"Sir, we should not do this," Mnemosyne insisted. She stared at Kronos and watched him eye the key card that they had taken from a guard. Everything was going so well. Reyna had managed to walk into Tartarus disguised as a guard, and she used that wannabe villain Khione to open all of the cells. The two would return soon from deleting the security footage.
Mnemosyne had paid a visit to the warden the night before and made sure that he remembered to send a very important email that morning. The email told all of the guards to stay out of the pathway that Khione would walk, so they would be safe from the cold. It would also allow Reyna enough time to free all of the Titans and escort them out.
Everything was going according to plan, until Kronos walked past the cell of his wife. It had been Mnemosyne's idea to leave Rhea to rot. The woman had never helped them, and she probably didn't hold an evil bone in her body. Her love for Kronos had blinded her to the monster that her husband was, until he tried to set the city on fire. From there, she never helped them.
"Just leave her," Mnemosyne said. Her biggest fear was that they would free Rhea, and the little bitch would run straight to the Olympians and ruin all of their plans. Mnemosyne didn't trust Rhea as far as she could throw her.
"Do not tell me what to do," Kronos said. His normally calm voice was full of venom. Mnemosyne shook her head and turned away. Of all the times that it could happen, why was Kronos now getting a heart? Why did he care what happened to Rhea? She was nothing more than a traitor anyway. "I was worried that she would be caught in the crossfire, but now, I worry the Olympians will threaten her."
Mnemosyne remained silent and bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood. For someone who was so sure of himself, Kronos doubted everything when it came to his wife. She was a poisonous cloud that ruined his confidence and muddled his thoughts. Mnemosyne could only watch as Kronos swiped the badge, and the cell door opened.
Mnemosyne looked around the hall. The other Titans had been escorted from the building by Tethys. They would have to sit inside the back of the prison van that had been driven inside, as the guards at the gate would be expecting them to leave soon. Everything would go perfect, even if Rhea added a ripple in their plans.
Footsteps caught Mnemosyne's attention. She quickly turned and watched Reyna round the corner. Khione was no longer at her side. Mnemosyne spoke, "Is it done?"
"The footage is deleted," Reyna answered. She cursed softly and pulled off her mask. Her hair was drenched in sweat, and her face was red. "Khione left when I turned my back, but I don't think she'll be a problem."
"We're almost there," Mnemosyne said. Reyna nodded and wiped her forehead. She put her mask back on and glanced at the open cell. Kronos stepped out with Rhea a moment later. Instead of questioning why Kronos was diverting from the plan, Reyna walked down their exit path, and Mnemosyne followed behind.
Reyna was exactly like her mother: easy to fool. The girl trusted Mnemosyne and Tethys with her life, after she had been spoon fed the story that they saved her. She didn't push them too far and bought into all of the lies that Mnemosyne told her. Manipulating the girl was as easy as manipulating her memory.
Mnemosyne had been a skeptic when Kronos first told her that they needed Reyna on their side, until she was told the story of Reyna's father. Apparently, Reyna's father had managed to stop Bellona's powers a few times when they were together, with just a touch. It was always accidental, but it was always when they had their arguments.
Reyna's father had been a solider, and he was also in the same company as Atlas. The company was exposed to a chemical attack that left many of them with chemical burns or other aliments. Some escaped seemingly unharmed. Everyone involved in the little accident had something in their DNA twisted. Atlas' powers that he received from the nuclear meltdown were enhanced by the chemical attack.
When the DNA of someone caught in the chemical attack and nuclear countdown combined, it created what they saw in Reyna. Mnemosyne wasn't sure of the science of it, if they could even rely on science. Maybe, whoever or whatever was looking down on them decided they wanted to have fun and gave random people powers, but it wasn't really random. There was a pattern in all of that chaos.
As they made it outside, Mnemosyne looked back at the prison. They were at a small side exit that the guards used to go on smoke breaks and hide from cameras. Her gaze moved to the back of the van, where Tethys and Oceanus were embraced in a tight hug. While Mnemosyne had no lover of her own, she could appreciate the feelings that Tethys and Oceanus had for each other. Their trust and love was unbreakable, so much that Oceanus was willing to rot in a cell for months if it meant being able to be with his wife forever.
Tethys finally pulled away and slipped her mask on. She was dressed in the uniform of one of the guards that had been escorting Khione. With any luck, they would be able to make it right past the checkpoint without being questioned. Reyna climbed into the passenger seat, still playing with her mask. The lack of Khione meant that the warm temperatures were back, which was just oh so tragic for the two dressed in winter gear. Better them than Mnemosyne.
Mnemosyne climbed into the back of the van and took a seat as far away from the door as she could. Kronos and Rhea climbed into the van a moment later. Upon seeing Rhea, everyone exchanged looks. None of them would speak up though. None of them would tell Kronos that trusting Rhea would once again lead to their downfall.
Mnemosyne was convinced that Rhea had told the Olympian's they were taking over city hall. That was why not all of the Olympians were there, and how else would the junior Olympians have been able to break into city hall and save their parents? A scowl crossed Mnemosyne's face. Someone had to speak up. It was just a matter of when.
The van started to move, and Mnemosyne looked down. They were so close now. All they had to do was pass the final checkpoint, make it across the bridge, and be home free. If things went south, they could probably fight their way through all of the guards, but they wanted to wait as long as possible to alert the Olympians.
"Did you open it?" Kronos asked. The quiet conversations throughout the van stopped. Mnemosyne looked up at her leader and shook her head.
"Not yet. Tethys has been working on the lock and has narrowed the numbers down. The girl has mastered her powers, and as soon as we give her the material, her powers will multiply," Mnemosyne replied. She smiled. By using Reyna, they would be able to take away the Olympian's powers, leaving them defenseless. Mnemosyne could not wait to make them all pay for their sins.
"I will take a look at it then," Kronos said. He didn't sound angry or upset. It could have been that he was in a good mood, or he was just waiting to unleash his rage. The van came to a stop, and everyone in the van froze. After a few moments, the van took off again.
Mnemosyne could have laughed. They were home free, and it was easier than the first breakout. She leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes. Mnemosyne could not believe how perfectly everything had gone to plan. Breaking into city hall had gone off without a hitch, and the Olympians didn't know that Reyna had forged an email from Chiron to the local prison, giving permission for Khione to be transferred to Tartarus. They bought into Reyna's little act of looking at the vault, so they turned their gaze away from Tartarus.
Failing to kill Athena could have been considered a wrinkle in their plans, but killing the boy turned out to serve the same purpose. The Olympians were looking all around for her and mourning the one they lost. They did not realize what was about to happen. The Olympians had lived upon the mountaintop so long that they became complacent. They did not realize the fall that was before them.
Mnemosyne closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. She listened to the small conversations that filled the van. No one said a word to her, which was fine. She enjoyed being in the background. After what felt like a half hour, the van came to a stop.
The doors to the van opened, but Mnemosyne did not open her eyes. She waited for everyone to leave the van, and she slowly climbed out. Theia walked around the van and made sure that everyone had exited. Then, she climbed into the driver's seat and drove away.
Theia would drive the van into an ocean or leave it to be abandoned in a forest, whichever was more convenient. A small smile came to Mnemosyne's face, and she turned towards their base. It was an old, abandoned orphanage. There was an inspection of the place a few months before, to see if it needed to be torn down or not. It was decided that the place needed to be torn down, so the Titans had about a year and a half before city hall would actually hire someone for the job.
Mnemosyne was one of the last ones to step into the base, and she looked around. Tethys and Oceanus were all over each other already, probably to make up for lost time. The other Titans wandered towards the kitchen to get real food. Kronos led Rhea towards the briefcase and stared down at it. His gaze moved towards Tethys, and she reluctantly walked towards him.
Reyna walked in behind Mnemosyne. She pulled off her mask and shook her head. Reyna took off her vest and jacket. She sat down in a chair and closed her eyes tiredly. Mnemosyne resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a towel and bottle of water. Upon making it back into the living room, she handed both to Reyna.
"Thanks," Reyna said. She wiped her forehead and drank the water. Mnemosyne turned her attention towards Kronos. He was examining the briefcase, as Tethys explained all of the combinations she had tried. Kronos nodded and started to mess with the dials. After a moment, the briefcase opened.
Tethys stared at Kronos and seemed to be thinking of what to say. She finally let out a deep breath and opened the briefcase completely. A slew of curse words left her mouth, and she lifted a small box. There was another lock on this box, and the lock looked like their was only five numbers instead of six. A small laugh escaped Mnemosyne, and Tethys turned on her.
Tethys raised the box, as if she was going to throw it at Mnemosyne. Kronos grabbed the box from her hand and placed it on the table. He examined the lock and slowly put in a code. When it opened, Tethys stared at him.
"I have been working on this for months! How did you know how to open it?" Tethys demanded. She looked at Mnemosyne, as if she was living through some kind of cruel prank. Oceanus walked up behind his wife and rubbed her shoulders.
"Eight. Four. One. Five. Four. One," Kronos stated. "That is the code for the briefcase. Do you know what it means?"
"If I knew what it meant, I would have had the briefcase open a long time ago," Tethys snapped. Kronos smiled, and Tethys flinched.
"It spells Thalia: the name of Jupiter's first child," Kronos stated. The smile did not leave his face. In fact, it seemed to grow wide. Kronos examined the box that had come from the briefcase. "Two. Three. Seven. Nine. Five. That stand for Beryl. If none of you remember the name, she was the mother of Jupiter's children. She was Jupiter's first love and his first victim."
Kronos' eyes moved around, and they focused on Reyna. The girl was sitting at the table and staring at the ground. Kronos gently lifted the box. He didn't dare open it, to look at the contents inside. Instead, he walked towards Reyna and sat by her.
"None of this would have been possible without you," Kronos whispered. Reyna glanced up at him and nodded. Her gaze moved to the ground, and she shifted. "Tonight, we will use this to enhance your powers. It may be painful, but we are so close to freeing this town from oppression."
"I want to see my sister," Reyna stated. She looked up at them. Mnemosyne frowned. They had been feeding Reyna all kinds of lies to keep her from seeing her sister. If Reyna was reunited with Hylla, all of those months of brainwashing could fall apart. "I held up my end of the bargain."
"You will see her soon," Kronos promised. He gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder. "There is one more step we must take."
"I don't want her to be caught in the crossfire," Reyna muttered. She crossed her arms. "I want her to be safe."
"She will be. I swear it," Kronos said. Reyna nodded but still didn't seem convinced. "Tomorrow. You can see her tomorrow, if we enhance your powers tonight. Is that agreeable?"
Reyna slowly looked at Kronos and nodded. She took the box and stared at it. Kronos looked at Mnemosyne and shooed her away. After a moment, Mnemosyne walked out living room and towards the kitchen. She found most of the Titans were fighting over the microwave. Tethys and Oceanus were nowhere to be found, but Mnemosyne could guess what they were doing. Her gaze moved towards the only person standing by themselves.
"I know what you game is," Mnemosyne whispered. Rhea slowly looked at her. "I will not be fooled. If you do anything to ruin our plans, I will hurt you."
"I do not condone what my husband does, but I have never stood in your way," Rhea stated. Mnemosyne sneered and studied the woman in front of her. "I do not condone the things you did to that girl."
"It doesn't matter what you condone or don't condone. You will keep your mouth shut. Or else," Mnemosyne whispered, and she shoved past Rhea. They worked so hard to get to this point. They were so close to seizing power from the Olympians, and Mnemosyne would not let anyone take that from her.