A dark figure eyed the large, gothic manor with hungry eyes. The son of the Grim Reaper must be reading the diary by now. The man licked his lips in anticipation. He couldn't wait to go and raise hell.

-o-

Kid sat at his desk, simply staring with wide, disbelieving eyes at what he was reading. The diary detailed the events of what happened when Circe rebelled against Death and Hecate. It was not what he was expecting. He closed the diary slowly and deliberately. As he rose from his chair, he knew that he had to tell everyone about his discovery.

As he left his room with the diary tucked under his arm, he thought back on what he had read. If it was true, than things might be more difficult than he originally thought. Circe would be the least of their worries.

"Trouble sleeping?" said a wicked voice suddenly. Kid jumped and turned to a window behind him to see a bizarre-looking man sitting on the windowsill. He looked like a medieval court jester, with face paint that made him look like a mad clown. His eyes were a bloody shade of red, and his outfit was a chaotic jumble of blues, yellows, greens, and every other color of the rainbow.

"Who are you?" Kid demanded with serious expression.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" the clown replied with a mad grin. He hopped from his perch and performed a flamboyant bow. "I am called Raith, the Mad Jester. Pleased to meet you, my dear Death the Kid!"

Kid's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How do you know my name?"

"Oh, I know so much more than that, my boy! You're the son of Death, and obsessed with symmetry. You use two weapons named Liz and Patty Thompson, both being able to turn into handguns, which suits your style perfectly. But enough of that. About why I'm here." He pointed to the diary in Kid's arms. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take that book you've got there, and I'd rather things didn't get messy."

Kid looked down at the book, then back to Raith with glare. "Sorry, but I don't plan on handing over something like this," he said with absolute certainty. If Raith wanted this diary, then what he found inside must be true after all.

Raith grinned at Kid's response. "Oh, I'm so happy you said that," he stated with little smile. Kid gave the man a surprised glance. Raith's expression suddenly burst into an insane, beaming grin that showed off sharpened teeth. "I lied when I said I didn't want things to get messy!" His fingers then extended into razor blades, and he rushed forward, ready to hack and slash the son of Death.

-o-

The Thompson sisters were going about their usual activities. Liz was painting her nails and blowing them carefully to help them dry, while Patty was busy making animals out of paper and other materials… then promptly breaking their necks and laughing like a psychopath. Yes, a perfectly ordinary day.

BOOM!

Liz fell out of her seat and stared around with wide eyes. "What the hell was that!?"

"Maybe Kid saw something that wasn't symmetrical?" Patty theorized with a pondering look.

"Somehow, that wouldn't surprise me," Liz admitted as she got back to her feet. Suddenly, Kid slammed the doors to the room open then hurriedly shut and locked them. "What the? Kid, what's going on?"

"No time!" Kid shouted with a look of panic. "Weapon forms, now!" The sisters quickly complied and transform into their handgun forms, landing in Kid's hands. The son of Death back flipped away from the door just in time to avoid Raith's blades as they shredded the door to pieces.

"Peekaboo!" the madman screamed as he continued his charge. Kid responded by unloading dozens of rounds on the Mad Jester. He didn't stop shooting, even as the room became filled with debris as the bullets wrecked everything they made contact with. Even when the wall collapsed, he kept shooting for almost five minutes. Soon, he stopped shooting to assess the damage.

"I think you got him," Liz stated.

"Victory!" Patty called out.

Kid wasn't quite as convinced. He had fought several opponents similar to this "Raith" character. They never went down this easily. He carefully stepped toward the pile of rubble that now buried the Mad Jester. Several moments later, nothing happened. Maybe he did get him after all.

That was when a clawed hand shot out of the debris, nearly catching Kid's head. He leaped back before the hand could grab him and watched as the psychotic clown pulled himself out of the mess. "Now that was just annoying," said Raith as he stood up, leaning his head from side to side, getting a few satisfying pops. "You almost hit me a few times."

Kid's eyes were wide in shock. The clown didn't have a single scratch on him. Not one of his shots had landed. How was that even possible? "What are you?" Kid asked.

"Just a humble little court jester," Raith replied with another flamboyant bow. He looked up at the dark-haired boy with a sadistic glint in his eye. "With an appetite for blood." At that statement, he dashed forward and slashed down on Kid's torso, drawing a fountain of blood from his chest.

The boy backed off several feet, clutching his chest in an effort to stop the bleeding. "Kid!" Liz and Patty shouted in unison.

"I'm fine," he assured the two girls. "I've been through tougher spots. You two of all people should know that." He went into a ready stance, poised to fire at the first opportunity.

"My, aren't we confident!" Raith said with that maniacal grin of his. He then giggled mischievously. "Get ready, Death the Kid! Because now the party starts for real!" He charged, wildly swinging his blades, forcing Kid to jump and dodge, giving him little time to counter.

The blades sliced clean through everything they touched, turning walls into doorways and paintings into scrap paper. Kid had no choice but to run and shoot at the psychopath, hoping that something would hit him. The blood-thirsty clown twisted and weaved past the storm of bullets. Not a single shot came close to hitting him.

"Liz, Patty!" Kid called to his weapons. "Soul Resonance, now!"

"Right!" both girls answered as the trio began to resonate their souls. Kid turned as the handguns became cannons and aimed at Raith. "Ready when you are, Kid!" Liz announced.

"Fire Death Cannon!" At that, the cannons fired with full force. Raith stopped in his tracks and watched as the massive bolt of raw energy flew towards him.

"Oh, dear," he said as the blast enveloped him. The resulting explosion sent Kid flying back several yards. He skidded across the floor, landing painfully on his back. he groaned as he pulled himself back to his feet, staring at the pillar of dust and debris that had been scattered by the Death Cannon.

Liz and Patty changed back to their human forms and stood behind Kid. "What the hell was that all about?" Liz asked.

"I'm not certain," Kid admitted. He held up the diary that he had found. "I discovered this last night. It would seem that he was after this book."

"Why would he want some diary?" Liz inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I have reason to believe that it may be necessary for his master's plan to succeed."

"You mean that Circe chick?"

"No. Our real enemy is-" He was cut off by a set of five blades piercing his torso like butter. Patty screamed at the sight as the blades drew out of Kid's body.

"Terribly sorry, my boy," the mad clown said as he rose out of the rubble, covered in burns and scars, "but I can't have you spreading rumors." He grabbed the book from Kid's hands and began walking away, waving a hand to the Thompson sisters. "I wouldn't worry too much. He's probably still alive. But you might want to get him treatment before he bleeds to death. I'd like to fight him again sometime." With that, he disappeared.

Liz and Patty slumped over Kid's barely conscious form. "P-Patty, we have to hurry," Liz said. "We need to get him to a doctor, fast." Patty nodded slowly, her usual happy-go-lucky personality gone. Liz hated seeing her little sister like that. It told her that things were only going to get worse before they got better. MUCH worse.