"Okay, ladies! Let's get down to business!" The girls were all sitting around the fire in the temple, with Raye at the top of the circle, dressed in her priestess robes and holding a rosary.

"So, Raye, what's this all about?" Amy pushed her glasses back up her nose, only to have them slip down again.

"Did you discover something interesting about Mars?" Raye nodded.

"Among other things. Also, I think I might've had a premonition. I'm not positive what it means, but I can show you, and maybe you guys will figure it out." Lita scratched her head.

"How're you gonna do that?" Raye gestured toward the fire.

"My ESP, and a few other talents, have all become much more powerful lately. By using the fire as a medium, I can project my visions into your minds." Mina nodded.

"Alright then, let's get started." Raye nodded and folded her hands, lowering her head.

"I want all of you to close your eyes." The girls complied, and Raye began praying.

See, she thought. See as I see, and come to understand. The vision came slowly at first, very faint and shadowy, like a poorly filmed movie. Then, it began to come clearer. Sweat broke out on Raye's forehead, and the other girls started shuddering, as the horrible scene played out before them. They watched Crystal Tokyo shatter like it was entirely made of glass. They watched its inhabitants fade away as though they'd never existed. But the vision didn't stop there, as it had before. The girls saw NeoQueen Serenity, bruised and bloody- defeated- dying on the ground, her senshi guardians strewn about her. That image faded into blackness, and was replaced by yet another one. They were now looking down on the present day earth from outer space. There was a source of warm, white light emanating from Tokyo, and that light wrapped around the entire planet. As they watched, the light was extinguished, and inky blackness began to spread out from Japan, enveloping the whole world. Raye felt panic rising up in her as she realized that this was not only more than she had seen last time, she couldn't will the images away. This was not merely the projection of a previous vision- it was an entirely new vision. And it was under someone else's control. She started to struggle, to fight against the foreign power that was assailing them all. The vision faded for a moment, then came back full force; so powerful that it triggered a wave of nausea. Raye swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat and tried to concentrate, but the voice from her last vision echoed in her head again and scattered her thoughts.

The Gods light the universe

But should they e'er fall

The one that is five

Shall forever rule all

The laughter that followed could only be described as maniacal. It filled the heads of the scouts, battering their senses and clouding their minds. Then, the laughter suddenly stopped, and a venomous whisper took its place.

Soon, scouts… You will pay for your insolence. For thinking that good could truly triumph over evil. You think you've won, but the day is coming when I will have my revenge! Sweet revenge on you all- past, present, and future!

The laughter resumed, louder and more terrible than ever, until Raye finally broke free of the spell and focused all her excorcismal power in one strike.

"Akuryotaisan!!!" Instantly, the vision dissipated, and all the girls slumped over on the floor, weak and breathless. Raye was the first to move, using her shaking arms to prop herself up and glance at the fire, which had been reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes. She was completely drenched in sweat, her hair was sticking to her face, and it felt as though her body had nearly been ripped apart. Apparently, the others felt the same way.

"What was that?" Amy sat up, groaning.

"Do you have any idea, Raye?" Raye nodded, which turned out to be a mistake, seeing as it only intensified the nausea that overwhelmed her. Raye stood up and feebly tottered outside, leaned over the porch railing, and threw up. The girls formed a semi-circle behind her, silently waiting for an answer.

"I don't think that using the fire was a very good idea…" She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth before straightening up.

"Someone, or something, invaded my mind while I was open and vulnerable, then passed through me to get to all of you." She glanced around at the ashen faces of her friends.

"It would seem that I suffered the full force of the attack, while what you felt was weaker… diluted, you could say." The other girls remained silent, until Mina piped up.

"So, Raye, what else do you have for us today?" Raye smiled weakly at the dry tone in Mina's voice.

"Compared to this, the other stuff I found out is definitely good news."

After a quick break for tea, the girls gathered around Raye's living room table.

"Okay, I've been doing research on Greek and Roman mythology, and here's what I've turned up." The other girls leaned in closer, hanging on her every word, which made Raye smile slightly.

"There are twelve main gods and goddesses, called the Olympians in Greek mythology, who rule pretty much everything. There's a whole bunch of other deities underneath them, but these twelve are the head honchos. In the Greek mythology, the names don't hold a lot of significance to us, but the Roman mythology is another story…" She took a deep breath.

"Each one of us is named after one of those gods or goddesses. Also, our powers are associated with each of our respective deities. For example- the Greek god of war was named Ares." The girls' eyes widened slightly. That name was sort of familiar.

"The Roman war god," Raye continued, "was known as Mars." That was when the scouts' mouths dropped open. They DEFINITELY knew THAT name.

"So, let me get this straight," Serena started. "You're the scout of war, and you're named after the god of war, and the rest of us are named after gods too?!" Raye nodded.

"Exactly. I've looked up each and every one of us, and I found the deities we're associated with. First is Selene, goddess of the moon." All the girls turned to stare at Serena, who looked shocked.

"That sounds like my name!" Raye nodded.

"According to legend, Selene fell in love with a mortal man named Endymion." Serena's shocked expression intensified.

"But… that's… in our past lives… that was Darien's name…" Raye sighed.

"That's the point! Nothing about us is coincidence. Amy's a good example." Amy blushed, suddenly uncomfortable now that she was the center of attention.

"Wh-what do you mean, Raye?" Raye pulled out the notes she had taken and glanced at them.

"The god Mercury was the patron god of thieves, businessmen, travelers, and all others who relied on their wits and intelligence to see them through. So it makes sense that the sailor scout who bears his name just happens to be a genius." Amy blushed even more, until Raye mercifully moved on.

"I've already explained Mars, so I'll go on to Jupiter. Jupiter is the king and protector of the gods, and the ruler of heaven. His weapons are lightning bolts that were forged by the Cyclops." Raye gestured to Lita.

"Sailor Jupiter is the scout of protection, and she fights with the forces of lightning." Raye looked back to her notes.

"Venus is the goddess of love and beauty. No man, mortal or immortal, friend or foe, could resist her." At this, Mina tossed her hair and stuck her nose in the air.

"Boys are always telling me that I'm a goddess." It was then that Serena and Lita tackled Mina and started teaching her a lesson about being snotty, while Amy winced and hid behind a book.

"Settle down!" Raye glared around the table as the girls resumed their places.

"That's better. Now we're getting into the outer senshi, who aren't here. First is Uranus. Uranus was the Sky, and he fell in love with Gaia, the Earth, and together they gave birth to the Titans- mighty gods that shone like the sun and were so tall that they used mountains as their thrones." Raye's audience was still held captive.

"Next is Neptune, the god of the sea. He had a terrible temper, and his nickname was Earthshaker, because whenever he touched the water with his trident, the waves grew gigantic and drowned entire cities, and whenever his trident touched the ground, it would shake violently and split open."

Mina was still long enough to murmur, "cool," before resuming her enthusiastic nodding.

"Then there's Pluto, the god of the underworld. Pluto was dark, gloomy, and solitary. He ruled his dimension by himself, and he, like Neptune, had a horrible temper. If someone disobeyed, insulted or humiliated Pluto, he made them pay dearly." Raye glanced up one last time, then read the last name on the list.

"Saturn was the god of time. He was also the youngest and most powerful of the Titans, along with being the father of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. He overthrew his father, Uranus, to become Lord of the Universe, but was, in turn, usurped by his own children." The girls were silent for a few moments, before Amy shook off her surprise.

"So, Raye, what you're telling us is that it may be possible for us transform the way you did?" Raye nodded pensively.

"Into our patron gods, yes." Serena looked at Raye with a serious expression on her face.

"Will it be enough to defeat our next enemy?" Raye bit her lip and stared down, unwilling to meet her friends' eyes.

"To be honest… I don't think so." The girls looked confused.

"What do you mean, Raye? You and Serenity defeated the Death Phantom without help from any of us, and he was one of our most dangerous enemies! If all the rest of us transform into gods, then nothing will stand a chance against our combined power!" Raye shook her head halfheartedly without looking up.

"I'm just not too sure. I mean, we've had some pretty close calls before." Images came unbidden into her mind, flashing before her eyes. One image in particular came back stronger than the others- the image of a blood-stained hand lying on the grass.

"Maybe you can only cheat death so many times…" Mina slammed her hands on the table as she stood up.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Raye?! You've never acted like this before! We always win, and you know that! You've lost your focus!" Raye didn't move, and her eyes remained on the floor.

"I… I know that, Mina. I'm just… I'm having trouble right now. That's all." Mina snorted.

"Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that. In the meantime, those of us who aren't moping over some dead guy will keep on doing our job!"

"Mina!" Amy frowned at her blonde friend.

"That was very rude of you! None of this is Raye's fault!" Mina turned to glare at Amy.

"Oh, so you mean that we shouldn't be blaming her for the fact that she's practically forgotten about her princess and her friends just because of some desperate guy?!" Amy's eyes took on a hurt look for a second, but that soon changed into a different emotion, one that the peaceful soldier of water never showed- rage.

"You know what, Mina? I'm beginning to think that you're just jealous!" Mina gasped, taken completely aback. She, or anyone else for that matter, had never seen Amy so furious.

"You are shallow, irresponsible, and hypocritical! You're always chattering about your latest boyfriend or your newest crush, and the only thing you ever take seriously is protecting Serenity! And that's just because you have to! You're an attention starved brat, and you just can't stand the fact that Raye not only has a man who loves her, everyone is feeling sorry for her! You want everyone to be feeling sorry for you!" Amy's last word almost seemed to echo as she panted, breathless from her tirade. Mina stood there in stunned silence for a moment, but then she started yelling back.

"Oh yeah Amy?! Well you really shouldn't be talking! Little girl genius, always sooo smart! Everybody loves Amy! What would we do without you?! We wouldn't have to listen to you showing off all the time, that's what! And since when did you have the right to accuse me of being jealous of Raye?! If I remember correctly, you've never had a boyfriend, guys never hit on you, and you're always whining about how you'll never find anybody who'll appreciate you because you're not pretty enough!" It was Lita's turn to leap up.

"Hey, come on Mina! You know Amy didn't mean any of that!" Amy glared at Lita.

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much!"

Mina chimed in, "Just shut up and sit down, Lita! The next time a bad guy shows up, we'll just call you and you can charge in and beat the crap out of them! That's all you're good for!"

Lita stomped over and glared down her nose at Mina, her face a perfect picture of utter fury.

"At least I can defend myself, much less do my job! I don't have to rely on other people to save my ass! You would've died a dozen times by now if it weren't for Artemis and the rest of us! Remember how you fell right into the Dead Moon's Trap, and the rest of us had to risk our lives to save you?!"

Mina snarled, "Well, if I remember right, I'm the only one who didn't get caught by the Black Moon! Apparently, you're not all that brilliant either!"

Amy shouted, "From what Serena told me, you almost did too, Mina! And besides, the Black Moon captured us when we were separated and vulnerable! If you had stayed with us, you would have been fine!" Serena overcame her dismay and stood up.

"Girls! Don't fight like this! This is exactly what our enemy wants!" Mina shot Serena a venomous glare, then turned around and stomped out of Raye's house.

"Well, you know what? I don't give a crap about our enemy! This is what I want! I'm tired of listening to all of your bullshit!"

Lita yelled in frustration, then turned to Amy and screamed, "See what you did?! Because of you, we've lost one of the members of our team!"

Amy blinked back tears and snapped, "Because of me?! This is my fault?! You're the ones who don't appreciate me! Everything I do for you is just, 'Gee, thanks Amy.' You take me for granted! You'll see how much you need me once I'm gone!" The weeping girl fled out the door, startling Phobos and Deimos, who had perched outside.

Lita followed her to the door and yelled after her, "Well, let's see you fight without me! I'm the best one here at hand-to-hand combat, and you all know it! But, now that you've pissed me off, you're just gonna have to find someone else!" As the last girl stomped out the door, Serena sighed and slumped down next to Raye, who still hadn't budged.

"Maybe we aren't supposed to win." Serena glanced at her friend, startled.

"What are you talking about?!" Raye's eyes were wet, but she didn't let a single tear fall.

"We're just kids. There's only so much we can do. We're always up against impossible odds. Maybe there are only so many times we can survive. Maybe, this time, we'll fall apart."

Serena stood up angrily and admonished, "Maybe so. Especially the way things have been going. After all, Sailor Mars has always been determined to win, but now you've given up before this battle has really started." Serena started to follow the path her friends had taken, but she stopped at the door.

"But you're wrong about losing this fight, Raye. It's not that we aren't trying hard enough… It's that we've stopped trying at all." With that, Serena disappeared. The girl that should have become a queen. The queen of a future that, it seemed, was already lost.