounced out in a sobby mess, there was yet another form making themselves comfortable on Momo's bed.

And it wasn't Kakia's cat.

...

Does Kakia have a cat?

...

Whatever, anyway.

Deimos stretched comfortably where he was sprawl on top of the covers next to the ailing God, one arm reaching above his head to absently grip the headboard while the other propped the cig between his lips. Chicken soup sat next ot him on the bedside table, cooling slowly and giving off savory smells. Not that Deimos cared.

Inhaling slowly, the Daimon tipped his head back and puffed smoke rings into the air over the bed. If Momos didn't wake up soon, he was going to eat his lame ass soup, then jump on the bed until something cracked.

"Soup is for Pussies, anyway."

He wondered if Kakia's cat liked soup.

Xenuphthalizel had gotten all that he could out of Vegas, that much he was sure of. In fact, it seemed to him that for all the posturing these so called gods did, none of them seemed to have much information of use. There was one, however, that had promised information, and so it was to him that the Theoi returned.

He was in the city of DC, on what they called the mall, sitting on a bench overlooking the reflection pool. He hadn't yet found Hermes, but his mind searched, waiting to find the other theoi asleep, to tell him it was time. He could only hope Hermes had what he wanted.

Generally, Aphrodite ignored the online gossip pages. She showed up in the often enough - page six, sighted with Ares, pictures at premieres, local charitable functions - She was gorgeous, and rich, and traveled in the right circles. She didn't let it go to her head that the cameras loved her. Still, after the last talk with Ossa she'd had her secretary keep track of it, and had been getting all sorts of weird reports. Shed been downtown anyhow, and really, it was easier to go see Ossa personally then make an appointment.

She knew the way by heart of course, and saw an unfamiliar face at the desk in front of her friend's office. Temp or new hire, she didn't know, but the look of shock as Dite waltzed past towardthe door was rather priceless.

"Can I help you.. Ma'am, you can't go back there without..."

"Sure I can."

"But do you have -"

"An appointment? No. It's a surprise. She loves them!"

"You really can't just...Can I tell her who's here... oh my god."

She could heard the assistant fumbling with the intercom as she tried to warn Ossa just as Dite pushed open the office door, stepping inside with a smile.

It was always a zoo in Kia's office, and hit or miss to begin with as to whether she'd be there or in court. Até didn't really care. Scuffed boots, ripped jeans, comfortable leather jacket even given the warm weather - She looked more like a client than a visitor, but she didn't really care about that either. She strolled through the office with a singleminded determination, pleased to see Kia there and on the phone. She stepped into the office without knocking, a light kick the tothe door all she needed to close it behind her as she slumped gracefully into one of the visitor's chairs, scowling absently at her shoe as she waited.

Dol - Mos woke up. Looks like you still don't get to be favorite. 

There was a certain fatalistic quality to what Momos was about to do. He knew that he wasn't going to make it out of this without getting hurt in some way shape or form, but they needed to know if his powers would work on the mystery god's.

But this guy was strong. Stronger then anything Mos had ever encountered. So, just in case something did go drastically wrong, Mos left a note to Ate on the counter simply stating that he loved her. You really should never leave the house made at one another.

Mos started his search simply by walking through the streets of Vegas with his mind wide open and on Ate.

He figured if anything would attract him, highly emotional thoughts about a mind he'd already encountered would do the trick.

In Vegas, with all its artificial stars and suns, it was hard to tell just when night ended and morning began. Evenso, Deimos was fairly certain there was a predawn light pinkening the sky when his hired car pulled into the circle drive of an opulent estate outside the city's limits. The Daimon leant forward in his seat, taking a slow pull on his fag as he waited for the driver to open his door, and when he stepped out he exhaled the scent of cloves into the tepid desert air. Hmm, already nearing warm. Days in Nevada could really be hell.

Waving his cig hand at his driver, Deimos ambled up to the main entry of the sprawling house, the door opened before he reached it. He passed through into dim, cool darkness, and sighed in mild relief. Sucking once more on the clove cigarette, the Daimon flicked it into the sink as he entered the kitchen.

He pulled open the fridge, pondering long enough to rally the ingredients of a sandwich, then made himself a snack and carried it -- sans plate, thank you -- into the first floor's smaller sitting room. He favored this space; There was a lounging chair here that reminded him of the one mother used to have in her temple. Deimos sighed, flopping down on it's waiting cushions in an indolent sprawl and biting off his turkey and mayo on rye with no accord for the crumbs it sprinkled on his expensive suit vest.

The daimon chewed for a moment, then paused and tilted his head. He swallowed, making a plaintive noise, "Kakia? You here, darling?"

((P.S. I wrote this while temporarily made of stupid))

Momos couldn't tell if Ate was still in town or not, and to be honest, he didn't really want to care. Of course, he still did. To counter act that, Mos went back to work. His office had become a mess and after working his way through that, he sought out Cassini.

When even ordering a kill didn't push Ate out of his mind, Mos finally sat down and put made the call he'd been putting off.

Hopefully, Isis would be home.

To the average eye, New York City was filled with all sorts of interesting people. After spending enough time in the city, one grew jaded and blasé, taking even the craziest of people in stride and never batting an eye. But if you lived there long enough, and really paid attention, you found that underneath the veneer, there were some people of interest after all. And those folk? Well, their lives seemed a bit ordinary, perhaps, But if you watched them, they dealt with all sorts of interesting things.

She'd been watching two of them for about an hour as they moved around the park. She wasn't sure who they were... research had come up with nothing, but she knew they knew two other people of interest... and history had shown her so far that if you two of them, you knew more. And that generally made you interesting as well.

Generally nondescript, she blended in with the crowd, nothing about the average build, average brown hair, average features, faded jean and teeshirt making her stick out. It made it easy to get close to them without seeming to approach, though she was all smiles as she came up towards the bench they sitting on, her hands shoved into the back pockets of her jeans.

"I've seen you two around."

She had been tempted to stay in Vegas, simply because she knew he was taunting her about going to New York. She wasn't dumb - she knew he was playing her as well as she knew what the strange weather patterns in Vegas probably meant. After the first two days however the weather was back to normal and she'd taken care of what pressing business there was, and had ended up back on a plane. From the plane, there was a cab, and that cab was dropping her off at her brother's home, completely unexpected - for him at least. She'd had a few hours of working this out in her head.

For a moment or two she just stood outside his door, glaring at it, trying not to think of all the reasons she was there, and then knocked.

She c ould only hope he was home... she had no idea what she'd do if he wasn't.

She'd slept through the rest of the plane ride and the trip home, blissfully free of an achy head or any sort of dreams. Waking up was a slow, languorous process that she had no problem drawing out as long as possible. In fact, she was in a delightfully good mood... at least until she opened her eyes.

It took a few moments to register.... she was not in the hotel. This was not where she fell asleep. it was a place all too familiar to her, really... She was in her own home. In her own bed. 2400 miles away from NYC.

"What the fuck?"

Immediately, she sought out Momos, eyes flashing already.

Ares looked like shit.

He had bags under his eyes and they were even slightly bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in about a week, and the truth was, he really hadn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he was bombarded with dreams that he didn't remember much of except that he didn't like them. He wasn't even sleeping at Dite's any more, to afraid he'd hurt her during one of those dreams. He was tired, cranky and lacking female comfort.

Given that, it made little sense as to why he'd find himself outside Eris' apartments. She wasn't going to be able to help. It seemed he just needed someone to talk to.

Ossa fucking hated the internet. Hated it. It was the fucking devil, and the people on there? Reporting lies, lies she didn't APPROVE. Who the fuck did they think they were? This article about Momos and Dolos was just the tip of the fucking iceberg. She controlled their press. SHE DID.

The woman bent over and tied to the back of Ossa's couch gave a muffled moan as Ossa's whipping became more and more violent and the sound brought her back to the present. "Shut up, slave! I don't want to hear it from you." She gave one more slap of the whip before she crossed her arms and began to pace.

"I'll show them how to report rumor. I'll show them how it's fucking done." Stomping over to her phone, she got her assistant on speaker phone. "Amanda, I want you to find the top web page designer...well, get the hell out of bed and find one...Someone with experience making exceptional pages. Schedule a meeting for next week. Also, contact that...guy that has that site? You know the one with the pink hair...the fat one. Yes, that one. Contact him about a meeting with me. Make it clear that I will not take no for an answer. That's all...no wait. Send General Aegis some flowers...something beautiful but exotic. Yes, birds of paradise will do nicely. Those and some roses, I think. Good. That's all."

Hanging up, she moved back to the woman still tied up and gagged.

"Now, where were we?"

Sent as a text message to Oizys' cell phone.

How is my favorite sister doing today?

It was a nice day, maybe not nice enough for ice cream yet. Not that it bothered them. The taller one ran his tongue around the edge of the cone to prevent the minty ice cream from dripping onto his fingers; his brother had a napkin around his.

At their feet sat two duffle bags in greyish blue. Although they looked the same, one was more grey than blue, and the other was more blue than grey. An outsider wouldn't notice, but they did.

"...so what you're saying is that because lies aren't true that they can't be real, and so we aren't real. We don't exist?"

"No. Lies must exist or we wouldn't, so they have to be real in some way even though people don't think they are. They think the truth is the only way something can be real."

The taller one nodded. "Oh. Wouldn't that suggest there was a little bit or truth in everything though? Even us?" He raised a brow at his brother.

"There's a little bit of truth in everything."

His brother grinned. "Is that true?" It was a conversation they'd either had many times before or one they'd only just embarked on today. It didn't matter either way, he'd won.

The smaller brother rolled his eyes and sighed. "You always win when we do that," he said, shaking his head. "You cheat. You can't give out burns when one of us is eating."

"I never cheat, Abe," the taller one smiled. "And don't worry, I'll get you later. Have you got Hori's keys?"

"No. I thought you had them."

"No. I thought you had them."

The pair looked at each other and smirked a little. They both knew which one of them had the keys, which one of them always had the keys, but admitting that would be too close to the truth. It was better to lie to one another.

When they finished their ice creams, the Pseudologoi got to their feet. They picked up their bags and headed towards the 97th street park entrance.

"You think he'll be surprised to see us?"

The taller one shrugged. "I guess that depends whether he's expecting us. You can't trip me up that easily, Abe."

The smaller one huffed. "I hope he's got ice cream."

"Yeah, me too."

Aphrodite didn't like to think of herself as the type who expected someone to come immediately when beckoned, but not answering calls, voicemail, or text messages was enough to get her feathers ruffled. However, Dite'd been smart when looking for a cell phone with all the right features, and had gone to Mr. Communication himself... and apparently it had GPS locating of your contacts. She was half convinced the thing was malfunctioning when it told her he was at the library... but it was worth a shot.

The New York City Library was rather large, and it took her quite some time tiptoeing through the racks before she found him, and she watched him for a moment before stepping forward, foot tapping lightly on the rug. "hiding, sweetpea?"

Fashion, it was the way of the world if you asked Limos. It had a curious mix of starvation for a perfection that was never achievable, and a need to be ‘healthy’ that just went beyond healthy at all points. It was intoxicating for Famine, who could breathe in the scent of decay as if it were the sweetest of perfumes. No one would ever think Limos was a beautiful man, gods forbid that, but he was certainly a desirable one in this world. He had the thinnest models, the best shows, and knew all the right people.

It was why Limon Théoden was the most sought after agent, and why designers were always sending him samples- in hopes he’d bite.

( Jennie, call Kia Montgomery )

found on ethology.org - "a grassroots blog to support higher ethics in business"

Washington, DC - As the world sees a continued strain from the current economic conditions, we see a renewed interest in business ethics, a lesson that's all too short-lived in the corporate world. After Enron, ethics became a focal point, but it slipped once again. Take Spytech, and the current case they have building against former employee, Jack Donovan.

Donovan, accused of accepting kickbacks from project vendors, is currently under investigation, and could have criminal charges brought against him. This is the sort of situation that a code of ethics is meant to protect a company from - but Spytech, like too many corporations, uses the code of ethics as a formality, not truly enforcing it. Could diligence have prevented this? We think it could.

Granted, the question remains as to Donovan's guilt - so far, sources say his finances have shown to be clean of any kickbacks, still seems to be living the high life. Sure, he's married to an executive at Venus, the cosmetics company, but even that fails to explain the lifestyle he continues to maintain. Now of course one would think an investigation like this would render a man unhireable, particularly in this current economy, but Donovan was currently seen in New York, in the company of Emmanuel Rex, head of JCI. The time to struggle for ethics in business has never been so immediate.

Ate was so beautiful when she was knocked out cold with drugs and alcohol. It was probably the not talking and/or not trying to get herself killed thing. Can't do either of those when your boyfriend drugs you then kidnaps you.

Momos laid her on the bed in the back of the airplane and satisfied that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon and bring the plane down, he moved to the other room. Clicking a button, he sent a video call to Kakia. When she answered, he smiled.

"Hello Ms. Kakia. How is my favorite sister that isn't my twin and can curse me with misery for the rest of my life?"

There was fire. Ares could feel it licking at his sides as he tried to fight his way out of the darkness. He knew there was something in the darkness, something he needed to get to, something he needed to kill. The sword in his hand was heavy and getting heavier by the minute. He needed to find it, whatever it was.

"Show yourself! I know you are there!" A deep laugh sounded throughout the pitch black, but nothing appeared to him. In frustration, Ares began to simply hack at the darkness. He hit something solid, like stone and the shock reverberated up his arm.

"Ha! I hit you, you piece of shit!" The laugh became louder and filled with malice. Suddenly, the sword was whipped from his hands, leaving Ares completely defenseless and alone in the dark.

His scream of anger not only filled the dream, but also the bedroom he shared with Aphrodite. He would not, could not wake up and the darkness was closing in.

It was late afternoon by the time Nephthys found it in her to actually get up and leave the penthouse, looking perhaps just a tad worse for wear due to the trouble she'd been having sleeping over the past few nights. The air was just beginning to cool, and the strip starting to come to life as she had a car pulled around. The look on the driver's face was amusing when she explained she wanted to go to a funeral home, and the drive way too long - the Strip was never easy to navigate.

Eventually they arrived - she'd chosen to drop in rather than call if only to make sure she could find what she needed- the phone was all to easy to avoid. Directing the driver to stay precisely where he was, Nephthys left the back seat and stepped out into the desert air, stepping up to the door of the home Hades and Persephone shared, and rang the bell.

Nephthys was a fan of indulgences, and sleep was one that she held most dear. They were at the top, finally, and she enjoyed all parts of being idle rich, particularly the idle part. And so the nightmares she'd been suffering every night since returning to New York were really starting to grate. it didn't help her mood to know that more than once she'd awoken in a panic, or with a scream - one night even saw tears. It wasn't the sort of vulnerability that She enjoyed showing.

That night wasn't any different.

It was always the same. A heat that rivaled the deserts, with encroaching molten rock. Closed spaces that seemed to compress in the ever-present darkness. These she could handle... but it was the voices that kill her rest. The words weren't ones she knew, even in her dream, but the emotion... it pulled to life everything dark in her. Rage, envy, a thirst for vengeance... something rightful had been taken, STOLEN away, and the need for it to to be returned was a driving force. Underneath it all ran hatred.

She awoke with a gasp, pulled out of the dream before it's terrible end by the sound of a phone ringing in the other room. On one hand, she was grateful for whatever had disturbed the sequence of images... on the other, she hated her sleep disrupted, and hell knew she had enough negativity running through her after all of that.

Grabbing a robe, she shoved her arms in it as she walked, cinching it tight as she came into the main room, offering Set a disgruntled glare. Let him talk to whoever it was... She made her way to the bar for what was becoming a habitual wake-up drink.

Heru was tense as he stood his ground. Whatever this was, who this was, would not gain ground on him. He snapped around at the sound of something falling, his senses sharp despite the blindness.

He was used to blindness by now.

He could feel the heat of the fire building around him, sulfur wafting up on a wind as he shifted his foot. He hand no weapons, but he was still an able bodied warrior. He would fight until he was unable to, and his opponent would find that out soon enough.

In the distance he could make out the sounds of a marching army, and voices filtered in…

Asking him questions. Demanding things of him.

“Be gone, for here I am King,” Heru stated stubbornly, his eyes narrowing. They didn’t listen, as they marched on. “BE GONE!” Growling, Heru shifted again. He had battled Seti for his kingdom, and he had lost it to another god. But his mind was his, and he would not give it up so easily.

Charging, he lashed out at the nearest voice, before….

He came awake in a start, sweat slipping over his chest as he set up slowly and looked around the room. Everything was in place, in order….as it should be. Only his dreams, again, were lost in some heated battle.

“Beast,” he muttered darkly, before pushing his covers off and standing. He imagined he could call Jupiter and speak to the god about what was going on, but it annoyed him slightly that the Greek would sometimes treat him as a lesser god.

It was a reaction he tired to drill out with practice and mediation. But there would be no easing his mind tonight, and there was but one person he couldn’t care if he inflicted a foul temper on.

His uncle.

Lifting his phone, he fished out the last check that Sutekh and dialed the number on it. Someone would tell him what was going on, even if Sutekh didn’t help with information, it would be a good way to release his annoyance and tension.

At least Set could feel somewhat useful. Heh.

( We all have nightmares. )


Jerking awake, Hermes gasped desperately for air, looking at the room around him in a quiet sort of terror as he shook. The bedside clock blinked 2:00 at him as he pulled himself out of bed and frowned softly. This wasn’t his idea of pleasant. Why couldn’t they have just dumped the coffin into the fucking Atlantic and been done with it?

Nothing good ever came out of these things. Nothing good at all.

Dressing, he grabbed his keys before moving into the kitchen of the condo and pouring himself a glass of water. He should have gone back to sleep, but he was starting to feel there wasn’t much point.

Not when….He shuddered, before downing the watering and moving out of the kitchen and toward his door. He needed air. A run would clear his head, would relax him. Take his mind off the lack of sleep.

Gods, he was going to miss sleep if this kept going on.

Running the long con was hard work. All that lying and deceiving. It made a theoi tired.

Heh.

And happy.

Coming home after a long, hard day of kissing ass and making decisions that affect an entire country of mortals, Dolos closed the front door, dropped his briefcase and looked around.

"Ooooh, honey! I'm home!"

It hadn't been too difficult to ascertain the general vicinity the new Theoi was playing in, at least once one had access to a police scanner. Reports of things flying about was her first clue, and once she got to the area, the localized freakish weather was enough to clue her in.

The tricky part, of course, was finding one particular person in a city the size of New York, no matter how small the neighborhood was. Luckily, fate was something she often held in the palm of her hand. Até walked around the streets, working her magic on the probability of chance encounters, setting up a string of coincidences that led to the eventual meeting she hopped for.

She was leaning against the side of a building when she felt him pass by, and it was easy to tell who he was.. the power in him was heady. She fell into step beside him, lasting only a few steps before he turned on her.

It wasn't so much a conversation as a mind assault. It was more subtle than the screaming at the museum, and far more individualized, and it took all her concentration to keep him out of her mind as he backed her against a wall. She could feel the questions pushing against her wards, and some answers slipped though... who were they, where were they from, why were they there.

More important, to her at least, was what he offered. Between his questions, she could ask her own, questions that mirrored his. Who, what, why. And those answers would be her bargaining chip.

He was done with her soon enough, a fact she found quite agreeable- he was crazy strong, and she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to hold her own against him. When he finally left she felt like her head had been shoved against a wall, or run through a grater. But she'd gotten enough of what she wanted... enough for a plan. Or at the very least, a bit of currency.

It was New York, and easy to catch a cab, now that the sudden storm had ended. with an exhausted sigh she slid into the seat, and nodded to the cabbie, giving the address for her hotel. It was time for home.

[In a text message sent to Aphrodite from Ossa's blackberry]

Hey Doll, how did you fare at the party?

As soon as the screaming stopped, Ares was ready for a fucking fight. But the stupid bitch was already gone. Gods damn it. First that lippy fucking angel and now his head fucking hurt.

He was going home. And by home, he meant Dite's.

Her head was pounding. What the fuck was that? Kia hadn't had a hangover in centuries and she didn't remember actually drinking that much last night..."ATE!"

Shock made her sit straight up in bed, looking wildly for her sister. Which only led to her clutching her head in pain. "Fuck, that hurt." Cracking an eye open, she looked at the bed she was laying in and at the unfamiliar room. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The voice on the other end of the phone spoke quickly then hung up. Ossa ripped the phone out of the wall, threw it to the ground and stomped on it. Luckily, no one was there to see her tantrum. What the fuck was the point of being a billionaire media mogul if you couldn't control the FUCKING MEDIA. Gods damn internet fucking blogs. They were fucking up her cool.

It took several minutes but when she stepped out of her office, her face had no sign of her anger. She gave her assistant a cold look. "Call Gideon. Tell him the deal with the internet fell through and that I'll need to see him tomorrow at noon. Let him know that is not an optional meeting. Also, I'll need a new telephone and get someone up here to clean up this mess before General Aegis gets here. When she does, she is to be brought to me immediately. Think you can do that, Amanda?"

Her assistant nodded quickly, managing to write all of that down. Ossa just gave her a stare. "Well, get on it then!" And walked back into her office. She needed to find something sexy to wear. This is just what she needed to take her mind off the fucking internet bitches.

They were late, which was mostly his own fault, but Hermes didn’t let their tardiness keep him from a shower and shave. Besides, traveling to the One God’s realm had more than taken its toll on Hermes, and all for little knowledge. He’d been rather disgruntled upon his return, waving off Ares as he walked back to the hotel deep in his own thoughts.

Nalzorlo had been little to no help, and regardless of if it was the presence of Ares or not that distracted the Angel…Hermes was without so much as a hint of what to expect. He knew that whatever it was, it was South American. And obviously it had been put to rest for good reasons. Good and probably terrible reasons if he read between the lines.

A day after his meeting, he was still stuck on what it was that naggled at him.

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist before turning to inspect his shave job in the mirror.

“Well, well, aren’t you just a heavenly sight…”

Hermes let out a startled yelp, before slipping on a puddle and landing hard on the toilet seat. “For the love of Zeus,” Hermes exclaimed, looking up at the angel with a disgruntled expression. “Nalzorlo! What the fuck are you doing….in my bathroom?”

“Well you were not in D.C., so I tracked you here…” The angel gave him a completely innocent expression, before tilting his head to the side. “Your wife is so beautiful, you know? If I weren’t an angel…”

“Nalzorlo!”

“What? Oh, right…I wanted to talk to you, obviously. God wishes me pass on a message….”

Hermes waited, staring at the angel for a long time before, leaning in and glaring a little harder. “Well?”

“You know, you Greeks are so…annoying.”

“Nalzorlo!”

“Can I get a drink? I don’t get to have much wine in Heaven.” He didn’t wait for an answer before walking out of the bathroom and into the Hotel’s bedroom. Hermes followed with a displeased look, grabbing a sweater to pull on as Nalzorlo walked right by Peitho and into the main area of their hotel suite. “He wanted me to let you know, Hermes, that there was no stopping pre-destination. There is also the matter of god, that he was put to sleep for a reason…and for all our sakes, he should stay asleep. Oh…grapes. I love grapes.”

She had almost considered crashing at Limos' place when they had run out of Bloody Marys. It would have been easy, and easily explainable, but not going back to the hotel seemed like a silent confession of guilt, one she wasn't ready to make yet, if ever. The air was still cool at night, and she'd refused the offer of a cab, choosing to walk back, using the time to clear her head of any effects the alcohol might have left. It might not be the smartest time to wander around Central Park, but there were times a girl could only hope she'd have trouble - alas, tonight was not that night.

At the questioning glance of the hotel night clerk she waved her keycard towards him and she'd made her way up to the penthouse, quiet as she stepped into the hall. There was a very good chance Momos was asleep, and as ready as she might be for whatever he might toss at her, he needed rest. the faint click of the lock releasing sounded loud to her, and she was careful as she closed the door, shrugging out of her jacket and tossing it on the nearby chair before stepping into the main part of the suite.

A quick glance let her see that he was not up and waiting, and there was a slight sense of disappointment, though mostly relief. Pissed as she was, he needed sleep. She was quiet as she moved about the suite, taking a quick shower and preparing for bed. Pausing in the doorway of the bedroom, she watch him as he slept, unable to stop the light smile that formed. After a moment she stepped forward, careful as she pulled the covers back, sliding in beside him, out of habit curling beside him, her arm draping over his back. Tomorrow would be soon enough to discuss things.

It really took very little time to get out of New York City. If there was one place a person could get a flight to at any time it was Las Vegas, and she'd gone straight from the museum to the airport, booking the the first first-class ticket she could, with only the shortest of detours to grab her luggage.

It was an easy flight, and she'd gotten some rest, leaving her both tired and wired when she landed in her city of choice. To awake to sleep and not wanting to deal with the crowds, she directed her driver to one of her favourite places in the city... if there was one place a gal could mellow out, it was at her brother's home.

Three quick knocks to the door had her standing and waiting, and she could really only hope one of them was awake enough to hear it.

His head hurt, like a dull ache that tracked a long path around his head and rested with sharp pangs at the base of his skull. It jammed into his mind, and all he could do was walk out of the museum slowly, a part of the stone spear still in his hand.

This was not how he had imagined things turning out, and in a heavy manner he plopped down on the steps of the museum without a care for elegance or appearance. His head hurt, his body felt a bit drained...

And he'd shared a room with people he'd much rather have ignored. It was odd how that worked out. Being King was draining. Eventually, someday, he'd never have to play this ridiculous role again. Leaning back against the steps he ignored the painful way they jabbed into his back and closed his eyes. Despite the cold and darkness, he could imagine his wings spread wide as he drifted upon the warm winds of the Egypt desert, the sun beating down on his falcon form as he had no cares accept for how high he could go...

How far away from everything he could be.

Limos couldn't scramble out of the museum fast enough, glancing back to see Horkos and Eris coming out a bit more slowly. Damn, that was the most fucked up crap.

"This is why I do not do get togethers," Limos muttered, sighing as he looked back and restrained a laugh. Hori was trying to carry Kia out of the Museum, but the boy looked pretty ridiculous, stumbling along the steps as he seemed to bitch about the unpleasantness of the night.

"Hey, you want to help?" Horkos called out finally, giving Limos no time to really escape to the luxury of his condo and a glass of wine. "Well?"

"You could have just left her in there, Hori..." Limos suggested, though he moved to help Hori carry their sister. "It isn't like anyone would have noticed?"

"You know, I sometimes wonder why we all think you are such an awesome big brother...."

"What?!" Ug, next time, he was skipping the reunion.

They could stand around discussing things as much as they wanted, but there some things that waited for no one. the wards Zeus and Isis had placed were stopgaps to begin with, and the slow, fateful ruin of the bindings around the ancient god took the decisions out of the hands of the other Theoi. It started as a small crack along the bottom of the sarcophagus, opening into an ever-growing chasm as it traveled its way up, the crackling of the old stone faint yet deafening as it sounded in the room. There was a moment of silence, then a crash as the front disintegrated, revealing to the room the dusty confines of the coffin. At first glance there was nothing inside save a decayed skeleton and canopic-style jars, but the sudden presence in the room was more than enough to let the Theoi know there was a newly awakened among them.

Yet only the emotional half of the god was released, his logical side still trapped where it was, and what was free was not pleased. The room filled with sound as the disembodied Theoi roared, his mind lashing out at any unwarded mind in the room. A slow steady whirlwind swept through the exhibit, pulling matter towards the center where the now broken sarcophagus stood.

[OOC: if you have Mind 2 or higher, you can ward yourself from the mind attack. If you have Mind 4, you can ward others as well. if you have no mind, and no one with mind wards you, imagine a sudden, shrieky migraine that's penetrating thoughts and concentration - like a mental scream. Granted, even those with mind will be taking some damage in the time it takes to block it... and it hurts. ]