Looking Back

So, Donny's stupid little museum just imploded...sort of.  I've figured out why.  I'm mad, and I intend to talk with the one responsible, but I understand it.  Especially given everything I've learned about how Fate sees some of us, and why I seem to have been given Odysseus' role.

And I've done the one thing none of them ever dreamed of doing, because it was far easier to believe Donny was simply some poor, persecuted soul, and Aphrodite wasn't playing petty games with her children.  I actually went out and talked to Goras.  Myself, and Kennedy, ventured to the Palace of Knossus itself to speak to him.  A nice place, truely.  Might have to get one of my own like it some day.  But...talking to Goras.  It's something we should've done ages ago, even before Nikky got pinched by his troops.  Then again, why would we?  It wouldn't fit with the perfect little image we've dredged up for Lexi and her mother.

He certainly isn't an evil man.  He's not even after territory or conquest, something I'm certain the others would never accept, nor understand, as it would require actually challenging their own beliefs on everything that's been going on.  And to do that would require moral fortitude most of them have now quite clearly displayed they don't have.  We had a month, and what did most of us do?  Nothing of ultimate import to the matter at hand.  Nobody came back with plans to end this successfully without bloodshed, or methods to simply break the compulsion to make Donny and Harmonia more pliable to talking it out.  Nothing.  Myself and Kennedy are the only ones who actually spent time working our tails off to stop this insanity barreling down on us.

Goras is also big on Tuatha-style hospitality.  Good booze and good food for meetings that can change the world.  We toasted as we sat down.  His, to civilization.  Mine, to saving what we could in the times to come.  Seemed to approve of it.  Kennedy, as always, did not say much.  She never does, really, so it's easier to tell when something is important with her when she acutally does open her trap.  Goras even apologized for the night Nikolas was grabbed.  Nikky was to be under supervision in case the Donny situation went out of control(which it has.)  He hadn't realized until after the fact we were supposed to be looking out for him.  Which we obviously didn't, because they spent more time pissing and moaning over my business in getting them a prophecy which led us more fully to Troy and possible consequences after.

I began to simply lay out my larger plans, and the consequences I foresaw.  What I, Kennedy, and Goras now know is that there is a substantial NATO air mission fueling and arming for a strike against Troy.  With the obvious defensive emplacements Donny put into place, it was incredibly easy to mark them as part of a terrorist/anti-governmental group taking control of the city, with 'poor' Donny and Harmonia as hostage-figureheads.  And stated that I'd need help with getting the other pieces into play and actually kickstarting the mission.  That's when Goras began to lay out his end of the deal on the table.  I must say...it certainly was an enlightening tale, and I could sense no falsehood with him.  As far as Goras knows, it all was truth.

The Dodekathenoi are just as close, if not closer, to war as the rest of the world.  It shouldn't take many words to state what an incredibly bad prospect a God-war on Olympus would be.  The place would be lost.  Because each of the gods has their own private armies, and any one of those armies could, with the aid of a god that didn't understand or just didn't care, smuggle a nuclear device onto Olympus itself.  No doubt some of the gods who might be there when such a device went off would survive...but precious few.  Too few, with all the demi-gods and heroes at each other's throats on the slopes all vaporized, to defend against a certainly inevitable Titan onslaught.  And with the Greek gods dead, Olympus a smoldering ruin, the real enemy has a massive stronghold in the heart of Europe.

Lovely thought.  But, he said, if we do this properly and quickly, all of this will be remembered as a minor tiff.  He has people in place to help assure it doesn't devolve into a massive mortal war as well.  I wish I could have faith in that working, but...I have to plan for the worst case.  Easier to adapt.  If I do nothing, as the others would...someone might get it wrong.

The possibility he floated of my and Kennedy's aid in settling this healing the long-standing feud between Greek and Tuatha would be buried, perhaps for good, is one I have fondness for.  At this point...I laid out my three possibilities.  There's no real need to go in-depth here...the parties that need to know the details, know them.  Essentially, though, the first is to simply erase Troy, and everyone in it, from exsistence.  Not an option I like.  Too much room for things to still explode in our faces, though the odds of it are low with the Greek social chameleons in place.  The second, and my preferred method, given everything I knew then and certainly know now, is what I have NATO in place for.  With the 'Walls of Troy' knocked down, Goras can march his people in and collect Donny(and Harmonia.  Hal can't take them all, if I can't talk him down), and take him back to Olympus to settle all of this.  The third is the least likely, especially now, and the only thing resembling what the rest of the band had planned for - talking Donny and Harmonia into laying down their arms and returning to Olympus to settle this mess like reasonable adults.

I still think Donny could be convinced to see it that way...if we can convince Harmonia.  He can get back at his mother by joining with Zeus.  Zeus gets his prestige and right to rule back after centuries of mortal mythologists treating him and most of the Greeks as a running joke, and Aphrodite can get her meddling ass knocked down a few hundred pegs for almost sending the world into nuclear fire.  Unfortunately, Goras said there can't be any direct action against the Bitch.  It makes sense, given everything, it's just...I have no words for how frustrating it is.

Which is going to surprise people to learn.  I can see Donny's point - he's tired of being pushed around by overstuffed jackasses, and is finally putting his foot down and saying 'No more.'  Zeus has spent centuries getting the same treatment from mortals, and now some little assjackal comes along and says 'Fuck all y'all'? Pushing back against a fate and a world hellbent on terrorizing and hurting you makes sense.  But...damnit.  There's no good way out of this.  So I have to take the option with the best chance for, if not success, then a result that not only saves the most lives we can, but will solve the largest issues behind all of this.  That's the stupid thing about all of this...Donny and Zeus working together would end the whole shebang in an instant.

But...damn if I know how to get him to Olympus outside of chains.  And if Goras can't get to him on his own, Zeus may well take to the field himself.  It would bring about his objectives, but...the thought still worries me.  I'm not sure if the general populace is ready to realize exactly what's going on behind the veil.  It may end up necessary...especially given what else Goras spoke of.  He had...very good points on the fact that the mortals have driven themselves straight into the ground and keep on digging.  One only has to look at Greece as it was before Goras stepped in and cleaned house.  Now?  It's the premiere economic powerhouse in Europe.  We could do the same for the US, the same for Ireland...if the divine-blooded were in place to do so.

But he's right.  Sometimes there's too much dead brush clogging the way for new growth, it's why farmers have to burn fields sometimes.  Unfortunately...that dead brush is everything Donny has built in Troy.  He has to be removed, one way or the other.  He can't win a war against the heavens.  He can't be allowed to drag one out.  If it has to be done, I'll deliver his body to Zeus myself.  I really don't want to.  I don't enjoy killing, even if I recognize the reality that it has to be done.  It's something mom always tried to make sure I knew.  And something MIST, the Tuatha I've met, even the Greeks like Goras.  Sometimes, it needs to be done, to create a better future.

If Fate wants her blood price, she'll have it, spilled or no.

Sometimes there has to be a sacrifice.

And the Horse You Rode in On

Well.  Unsurprisingly, everyone is rushing off to do Lexi's stupid plan of 'Let's go talk to them, without any other thoughts or plans whatsoever!'.  Because not only did Troy start with an attempted negotiation, it ended up in a ten year war.  Nobody else, save Kennedy, seems to accept the possibility of failure, and none of them are willing to prepare for a fight, again, save Kennedy.  She's been helping me out a great deal with my plans, especially with the information she sent me about the weapon shipments to General Goras.

But that was after all the...fun.  Once everyone but Kenny assumed I just wanted a fight(AND didn't even give me a chance to explain.  Dicks.), I decided to blow that popsicle stand.  So, I left with the aspect of the Morrigan that had been with me of late, and we went to find a scumbag to serve as a sacrificial payment for her prophecy.  It didn't take too long...child molester, rapist, the whole works, taking advantage of the supernatural orgy going on too.  A bit of false charm had him trapped in a warehouse.  Then...Lexi decided she could interfere with family business.

I get it, and it's kind of sweet she 'didn't want me to become a murderer'.  But she still had no business stepping into my bargains when I actually help, and none of those people wanted to listen to it in the first place until I forced the goddamn issue.  Then try to bend me over the barrel by pretending she had the bargain position when she was the one trying to save the prick's life over the phone.  But...I went along with it all.  I doubt the midget is going to be happy when she finds out I took off his entire set of fingers and toes, but what can you do?

We had a month to kill time, after I rejoined them.  I spent some time with Cindy, but most of it was focused on getting the fallback plans in place.  I spoke at length with the General, too.  He's actually rather interested in trying to get this talked out, an encouraging sign.  He even had some extra input on how to proceed with the NATO part of the attack if things go south.  The guy is even willing to send us an honor guard if it -does- come down to a fight, so we have time to escape while the NATO air strikes are inbound.

I might have to keep in touch with him.  He isn't a bad guy.  Just as stuck in this bullshit as the band, when it comes down to it.  Besides, having my own network of contacts as things go on is only going to help.  Especially when my plans get brushed aside.  I'm starting to think this is how every soldier and officer feels when the politicians brush their work aside and try to run a war themselves.

I've got my own blade now, too.  Solid smithing, the engravings are all right on the steel.  I've got to send Kenny and Steiner a thank you note, they really came through on that one.

Guess I don't have all that much else to write now.  I just need to decide that if we can talk Donny and Harmonia down, whether or not to have Goras and NATO flatten the little army they've built up for themselves just to be safe.

That was productive

Well, Delphi was...interesting.  In the 'wow, is that actually a city-wide orgy' kind of interesting.  I mean...damn.  Got some nice video footage though.  We did finally manage to get through the city though, thanks to Hal.  Well, at least his 'I'm a big scary guy' schtick.  We finally found where the oracle was supposed to be...

Only to hear from her annoyed(justifiably) secretary that she wasn't in today.  Given that Hal was being Captain Jerkass McDouchenstein, anyway.  And people say I need to chill sometimes, damn.  We did get an address out of her, though, for where the oracle was.  Meant another trip through the city, but hey, more pictures right?

So, we head on up to her apartment.  Cassandra answered.  Looks like a fourteen year old kid.  Kind of wonder if she's the Cassandra, but would've been impolite to ask.  Possible, given how she later mentioned she was somewhere in the thousands.  When Cin asked if the oracle was there...well, Cassie's response was totally, and completely, lame.  When I told her so...well, can't say I blame her for not wanting to do it.  She has to see whatever memory or whatever we give her, and is stuck with the vision to boot.  No wonder she seemed a bit on edge.

Of course, Hal continued to act like Colonel Alan Dickweed, Esquire.  He might have his reasons, he might just have an iron stick jammed up his backside.  Either way, that act wasn't going to win anyone over.  She brought out a rather epic retaliation.  And...damn.  Can't say I didn't build up some more sympathy for her.  Poor lass just wanted to go to her prom for God's sake, and because everybody needed easy answers, even that got taken from her.  Yeah, makes my issues when I was a teenager kind of insignifigant, but...damn if I don't sympathize with her.  Might have to do something nice for her, now that I have an address, and one for that office.  I'll think of something eventually.

Hal...god damn it, Hal.  We've never seen eye to eye on anything, but for the love of fuck, why did you insist on antagonizing an agent of Fate?  That's going to come back to bite you in the ass, and I sure as hell don't want it catching the rest of the band because you couldn't resist waving your dick at every problem and hoping it's impressed.

And then Cindy...damn it woman.  Poor kid gets screwed over by fate too and wants some time off to be a normal girl, and you get pissy too?  The oracles aren't slaves to be trussed up every time we need some answer we probably could've found by digging a bit deeper or asking elsewhere.  That's about the time my own temper started flaring up, but I fell back on the old McKenzie tactic - bottle it up where it can't hurt anyone, until I need to smash someone over the head with the bottle.

We finally got back outside, after Lexi knocked on the door to harass the poor girl again, and Cassie told us where two relatively nearby oracles were, or might be.  I still don't know why we ought to give any form of shit about Nikky or his idiotic question.  None of this is really our concern, and I hate that I'm being dragged along on some stupid errand while the world is going to pot.  Of course, Cin brought up Lexi's bleedin' saxophone.  Finally decided, hell, might as well start asking for advice myself  beyond plotting how to get revenge on that idiot Donnie.

So I mention we get one question if I ask the bird, and...guess what?  Every time I have an idea that is productive and sensible, everyone fucking ignores it and just turns to the pixie.  Because Claire is just a big, angry, gangly giant who's not good for anything other then shouting and snarking, right?  So, I stomped off.  Probably not the most mature of methods.  But what does it matter, eh?  Still wonder if I could've gotten away with just putting a few rounds down the street to see how people would react.

Still don't intend to stick my neck out on information next time if I don't have to.  Unless I cool down enough to just let it go, but....gods, I haven't gotten this angry in months.  And if they aren't going to listen, should I really bother speaking up?

The bird put her input in, like she tends to.  As annoying as it is when she takes chunks out of my ear, she's smart.  So...hell.  I opted to put my piece in anyway, regardless of the stupid sax music.  Which found out Donnie and Harmonia had run off together to some place with a stupid name.  Well, ok, I put my piece in after Cin asked me to google the stupid name.  So I just asked the bird where it was and what we'd face there.  I enjoyed playing that card immensely.

Of course, it wasn't crystal clear, but it's something to work with.  And it's more then just a dumb name we got from Lexi's sax, so that does make me happy.  Huzzah for spite, I guess.

She asked for a sacrifice for each question I have to ask.  Mind, no doubt it could be done in any particular fashion I had at hand, but there is something to be said for tradition sometimes.  I may ask one of the smith gods of the Tuatha for aid...this time would likely require a proper quest.  But what can ya do?  Prices to be paid for anything.

Eh.  I'm rambling.  We'll see how things go.  For now, I'm going to go practice some target shooting and bleed out some of the anger.