Happy Friday! We've all made it through another week. Congrats!

Kimcat & Cutipie: Unfortunately, it'll be a few chapters yet before we get to Jack, Valerie, and Vlad. I hope that they'll be worth the wait, though!

Cyroclastic: Yep, core!Phantom is just hanging out right now, messing with Hemlock's bag, being cute.

MrsFrizzle: Hey, no worries, and I hope that your computer gets better. I'm sorry that the multiple versions of Danny are becoming confusing. They just seem so neat inside my head... It's just a cool way to explore a character, and it happened a bunch in cannon, so... Yeah. As far as the GIW go, Danny's kind of conflicted. In abstract, he doesn't like the idea of people dying or being hurt, even if they're people he doesn't like. In practice, he is having a hard time, emotionally, seeing the GIW as people, they've been a massive, persistent threat to his Obsessions, and he really just wants them to go away and not bother him any more. It's easier for him to say he doesn't care. Plus not being entirely 'there' mentally or physically. Doctor Moon was originally a reference to Toth, but then I was all like, oh, hey, Dr Who reference! I'll take it! Amity Park is considered Danny's territory, but there are practical, legal, and cultural differences between how lairs and haunts are treated. In this, the GIW are a federal agency, so I guess that anyone who would normally have to answer to a federal agency has to answer to them? Is that what you meant?

.

.

.

Chapter 86: Mote It Be

.

"We are agreed then?" asked Clockwork. He, as the very eldest of the Ancients, was acting as chair.

The other four ghosts responded in the affirmative. Undergrowth and Vortex had been kicked out early on in the process. They had lost the right to participate in the discussion when they had thrown the full weight of their power and experience at a child and lost. In truth, Fright Knight had also lost that right, but he wasn't nearly as annoying, or as psychotic, as the other two.

"Then mote it be. Daniel Janus James Fenton-Phantom shall be the next High King of the Infinite Realms." He brought the silver hammer down on the glass table, shattering it. It reformed a moment later. Destruction was so often impermanent in the lands of the Dead, Deathless, and Neverborn. He sighed. The action was quite cathartic, even though he had no need to breathe. "Now remains the task of breaking the news to him."

Nephthys patted Clockwork consolingly on the shoulder. "You know he won't be angry at you for long."

"Somehow, that makes it worse." Sometimes, it felt to Clockwork like he was just manipulating Daniel. It made him feel awful. Guilty. Dirty. But these were things that had to be, for the good of both worlds, and Clockwork had to put that first. Finding the best possible time line, walking the narrow path, the one with the greatest good, with the least suffering, was, after all, his primary Obsession. His only consolation was that Daniel would likely have made the same choice, if he had been in the same position. That, and that Daniel would forgive him before too long.

Still. It made his skin crawl, what he so often did. Omniscience was not a blank check, when it came to morality, when it came to these choices. (Sometimes he was almost glad for the excuse the Observants gave him to not act. But these moments were fleeting. At all other times he despised them, and he doubted that any such moment would come again. Not with what they would have let happen.)

"Now. To our next topic. The Regency Council."

"The composition of a Regency Council is written into the law, is it not?" asked Fright Knight. "What is there to discuss?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. "There are to be seven Ancients, three Judges, five Magicians, two Ravens, a Grand Vizier, if the king has appointed one, a Tiger, if they exercise their right before the first month of rule, the First of Generals, the Treasurer, the king's legal guardians, if applicable, and then after that the existing Regents nominate people to be chosen by the king until the total number of Regents is twenty-three. You do see the space for us to move in that, yes? I am certain that the Tigers will exercise their right, but Daniel's legal guardians are already on the council, and if none of the current Generals arrive, then we must find new ones. Then, after that, I cannot imagine that Daniel will wish to keep Undergrowth and Vortex on the council, and it is his right to depose the Ancients, presuming that at least one Judge agrees. Regardless of whether or not he has been crowned, or has undergone the Rite of Ascension. It is our duty to advise him as to his choices. Not immediately. He will have enough on his mind, but eventually."

"I would actually like to table that discussion for a moment," said Nephthys, tapping the table to punctuate her words. "I think that it may be better to determine how to handle the other revelation delivered to us by young Megaera. That is, the second mandate given us by Ereshkigal."

Nocturne tsked. "I do have to say that Sumer is outdated, even if agreeing with the Court Magicians is... bleh." The masked ghost held his pillow tighter.

"It is not for us to question the choices of Ereshkigal," said Fright Knight.

Pandora groaned. "Sanctimonious is not a good color on you, Fright Knight. Can we get on with this?"

"Very well," said Clockwork. "The issue of the blessing."

"They have not given their blessing in a long, long, time," observed Nocturne. "It was many sleeps ago..."

"Yes," said Pandora, "and for a reason. I often speak of containment. The Pilgrimage is one of those things that must be contained."

"I agree," said Nephthys. "Not all those who die should join us. Humans and whispers of immortality... We all know how that goes, and we know that . Still. This is a mandate. And Jazz, Sam, and Tucker aren't so bad."

"They will likely be fine without the Pilgrimage," said Pandora. "Although I suppose that isn't the point."

"No," said Clockwork. "It is not. I propose that we explain the situation, and start them on the Pilgrimage as quickly as possible, and ensure that it is completed as quietly as possible."

"I agree," said Pandora.

"Go for it," said Nocturne, smothering a yawn.

"Fine," said Fright Knight.

"Yes, that's fine," finished Nephthys. "Now, who shall we send to tell them?"

The other four Ancients stared at the Master of Death. Clockwork broke into a smile. "Thank you for volunteering, sister!"

"What? No, I- Aw, argh. Fine."

"So mote it be," said Clockwork, bringing his hammer down on the table, shattering it.

.

.

.

It was not, however, yet time to tell Daniel. That was another thing that all five of the Ancients had agreed on. They had to give the child time to heal before giving him yet another shock. The same was not true for telling the other three about the Pilgrimage. However, telling Jazz, Sam, and Tucker would necessitate telling Daniel... Clockwork doubted that they would leave before he was safely through the trial. In truth, they could not leave until the trial was over.

It was like a Grecian tragedy. The inclusion of gods or their equivalents always made things more complicated.

.

.

.

"Jazz!" squealed Phantom in excitement, throwing himself at the red-haired girl. Jazz stared at the small version of her brother, holding him out at arm's length before glancing between him, and the older one in the wheelchair. Then she shrugged. She had seen weirder.

"Oh my gosh!" said Jazz. "You're so, so cute!" She cuddled the small ghost. The how and why of this situation could be addressed later.

Phantom giggled, and hugged Jazz back, putting his arms around her neck.

"Hi, Jazz," said Fenton, his tone much more subdued, his voice faint.

"Hey, Danny," said Jazz. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Just tired." He smiled weakly up at Jazz. "We've been trying to get ready for the, you know, trials. Hemlock was here."

"Yeah. I was tracked down by a pair of advocates myself. Not quite ambulance chasers, but, well..."

"Yeah, well, no matter what world you're in, lawyers are lawyers," said Sam.

"Aren't they technically advocates, though?"

"Shut up, Tucker."

"Hey!" complained Tucker.

"How is Mom?"

"She's... Having trouble adjusting, I think. I wasn't exactly helpful, either. I-" she faltered. Sighed. "She said she's sorry."

"Oh. Okay," said Fenton. He fiddled with the tie of his tunic. "Okay. Does she have representation yet?"

"Not when I left," admitted Jazz.

"We got Hemlock to agree to ask around, see if anyone will take them up."

"And did you two get anyone?" asked Jazz, directing the question to Sam and Tucker.

"Not yet," said Sam. "But we're working on it. You know that things work differently here. We can't just call someone up."

"Yes, I know. So."

"So," said Sam.

"Jazzy, you need to clean the insides of your ears," said Phantom.

"I'm aware," she said flatly. Fenton blushed deeply. "Hey. Is being separated like this okay for you?" asked Jazz, walking towards Fenton. She scanned him, noting the bruises and the dark circles under his eyes. "Usually you're more healed after a day."

"I'm not normally this beaten up," said Fenton, shrugging, then wincing.

"Jazz has a point, Danny," Sam said slowly. "I mean, you've still got these bruises, even after all that healing Clockwork did for you." She brushed the side of Fenton's face with one hand. He didn't flinch.

"Well, I've got less ghost weirdness in me right now," said Fenton.

"I'm the ghost weirdness!" said Phantom, happily.

Jazz winced. "My ear is right there, Danny."

"Oops," said the little ghost, wilting. "Sorry," he whispered. "Sorry Jazz's ear." He petted the appendage, which was a sensation not entirely unlike having an ice cube rubbed up and down the side of her head. Then he kissed it, and went back to hugging Jazz.

Jazz sighed, and patted the little ghost awkwardly on the back. This would take some getting used to. Fenton was red again, and Sam and Tucker were looking on with barely suppressed amusement.

"So," said Jazz, looking for a change in topic. "It looks like they've given you three the usual room."

"Us two, actually," said Tucker. "They've still got Danny in the infirmary. You did notice the doctors on standby by the door, right?"

"Well, yes," said Jazz, noting the way both Fenton and Phantom looked down guiltily. "You didn't try to argue with them, did you, Danny?" she asked, amused.

"Maybe a little," said Phantom.

"I mean, I'm fine, really. What if they're needed?" said Fenton, without much conviction.

"Told you that they knew their own jobs, huh?"

"Maybe," Phantom mumbled into Jazz's neck. His hair was soft, ticklish, and did not seem to follow the standard laws of physics, and Jazz brushed it aside.

"Glad to know that your personality is intact," said Jazz, settling onto a bed. Normally she would stay standing, Far Frozen furniture was, like their architecture, frigid, but she was tired, and Phantom, while much, much lighter than a human of similar size, was added weight.

"Ah," said a familiar voice from the door. "You are all together. Good."

"Aunt Nephthys!" exclaimed Phantom, disentangling himself from Jazz and throwing himself on the dark-skinned ghost.

"I did say they would be," said Clockwork. He ruffled Phantom's hair, and looked over at Fenton. "Hello, Daniel."

"'Aunt' Nephthys? Since when am I 'Aunt' Nephthys?" asked Nephthys, raising an eyebrow.

Fenton doubled over and buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Ancients..."

"We are Ancients, yes," said Clockwork.

"'M mortified," mumbled Fenton. "Gonna die. Just kill me now."

"Bit late for that, isn't it? Oh my goodness, who's the cutest little fear-eating supernatural monster? You are! Yes, you are!" said Nephthys, playing with Phantom, who was giggling madly.

"Eungh," said Fenton.

Clockwork drifted over to Fenton, and patted him on the back. "It's alright, Daniel."

"Know I'm overreacting. Overreacting to everything last couple of hours... Hnnn. Why?"

"You are simply trying to find a sense of equilibrium," said Clockwork.

Fenton pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I guess." He eyed Nephthys and Phantom. Nephthys was tickling Phantom, and Phantom had taken Nephthys's veil hostage. "Is it weird that I can feel that? It feels like it should be weird, but then I'm weird, so... Do two weirds make a normal?"

"Dude, if two weirds made a normal you wouldn't have an inter-dimensional portal in your basement."

There was a beat of silence as everyone stared at Tucker.

"Was that supposed to be a joke about our parents?"

"Maybe."

"Too soon, Tuck. Too soon," said Fenton.

"And no comments about how we were making ghost jokes within hours of my death!" said Phantom, hanging upside-down from Nephthys's grip.

"Aw, man," said Tucker. "But those were good ones."

"No point in beating a dead horse, Tucker," said Sam.

"That's a stretch."

"I don't know about that," said Fenton. "I mean, it is a stretch, but we've beaten up lots of dead horses."

"Weren't they unicorns, though?" mused Sam, her brow furrowed.

"Well, the ones from Pandora's Box were, but then there's Nightmare, and... Huh. Yeah. I guess that Nightmare is more of a Pegasus than a horse. Um. Lady Nephthys, you have a horse, don't you?"

"Yes, but if I find that you've been beating up Pale, you would be wise to learn to sleep with your eyes open."

"Oh, no, of course not," said Fenton. "Just trying to, um, place things. I knew I'd seen actual horses in here before... Oh, yeah! The ambulance horses! That's it. Okay. Yep. But then... How many weirds do you need for it to be a normal? I mean, three lefts make a right-"

"You aren't going to base your social philosophy on a pun, are you?" asked Sam.

"No, but I might base it on a dumb joke. But, seriously. There was a point where cars were weird, right? But now they're normal. So how many weirds did it take, before that happened?"

"Huh," said Jazz. "I think that might actually be a variation on the heap paradox-"

"Nope!" said Tucker. "Nope! Not falling down the psychology rabbit hole today!"

"I'm the white rabbit!" said Phantom, hanging off of Nephthys's arm.

"Considering where we are, Alice, you're way too late," said Sam.

"You see me wearing a dress?"

"Not right now," said Sam, her grin gaining a wicked edge.

"Hey!" complained Tucker. "I thought we agreed never to speak of that again."

"Dude," said Fenton, "you took money to cross dress as Sam. There's no way that'd never be brought up. I mean, you have to have realized that you couldn't pass. You don't look anything alike."

"Hey, Sam wouldn't have done something that wouldn't work! Right, Sam?"

"Um," said Sam.

"Sam?" prompted Tucker.

"I maybe might have had an ulterior motive."

"Sam."

"Yeah. I might have known that you wouldn't have come with me, and I wanted company in detention."

"Then why didn't you bribe Danny?"

"Hey, I have some common sense."

"Dude, you cave to peer pressure like an eighteenth-century coal mine. You walked into a potentially deadly untested invention because we said please."

"Okay. Maybe I don't have common sense. I still have pride. Anyway, I probably could have passed as Sam back then, so I wasn't a good choice. Right?"

"... Sure, let's go with that."

"I don't even want to know what that pause was about."

"I do," said Tucker.

Nephthys coughed politely into her fist. "Personally, I'd also like to hear your reasoning. Unfortunately, I am not here only for your company. Although I would have certainly come anyway for this cute little bean!" she cooed, nibbling on Phantom's stomach.

"Um," said Fenton, pink again. "Lady Nephthys? You know that's still me, right?"

"Yes, dear. Unfortunately, you are in a wheelchair."

Nephthys swept down to settle next to Jazz. Clockwork continued to float next to Fenton, but adopted a sitting position. Phantom squished himself into the tiny space in-between Jazz and Nephthys.

"Alright," said Nephthys. "So. When you met with Ereshkigal, they gave you their blessing."

"Yeah," said Tucker.

"He also said that he was giving us his permission," added Jazz.

"And then he kissed us," finished Sam.

Nephthys brushed her hair away from her face. She still hadn't recovered her veil from Phantom. "Rule of three, hm?" she said, thoughtfully. "Well. None of those were empty words or simple platitudes. Have you ever heard of the Trials of Psyche? Or, perhaps, the Grail Quest?"

"Psyche as in Cupid and Psyche, and the Grail Quest as in Arthurian legend?" asked Sam, with Fenton, Phantom, Jazz, and Tucker murmuring assent as well. "Yeah. Why?"

"Have you ever heard of the Pilgrimage?"

"I've heard of pilgrimages," said Sam. "But not the Pilgrimage."

"I have," said Fenton, slowly. "Well, I read about it, anyway. But I thought that it was a myth? The books I read thought it was a myth. Or the authors thought it was a myth. I don't think that the books actually had thoughts. I've met a couple of those, though..." He blinked. "Nevermind."

Nephthys was doing some blinking of her own. "Where in two worlds did you find books that talk about the Pilgrimage?"

"Uhhh. Ghostwriter and Vlad."

Nephthys rubbed her temple with one hand. "Of course. Of course it's those two. Why wouldn't it be those two? In any case, it is not a myth. It is, however, something that the High Council, that is the High Council, not the Council of Ancients, agreed to keep secret, baring Ereshkigal's permission."

"Why?" asked Sam.

"Because it is the only way to ensure that a human becomes a ghost upon death."