Chapter 9 Losing
"Where in the world do you come up with such ideas?" An engineer by the name of Victor asked Athena. He was the first person in the city to take Athena seriously in inventing, now they always worked together.
Athena shrugged and replied, "I do not know. I just do. How is it that you come up with your ideas?"
"Right. Of course I suppose you could not explain any easier than I." He replied as they two looked over prints Athena had made, blueprints on how to pump water into buildings. A project that would take a long time to get right.
"If we could make this idea work then it would be revolutionary. No one would have to leave their house for water to cook if we can get it working for all." He exclaimed.
"Working on a new project Athena?" The familiar smooth voice of Kozmotis asked, standing behind his friend.
She turned around to face him with a smile, always happy to see him, having never done so outside of the forest either.
"Yes. A way to be able to pump water into the homes of the people." She replied and added, "I'm sorry I'm being rude. Victor this is Kozmotis. Kzmotis, Victor."
"Ah is he your lover?" Victor questioned with a sly grin. He and Athena had developed a friendship over the past few years of working together, he had quickly learned that she was fun to tease and immediately caught on that she liked Kozmotis by the look on her face when she heard his voice from behind. He decided to embarrass her a little.
"W-what? We are good friends I told you this." Athena stuttered while blushing lightly.
Victor could see that he had embarrassed Kozmotis as well.
Ah so they do like each other but do not know it. I think I could have some fun with this. Victor thought, being a very mischievous person, but not being able to express it very often. His wife didn't mind it very much but most of his friends found it a little annoying after a while.
"Right, terribly sorry I forgot, it is just that the way Athena has spoken of you it seems you are very close." Victor replied.
"We are." Kozmotis answered.
"Well I think we are done for the day. I will set up a meeting so that we may show your new plans to the council for approval. Have a nice day you two." Victor said while rolling up the scrolls and handing them back to Athena.
"Alright, see you tomorrow." Athena replied as he headed off to work on another project.
"First time seeing you in town." Athena commented.
"Likewise. I was actually hoping to see you today." Kozmotis answered.
"For?" Athena asked.
"I wanted to invite you to go to the Winter Solstice ball with me." He replied.
Me? a-are you sure? I mean I'm really not the kind of person you'd want to take to a ball, wouldn't you rather take another girl? Someone more...lady-like?" Athena asked, feeling embarrassed, taking Kozmotis off guard.
Since when are you self conscious? He wondered but had to admit it was adorable they way she acted when embarrassed.
"You know you could say no." He replied.
"No! I mean that's not what I meant, it's just that I did not expect anyone to want to go with me. I'd probably just embarrass you." She tried to explain. He sighed in his 'will you just answer please?' sort of way that she recognized. It would be followed by a similar phrase so she added, "I-if you are being serious then I would like to go with you."
Kozmotis smiled, his soft golden eyes lighting up. Athena smiled back, seeing that he was serious when he asked.
Athena landed on the ground hard. It was only a week away from Halloween and the Guardians had only barely slowed down Pitch's gaining power. She rolled out of the way as the large double bladed scythe came down and imbedded itself into the ground right where she had been a split second ago.
"Have you ever noticed that you have some gray hair? I had noticed that a couple of weeks ago but I didn't think much about it until now. Those fearlings inside you don't do much for your health do they? Not that they ever did, they always stressed you out even if you tried to hide it." Athena commented, jumping to her feet and blocked the scythe with the blade of a chain scythe. Pitch pulled back and swung again, this time Athena ducked and allowed one of her chain scythe blades to catch onto Pitch's scythe and used the other to yank it from his hands and threw it about thirty feet away. The blade stuck into the ground and had taken her weapon with it, leaving the two weaponless.
"How is it that you seem to remember your life before you died but I cannot remember my human life well?" Pitch asked, starting to become tired of the comments about his life before but not being able to remember much of it.
"Because I was given and accepted my new life. Yours was forced upon you when the fearlings took over your body. It would have been hard for them to continue to corrupt your mind and personality if you retained your memories. That's my guess at least." She replied, immediately she jumped to the side as his scythe appeared in his hand again and swung.
"How dare you strike at a weaponless opponent." Athena said in a mockingly offended tone and created a temporary magic shield to protect herself with until North's sleigh came around. Bunnymund grabbed Athena by the back of the hoddie she was wearing and pulled her into the sleigh as it flew off.
Athena was about to question why they were fleeing until she went to the back of the sleigh to see a sea of nothing but black sand, thunder and lightning in pursuit.
"How did he get so powerful so quickly?" Athena asked.
"Children all over are having nightmares regardless of his influence because of time of year. Not only is it Halloween but it's also a part of year where many storms form easily and there have been many around the world the past month, spreading fear as well as the children having nightmares and fearing horror movies and haunted houses. We need help, we have to stop the spread of fear." North responded.
"That's impossible." She replied and sat on the back of the sleigh with her head in her hands looking at her feet.
"Then how are we supposed to stop him before Halloween?" Bunny questioned.
"I'll think of something." She responded.
"You'll think of something? That's your response? You say you know Pitch but you're just as clueless as the rest of us." He responded.
"Go suck an egg and let me think!" Athena snapped in frustration, giving them all a confused expression because they had surprised expressions themselves.
"What? Sorry for getting snappy but I don't like being questioned while trying to think." She said.
"That's not it. Pitch had said the same thing to Bunny when he first came around with the nightmare sand." Tooth said.
"So? Probably unconsciously remembered it and it ended up being a fitting phrase to tell the Eater Bunny to bug off. Katherine had said it to a bully once when she was little. Unfortunately I had more influence over her behavior than her father so she was more outspoken during a time where women with such traits were not treated very well." She responded.
"Then what influence did Pitch have over her child development?" Jack asked out of curiosity.
"Interests." She replied without hesitation.
"Like?" He asked.
"Ask me another time and I'll tell you. Right now we need to at least make a dent in getting rid of this black sand. Sandy? Jack? Will you help me?" She responded.
"With what?" Jack asked, Sandy didn't question, just smiled and nodded. Athena concentrated and created what looked like a rocket launcher.
"I need help in creating the ammunition for this thing. If it works like it should then we'll be firing ice and dreamsand rockets to change and destroy as many of those nightmares as we can." She explained.
"The last time you did something like this is weakened you and Sandy. What will this one do?" Tooth asked concerned.
"It's shouldn't take as much out of us since three of us will be working together on it. But no matter what it is if it required us using our abilities it will tire us to a degree." Athena responded.
"How do we do this?" Jack asked.
"You two put a hand on the launcher and focus on making a rocket for it, it'll do the rest and then I'll fire it." She said. They did as she said until a beautiful rocket was lauded into the launcher. It was rocket shaped but ice and golden sand swirled together. Athena waved her wand and it launched, exploding in the sea of black, a shower of snow, black and gold sand spread and fell from the sky. The three continued this until North threw a snow globe to open a portal that closed behind them.
"That worked well." Tooth said with a smile.
"Sorry to be the damper but it didn't help very much and it's not very efficient. Have to think of something better. Right now we aren't doing so hot against these stupid nightmares even if we don't fear them." Athena replied as the sleigh landed. They were at the Tooth Palace so Tooth could work easier while they collaborated. Sandy was okay to work there as well since it's now nighttime in region.
"What do you mean it's not efficient?" North asked.
"It occupies half of us, yes the thing can pack a punch but it is a very good opening for other nightmares to attack us. Gah! I can't focus." She said through gritted teeth and started muttering under her breath as different projectiles and other weapons appeared at her feet along with a number of other odd gizmos and gadgets.
"What are you doing?" Bunnymund questioned.
"Tossing ideas. Helps me focus better if I get other ideas in my head out to make space. I'll sort them out on who would have better use out of them later." She replied as more things appeared around them. After a few minutes she stopped letting out a sigh and rubbing her temples before getting up and moving things around and muttered to herself before summoning her broom and flew off into the night sky.
"Whoa where she going?" Bunny asked. A shape of a moon appeared above Sandy's head in response.
"To the moon? Why?" He asked. Sandy shrugged.
"She does talk about Manny in high regards even if she created him. Perhaps she is seeking advice from a good friend." North suggested and picked up a few of the items Athena had created and started to test them out to see what they did and who could use them.
Your mind is not usually so full that you cannot focus. What is troubling you? The moon asked Athena.
"Everything. I feel like the answer to freeing Pitch from the fearlings is right in front of me and I can't even think of anything good enough to help destroy the nightmare sand. I wish I could talk to Pitch without any fighting involved. Maybe if I could help him remember his human life the real him could fight the darkness inside him." She replied.
I don't think it will be that easy. The fearlings will not allow something like that to happen so easily. They are vengeful beings and relish in having control over the man who defeated them the first time. I have been fighting to keep them at bay and it has slowed down the spread of more fear for nightmares but the fearlings have still been gaining strength, giving Pitch more strength to create nightmares. Man in the Moon replied.
"Can they not create the nightmares on their own?" Athena asked.
It seems they cannot. They need Pitch to control the nightmares and gain more power for the fearlings he controls as well. He replied.
"Pitch is the fearlings ticket to power as well as their only way to control and creating the nightmares as well as their vessel." She said to herself, mostly to keep things straight.
It would seem so.
"Do you think you would be able to help us out here? I think I have an idea." She asked.
I will do what I can. The moon replied.
Hello all: Bonjour! Comment ça va? Sorry for slow updating, stuff gets in the way and my brain gets distracted. Anyways I think I will be enlisting help from anyone who wants to help. I will be needing a couple new characters because war will be upon the world soon so the Guardians will be in need of help and I will need ideas for a couple of new characters to help out when that time comes. Ideas for characters are fine, human/spirit/other species or OC's are acceptable. Just send me a message or let me know in a review if you have an OC or an idea for a character that I can use to create one myself and I will go from there when the time comes for them to show up. I have yet to determine how many/few I will need so there's no limit right now. Thank you all for your continued support!
