chapter 25
Mount Olympus - Olympus
They had fallen into silence and it was fine. Karissa didn't feel uncomfortable in it. Though she had been short with Loki earlier and part of her was ashamed because after his recent ordeal he didn't deserve her rudeness, but brush with death or not he was still scheming. It was a trait that apparently gave no credence to sudden flirtations with the afterlife. However, it was oddly enduring how easily he got back up after falling. Even after invading New York and being banished from Earth he'd waltzed into the helicarrier conference room with a sly grin, blissfully unhindered by his shackles or hostile surroundings. There was a thin line between confidence and arrogance. He walked it well, though his bristling remarks often made it mistakable for the latter.
"Who do we have here?" a woman's voice suddenly cooed.
Karissa stared up to see a dainty blonde dressed in deep red and drenched in gold. Her eyes locked onto Loki and Karissa shifted uncomfortably at the coming scene. She wasn't naïve enough to not realize the woman was about to gush over Loki's presence.
"You don't know who I am?" Loki asked with a raised brow, almost amused by the implication, though really he was just drawing it out, "I find that insulting..."
"No, but I'd like to," she smiled with a faint purse of her rosy lips, "Very much in fact."
"How discreet..." Loki commented though it was barely above a whisper.
"How do you two know each other?" she inquired as she pointed at them both.
"We don't," Karissa quickly replied, prompting a grin from Loki.
"How fortunate for me..." she remarked, "My name is Despoina. I'm from the Hall of Aphrodite. It's a shame you're not gifted with an essence. I would have remembered someone as handsome as you dwelling on the summit."
"Oh, I can assure you I'm gifted in other ways."
"By the twelve..." Karissa mumbled, though neither of them heard her as she rolled her eyes and contended to continue the journey to the top.
Loki leaned in before she departed and whispered something to Despoina. Suddenly she slapped him and marched off angrily down the mountain. Loki rubbed his jaw as he headed the opposite direction and Karissa quickly glanced away, as if to appear like she wasn't watching.
"She's not very subtle is she?" Loki chuckled as he pressed his pale fingers across his reddened cheek.
"Well, she is from the Hall of Aphrodite. She advises people in the art of, well, you know...There's no reason to be subtle about it."
"No need to be subtle about what?" he jokingly prodded with a raised brow.
"She advises people in the art of seduction...among other things..."
"The art of sex..." he all too happily filled in the rest for her, "That's definitely an art form, but I can assure you it can't be taught unless you're with the right partner."
Karissa suddenly coughed on air. She patted her chest and immediately started walking. This was not a conversation she was going to have with Loki. It just wasn't.
"Are you blushing?" Loki abruptly remarked as he moved around her before falling in step beside her, "Are you mad?"
"I am not indulging this," she commented before reluctantly going back on her word, "If anything I take no joy in being awkwardly privy to scenes of flirting."
"So you think I was flirting?"
"What?" Karissa questioned, confused by the direction the conversation was heading, "Of course you were. You both were. Though I will admit you might need some work."
Loki laughed and the sound gave her chills. Karissa took the opportunity to speed up her stride in the hopes of deterring the topic. Loki suddenly moved forward cutting off her path. She drew to a quick stop, barely managing to avoid bumping into him.
"I am deeply disturbed that you would find me so inept at the art of seduction. I have a silver tongue, remember?" a glimmer filled his eyes as he leaned forward and wrapped an arm about her waist, drawing her into intimate proximity.
Karissa tried to protest, but found her voice lost.
"I should think if I really wanted to I could captivate her, steal her very breath with the power of my words and the subtle brush of my lips. Then just as quickly as I drew her in, I'd leave her, trembling and wanting..."
Karissa let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and watched as Loki let go to begin his causal stroll up the mountain. She steadied herself to regain her composure before cautiously heading after him. There was something seriously wrong with that man, though that wasn't exactly a revelation given the history of his actions.
"...of course it always comes down to wanting," he called back, "And I do not want her."
"Well, you could have fooled me," Karissa mumbled, but jumped as Loki let out a well timed laugh that left her certain he had heard her.
Landing Site - Mount Hood National Forest - Oregon
Thor had finally enacted his plan, though it had taken far too long with all the talking. It was the one thing that always bothered him. Everyone around him seemed so keen to speak for hours. His father, Fury, everyone talking when really they needed to act.
Fury had offered them a transport ship and it had landed in a valley between the two groups trapped amid hostile forces. Hogun and Fandral agreed to make their way towards the largest group while Thor rescued Jane. He would return to help them once he knew she was safe. The logic of his plan was flawed, even he could see it, but it was precisely the reason why he asked Fury to keep Jane away from harm. If she was present all his efforts focused on her. She was the only thing that mattered and it was completely unreasonable in such dire circumstances.
Thor sped through the forest with Mjölnir in hand, until he saw the familiar glow of the shield in the distance. The sight temporarily drew his thoughts to Loki. He wondered how his brother was fairing on Olympus. Loki had worked so hard to get there and it now seemed probable he intended to stay, though what that meant for Agent Karissa Petras he didn't know. Fury would never forgive him if he lost one of his agent's to Loki's scheming, but honestly Thor would never forgive himself. He had placed his trust in Loki despite his better judgment. This would be the last time.
As Thor wove through the towering trees he finally saw the silhouette of Jane staring at the shield, though there was a man beside her. Thor suddenly felt a ping of jealousy. Someone else had seen her safely through this ordeal. As he neared however he realized something was off.
"Jane..." Thor whispered, but as the woman turned around his shoulders dropped, "Darcy?"
"Thor? Wow, this is awkward," she replied as she passed a brief glance to her companion, "You know I have a bone to pick with you mister. You have some nerve just showing up. Jane is not some damsel in distress. Do you have any idea what you've put her through? I mean she waited for two years. That's completely ridiculous. Then she finally moves on and you have to show up again all woooo..."
"What?" Thor expressed as Darcy's outburst ended and he was left trying to figure out why she was behaving so impassioned, "Jane, where is she?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Darcy curiously shot back.
"Yes, I would," Thor replied with a raised brow.
"Well, she's out there," Darcy replied as she waved her arms, "You know...on Earth...where you left her two years ago."
"So she is part of the other group," Thor remarked and smiled with relief, though it faded when he realized they were actually in the most danger.
"Can you believe this guy?" Darcy scoffed as she nudged the man standing beside her.
"I'm sorry. I have no idea what's going on," the man replied with a defeated shrug, though he remained staring wide-eyed and Thor really wished Fury had kept the observation that everyone did so to himself.
"Jane really likes him. He really likes her. Then he leaves. Then he comes back, but doesn't visit. Then he leaves again. Then he comes back. Now he's all...I want to rescue you..."
"Was this before or after she hit him with a car?"
"Clearly after."
"Clearly..." the man agreed, but appeared even more puzzled.
S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier - Portland, Oregon No-Fly Zone Perimeter
Maria Hill had barely managed to talk Agent Coulson into staying at his post at the helicarrier base camp. He branded himself a threat and his sense of duty forced him to respond. He'd quoted S.H.I.E.L.D regulations and her only recourse was that they would be followed once a proper investigation was conducted. Of course by proper she meant off the record and for her eyes only. They didn't need another problem in their growing cache, but this was one they had a hand in creating.
Maria had gone to an abandoned dormitory section, which was undergoing extensive remodeling. It had been wise of Agent Coulson to confine the reporter there. Tossing her directly into the brig would have made her even less cooperative, not that Maria was expecting much.
"Is the prisoner awake?" she asked as she approached the posted guard with a file in hand.
"Yes Deputy Director. The medic just saw her, nothing serious to report."
"Thank you," she replied as she ducked into the room and waited for the door to close before turning around.
"I want that man arrested," the reporter suddenly screamed and Maria let out a sigh as she realized this was going to have to go the hard way.
"You listen to me and you listen well," Maria harshly stated, "You are an unauthorized stowaway. You are in receipt of classified documents. When this is over I am going to throw the book at you. Until then sit down, shut up, and answer only when spoken to."
The reporter gradually sat on the floor as Maria crossed her arms and put on her stern face. She wasn't going to play nice, not with a friend in trouble.
"Now, tell me exactly what happened."
The reporter scowled, but in defeat, "I lost my phone when I changed into this uniform. I was going back to find it, but I got turned around. Realizing I ended up in a secluded area I decided to take a moment to glance through the file I was handed. Suddenly this man comes through the door. He's talking, but I can't understand what he's saying. I try to tell him I'm with the press, but he knocks me to the floor. I must have hit my head. I came to in this damn room. Are we in the grips of an alien invasion?"
"If we are let's hope you didn't compromise our efforts by wasting valuable time," Maria replied as she walked out before the reporter could levy her next question.
Maria stood for awhile in the hallway while the guard remained rigidly planted beside the door. This wasn't good.
"Did anyone ever track down what...she...was trying to access?"
"Sectors of research divisions were accessed, Deputy Director," the guard quickly replied as he held out a file he was holding, Maria had assumed it was the classified document recovered from the reporter, "Given the quantity of projects that each one handles there is no way of knowing what she was looking for or even if she found it."
"A fishing expedition, looking for a new story I suspect," Maria lied as she took the printouts, "I want formal charges filed and get her off this ship."
"Yes, Deputy Director Hill," the officer acknowledged, but briefly fidgeted, "Oh, also communications reported a strange wave frequency around the time the files were accessed. It was outside the range of standard communications. They were concerned it might have been a data transfer, but we weren't able to find any sort of transmitter devices on the reporter."
"Thank you. Good work officer," Maria forced a smile as she headed down the hall.
She slowly made her way back to Cargo 7. She was scanning over the pages of accessed files, realizing very quickly that there was an obvious commonality among them. All of the projects were associated with alien tech and space research. One name stood out however, though it might have been a coincidence. Jane Foster was apparently researching a spacial energy anomaly, though beyond that the printout didn't say.
As Maria finally walked through the large bay door she glanced up, immediately picking Agent Coulson from the crowd. His kind eyes were creased with worry lines. He knew he was a threat and now she knew it to. The only problem now was figuring out why.
Utgard - Jotunheim
Frigga was aware of the growing sound of footsteps. Frost giants gathering and searching.
"Fine, we have a deal," she suddenly agreed because time to muddle through options and consequences was waning.
The ice elf beamed as it held out its hand to seal the agreement, long pointed blue fingers frigid as icicles.
"Rozen will help you, Frigga, Queen of Asgard."
"How?"
"The frost giants know who you are. I can hear the echoes, voices resounding through the ice. Loud those stupid brutes are," the ice elf laughed before emitting a pure white pulse of energy.
It bathed Frigga in a strange tingle and as she passed a worried glance to the ice elf she realized it was sliding into the icy wall.
"Shhh...be quiet and be still," it whispered as it held out it hand again and she hesitantly took it.
Frigga let out a brief gasp as cold washed over her. She felt heavy as she passed through the thick sheet of ice and stood rigid in its clear crystaline structure. She watched through the warped surface as a group of frost giants ran by, unaware of their presence. They moved through the ice like it was a separate world, free from any normal bounds. They snaked up the tall spindle of a jagged tower. She began to feel faint as they suddenly burst from the icy confines in an explosion of white energy.
"Sorry, too long. I forget you need the air and not the ice," the elf declared as it spun feverishly around the room, "This section is closed. Sealed away behind a landslide of ice down below."
As the lithe elf drew to a stop its large blue eyes regarded her before it stepped forward and offered a bow.
"As I have stated I am Rozen, seeker through realms. I am searching for frost crystals," the ice elf declared with a grin as its blue lips pulled back revealing pearly white teeth, "Shards of deep blue forged during the making of this wintery realm and imbued with its residual energy. The giant brutes have no use for them, magic-less lummoxes they are."
"So you've been coming here? Surely Alfheim has its own magical implements."
"Oh it does. Harder to find is all. The realm is split between summer and winter, light and ice. Some of them I think have melted."
"So am I to assume if I help you you'll help me?"
"You are."
"Without knowing what I'm searching for?"
The ice elf laughed and it was a strangely pleasant sound, "My word is my word. I gave it before so I'll give it again. If you help me I will help you."
Frigga stared at the ice elf realizing there had to be some catch, though it had not yet presented itself. She knew very little about ice elves, but she knew even less about how to find what she was searching for. It was a predicament she hardly considered as she threw herself to her own motherly whim.
"I am looking for the tome of Laufey," she finally announced with a sigh.
"Farbauti will have it," the ice elf grimaced.
"Farbauti?" Frigga question, familiar of the name, but unable to place it.
"Wife of Laufey...ruler of the realm...for now..."
"Loki's mother..." Frigga finished.
She suddenly felt overwhelmed. She took a seat on the icy floor, eyes fixated on nothing as the gears in her head processed what she heard. For some reason she had just assumed the woman dead. Finding out that she wasn't brought the wind from her chest.
Mount Hood National Forest - Oregon
Fandral dove from a blast of energy and ran for cover again as the tree disintegrated behind him.
"It figures we would have to rescue you lot," he called as Hogun crept up behind the metal monstrosity and slammed his mace into its head.
It exploded into a heap of gnarled metal and sparks. These creatures, whatever they were, were not to be taken lightly. One pulse rendered any object into a pile of dust. Fandral could only imagine it would do the same to him, though he didn't want to test his theory.
"We were proceeding just fine until your ruckus brought their hordes upon us," Sif sneered as she sought cover nearby.
"Haha..." Fandral forced a deep laugh as a loud crash suddenly echoed around them and then another.
Fandral peered around just in time to see Volstagg hoisting a large stone over his head and tossing it onto a nearby creature. There were several others flattened nearby. As everyone realized the danger was briefly staved they emerged from their hiding places.
"What in the nine realms possessed you?" Fandral admonished as he stared down at one of the paper thin enemies.
"If it works..." Hogun plainly commented.
"I got the idea from him," Volstagg beamed as he smacked the shoulder of a Midgard man who looked strikingly similar to Thor and was assisting an injured friend.
"I picked up a rock..." the man simply stated as he glanced at Volstagg's makeshift weapon, "That's a boulder..."
"You grabbed the largest one you could find," Volstagg stated with a shrug, "There is no shame in that."
"I grabbed the only one I could pick up..." the man corrected with a befuddled brow.
S.H.I.E.L.D Research Facility 9 - Mojave Desert - California
Dr. Eli Kresge was sitting in his lab staring at a sample. He had managed to obtain permission from Deputy Director Hill to study one of the scrapings from Project 2C prior to her departure. He couldn't explain his fascination, yet there it was. Nothing about the specimen related to his field of study. At least on the surface...
"That's odd..." he mumbled as he moved back and stared at the large screen with a feed from his microscope.
Quickly getting up he wandered around his lab looking for a research sample. In his efforts to fuse technology and flesh he had briefly explored integrating the two mediums, attempting to create technology that mimicked flesh. It was a disaster, but in the end it produced some interesting results.
As he finally found the petri dish he was searching for he rushed back and slid it under a second microscope. He bumped the feed onto the other monitor. Side-by-side it came together. There was a patterning to the blue gelatinous tissue that was bothering him. He'd seen it before, or at least something similar.
"It's perfect," he whispered as he stepped back and admired the fruit of his revelation.
The specimen pulled from the Chitauri wreckage was a living, breathing machine. The two aspects were so masterfully connected that technology and flesh could not exist without the other. He'd never seen anything like it, but now that he had he knew precisely what direction his new line of bio-tech research would take. In his excitement he suddenly froze. He'd forgotten a major factor in the equation. Agent Phil Coulson...
Mount Olympus - Olympus
Loki didn't need an announcement. It was plainly obvious they had reached the summit as a huge series of archways now framed the path. It was a welcoming gate, or perhaps a warning, so often the message depended on the guest.
"Well, we're here," Karissa stated with a sigh, "So if you have a plan I'd really love to hear it because the second I set foot beyond those arches I'm going to be escorted back out and you're going to be killed...again."
"The fact that you get to couple that statement with again should inspire more faith," he grinned.
Figuring actions were more telling he suddenly swathed himself in an illusion spell and watched as Karissa's green eyes widened. He'd stolen Athos' face, though only for awhile. Realistically he hated prancing about in other people's skin, though the mischievous possibilities were often worth the hassle.
"Is there anything you can't do?" she remarked as she did a circle around him, "Because it's entirely infuriating that someone as annoying as you should get more to brag about."
"If I recall correctly I have never bragged about anything," he quickly declared.
"Well, perhaps you should," she smiled.
"Ah, but so should you. Yell it from the highest peak in fact. All of Olympus would cower at your power," he teased, though there was some truth to it that would go overlooked, "Your turn."
He slowly reached out and grabbed her hand. As he did the power of the illusion spell slid across her skin eventually wrapping her in Despoina's features. He'd done it because he knew it would annoy her, but as he stared at the foreign face he realized it likely would annoy him more. Though the only other person he had observed well enough to mimic was Pteloma and that wasn't even up for consideration. That woman would eventually meet his wrath and amusingly enough Karissa had condoned it with an impromptu utterance.
"Shall we?" Loki suddenly bid and Karissa reluctantly shook her head.
They walked beneath the towering arches and up a weaving flight of stairs carved into the very mountain they ascended. When Loki's foot slid onto the top step he stared in awe at the grand city before him. Everything was white marble with colorful flowers and well dressed people. Pillared buildings and meandering cobblestone roads swept as far as the eye could see. He understood now why the inhabitants strove to live atop the peak. These people were treated like royalty.
As they walked on a small footpath surrounded by soft green grass and rounded an ornate bubbling fountain Karissa jostled his arm.
"What if I let go of your hand?" she whispered as she drew near, "Will I be visible again?"
"Well," Loki began as he skimmed the growing number of interested people meandering on their own errands, "The scandal we've created won't be nearly as interesting."
Karissa gradually glanced around as she mouthed the word what, but pieced it together on her own. Letting go she quickly made her way into the beginning throngs of a marketplace as Loki grinned and kept in step beside her.
"Despoina," a male passerby suddenly declared with a seductive grin as she walked passed, "Forget something?"
Slowly Karissa's eyes slid to Loki and he could tell she wasn't pleased. He smiled and shrugged. It seemed like the best disguise for her, especially considering the real one was headed off the summit. Nothing was more awkward than a run-in with the face you'd stolen.
She eventually turned to flash the stranger a smile, but she froze, "Nikolaos..."
The name came out so whispered that even if the voice didn't match the face it would have been too hushed to tell.
"You look as if you've seen a ghost," Nikolaos laughed as he reached out and took her hand, planting a quick kiss before he withdrew, "A pleasure as always."
Karissa shook her head as he disappeared among the bustle of the market. She teetered slightly, looking lost, before she pressed through the crowd and disappeared down an alley. Loki struggled to keep up with her as her smaller frame more easily traversed through the mob of people.
He repeated the name in his head before realizing where he'd heard it. That was her Nikolaos. Her dead Nikolaos. The one who'd filled her with such fear she felt she could never return.
When he finally came upon her she was leaning against a marble wall in a narrow alley passage. She was dazed, though the face wasn't her own he could register it in her eyes. She obviously didn't understand and for the first time he could claim he genuinely didn't understand either. A minor quest for answers had turned into an elaborate web of secrecy and deceit. Olympus didn't have magic so they cast out the one person who had some. Yet someone out there knew magic and they knew it well, having sensed the wisp of power upon his arrival. Then in his own quest for answers, Teris, one of the few people aware of the magical problem devised a way to awaken it...on the wrong planet. The pieces were there, but they weren't making any sense.
"I could get answers..." he delicately implied.
"Loki...No...I was mistaken...please...just...let's go..." she was rambling, trying to hold onto a lie.
He suddenly stepped forward and drew her attention as he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Beneath his fingers he could feel her tremble. It was the same shake that had plagued her hands as they prepared to journey to Olympus. Unlike the last he was happy to know he wasn't again the cause.
"You are more than your memory," he declared while realizing he was still being held captive by his own.
Straightening he drew in a deep breath as he quickly turned to go back. The line blurred as he directed his aim. He wasn't sure if he was driven to help her or appease his own frustration. Whatever the case he acknowledged that he was in fact blinded by it.
"Loki..." was all he caught of Karissa's plea as he pressed through the crowded street.
It wasn't hard to spot Nikolaos again. He was tall and muscled, thought not as much as Thor. Given the glances he was receiving from women in the crowd it was easy to guess he shared some of the same annoying qualities as Fandral. It was safe to say Loki loathed the very sight of him.
As he approached Nikolaos from behind he flicked his hand causing his stride to stray. He toppled forward on uneven footing, stumbling through the crowd and into an empty merchant stall. As the people nearby returned to normal, only briefly turning their attentions to the sudden misstep, Loki slid inside. The light was dim in the heavy cloth tent, but Loki could still see well enough.
"What..." Nikolaos complained as he stood and dusted himself off.
As he straightened he let out a brief yelp, startled by Loki's presence. Loki stared him down as he remained statuesque between Nikolaos and the door.
"Athos," he laughed and Loki was taken back by the apparent camaraderie in his voice, "You gave me a fright. Back already? I suppose you must be pleased. As dismal a realm as that one is. Hardly evolved enough for a pleasant conversation I would suspect."
Suddenly Loki surged forward and grabbed Nikolaos around the neck. He hoisted him up as he kicked wildly towards the missing ground.
"You are supposed to be dead," Loki declared with a cock of his head as his grip tightened.
"Athos," Nikolaos laughed as he tried to pry Loki's fingers away, "What are you talking about? Release me. I cannot breathe."
"I am not Athos..." Loki dangerously declared as he dropped the illusion and his second skin slowly slid away.
Nikolaos regarded him with terror in his quaking hazel eyes. There was something pleasant about the reaction.
"What are you?" he barely whispered.
"Vengeance," Loki hissed, "Why aren't you dead?"
"What? I don't understand..."
Suddenly Loki drew him close and whispered the only thing he intended to give him as a clue. If his memory didn't slide into place then the man would be of no use.
"Karissa..."
Brief confusion clouded Nikolaos' features before understanding took hold.
"Did Athos tell you about her? I knew I couldn't trust him."
Loki's grip tightened again and red washed Nikolaos' skin.
"It was all an arrangement," he suddenly gasped prompting Loki to give him enough latitude to speak.
"Continue..."
He seemed reluctant so Loki tightened his hold, kindness never got results anyway.
"With the council. It was an arrangement with the council. They told me I had to disappear. In death I would be granted a place on Mount Olympus and a position in one of the great Halls."
"What of your family? What of your friends?" Loki pressed, but eventually revealed the real question that was plaguing him, "What of your love?"
Nikolaos laughed, "My love? You mean Karissa? That was another lifetime. It was an arrangement of convenience...until it was no longer convenient."
The response was simple and honest. Loki could easily claim similar regard for some of the people in his life, yet somehow he was still left enraged.
"I was promised a place among this grandeur. How could I refuse?" Nikolaos added as if the statement would promote some measure of understanding.
Suddenly Loki released a wave of energy from his hand and it washed across Nikolaos, causing him to violently shake. Letting go, his body hit with a thud on the darkened straw floor. He was still alive...barely. It was a kindness that was only afforded because there was no reason for Karissa to endure his death a second time. The man was pathetic, without conviction and driven by petty motives. Loki towered over his crumpled body and walked away, content that he found some common line through all the looming mysteries. The council. They wanted Karissa gone. They wanted him dead. He had a sneaking suspicion they too whispered in the ear of Teris. It was a small consolation, but for now he would take it.
As Loki emerged from the slit in the cloth enclosure he slid back into Athos' skin, anger still flaring in his eyes. Loki was prepared to peel back the truth, revealing Nikolaos for what he really was, but as he came upon Karissa he realized he couldn't. Despite her disguised features he could still picture her sitting there, green eyes filled with fury because he'd left her and heart still brimmed with sadness because someone else had left her too. The image of Nikolaos in her head was an illusion, but it was a pleasant one. There was no reason not to let her keep it. Her regard for him had already been shattered as she set eyes upon his ghost.
"What happened?" she quietly asked as she pushed off of the marble wall, "Where did you go?"
"Nowhere..." he smiled as he offered the crook of his arm and when she eventually took it he slid his opposite hand over hers, "Now, where are we headed?"
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Pteloma marched up the great steps of the Pantheon for the second time that day. She left Athos wallowing in his self-pity and bid her brothers in the Hall of Ares her thanks. Athos was weak and for whatever reason he felt duty bound to see the orders of the council through, but it was a task best carried out by her.
As she again graced the central room lit with flickering flames from the ever burning torches she was greeted with the chorus of voices.
"Where is the outsider?"
"He is dead," Pteloma triumphantly announced.
"Where is the body?"
"Where is the proof?"
"What use do you have of a body?" she scoffed, "The proof is at my word. I stand before this council humbly and in earnest."
"Where is the body?"
"Where is the body?"
The voices echoed on forever as she now stood in the shame of her shortcoming. Slowly an elder man slid from the shadows with white hair and a single red sash. With his presence the voices stopped.
"Alive or dead we wanted him here..." suddenly the man corrected himself, "We needed him here."
"He is at the bottom of a chasm. Athos can attest to the fact. So too can his companion."
The old man's eyes flicked up, tired and grey, but suddenly brimming with life, "What companion?"
"Karissa accompanied him. Briefly straying from her post on Midgard."
He suddenly stared off in thought, "Perhaps we could make due..."
"I don't understand," Pteloma admitted.
The old man cast a broad smile as he shuffled back into the darkness, bring forth the endless echo of voices.
"If we cannot have one."
"Bring us the other."
The chorus of voices ended with that simple request. No explanation. No reason. Pteloma emerged from the council meeting boiling with rage. She stopped briefly on the steps as she watched Athos and Despoina enter the Athena Archives across the way. It was odd. They traveled arm in arm, though neither enjoyed the others company and neither was certainly in need of books.