*Thanks to Bebe465 for reviewing and getting my ass in gear. It's amazing what one nice review can do for a person. Haha. Okay, back from that hiatus I accidentally took.*

With my new plan of action in mind, we set out to find ways to put it into motion. We needed help, that was for sure. We needed ways to find the different factions who, according to Gia, had already begun gathering and separating themselves from one another. Things were progressing, and quickly. I was going to need to get in touch with each of these groups before they started hacking away at each other. It was bad enough Kiyohime's boy was running around causing chaos for his wannabe goddess.

"How are we supposed to find them all before this game takes place?" Sonja asked, frustrated beyond all belief. I couldn't blame her. She was one of my top researchers and wouldn't rest until she had everything figured out.

Daniel shrugged. "My people have taken off to hide. If I knew where they were I could just poof to them but they left no forwarding addresses. We followers of Tepoztecatl sure know how to hide." He shook his head. "If I could get to them I could talk to them about backing us up when approaching the other groups."

"Same with my people," Mollie sighed. "No idea where they would hide."

"I know," Sarvajna chimed in from the doorway.

"That's nice sweety," Jason replied in a patronizing manner. "A locator spell? Maybe we could do that."

"They'd cloak themselves, I'm sure of it," Jordan quickly corrected.

Sarvajna gave them an amused look. "Hold up guys," I ordered, walking over to the young woman. "Sarvajna, are you having a lucid moment?"

"About…89% lucidity, which is all you can ask for from a follower of the Trickster," she replied with a grin. "I know where everyone is. Where all of the factions hide. They create little anomalies in the web of magic which surrounds the world."

We all shared a glance. "You can do that?" Connor asked slowly. He was trying not to get his hopes up. Sarvajna nodded with glee.

Sonja gave Sarvajna a skeptical look. "Why would a crazy person be able to sense 'anomalies in the web of magic'? No offense, hon."

Sarvajna shrugged. "What better person for the Trickster to entrust with such information than the one with the least credibility?"

So Daniel and Mollie poofed away to the locations Sarvajna had designated as Aphrodite and Tepoztecatl's follower's hideouts. They said they would be back in the next three days and that if they were any later we should assume them dead and probably not trust Sarvajna. Pretty solid plan, although I wasn't sure that Sarvajna's intel would be what got them killed. If anything it might have been their fellow followers or an attack from another group.

Meanwhile, Jason and Desmond worked with Sarvajna to pinpoint each faction's position. Then we would discuss how we planned to visit each group and our approach. How was I going to talk them out of the idolatry which had been engrained in their very souls? Probably something I should have thought about before declaring my side. Still, I was…moderately optimistic.

I sat out on the grass behind the house trying to meditate. I was still pretty bad at it but I had to try. At this moment everyone was preparing and I was kind of useless. I listened to nature around me, felt the breeze, smelled the swampy air and felt the buzz of energy coming from inside the house. Then I heard just a little noise, a tiny twig snapping just barely loud enough to be audible, and saw a little orange light from behind my closed eyes. "Gia?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed. "What's up?"

She laughed a little. "Damn, I thought I could be quiet enough to surprise you. Figured you were deep in meditation."

"No such luck," I sighed, turning to look at her. She'd let her dark hair stay long. She normally kept it short, just below her chin, but it had grown out in the three months she lay comatose. Her hair grew really fast. She decided maybe it was time for a new look and hadn't cut it in the month since. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be doing some rehab exercises with Paine?"

Gia rolled her eyes and plopped down next to me, her orange skirt flowing out around her like she was a flower. "I'm tired of rehab so I decided to skip out." I gave her a concerned look. "Geeze, Mari. I'm fine. Vampyres heal quickly. Your bio-dad just is a bit of a worrier. Gee, I wonder where you got it from."

"Okay," I chuckled. "No more worrying from me."

"You can't help it. It's clearly genetic." She nudged me with her shoulder. "So what're you meditating on?"

I took a deep breath. "How the hell I plan on saving these people from themselves. Got any suggestions, psychic chick?"

Gia shook her head. "The battle looks…hazy. I think the magic from other gods is blocking my ability to see it in totality. It's a little scary…not being able to know what's going to happen. I feel like a normal person."

I put my arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry so much. The rest of us get by just fine."

"So you do," she sighed, snuggling into me. She stayed there for a moment and I breathed in her scent. She always smelled like honey and I could never understand why. But I'd missed it while she was gone. I'd missed her light. "So why haven't you told me?" she asked, startling me. She pulled away and gave me a sweet, inquiring stare. "You know, about you and Erol. Why haven't you told me?"

I looked down at the grass. Oh sure, that she could see. "I didn't…I didn't want to—"

"Upset me when I was weak," she finished. "Sure, but I've been awake for a month now. You should have told me."

"Told you what? That I—"

"No, eww, not like details," she cringed. "I mean…the fact that you are totally in love with him. It's why you're keeping him at bay."

I shook my head. "I can't think about that. There's—"

"There's always a fight coming," she scoffed. Conversations with psychics. You never get a word in edge wise. "You can't keep putting things off like that." I stared for a moment and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, I won't finish your thought. Speak up."

"I need to concentrate on this battle right now. I can't be wasting my energy on social problems and…besides which I don't know that I love him."

"I know you do," Gia replied. "And one moment alone with him will confirm it for you." I shook my head. "Why not?"

"Like I said, I need to concentrate on—"

Gia leapt to her feet. "And then the next problem will arise, and the next, and the next, and then finally he isn't there, or you aren't there, or I'm not there, or everyone has died and you haven't done a damn thing about your soul. You need love Mari, it's good for the soul. Don't get me wrong, I'd really like it if that love was for me, but as it is you love Erol and…he is really good for you right now."

"And me?" I finally sighed. "Am I any good for him?"

Gia laughed and knelt down beside me. "Never," she whispered, with a devilish grin. "But that's the way he likes it." She held my hands. "Go talk to him. He needs it and…you kind of need it too."

I stared up into her warm eyes. "I do love you, you know?" I knew she wouldn't read into it if I said that. I knew she would take it as it was intended. I adored her. She and Daydream and Erol and Desmond…they made me whole. I loved them; every molecule.

Gia smiled and pulled me to my feet. "I know." She gave me the wise look she and Daydream were always giving me then broke into a goofy smile. "Besides, there's still time for you to fall madly in love with me. We'll be fighting side by side for a long time to come."

I laughed, not expecting that response, then shoved her away from me. "You're hopeless."

"I'm so aware," she instantly replied.

I took her advice and headed up to Erol's room. The door was partly open so I peered in. I saw him running over a list of things we needed. He looked so tired but he kept pushing on. He pushed on because I had asked him to do it. I needed his attention to detail. I smiled and pushed the door open a little more. It creaked and he looked up at me, startled.

"Mari," he sighed, standing up quickly. "Gia warned me you would be coming up looking for advice. So what's up? What do you need?" He smiled back at me dutifully, his eyes bright and alive.

I smiled and shook my head. Damn it all Gia. I was in love with him. He gave me a curious look but I just sighed and kissed him before he could ask me anything.

He was what I needed right now.

Mr. M shook his head as Ms. H spoke. "Are you sure?" he asked barely above a whisper. It was against protocol for them to speak to one another outside of the conference room. But the way things were going these days…to hell with protocol.

Ms. H nodded, vehemently. "The bastard seems to have a deal with them. I saw him with this one man, an English guy I've seen before, and they talked about the upcoming war. He told the guy it was fine and he had it under control. Said Odin would get his war."

Mr. M punched the wall and quickly cursed to himself. The wall was cement but it seemed like it would make him feel better at the time. Then he turned his cursing to Mr. P. "The dirty bastard is pushing the war. He's determined to keep us from interfering."

"And you're, what? Surprised?" Ms. H scoffed before taking a breath to calm herself. "But he isn't wrong, in his arguments. If we bring the military in what good will it do?"

Mr. M nodded. "We'd just be adding to the casualty list." Ms. H cringed. "Sorry," he added. He forgot how much she hated the word casualty. "But we can't do nothing. And what did he mean by that thing he said about 'moving up'?"

"The time for the war," Ms. H sighed. "Apparently something has given them cause for alarm. It's why the factions have begun gathering like they have. It's supposed to be a gradual thing. At least…at least that's what the English guy said."

"So they hadn't met?"

"No, but they'd heard of one another." She shook her head. "I don't know what to do."

Mr. M shrugged. "Well, you said you knew her right? So why not go to her with this information?"

Ms. H rolled her eyes. "Oh, what could she do with it?"

"I don't know. I'm not her. But she does have a habit of taking the little things and turning them into giant weapons. Remember how easily she took down the Vampyre Containment Center?"

Ms. H thought about it for a moment. "True enough. Still…no you're right. I'll contact her immediately."

"I'm coming with you," Mr. M said, rather authoritatively. Ms. H didn't feel like arguing.

"She's in Florida. I just pray we get to her in time."