60: Prison of the Damned
THE PRISON OF THE DAMNED, THE BORDER OF OLYMPIC GREECE
When Aegaeon had betrayed Zeus, Zeus had wasted no time in transforming his body into the prison meant for those who broke blood oaths. He was an island of his own, distant from the mainland. His body lay still as it had since Kratos had broken it, but it still contained the prison halls interwoven between the hundred hands.
The cells were still intact, made of solid stone and strong metal. Themis forced Mozenrath into one of the cells, slamming and locking the gate behind him. The young sorcerer blasted through the bonds around his wrists, but even touching the metal bars caused his hand to burn inside the gauntlet – despite said hand having no nerve endings. Every blast fired at the walls was in vain; nothing broke. Themis casually walked away as she heard her prisoner rage against his situation.
The Titans lowered the sun into place at the very heart of the prison, the center between Aegaeon's twisting limbs and the stone hallways that had been constructed among them.
And far below that, Discord found the heart of the Hecatonchire. It lay still, not beating.
"You don't really think you can fool anyone playing dead," Discord questioned, "can you?"
He stared at the heart.
"I know you're just sleeping," Discord called out. "I also know you'll want to wake up when you really take a look around at who's here."
The area began to fill with heat, the warmth of life.
Discord smirked. "Much better."
"Now what does he expect us to do?" Themis muttered, pacing a stone balcony; the Titans had gone to human size in order to walk the island.
"I think he expects us to wait," Iapetus suggested.
"After all," Phoebe said, eyes sparkling, "good things come to those who wait. And good things are coming. Hades and his entire army."
"She actually did it," Selene muttered. "Eris actually got Hades to bring his army!"
"I say we give him a welcome greeting," Helios suggested.
The dark chariots grew visible against the black sky; the silhouettes of Echidna's family lumbered on the horizon behind them. The greatest illumination came from the bird of flames that trailed behind Tisiphone's chariot.
"No," Alecto growled when she saw the Titans lined up on the balcony.
"NO!" Hades echoed, glowing bright orange.
Facilier reined in his chariot next to Hades'. "What are they?"
"Titans," Hades growled. "And they're NOT working for me!"
It was Leto of all Titans who took the initiative in stepping forward, off the balcony, growing to full Titanic height and entering the sea. She walked toward the chariots, which were at the level of her eyes. "HADES," she thundered. "WE'VE DECIDED WE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN EXILE ANY LONGER!"
"If this is a declaration of mutiny," Hades replied, "THEN SO HELP ME, I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO TARTARUS!"
"IT IS US WHO INTEND TO SEND YOU THERE FIRST AS PAYMENT FOR WHAT YOUR KIND HAS DONE!" Leto threatened.
"One problem," Hades pointed out. "You have my sun."
"HOW IS THAT A PROBLEM FOR US?"
"Because I will stop at NOTHING to get it back. You think your little mortal thief was enough to get the job done?"
"You think he belonged to US?" Themis joined Leto in size. "THAT WRETCH WAS PITIFUL. THAT THE OLYMPIAN GODS COULDN'T STOP HIM IS A TESTAMENT TO HOW WEAK THEY TRULY ARE!"
Hades conjured a fireball in each hand, holding them out to either side. "You want me, babe? Come and get me."
"AFTER ALL THE TIME I'VE SPENT TENDING TO YOUR KIND, LIVING IN EXILE, AND AFTER ALL YOUR KIND HAS DONE TO ME…" Leto raged. "THIS IS LONG OVERDUE!"
She changed size in midair, becoming only as tall as Hades; she leapt into his chariot and knocked her elbow into his stomach. He slammed both fireballs into her body, but a shield of aura deflected them. Leto wrapped an arm around Hades' neck, attempting to strangle him. He wrenched her arm away, throwing her off the chariot; she caught on by a hand. As Leto flung herself upward and onto the chariot, Hades had enough time to give the battle order: "GET THEM!"
"GO, GO, EVERYONE, NOW!" Facilier called out; every single chariot but Hades' and one other charged at the Prison of the Damned at full speed.
Themis turned to the balcony where her fellow Titans waited. "COVER ALL THE GROUND!" she bellowed, and the Titans scattered, each claiming a different palm of Aegaeon or cell roof to stand on to await a foe.
"Now, remember, kids," Echidna told all her waiting children. "We do NOT play nice with BULLIES!" She lumbered forward, and the other monsters charged.
Themis focused on the last chariot in the sky, where Eris waited. Eris rose from the seat, flitting around Themis like a bug, whispering in her ear, "Don't we at least want to put on a good show?"
Themis launched herself at Eris' chariot, landing in it at the size of a human so that her voice would not carry. "I do not intend for it to be a show," she growled. "You may be allied with Discord, but you are not one of us. Because of that, your predilection toward chaos and disregard of tradition is unforgivable. You have no place here!"
She lunged at Eris, sword drawn. Eris dodged Themis, laughing as she grew to Titanic proportions, spreading out her arms; the webbing of bat wings sprouted from beneath them. Themis turned over in midair, regaining her Titanic size, charging Eris with her blade. The sword passed through Eris like smoke. Enraged, Themis raised the blade high, and it crackled with white lightning. This she turned to shoot at Eris, and the blow connected, causing Eris to double over in pain. Eris then beat her wings, sending a cyclone of wind toward Themis, pushing the Titan back as she tried to swing her energy-laden sword once more.
Oceanus plunged over the side of the prison into the sea, his natural milieu, only to find himself surrounded by Cetus' tentacles. He grew to full size, breaking free for only a moment; Cetus recalculated, then snapped a tentacle around Oceanus' ankles, one around his torso and forearms, and yet another around his neck. Oceanus struggled free of the appendage holding his arms to his body and reached up to grapple with Cetus to get his throat free. Cetus pulled them both underwater, where they continued to struggle.
Another set of tentacles, black, erupted from the ocean. Alecto's chariot hovered in the air, abandoned. Alecto knocked Perses off the ledge upon which he stood, wrapping a tentacle around him. He grew to full size, tying two of Alecto's tentacles together; two more snapped around his wrists. He grabbed at them and squeezed, hoping to cause Alecto enough pain that she would let go, but she was already untying the knot he'd made and wrapping herself around him; she pulled him underwater next to Cetus and Oceanus, hoping to drown him. Perses' head broke the surface of the water; Alecto forced it right back down again.
Ladon reared back all his heads, firing sharp daggers of ice toward Prometheus. Prometheus' entire body burst into flame, and he ran at the dragon, jumping into the sea to grow to full size, causing each ice shard that touched him to melt instantly. The fiery Titan gripped Ladon tightly around the base of all his necks, throwing him over sideways. Ladon tripped Prometheus up with his tail, breathing a wind over Prometheus that left half of him frozen; Prometheus' natural bodily fire melted it.
Tendrils of darkness sprouted beneath Theia; she struggled to break free from the bonds. When the darkness abated, she glowed with brighter light than ever only to feel a sharp burning sensation run through her. She turned to see Facilier's cane pinning down her shadow, blue flames running down the length of it. She realized the first burst of darkness had been a distraction so that he could get close enough to the shadow she cast – even with her permanent glow, she still had one. Angered, Theia conjured beams of light within her hands, sending them towards Facilier; they burned him when they hit their target, causing him to lose his hold on Theia's shadow. She rushed him, fist drawn; he spun, ducking her blow, and whacked her on the back of the head with his cane.
Euryale descended from the sky toward Thera, beaming petrification energy toward her; Thera deflected it with a greatsword she bore. Flicking the wrist of the hand holding the greatsword, Thera made flames come to life along the length of the blade. When Euryale landed on the ground beside her, Thera swung the blade heavily. Euryale hastened backward, out of its path, shooting at it with her eyes to try and petrify the sword, but to no avail. While Hades had been able to tie her powers to the bracelet enough that the bracelet's breaking would merely render her powerless and not completely blind – a move she wasn't sure about committing to until the bracelets were reinforced and Stheno had begged – he had not been able to make her able to disable a Titanic weapon. The snakes of Euryale's hair rushed out to snap at Thera's sword arm; Thera flinched, and the sword went off course, but she didn't lose her grip.
Stheno danced around Hyperion's blasts of light and fire, taunting him: "Ha! Ha! Ha! MISSED!" However, her own beams missed just as often. A blast of light sent her reeling, head over heels, landing flat on her back on the ground. As Hyperion quickly advanced to finish her off, she leapt up to her feet in a single movement, blasting Hyperion with all she had. To her frustration, only one of Hyperion's arms turned to stone rather than his whole body. Hyperion slammed his hands together, and the stone skin cracked, falling off to reveal that his arm was just fine beneath. With a roar of anger, Stheno charged him again.
Nemesis approached Coeus with fire in her eyes. "Escaping an eternal sentence in Tartarus without a divine pardon is a capital offense," she informed him. "Punishable by SMITING UNTIL DEATH!" Both arms became shining broadsword blades, and Nemesis ran at Coeus. Coeus raised his arms, causing the area around him to succumb to extraordinary gravity patterns; when Nemesis hit it; she was flung to the ground. She crawled toward Coeus until she was lifted up into the air. Spinning, she turned about, kicking at the air to propel herself toward Coeus; he shifted gravity again so that she stood on the ground, but every step she took forward brought her backward. It caught him off guard when she ran backward at full speed, carrying her body close enough to him to reach him with her blades and slash at him.
A ghostly wail pierced the air, causing the ground Crius was on to shake. He stumbled to keep his balance. In a rage, he swiped his hands through the air, gathering fire in them. Dark Danny rushed Crius at full speed, blasting at him; Crius launched one fireball to deflect that energy and a second to hit the ghost himself. Dark Danny was thrown against a wall made of one of Aegaeon's arms. He shook off the attack, running at Crius, blasting a bond of ectoplasm at the Titan to bind him. Crius was only stymied for a few seconds before he broke the bonds, and he caught Danny's raised fists in his own hands, the pair struggling to push one or the other over.
The Nemean Lion rushed Iapetus, rising up to maul him. In a brilliant glimmer, a monstrous spear of black and silver appeared in Iapetus' hands, and he thrust it at the Lion. The Lion recoiled, stepping back. Blood dripped from the wound Iapetus – known as the Piercer – had made; fortunately for the Lion, he'd backed off before it could be made deep enough to be fatal. Stunned, the Lion murmured, "That's not possible. I'm invincible…" When Iapetus came at him with the spear, the Lion clamped his jaws down upon Iapetus' arm.
Gegeines lumbered towards Mnemosyne, having been coached by his mother to actually take an active part in the battle this time. He reached out for her with one monstrous arm, but she cast a shimmer of silver plasma over him, and he blinked, unable to remember why he was there or who he was fighting.
One of the many heads of the Hydra snapped at Tethys. Tethys made a swan dive into the ocean, where she twirled and swirled, causing a whirlpool, all the while growing to her Titanic proportions. When she rose from the water, she called up jets of the salty ocean to pummel the purple creature. All of the Hydra's heads charged her at once; she knocked each one aside with a blast of water.
"This is not good," Panic muttered. "This is very not good…"
"Looks like we have to use that 'emergency plan' Hades told us about," Pain suggested.
The two stood next to each other, shifting shape. They took on the form of a dragonlike creature, about the size of a tiger, with two heads – one purple, one teal, and the body split by color halfway across. As one creature, they galloped toward the nearest target: Phoebe. Phoebe, however, sidestepped Pain's first attempt to swipe at her with his claws. As she did Panic's attempt to bite her with elongated fangs.
Her eyes glittered with the power of foresight. "Every time you make a move, you know exactly what move you wish to make," she said. "There is no question! You cannot make a move you have not decided on permanently, and all outcomes narrow to one! I will always see what you choose to do to me before you do it, and that is why you will never land a blow on me!" To emphasize her point, she kicked Pain in the face.
Rhea sprang from her ground on the prison, growing in size, landing in the ocean and swinging a bronze shield. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY FAMILY!" she shrieked.
Echidna charged her, screaming, "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY KIDS?"
Rhea swung the shield's edge at Echidna, then slammed its flat side into Echidna's face. Echidna, slightly dazed, responded by slamming her entire body into Rhea, knocking her over. When she tried to crush Rhea's head beneath her foot, it just clanged against the shield, which Rhea had raised in time.
Eos whimpered, trying to find a place to hide during the conflict. While racing down the hall past the cell blocks, her path was interrupted; Adonis, eyes still glowing from hypnotism, stepped into her way.
"I was supposed to find and destroy the weakest member of the team," he said, not even in enough control of himself to realize what an insult that order had been. He rushed at Eos with a sword Hades had granted him. Eos clapped her hands, producing a brief and dim flash of light; it was still enough to startle Adonis and cause him to trip. Eos turned and ran in the opposite direction while Adonis got his bearings to keep up the chase.
Orcos stretched out, changing into his demonic form; Helios matched him in size. Orcos swiped at Helios, but his claw was blocked by Helios' golden shield. The shield emitted a burst of light, causing Orcos to stagger. Orcos was able to duck the next blast of light, grabbing Helios by the shoulders; Helios swatted Orcos in the face with the shield's flat.
Geryon raised a club and rushed Selene, but Selene was ready with the sleeping powder. She tossed it at one of Geryon's faces, causing a third of the monster to fall asleep. She then ran in circles around Geryon, giggling as the two faces still awake called out, "Hey! Get up! Lazy!"
Asteria, at full size, challenged the Chimaera. When the Chimaera's snake tail struck, Asteria swatted her aside. The Chimaera's lion head attempted to bite Asteria on the leg, but she cried out, "NO WAY!" and she delivered a sharp kick to the Chimaera's lion face. This caused the Chimaera to lean forward, balancing on her front legs, so the goat head could butt Asteria in the stomach, causing her to fall and splash into the waters.
Tisiphone leapt upon the back of her fiery familiar, and they went careening down towards Epimetheus, Tisiphone cackling all the way. Epimetheus waited until they got close to throw a punch at Tisiphone – which went right through her, and the illusion dissolved. As Epimetheus stopped to wonder what had gone wrong, he felt a beam of magical energy sear into his body from behind; he spun to see the real Tisiphone hovering there with the bird looming above her. "You're an idiot!" she taunted, firing blast after blast; Epimetheus ran for cover.
Cerberus, on the other hand, was having a difficult time dealing with Menoetius. No matter how much fire or darkness he breathed at the Titan, Menoetius seemed to just be able to barrel through it – either he was invulnerable or just that determined to push through the pain. Menoetius dealt blow after blow to each of Cerberus' three faces in turn while the hellhound tried to get in a bite.
Megaera approached Metis. "Your weapons are broken," she taunted, "and you are on MY battlefield!" Pores all over Megaera's skin widened; beetles crawled out of them, pouring onto the ground.
Metis slammed her shield into beetle after beetle. The bugs crawled up onto her, but she threw them to the ground with a cry of frustration, stomping them. Even with only the broken half of a dull sword, she swung it quickly enough to cut through the remaining beetles. Megaera then leapt directly at Metis, pinning her to the ground, raising an insectoid leg to drive down into her face; Metis kicked upwards with both feet, sending Megaera flipping over her head, getting up and spinning to attempt a stab at Megaera. Megaera tripped Metis, and when they were both on the ground, they struggled to their feet at the same time. Megaera tried again and again to pummel Metis with her insect limbs, but Metis' sword and shield were fast enough to deflect all the blows.
Astraeus and Orthos were in the midst of a full-blown fistfight. Astraeus had already blackened the eye of Orthos' left head, but Orthos' right hand had gotten a punch in to Astraeus' face as well. They too ended up on the ground, rolling, sometimes one on top, sometimes another.
Medusa knew she had to be careful with her stone vision around Pallas, for Pallas carried a round, silver shield that was over half the size of Pallas' body. Medusa could clearly see herself in it; were she not protected by Hades' bracelet, the battle would already have been won. Pallas rushed Medusa with xyr sword; Medusa leapt up, vaulting over Pallas' head, landing behind xyr back. Medusa turned to try and get a shot in, but Pallas was faster, first transferring xyr shield behind xyr back before spinning to face Medusa. Medusa ducked the next swipes of Pallas' sword before leaping up to kick the Titan in the face; while Pallas did not drop xyr weapons, xe was stunned and reeled from the pain.
Leto was finally able to throw Hades overboard the chariot; Hades plummeted into the sea below. He sank several feet before getting his bearings and surfacing. His fire was out and his color blue thanks to the water, but he was still clearly enraged. He watched Leto delicately descend to stand upon the water.
"You KNOW how much I hate WATER!" Hades roared. "What IS it with you, anyway? Call me crazy, but I thought your employment on Olympus was a sign that you were OUT of the war business."
"My position on Olympus was a punishment given to me by Zeus," Leto replied. "I let him and all who supported him tread on me for too long. Now we must find our own path, one where we return to power and glory without living under Olympian heels!"
"Did it never occur to you," Hades seethed, "that MAYBE I'M TRYING TO DO THE SAME THING?"
Leto was taken aback. "Explain yourself."
"You know Zeus is a jerk! I know Zeus is a jerk! I want him gone too for sticking me down in the Underworld! And if you think on it for a bit, I'm sure you can come up with the name of one other certain goddess he keeps CHEATING on who wants him out of the picture too."
"Are you saying you and Hera…"
"Want that sun so we can show him he isn't in control!"
"We are fighting for the same thing," Leto realized. "After all…you and Persephone did liberate Atlas, and you liberated Pyros, Hydros, Lythos, and Stratos as well…" Horror came over her face. "Attacking you was a mistake, Hades! Tell me…tell me now that you will stand with us to face Zeus, and we can stop this fighting!"
Hades weighed his options. After all, he had his loyalty to his army, and his loyalty to the Overtakers. And, most importantly, his loyalty to himself. Could he afford to let the Titans get in the way of that? But as he thought about it…it was what he had tried to do from the very beginning. Somehow, they'd just all made it that much easier for him. His only worry was that, as a much greater force of numbers, the Titans could easily betray him and follow their own agenda. However, if they managed to bring down Zeus first, Hades was confident he could deal with that later.
"Fine, fine," he sighed. "I'll agree to a truce. You call off your forces, and I'll call off mine, and when our REAL enemy shows up, we'll give him and all his forces a taste of EVERYONE he's underestimated!"
Leto grew in size rapidly; Hades matched her stature. Together, they cried out, "EVERYONE STOP!"
And everyone did, once those two voices radiated through the air. Alecto relaxed her grip. Hyperion's next blast of heat fizzled out. Tisiphone hovered motionless in midair. Pallas lowered xyr sword. Metis lowered her shield. Adonis stopped in his tracks. Facilier backed away from Theia. Themis, growling in the back of her throat, put down her sword, and Eris chuckled.
"WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THE SAME THING!" Leto announced. "TO TAKE POWER BACK FROM ZEUS!"
"HE MADE ALL OUR LIVES INTO LIVING TARTARUS," Hades added, "AND HE'S THE ONE WE SHOULD FOCUS ON KILLING! FIRST, ANYWAY."
"STAND DOWN FROM THIS BATTLE!" Leto begged. "FACE THE OLYMPIANS WHEN THEY COME!"
"I MEAN, I'M STILL FOR THE WHOLE TITANIC CAUSE," Hades added. "YOU GUYS GOT CHEATED ALMOST WORSE THAN ME. SO HAVE WE GOT A DEAL? TITANS STOP TRYING TO KILL MY ARMY, AND MY ARMY WILL STOP TRYING TO KILL TITANS."
There was silence at first as all thought it over. Then murmured agreements. Then the air was pierced by a sharp cackle. All eyes turned to look at Phoebe.
"A ship of would-be heroes is coming to battle us!" she laughed. "They think they can take back the sun and restore ORDER!"
"IF I WERE YOU," Hades responded, addressing all present, "I'D TAKE THEM DOWN FIRST."
Phoebe pointed to where the small ship emerged into view on the horizon.
"I think I see Aegaeon on the horizon!" Rarity called out from the ship's wheel. Rainbow Dash kept fueling the sail with wind, carrying it to the Prison island at a swift pace.
"Everypony!" Twilight announced. "We don't know what we'll be facing when we get to the prison, so be prepared for – "
She didn't get to finish. The entire ship rocked. Oceanus rose from one side of the ship and Tethys from another, towering to the sky.
Zoë drew back her bow. Hercules drew Anaklusmos. Pit readied his golden blades. Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack transformed, their Eldritch weapons appearing in hand. Even Rarity let go of the wheel of the ship to transform and summon her bow. Icarus struck his best fighting pose.
Then all of Alecto's tentacles erupted from one side of the water and all of Cetus' from another. The six Equestrians barely had enough time to mobilize and create the rainbow shield, putting a barrier around the ship and its passengers, throwing off Alecto and Cetus.
A ghostly wail echoed through the air, and the shield shattered. Oceanus reached under the boat, tipping it over. Tethys plunged it down into the ocean depths. And Alecto and Cetus ripped it apart.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Hercules, Meg, Pegasus, Phil, Icarus, Cassandra, Zoë, and Pit floated in the depths, separated, discombobulated, trying to get their bearings. Then each was scooped up by a monstrous hand, closing around each. Rainbow Dash summoned all the weather powers she could think of to strike the hand of Prometheus that held her, but to no avail; Prometheus' hand instead caught on fire, neutralizing all of Rainbow Dash's attacks without harming her. Twilight couldn't make a mark on Coeus. Zoë's light arrows did nothing against Mnemosyne.
Only Hercules was able to break free of the grip of his captor, Perses. But as soon as he did so, Alecto, once again in the form of a human, rose to meet him, striking him with viscous darkness that covered him like a fallen spiderweb. When Hercules was in this condition, Perses gathered him into his other hand and continued on.
"DON'T KILL THEM YET," Hades ordered.
Even hearing his voice sent chills through Hercules, Meg, Phil, Pegasus, Icarus, Cassandra, Pit, and Zoë. The six Equestrians, while having no personal ties to him, also realized his voice was one of power…the voice of someone not to be crossed.
"I WANT THEM TO WATCH," he continued.
Then Eris laughed, a laugh that echoed sinisterly against the sky.
The heroes were deposited in a cell that looked out toward the horizon from which they'd come. After dropping Pinkie Pie in it as the final occupant, Themis sealed the door. "YOU WILL WITNESS THE FALL OF OLYMPUS," she said, "BEFORE YOU, YOURSELF, SHALL FALL."
From the opposite edge of the island, hearing Themis' words, Mozenrath could only wonder who else had arrived. He was no closer to escaping; somehow, an energy in the cell prevented him from connecting to the darkness, from Apparating away. The cell had been built to hold Dark sorcerers, and it was serving its purpose.
As Twilight was figuring out as she tried charm after charm on the bars. "Alohomora" didn't unlock the door. None of her spells broke the metal that kept her and her friends caged in.
"Hercules," she asked, "can you…?"
"I'm on it!" Hercules reached for the bars, grasping them; he couldn't get them to move. "These bars were made to hold in demigods!"
"Yeah, I'm calling it now," Cassandra sighed. "We're all doomed. We might as well just get used to it. At least we've got a good view."
"I am NOT giving up this easily!" Rainbow Dash swung her sword against the bars again and again. Not so much as a dent.
"Uh-oh," Applejack said softly, looking out across the ocean.
"What is it?" Zoë asked.
They all turned their attention to the sky, where Applejack looked. All in the vicinity of the island heard it when Phoebe yelled with joy, "THE OLYMPIANS ARE COMING!"
Chapter 60:
· I decided to split the climactic battle up into two parts because after this, there's a LOT that needs to flow together. It's just better to have this part out of the way.
· I decided for plot reasons that Aegaeon's cells should be prepared for anything. After all, they were made to hold ANY oathbreaker. I am well aware that Kratos was able to break one of his own chains in GoW Ascension (though he did need to sever the other one against the claws of Megaera, who, as the jailer, I suppose has the ultimate power to do whatever she wants there). This is being written off as a fluke.
· I also know Aegaeon was supposed to be dead canonically. For my purposes…nope.
· I tried to match up the Titans and Hades' army when I did find connections. For example, it's obvious why Themis and Eris clash. Ladon and Prometheus are fire versus ice. And when the Olympians show up, the rivalries are going to make even more sense. You'll see.
· Iapetus is, in mythological canon, known as "the piercer" and wields a giant spear. His name even means "piercer." So I figured he can be the one that can actually hurt the Nemean Lion. (Outside Hercules himself, of course.)
· I finally got to use Megaera's skin beetles! YAY!
· And no, I could NOT let the heroes see Mozenrath yet. In due time, readers.
· Overall, I actually tried to structure this chapter somewhat like how a reader/friend known as thetoonguy in our circles does his battle royales, with just a little attention devoted to each move between rivalries. That made things move faster.