Tactical Withdrawl

Should've figured things were going far too well.

Aphrodite showed up in Troy and pulled out the nuclear option.  While it makes me proud that some part of it probably means Zeus is having a panic attack, the bitch has cost us a great deal.  Or he's pissed, but if he was that mad, I'm inclined to believe he'd show up himself.  In a way it's a good sign, but given everything we took, and what was already stockpiled...

Lost access to Donny's band, too.  Didn't have time to get the ones that were in Troy out.  Not happy about that either, but there's little that can be done.  Hopefully the ones that weren't will have the sense to stay out of Dodge.  Have to admit though, Lexi did surprise me.  Given how keen the little dingbat has been to play along with Aphrodite's bullshit in the past, I expected her to go running to her mother's arms and sell us out.  She didn't.  She pulled some magic bullshit that's probably going to bite her in the ass later and somehow managed to summon Loki of all people.  He opened up a portal for us out into the ass-end of a forest farther north in Europe, near a temple to Artemis.  Diana, this far up north, but close enough.  And no doubt Lexi will be making a point that she 'helped us escape' or 'got us out of there'.  She did, but fate won't take kindly to her meddling, and I don't want -us- caught in the backlash.  Besides, a chopper would've gotten us out of there just the same.  She does, however, get credit for the try, and for actually not simply dropping in with her mother.

Does give me more incentive to head back to the Isle and talk to the powers that be amongst the Tuatha.  I hadn't wanted to bring them in, with previous bad blood between them and Olympus, but there's little choice now.  We nattered on some about where to set up shop.  Avalon is out - Greeks really aren't welcome there, yet.  Pretty much leaves Thuringia where we wouldn't have to start completely without resources.  Cindy and Lexi seemed to think the Bitch could walk in and do the same thing she did at Troy, but Loki had a point.  If she pulls it in someone else's territory there would be...consequences.  There are going to be consequences either way.  Once we've the strength, both in our own divine blood and militarily and Olympus is taken, with someone new on the throne...well.  I'd been willing, despite my distaste for her, to let the Aphrodite issue slide in favor of getting things stabilized.  No more.  Part of the price for handing the crown to whoever we can get to take it is going to be Aphrodite getting her bitch-ass smacked down so far into the dirt she's going to be spitting out chunks of Earth's core.  That....woman is not escaping this without justice being served.

Things weren't all bad, though.  Loki offered us an army.  An army of the dead, in fact.  The one that had been meant for Ragnarok itself, just waiting to be turned loose.  For a rather small price of heading down into Helheim to figure out what's wrong with Hal's mother and why she's closed it off to traditional ways.  Works for me.  And I know Hal has his Yazata-paranoia going....but if any harm had acutally come to his mother, I think it would've been a bit more obvious then just closing down shop.  You don't kill or incapacitate a god like that without major, major consequences to the fabric of reality.  And there don't seem to have been any major ripples.  Could be wrong, of course, but I don't believe I am.  And even if Hal's right, and Vayu is trying to get at him...it'd be easier to just come after Hal himself.  Assaulting a god in their own realm, especially a death goddess, is one of the most foolhardy things I can think of.  And I can think of a lot of stupid things.

We can't take the gods with us, though...so Artemis, Ares, and the Morrigan are staying behind.  I asked Artemis to find us a place beyond Thuringia to use if she could, or to shore up the castle if not.  Like I told her, a hunter's eye towards defense is the best way to go.  Asked Ares to see about gathering us up a more conventional army then the walking dead.  As for sister...I told her I'm going to need to talk to the High Court when we're done with this.  Hopefully she can put in a good word for me.

Ended up taking a day or so to get the supplies for our trip together.  The rest of us would be ok, but Lexi's relative frailness posed the biggest issue.  I'm leaving behind the metal salvaged for me from the birds, in Artemis' care.  I know I can trust her to keep it safe for me.  Maybe even make something for her from it.  Much as I already said thanks, words just don't seem like enough.  Maybe even Ares, too, given the help he's given us.  But mostly for her.

Spoke to her during the night while I had taken some time away from camp to think.  Not sure if she's impressed or bemused over the crap I've pulled in the past couple weeks.  Hopefully the former.  And she wandered out to find me after Ares started hitting on the Morrigan by trying to compare beheading techniques on zombies.  Artemis is right, the thought of those two doing anything together makes me ill.  Of course, I had been out here to practice a bit with some of my powers.  Like I said, much of it right now makes me feel a bit silly.

Told her I would weave her a chair or her own hammock with the starlight threads I can summon, but that they don't react well to others playing with them.  Bloody woman seemed to think I just wanted her in -mine-.  I'm forward but I'm not that bad.  ...most of the time, anyway.  Ugh.  I'm starting to think I need to reevaluate how I handle things of that nature.  In any case, we talked.  Some about Apollo...but she's not gonna give me a hand avoiding her murder-tendencies for people close to Artemis.  If it comes to it and I can't convince him otherwise, I'll just find a way to get him and Aphrodite together.  It would serve both of them right.

We talked a bit about my affinity for the night sky, too.  Showed her the other 'showy' trick I can do and called down starlight to settle on/around me.  Whole thing makes me feel rather silly, which is why I came out this far.  Artemis claimed it made me 'rather fetching'.  Which would imply I'm not normally, but I really can't bring myself to be even the slightest bit irritated.  And...given that I came out that far to relax, Artemis felt the need to throw a monkey wrench in that plan.  Or distract me further.  As much as I am comfortable and...relaxed around her, I'm starting to wonder what all I've got myself into.  Feeling a bit like the mouse a cat is just watching before it pounces.  Funnier thing is...don't even mind.  Have to wonder if I've realized this since Avalon, or if it's new.  Doesn't matter either way.

Unfortunately, the next day did show up.  We're going to be taking a climb down the World Tree to get to Helheim, one of the few ways left that might be open.  Got all the supplies.  But in the end, we needed a blood sacrifice to open the way.  Most of us gave our own...Hal gave enough for Lexi as well.  This is going to be a long, long climb down.  Probably getting harassed most of the way, too.  Lovely thought, but the cause is going to be worth it in the end.