Jacob's Journal - Downtime & Session Journal
I didn't get the downtime story finished before the Scion session on Wednesday unfortunately, so I'm just going to post it with the session journal. :) Hope you enjoy.
Jacob hadn't been home from Helheim for very long when there was a pounding knock on the door. Caleb started towards the door but stopped and looked at his father before saying, "Maybe you should get that?"
Jacob didn't feel a sensation of danger to his family but agreed with Caleb and waved him back into the living room. When he opened the door Jacob took a step back as he was greeted by a very large pair of legs. He stepped outside and looked up, craning his neck to see the face of a pleasant looking giantess. "I bring you greetings, Son of Frigg. I am Arnþrúðr and I come on behalf of my mistress Jord."
He knew that name and felt a stab of concern. Not one of the most feared Titans, but a Titan none the less. She was the mother of Thor, the rival of Frigg and Jacob really didn't want to know why she was sending an emissary to him. "Uh. Welcome, Arnþrúðr."
"My mistress wishes you to know that she knows of you and is pleased with your progress. She favors you now with a gift worthy of your exploits." The giantess handed Jacob a large hammer and he looked it over with an admiring if wary eye as she explained that the hammer would gain more power with every child he fathered. The wisest thing to do would be to refuse the gift, but that would also be the most insulting thing he could do. Jord was a non-combatant as far as he knew, he really didn't want to change that; and it was possible that gaining her approval could be for the best in the long run. Of course, he thought wryly, thinking about the long run was what got him into trouble with Hel also.
"Please give your mistress my regards and thanks for her gift."
Arnþrúðr nodded, "She will not approach you until you have been elevated, but be aware that she is most interested in your eventual divinity, Jacob Marsh." Without waiting for him to respond she turned and walked away making the ground shake with every step though it was obvious she was being careful not to cause damage to the area.
Jacob swallowed and tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. Knowing what he knew about Jord, he had a feeling that not only would his mother not be pleased to know one of her rivals for Odin's affections was interested in her son, but Hel wouldn't be too happy either. Not to mention Delilah's understandable reaction. He'd just brought Hel's gift of new armor home and now this? With a sigh he got a better grip on the hammer and went back inside.
Caleb and Delilah were both standing in the foyer. Caleb's eyes were focused on the hammer. Jacob walked past them towards the basement where he kept his gear. Once the hammer was safely in place he went back upstairs leaving Caleb to examine the hammer. Delilah was still in the foyer waiting for him and he immediately went to her. When she remained stiff in his arms he leaned back and gave her a puppy dog look, "Don't be mad, please?"
"I'm not mad."
"But you're not happy either," he pointed out.
She raised an eyebrow, "Should I be?"
He opened his mouth then closed it again. Before giving her a sheepish smile, "Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to do handsprings or something. But, Sweetheart, I didn't ask for it."
"I know. And I know you don't want their attention but you have it. And your suitors can give you powerful gifts whereas I can't."
"You are the gift," he said wincing internally at just how corny that sounded. "You make me happy, De."
"And Hel?"
"What about her?" He asked warily.
"What does she make you feel?"
Jacob rubbed a hand through his hair making it stick up a little bit as he thought about how to phrase his answer. "Uncomfortable," he said before quickly continuing. "I like her. I can't help it, I do. But I also can never forget that she's incredibly powerful and she's on the fence about so many things. Mother doesn't trust her and knowing Hel's fascination for Baldur I don't know what to think. I don't think I've replaced him in her mind but at the same time she's different around me than anyone else. But with her it's still goddess and subservient. With you and me...we're equals. It's more of a partnership."
"A partnership."
He nodded. She slipped out of his arms and said, "I'm not sure I agree, but it's nice to know you think so."
He watched her head up the stairs and knew she wouldn't want him to follow her at that moment. He sighed and walked outside, he needed some air. One thing he learned since his elevation from regular mortal; getting laid was a hell of a lot easier, but relationships were even more complicated.
Jacob walked back into the house after a quick walk to the lake and back. He kept one hand behind his back as he snuck inside and listened to see where Delilah was. He found her in the nursery with the twins. It was impossible to sneak up on her, but she didn't move when he stepped behind her and reached around to present a single tiger lily. "Exotic, delicate, and lovely. Just like you."
"That is a very cheesy line and I am not exactly delicate."
Jacob leaned around her to see the smile she was trying to hide. "So flower comparisons are passé huh?"
"Perhaps, but the thought is still appreciated," she said before turning in his arms to kiss him. Whether it was fair or not, he managed to get back in her good graces before returning to Helheim to retrieve his new daughter and bring her back to meet her siblings.
Hrimmsa was unique. Though she was only a couple of months old she was already 4 feet tall and awkwardly walking. She had the mentality of a one year old and though he hadn't been able to spend much time with her so far she absolutely adored Jacob. Delilah and Amanda kept hold of the twins and Cole when Jacob brought her home but Maggie and Caleb played with her. She was almost as taken with Caleb as she was with Jacob and tried to follow him where ever he went.
Jacob was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when he heard the fall of a little body followed by a giggle and a wail. He quickly turned off the stove and ran into the living room just in time to see Hrimmsa hurl Amanda's antique rocking chair against the wall. The wood splintered and Maggie darted behind Jacob as she apologized for laughing.
"I didn't mean it, Daddy!"
"Go to your grandmother, Princess. Let me take care of your sister."
Maggie darted out of the room and Jacob picked up Hrimmsa, setting her on his lap as he looked at the small wounds she had from the chair shattering. "It's ok, Sweetheart. I'll fix it."
"Hurts!"
He smoothed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek before he started telling her a fairy tale while he removed the splinters and healed her. Soon he was rocking her to sleep while Amanda watched them from the doorway. He gently laid her on the couch and covered her with a blanket before following his mom back to the kitchen. "I'll fix the chair."
"Thank you, but you know I don't care about that. What if it'd been Maggie she'd thrown?"
Jacob could imagine the damage from such a throw all too easily. "I won't let that happen."
Amanda touched his face and smiled sadly, "She's a sweet child, Jacob, but she's too dangerous. I know she wouldn't mean to, but she can hurt them. She's already given Caleb enough bruises from their playing and he's the only one of the children that's sturdy enough to truly be around her."
"She likes it here, Mom," Jacob said. "I don't want her growing up knowing nothing but Helheim."
"I don't suggest that either. Just...she's not old enough yet. She doesn't know how to control herself and until she does she's a danger to her brothers and sisters."
Reluctantly Jacob nodded. "I'll take her home today."
Amanda nodded, "I am sorry, Jacob."
"I know. But you're right. I'll bring her back when she's older."
He was still in Helheim when Carina called. The gods needed them once more.
I was in Helheim when Carina called. The conference call was brief, after all, she'd sent the information to us by email the day before. Horus and the Pesedjet requested our help to bring an ancient machine back online. The Leviathan once guarded Ra's Barge as it traveled through Duat to Iteru every day. Unfortunately at some point the machine fired on Hades' ferry man Charon and on a different occasion fired on other ferry men so the Dodekatheon demanded it be decommissioned. The charges to bring the machine back online were placed in four different areas, guarded over by servants of Anubis, Set, Horus, and Isis though some of these have fallen to the Titans or been usurped by the Dodekatheon. It would be up to us to get each component repaired and back online, hopefully without tipping Apophis and his lackeys off about our intentions.
We agreed to meet at the house in Cairo and go from there. I think Carina was antsy to get started, while Sam was more willing to take a back seat and work to figure out the best strategy. I could understand Carina's desire to jump in with both feet, but appreciated the patience Sam offered as well. They balance each other out in many ways.
Hrimmsa wasn't happy that I was leaving but there was no doubt in my mind that Hel could handle her. I was a little surprised when Hel told me it would please her if I wished to bring her a trophy from our quest. The cynical part of me says that she only wants such a thing to expand her own glory but a larger part of me believes she simply wants something to show I think of her, that I fight in her name, much like a lady of old wishing to have her knight's favor. Yeah it's an overly romantic notion, yet despite the fact her overwhelming gift of armor truly does make me feel as if I'm branded as her current pet, I also know how pleased she was when I accepted it. She gave me her favor, now it's my turn to reciprocate.
After a quick trip home to gather my gear I was on my way to San Francisco where I met up with Storm, Cesar and Helena to fly to Cairo. Helena was quite curious about the armor her mother gave me and Cesar seemed to take great delight in teasing Storm about my suitors (as Delilah called them). I have no doubt Storm has piqued the interest of several women, goddesses, and other fantastical creatures, he's just lucky enough to keep it quiet.
After some discussion we decided it made the most diplomatic sense to visit Hades and apprise him of the situation with the Leviathan so he wouldn't see it's reactivation as an act of aggression. Thanks to Stephanie from the Persephone cult we were aware of the use of the Dionysian Mysteries to get to and from Hades' realm, which is really a much easier way to travel to the Underworld than getting buried or something. When we arrived we weren't on the banks of the River Styx as we expected to be. Instead we stood at the edge of Lake Acheron (more like Swamp Acheron if you ask me). Carina and Storm built a good sized and sturdy raft to take us across the swamp. After a while we saw five women running through the swamp. They were mostly concealed by the mists but when we were able to get a clearer look we saw they were a bit strange. One leg ended with a hoof like a Satyr while the other was made of bronze. It took a minute but both Helena and I recalled they were known as Empusas, a type of living vampire that served Hecate. They didn't bother us and we didn't bother them. After all we weren't there to cause trouble, just lay some groundwork to keep our mission from being more complicated than it already was.
Not long after the Empusas crossed our path we saw a couple of men hiding in the reeds. One was dressed as Heracles, while the other was a very attractive young man dressed in a slave's outfit. After listening to their whispered conversation Storm used his mastery of the air to jerk both men out of their hiding place and onto the raft. It turns out we were in the presence of Dionysus and his servant Xanthias. While physically attractive Dionysus wasn't very impressive because he had the brain power of a gnat. Which I have to admit really surprised me. Helena figured out what was going on though and quickly explained that Dionysus and Xanthias were currently stuck in roles dictated by the Fates through a play called The Frogs. In that play Dionysus claimed he could dress as Heracles and completely fool anyone he met and proceeded to prove it as he traveled to Hades in hopes of rescuing Eruipedes. The play was a comedy, and as such Dionysus was an idiot who couldn't help but have problems anytime he met someone while in the Heracles costume. Meanwhile, if his servant Xanthias wore the costume they would meet friends of Heracles instead of his enemies. Helena said we needed to keep them from changing clothes and somehow Storm managed to talk them out of that notion breaking the fate binding at least briefly.
For no reason other than they were in the play we ran into four Tartesian Eels that attacked without any provocation. It didn't take long to kill them and I quickly cooked them. The assumption was they'd be incredibly tasty so we wrapped one specifically to give to Hades as a tribute and I put the others in my bag (wrapped up of course) to keep for us. We reached Hades' palace and parted ways with Dionysus and Xanthias. We were led to a grand waiting room and several nymphs came to entertain us with dancing and Carina indulged in an hour long foot rub. She's six months pregnant currently and I think that foot rub was probably a bit like heaven.
When we were led into Hades' throne room I couldn't help but consider the austere but imposing surroundings. He sat on a dark throne that reminded me of Hel's but his chamber was sparsely furnished and there were no souls in torment lining the walls like hers. Personally, I preferred this throne room to that one, but then I'm really not a fan of eternal torment anyway. Naturally Storm took the lead and explained why we were there. Hades' has a great poker face but after listening to our news he looked to Helena and charged her with ensuring the Leviathan's programming would not allow it to veer off course and enter his realm. It was on her shoulders and she looked to Carina and Sam to see if such a thing would be permissible to their pantheon. We were led to an antechamber to discuss the situation and Cesar reminded us it was all about the sale. We give Hades what he wants, the agreement that Helena would attempt to examine the machine and its programming. That's all that was needed, though Sam felt confident that there was no reason his pantheon should have a problem with the examination since they were so certain the Leviathan never deviated from its course in the first place. Carina looked like she was ready to explode with frustration.
After the brief conference Helena agreed and I felt a slight sense of unease. If for some reason in the future Hades decides that the Leviathan once more crossed into his territory then it would be on Helena's head. Cesar soothed her fears about that possibility by assuring her that he would make Hades rue the day he ever considered retribution against her. Storm and I exchanged a glance and I knew he felt the same as I did. Hades would never get his hands on Helena no matter what the damned machine did in the future. Our band wouldn't let her be touched and knowing that soothed my own nerves somewhat.
With an agreement in place Hades gave his permission (not that we needed it, but still) for the Leviathan to be reactivated and invited us to dine with him. It would've been impolite for us to refuse so we enjoyed a leisurely meal with Hades, Dionysus and Xianthias while we shared stories of our adventures. The battle with Hun Came is always worth sharing and Cesar tells it with flair. Storm shared our time in Alfheim, I told about our successful visit to China and Carina recounted the rout of Diatokuji. Dionysus honored us by creating a play based off the Alfheim adventure and several actors performed it for us. When the play was over Hades sent us to Olympus and Dionysus offered to direct us to anywhere we wished to go while in the Overworld. None of us, except Storm knows many of the residents of Olympus so we chose to head straight for Zeus' palace. After inquiring about Poseidon's whereabouts, Dionysus agreed to check out his usual haunts and request he meet with us. Since he took over the Island that holds Isis' charge we're hoping he can direct us there since no one else knows how to find it. So far he hasn't shown up but we're still waiting to meet with Zeus as well so hopefully we'll learn something soon. I'm tempted to peek into the future and see what obstacles lie in wait for us, but I think I'll hold off. There are some things that are better left unknown, I'm just not sure if this is one of them.
Jacob hadn't been home from Helheim for very long when there was a pounding knock on the door. Caleb started towards the door but stopped and looked at his father before saying, "Maybe you should get that?"
Jacob didn't feel a sensation of danger to his family but agreed with Caleb and waved him back into the living room. When he opened the door Jacob took a step back as he was greeted by a very large pair of legs. He stepped outside and looked up, craning his neck to see the face of a pleasant looking giantess. "I bring you greetings, Son of Frigg. I am Arnþrúðr and I come on behalf of my mistress Jord."
He knew that name and felt a stab of concern. Not one of the most feared Titans, but a Titan none the less. She was the mother of Thor, the rival of Frigg and Jacob really didn't want to know why she was sending an emissary to him. "Uh. Welcome, Arnþrúðr."
"My mistress wishes you to know that she knows of you and is pleased with your progress. She favors you now with a gift worthy of your exploits." The giantess handed Jacob a large hammer and he looked it over with an admiring if wary eye as she explained that the hammer would gain more power with every child he fathered. The wisest thing to do would be to refuse the gift, but that would also be the most insulting thing he could do. Jord was a non-combatant as far as he knew, he really didn't want to change that; and it was possible that gaining her approval could be for the best in the long run. Of course, he thought wryly, thinking about the long run was what got him into trouble with Hel also.
"Please give your mistress my regards and thanks for her gift."
Arnþrúðr nodded, "She will not approach you until you have been elevated, but be aware that she is most interested in your eventual divinity, Jacob Marsh." Without waiting for him to respond she turned and walked away making the ground shake with every step though it was obvious she was being careful not to cause damage to the area.
Jacob swallowed and tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. Knowing what he knew about Jord, he had a feeling that not only would his mother not be pleased to know one of her rivals for Odin's affections was interested in her son, but Hel wouldn't be too happy either. Not to mention Delilah's understandable reaction. He'd just brought Hel's gift of new armor home and now this? With a sigh he got a better grip on the hammer and went back inside.
Caleb and Delilah were both standing in the foyer. Caleb's eyes were focused on the hammer. Jacob walked past them towards the basement where he kept his gear. Once the hammer was safely in place he went back upstairs leaving Caleb to examine the hammer. Delilah was still in the foyer waiting for him and he immediately went to her. When she remained stiff in his arms he leaned back and gave her a puppy dog look, "Don't be mad, please?"
"I'm not mad."
"But you're not happy either," he pointed out.
She raised an eyebrow, "Should I be?"
He opened his mouth then closed it again. Before giving her a sheepish smile, "Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to do handsprings or something. But, Sweetheart, I didn't ask for it."
"I know. And I know you don't want their attention but you have it. And your suitors can give you powerful gifts whereas I can't."
"You are the gift," he said wincing internally at just how corny that sounded. "You make me happy, De."
"And Hel?"
"What about her?" He asked warily.
"What does she make you feel?"
Jacob rubbed a hand through his hair making it stick up a little bit as he thought about how to phrase his answer. "Uncomfortable," he said before quickly continuing. "I like her. I can't help it, I do. But I also can never forget that she's incredibly powerful and she's on the fence about so many things. Mother doesn't trust her and knowing Hel's fascination for Baldur I don't know what to think. I don't think I've replaced him in her mind but at the same time she's different around me than anyone else. But with her it's still goddess and subservient. With you and me...we're equals. It's more of a partnership."
"A partnership."
He nodded. She slipped out of his arms and said, "I'm not sure I agree, but it's nice to know you think so."
He watched her head up the stairs and knew she wouldn't want him to follow her at that moment. He sighed and walked outside, he needed some air. One thing he learned since his elevation from regular mortal; getting laid was a hell of a lot easier, but relationships were even more complicated.
Jacob walked back into the house after a quick walk to the lake and back. He kept one hand behind his back as he snuck inside and listened to see where Delilah was. He found her in the nursery with the twins. It was impossible to sneak up on her, but she didn't move when he stepped behind her and reached around to present a single tiger lily. "Exotic, delicate, and lovely. Just like you."
"That is a very cheesy line and I am not exactly delicate."
Jacob leaned around her to see the smile she was trying to hide. "So flower comparisons are passé huh?"
"Perhaps, but the thought is still appreciated," she said before turning in his arms to kiss him. Whether it was fair or not, he managed to get back in her good graces before returning to Helheim to retrieve his new daughter and bring her back to meet her siblings.
Hrimmsa was unique. Though she was only a couple of months old she was already 4 feet tall and awkwardly walking. She had the mentality of a one year old and though he hadn't been able to spend much time with her so far she absolutely adored Jacob. Delilah and Amanda kept hold of the twins and Cole when Jacob brought her home but Maggie and Caleb played with her. She was almost as taken with Caleb as she was with Jacob and tried to follow him where ever he went.
Jacob was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when he heard the fall of a little body followed by a giggle and a wail. He quickly turned off the stove and ran into the living room just in time to see Hrimmsa hurl Amanda's antique rocking chair against the wall. The wood splintered and Maggie darted behind Jacob as she apologized for laughing.
"I didn't mean it, Daddy!"
"Go to your grandmother, Princess. Let me take care of your sister."
Maggie darted out of the room and Jacob picked up Hrimmsa, setting her on his lap as he looked at the small wounds she had from the chair shattering. "It's ok, Sweetheart. I'll fix it."
"Hurts!"
He smoothed her hair out of her face and kissed her cheek before he started telling her a fairy tale while he removed the splinters and healed her. Soon he was rocking her to sleep while Amanda watched them from the doorway. He gently laid her on the couch and covered her with a blanket before following his mom back to the kitchen. "I'll fix the chair."
"Thank you, but you know I don't care about that. What if it'd been Maggie she'd thrown?"
Jacob could imagine the damage from such a throw all too easily. "I won't let that happen."
Amanda touched his face and smiled sadly, "She's a sweet child, Jacob, but she's too dangerous. I know she wouldn't mean to, but she can hurt them. She's already given Caleb enough bruises from their playing and he's the only one of the children that's sturdy enough to truly be around her."
"She likes it here, Mom," Jacob said. "I don't want her growing up knowing nothing but Helheim."
"I don't suggest that either. Just...she's not old enough yet. She doesn't know how to control herself and until she does she's a danger to her brothers and sisters."
Reluctantly Jacob nodded. "I'll take her home today."
Amanda nodded, "I am sorry, Jacob."
"I know. But you're right. I'll bring her back when she's older."
He was still in Helheim when Carina called. The gods needed them once more.
I was in Helheim when Carina called. The conference call was brief, after all, she'd sent the information to us by email the day before. Horus and the Pesedjet requested our help to bring an ancient machine back online. The Leviathan once guarded Ra's Barge as it traveled through Duat to Iteru every day. Unfortunately at some point the machine fired on Hades' ferry man Charon and on a different occasion fired on other ferry men so the Dodekatheon demanded it be decommissioned. The charges to bring the machine back online were placed in four different areas, guarded over by servants of Anubis, Set, Horus, and Isis though some of these have fallen to the Titans or been usurped by the Dodekatheon. It would be up to us to get each component repaired and back online, hopefully without tipping Apophis and his lackeys off about our intentions.
We agreed to meet at the house in Cairo and go from there. I think Carina was antsy to get started, while Sam was more willing to take a back seat and work to figure out the best strategy. I could understand Carina's desire to jump in with both feet, but appreciated the patience Sam offered as well. They balance each other out in many ways.
Hrimmsa wasn't happy that I was leaving but there was no doubt in my mind that Hel could handle her. I was a little surprised when Hel told me it would please her if I wished to bring her a trophy from our quest. The cynical part of me says that she only wants such a thing to expand her own glory but a larger part of me believes she simply wants something to show I think of her, that I fight in her name, much like a lady of old wishing to have her knight's favor. Yeah it's an overly romantic notion, yet despite the fact her overwhelming gift of armor truly does make me feel as if I'm branded as her current pet, I also know how pleased she was when I accepted it. She gave me her favor, now it's my turn to reciprocate.
After a quick trip home to gather my gear I was on my way to San Francisco where I met up with Storm, Cesar and Helena to fly to Cairo. Helena was quite curious about the armor her mother gave me and Cesar seemed to take great delight in teasing Storm about my suitors (as Delilah called them). I have no doubt Storm has piqued the interest of several women, goddesses, and other fantastical creatures, he's just lucky enough to keep it quiet.
After some discussion we decided it made the most diplomatic sense to visit Hades and apprise him of the situation with the Leviathan so he wouldn't see it's reactivation as an act of aggression. Thanks to Stephanie from the Persephone cult we were aware of the use of the Dionysian Mysteries to get to and from Hades' realm, which is really a much easier way to travel to the Underworld than getting buried or something. When we arrived we weren't on the banks of the River Styx as we expected to be. Instead we stood at the edge of Lake Acheron (more like Swamp Acheron if you ask me). Carina and Storm built a good sized and sturdy raft to take us across the swamp. After a while we saw five women running through the swamp. They were mostly concealed by the mists but when we were able to get a clearer look we saw they were a bit strange. One leg ended with a hoof like a Satyr while the other was made of bronze. It took a minute but both Helena and I recalled they were known as Empusas, a type of living vampire that served Hecate. They didn't bother us and we didn't bother them. After all we weren't there to cause trouble, just lay some groundwork to keep our mission from being more complicated than it already was.
Not long after the Empusas crossed our path we saw a couple of men hiding in the reeds. One was dressed as Heracles, while the other was a very attractive young man dressed in a slave's outfit. After listening to their whispered conversation Storm used his mastery of the air to jerk both men out of their hiding place and onto the raft. It turns out we were in the presence of Dionysus and his servant Xanthias. While physically attractive Dionysus wasn't very impressive because he had the brain power of a gnat. Which I have to admit really surprised me. Helena figured out what was going on though and quickly explained that Dionysus and Xanthias were currently stuck in roles dictated by the Fates through a play called The Frogs. In that play Dionysus claimed he could dress as Heracles and completely fool anyone he met and proceeded to prove it as he traveled to Hades in hopes of rescuing Eruipedes. The play was a comedy, and as such Dionysus was an idiot who couldn't help but have problems anytime he met someone while in the Heracles costume. Meanwhile, if his servant Xanthias wore the costume they would meet friends of Heracles instead of his enemies. Helena said we needed to keep them from changing clothes and somehow Storm managed to talk them out of that notion breaking the fate binding at least briefly.
For no reason other than they were in the play we ran into four Tartesian Eels that attacked without any provocation. It didn't take long to kill them and I quickly cooked them. The assumption was they'd be incredibly tasty so we wrapped one specifically to give to Hades as a tribute and I put the others in my bag (wrapped up of course) to keep for us. We reached Hades' palace and parted ways with Dionysus and Xanthias. We were led to a grand waiting room and several nymphs came to entertain us with dancing and Carina indulged in an hour long foot rub. She's six months pregnant currently and I think that foot rub was probably a bit like heaven.
When we were led into Hades' throne room I couldn't help but consider the austere but imposing surroundings. He sat on a dark throne that reminded me of Hel's but his chamber was sparsely furnished and there were no souls in torment lining the walls like hers. Personally, I preferred this throne room to that one, but then I'm really not a fan of eternal torment anyway. Naturally Storm took the lead and explained why we were there. Hades' has a great poker face but after listening to our news he looked to Helena and charged her with ensuring the Leviathan's programming would not allow it to veer off course and enter his realm. It was on her shoulders and she looked to Carina and Sam to see if such a thing would be permissible to their pantheon. We were led to an antechamber to discuss the situation and Cesar reminded us it was all about the sale. We give Hades what he wants, the agreement that Helena would attempt to examine the machine and its programming. That's all that was needed, though Sam felt confident that there was no reason his pantheon should have a problem with the examination since they were so certain the Leviathan never deviated from its course in the first place. Carina looked like she was ready to explode with frustration.
After the brief conference Helena agreed and I felt a slight sense of unease. If for some reason in the future Hades decides that the Leviathan once more crossed into his territory then it would be on Helena's head. Cesar soothed her fears about that possibility by assuring her that he would make Hades rue the day he ever considered retribution against her. Storm and I exchanged a glance and I knew he felt the same as I did. Hades would never get his hands on Helena no matter what the damned machine did in the future. Our band wouldn't let her be touched and knowing that soothed my own nerves somewhat.
With an agreement in place Hades gave his permission (not that we needed it, but still) for the Leviathan to be reactivated and invited us to dine with him. It would've been impolite for us to refuse so we enjoyed a leisurely meal with Hades, Dionysus and Xianthias while we shared stories of our adventures. The battle with Hun Came is always worth sharing and Cesar tells it with flair. Storm shared our time in Alfheim, I told about our successful visit to China and Carina recounted the rout of Diatokuji. Dionysus honored us by creating a play based off the Alfheim adventure and several actors performed it for us. When the play was over Hades sent us to Olympus and Dionysus offered to direct us to anywhere we wished to go while in the Overworld. None of us, except Storm knows many of the residents of Olympus so we chose to head straight for Zeus' palace. After inquiring about Poseidon's whereabouts, Dionysus agreed to check out his usual haunts and request he meet with us. Since he took over the Island that holds Isis' charge we're hoping he can direct us there since no one else knows how to find it. So far he hasn't shown up but we're still waiting to meet with Zeus as well so hopefully we'll learn something soon. I'm tempted to peek into the future and see what obstacles lie in wait for us, but I think I'll hold off. There are some things that are better left unknown, I'm just not sure if this is one of them.