"Hello, please leave a message after the tone...Or, if you are in any way trying to take my Dewprism, hang up immediately and kill yourself. Beep."
"Hahahahaha...Hang up and kill yourself? Anyway, the tone. Rhea is very insistent that you please come down here..."
"Jacqueline! What on Earth are you..."
"Please? Just come down. Pretty please with..."
"Silence! I will tolerate your insolence no longer!"
Jacqueline made puppy-dog eyes on her end of the phone. "Aww...please?"
"How the mighty have fallen."
Jacqueline giggled. "Thanks. She wants us to meet in Klaus' basement. Bye!"
The phone hung up. "Mortals. Forever seeking my greatness when I don't wish to attend."
"Not everything has to do about you, you know!" A woman's voice yelled at him from nowhere.
"Rhea! Tell me here, then!"
"No." A black hared woman smirked at him. "It defies the authoress' wishes."
"The authoress' wishes!? Author's!"
"She refers to herself as authoress." Rhea replied curtly, "Now, be down there."
Valen's mind was writhing for being ordered around twice, and his voice nearly dripped venom, "Ever since when have you been a slave for some unknown author...ess."
"Ever since the rights to me have been overtaken by someone."
"Who would have the nerve to control me!? I'm Valen, almighty Aeon! I can defeat anyone!"
Rhea bit her lip, "Oh, no you can't... She is like a goddess! All authoress' are... You can't defy them or the wrath of Chronos shall be upon you!"
"I will not bother myself to tell you just how stupid that just sounded." They both vanished down to Klaus' basement, where Jacqueline, Mint, Rue, Klaus, Mira, Elena, Claire, Ruenis, Mellena, Prima, and Atenacius were sitting and standing.
"Well now," Rhea smiled at the group, "I shall now waste my time on the introductions, for those who do not know, for my words are hardly even my own. There is a new [relic]..." Mint widely at this, "And you are going to try to get it."
"Which is it!" Mint shouted.
"The [Relic] of Afterthought...Oh, who cares. Epimethius, just call it that. It belongs to the greatest fop to ever be foppish, Thius. So...We don't have to worry about stealing it. So, while you try to get it..."
"HEY! If we're all looking for it, what do you mean, TRY!?" Mint stood up.
"I mean, that you are not all working together, exactly. You are going in groups." There were nods around the room, "Chosen by the authoress." The room went into utter chaos. There were yells of distress, and loud demands made toward Rhea. She motioned for silence. "Wait, wait. The names are picked, so do not worry. We all know who shall go with whom. Group one will consist of Prima, Elena, and Valen."
"Big sister!"
"Goodie!"
"Wait, I object..."
"Group two will be Jacqueline, Atenacius, and Mint."
"Bye, Valen..."
"Oh, great. The second worst person in the entire cosmos."
"HECK!!!"
"The third group shall be Claire, Mira and Mellena..."
"..."
"Hello."
"Oh, wonderful! Hello!"
"And the final group, as you guess, was Klaus, Rue, and Ruenis." All three shrugged. Rhea smiled, "Anyone have complaints other than about this?"
"Tell me, Rhea," Valen started, "Does some stupid deity really hate me..."
Rhea nodded, "Most all of the authoress' despise you. As long as we are under their control, you shall be miserable and have Elena and Prima traveling with you."
"I've noticed."
"Well, everyone!" Rhea stood up, "You had best get your bags ready. It will be a long quest, and you had better be ready, with a cook, someone who can work with machines, and a person to research for the [relic]. Start planning as soon as you are packed."
~ Team One ~
"I will be the mechanic." Valen insisted as soon as he sat down, "Prima, you will be the cook, and Elena, you will research the [relic]. There. It is all settled."
"But I'm too young to cook!"
"But I can't read! Daddy tried to teach me, but I never understood what those 'letters' were supposed to be!" Elena started crying.
"...I'm surrounded by idiots..."
~ Team Two ~
"Well...um..." Jacqueline sat down, and looked at her teammates, "I can do the research. Valen already makes me look up everything when..."
"Ground rule one, NEVER, under ANY CURCUMSTANCE, speak his name."
"Uh...right...I'll just say I'm doing the research, okay?"
Atenacius and Mint both glared at her.
"I'm doing that! I'm a princess! I shouldn't have to do real work!"
"I have a book for a [relic]. Does that not prove..."
Jacqueline sighed, "So do I, Atenacius. And I'll say Valen whenever I wish, if I must do any other job."
"ARGH! Fine, fine!"
"And, besides, Mint," Jacqueline smirked deviously at her, "I thought you didn't like to read, history books, moreover."
"...(Expletive)."
"It's settled, then!" Jacqueline stood up, "One of you must cook, one must be the mechanic. Which is which?"
"I can't cook." Was both of their reply.
"But I can work with machines..." Atenacius started, "So I'm supposing that I will fill that spot. And, Besides. Cooking is woman's work..." He was out cold for the next several hours.
~ Team Three ~
Claire smiled, "I can cook."
Mira nodded, "Well, as my husband being as he is, I will be the mechanic, I knew Lucine, and she taught me."
Mellena giggled, "So I research the [relic]? Oh, I do so hope it's pink!"
"..."
~ Team Four ~
"We can all agree that Klaus should be in charge of the [relic] issue, right?" Rue asked Klaus and his brother, receiving nods from both of them. "Well, I'll cook, and..."
"STOP!!!!" Rhea's voice echoed through the room.
"What?"
"Some groups have been acting to...get-along-ish. We must mess them up. As starters, Valen, I'm sure you'll be happy to know you've been placed into team two."
"Yes!"
"Okay, waaait. Do not make us all puke, okay!? Now, the Klaus family minus Prima is team three, Mellena, and Atenacius, you are joining Prima in team one. Finally, Ruenis, we have to kill you..." Ruenis dropped dead, "And put in Rod. And then, you three are team one. Okay? You are all leaving tomorrow, no questions asked."
"..."
~ Rhea's Secret Volcano Lair ~
She stroked Mr.Bigglesworth, laughing maniacally about Austin Powers...WAIT A TICK!
She stared at her parchment, laughing maniacally about her victims.
Team One:
Atenacius – Mechanic
Mellena – Researcher
Prima – Cook
Team Two:
Valen – Mechanic
Jacqueline – Researcher
Mint – Cook
Team Three:
Klaus – Researcher
Mira – Mechanic
Elena – Researcher
Team Four:
Claire – Cook
Rue – Cook
Rod – Mechanic
Rhea smiled, "This will be so amusing. Team two may win...and then Valen shall be tortured yet again. Ah...Almighty Authors above, they are merciless toward him...Bwhahahahaa!"
