Rise of the Titans

[heartofcourage]

When Hayden materialized from the shadows, she immediately saw the cup that he held out for her. Everything else seemed to fade away and she didn’t hear his explanations as she saw the object of all her desires.

Her hand shook as she let go of Steve and reached out for what he had retrieved for her. When her fingers touched the smooth surface, she felt tears well in her eyes and she clutched the metal in her palm. She looked over the intricate carvings and took a deep shuttering breath.

“Thank you, Hayden.” She said softly, unable to look away from the trinket in her hand. “My mother had the power to restore and take memory by having lost souls drink from two rivers. None of the books I’ve ever read mentioned the vessel they drank from, but the moment I saw this…I knew.”

She had something from her mother now, something real that she could touch and hold. She couldn’t stop the tears then that fell as she held the cup close to her chest, looking at the two of them with the most grateful look she could muster. They would never know what it meant to her.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He nodded at her in return and gave her shoulder a gentle pat, he understood how it felt to get answers to questiones that you have asked for a long time and how to get something that meant almost the world to you. He did not say anything more, he knew that words was not necesarry.

Steve Denver

He looked at the cup, it looked even better close up than locked in a cabinet. His eyes picked up the intricate carvings. A gentle nudge sent him towards the door. He nodded his understanding,

"It seems like I will find my answer in the gallery."

He pulled the door open and got out, looking up at the massive building, it was only now that he noticed just how big it truly was. He squared his shoulders and walked back to the main entrance.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she barely noticed Steve leaving. When she saw him walking back towards the main entrance, she looked towards Hayden and they each shared a look.

“I think this is something he needs to find out on his own.” She said softly, the cup still clutched tightly to her chest.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

"As much as I hate for us to split up I think you are right."

He settled down, stretching out his legs as far as he could and leaned against the side.

"We need to find out more about these people aiding the Titans, they will oppose us each step of the way, but it will be better to face somebody or something you know than to cower from a faceless foe."

He rubbed over his beard and grimaced,

"First stop after this is my place. I really need a shave."

Steve Denver

He kept walking, for some strange reason he knew that he was going towards something that he could associate his parentage with. Yet this time he moved by his own violation, he was forced no more. He was almost to the back of the gallery, when a small gleam caught his eye, at the foot of a statue lay a small object, he looked up, it was a statue of Zeus seated on a throne, Steve nodded.

"Father."

He moved closer and bent to pick up the object, it looked like a silver lightning bolt, but instead it was moving about like a life thing, attached to it was a chain of gold. He slipped it over his head and the moment the object touched his chest he felt the warmth and affection that it carried with him, tears came to his eyes as he looked up at the statue's face.

"Thank you."

It was all he could say, but also felt that it was all that was necesarry. He turned and moved away, towards the Roman section, he felt that his quest to find objects from his parents was not done, despite the gift from his father.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

“After everything that’s happened this morning, I could use a nap.” Lydia said in a voice that showed him how weary she was. “My mind works better when I’m rested. Maybe we can start searching for your father’s things this evening when I’m at my best.”

She thought about his statement regarding the people helping the Titans and she nodded. The Titans had to be biding their time for something, waiting for an event to happen that would be the opportune time to strike. It also seemed that someone didn’t want anyone with a power to interfere. It would take some leg work and some possible illegal activities but she was sure that they could find the answers to their questions.

“You guys are such a bad influence on me. I would have never thought about breaking the law before I met you.” She looked at Hayden and grinned, the cup still clutched firmly to her chest as they waited for Steve.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He nodded,

"You can crash at my place, it is big enough for you to have total privacy."

He chuckled at her next words,

"Oh I think you always had the need to be a little bit naughty, you just kept it well at bay."

Winking at her he leaned back and closed his eyes.


Steve Denver

He kept walking, looking around him, then a specific painting caught his eye, it was of a bow. He looked closer at the painting then at the inscription, it was the bow of Hercules, but there is rumored to be another bow of power made by Zeus and given to man to protect for the day that the need arises. Steve nodded, he had to get that bow, he knew in his bones that it was real not just a rumor. He quickly made his way back outside and got into the van.

"I found it, or rather I found what it is. It is a bow created by Zeus and placed in the care of mortals."

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia blushed at Hayden’s wink and turned her head away from him. She wasn’t a bad girl, but she would do what it took to stay safe. When Steve came bounding back up to the van, she was startled to see how excited he was. She listened to his explanation about what he thought his inheritance was from his father.

“Well, I do have an idea. When we’re all squared away, how about we take a trip to Greece? Hayden, you could take both of us, right?” She looked towards him again, her cheeks still stained red from his comment earlier.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He nodded,

"I am sure I can manage that, as long as we have a shadow big enough to enter."

Getting into the driver's seat, he sat down and started the engine.

"Hold on kids, we're going home."

With a mad cackle he drove off.

Steve Denver

He just pulled the door close and shook his head as Hayden drove off,

"So you may have an idea where this bow can be?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Looking over her shoulder as Steve closed the door, she thought about his question. The bow could have been anywhere if she were honest, but something was telling her that perhaps a trip to Greece would solve a lot of their problems.

“I don’t know but there are a few places we can look.” She turned her gaze back to her cup, turning it over in her hands. “You know, I wonder if drinking from this would restore someone’s memory. I know the legends, but it’s a curiosity certainly.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

"We can test it if you want, do you need water from the Underworld?"

He pulled a flask from his jacket and grinned at the two of them.

"I doubt that you would want to pour tap water into the cup, it might just turn to sludge and then the cup will be gone. Seriously I swear the sewer water is cleaner than what they give us to drink."

Steve Denver

He looked at Hayden in amazement, the man was so at ease with his power that it was something strange to behold, he only just realized that what he thought to be a natural talent came from his parents and of course there was the flying, he shook his head, still unable to come to terms with that one.

"Acording to what I've read, your father is seen as the god of wealth because of the metals and stones underground, do you share that wealth?"

Hayden pulled a huge diamond from his jacket and then replaced it, he grinned over his shoulder at Steve.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

“You can’t seriously tell me that you walk around all the time with water from the Underworld.” She said, looking at him with a disbelieving smile. “I guess it could be worth a try. Steve, want a drink?”

She took the flask and poured some of the water within the cup, holding it out for Steve to take a drink.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He chuckled at her words,

"No not at all, I just got that straight from the river of course."

He grinned and focussed his attention back on the road and traffic.

Steve Denver

"Me? Drink water from a river of souls? No thank you."

He shook his head vehemently,

"It just sounds and feels very wrong."

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

"Oh, come on, Steve!" She said, a pretty pout on her face. She pushed the cup back towards him. "Imagine regaining all the memories of your childhood. What would you do with that information?"

Lydia batted her eyes and smiled prettily, trying to get him to agree just through her good looks. "Please? It won't hurt."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He chuckled at Steve's words and Lydia's actions,

"You have been playing too much God of War Stevo., the river is a barrier which keeps souls out of the Underworld, the current causes an etherical disturbance which rips souls without substance apart. Most souls wait on the banks as they have nothing to return to, some return to the land of the living and stay there, haunts so to speak. All because people don't give the toll for their dead to pay the ferryman."

He smiled,

"The only reason people can't swim across is because the river is fed by a glacier, the water is ice cold and robs your body of heat while the undercurrent is strong and pulls you under. No river of souls thingy, it's just a river which flows through hell."

He grinned and parked the van outside of a huge dark grey mansion, he took the cup from Lydia and took a sip, then held the cup to Steve.

Steve Denver

He blanched as Hayden took the cup, he would rather have Lydia persuade him, but as Hayden had drank it could not hurt. He took a tentative sip, the water was cold, almost like it was scooped out just now. Hayden gave him a knowing wink, he took a deep breath and then drank deeply, draining the cup, he held it out to Lydia. He almost dropped the cup as memories forgotten came flooding back into his mind, leaving him shaken as he relived even the saddest moments which he had kept carefully locked away.

"I was able to fly...that is why I survived the car wreck."

His words was soft

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia watched out the window of the van as Hayden pulled up before a mansion and she frowned.

“There is no way you live here.” She said in a disbelieving voice. “You drive this hunk of junk and you live here?”

The grin on her face took away the sting of her statement but she still had a hard time believing that he lived in the mansion before them. Perhaps it was a house that his father owned.

Lydia’s eyes turned back towards Steve as he took a deep drink from the cup and she gasped as he almost dropped it. She was quick to reach out and grab the cup, cradling it back against her chest as she watched his face intently.

The memories of his lost life were coming back to him and she felt incredibly bad that he had to relive the bad parts along with the good. Her gaze grew soft and she reached out to take his hand, soothing him as he learned the reason as to why he survived when others didn’t.

“I’m sorry, Steve. I shouldn’t have pushed.” She said in a soft voice that was full of sorrow.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

"That is the problem with memories, you suppress them for a reason."

He moved back into the back and hunkered down next to Steve,

"You lost a great deal early in your life my friend, but still while they could not be there for you physically, they looked out for you. They got you a good home, that strange propelling urges you got? It's them. They will always be with you Steve, no matter what you do."

He moved slightly, opened the door and stepped out, an older man came walking down the front steps, it was clear that he was a butler, but he was dressed in biker boots, denim and leather. Hayden glanced at Lydia,

"It's his own choice, not mine."

"Welcome back home sir, a meal is being prepared, your guests should have ample time to freshen up."

Hayden held out a hand to help Lydia from the van even though he knew that she was perfectly capable of getting out on her own. He had no idea why, but with Will around he felt like an uncapable baffoon.

"Thank you Will, please show them the way."

Steve Denver

He nodded at the two, they were really his real friends now, nobody else would have stood with him after realizing what he was. Then Hayden stepped out and he stared at the old man.

"No way, Will Williamson, lead guitarist for Diving Bones. Everybody wondered where you disappeared to."

Will arched an eyebrow at him,

"Isn't that a bit before your time young sir?"

Steve grinned,

"It was, but Wikipedia helps a lot, that solo of yours in Child of Sorrow? The best I have ever heard!"

He saw Hayden smile and mutter something about recovery and young mind.

"If you would please follow me."

Will lead the way and Steve followed

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia was still in awe that Hayden lived in such an amazing mansion, complete with a butler to take care of his needs. It sure made her little cracker box of an apartment look positively miniscule in comparison.

She blushed as Hayden came to her door and offered her his hand. She gave him a shy smile and took it, her cup clutched in the other hand. “Thank you, Hayden.” She said softly, listening as Steve started gushing about the butler that was showing them the way into the mansion.

“Should I know who he is?” She asked Hayden in a soft voice, barely a whisper. “Cause I have no idea.”

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

"He was part of a rather popular band back in the seventies, I saved his life when he ODed and from then he started to tend to my needs because he is English and apparantly from a proper upbringing."

He smiled at her,

"How about that, for a change I know something you don't."

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and turned off through an archway, walking into a room filled with antiques. Will led the way up the stairs and to two seperate rooms, each with their own bathrooms.

"Supper will be ready in twenty minutes."

He turned and left, his boots strangely making not a sound at all.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Don’t get use to it, but it does happen.” Lydia grinned at Hayden as he squeezed her shoulder. She watched as he went through an archway and she followed Will up a staircase and to a separate room.

She thanked him for showing her to a room and she looked around the richly decorated room with awe. It was almost bigger than her apartment was. She spotted the huge soft looking bed and she grinned, running and jumping in the middle of it and letting it sink around her.

She sighed, her weary eyes closing and she let herself drift off to sleep.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Steve Denver

He was still in awe looking after his guitar hero, a basic legend in the business. He shook his head and looked around, the room was well furnished, had a real mansion feel to it. He opened a closet and found cloting inside, opening more doors it seemed like he had walked into his own wardrobe just on a larger scale. He went into the bathroom and found it ready and waiting for him, he smiled

"Why not?"

He turned on the shower and started to strip

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia could absently hear the sound of water running somewhere but she ignored it as she turned and burrowed down against the soft pillows and mattress. She had strange dreams of hell hounds and Gods, even an image of the man that she’d run into on the street the night before. She should call him, she thought, and at least make sure that his camera was alright. She shivered as she thought that she might have to pay for the expensive piece of equipment.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Steve Denver

Steve showered, then got out, dried himself and went back into the room, he got dressed and had to admit that he felt much better. He went back into the bathroom, tossing the clothes into the hamper, brushing his teeth and combing his damp hair. He then walked out of the bathroom and started studying the furniture, he was no expert, but for some reason it felt and looked really expensive. What did Hayden do to have all this money? Then he remembered the huge diamond Hayden pulled from his jacket and the answer of where the money for all this came from was answered.

 

[HotCider]

Jessup King

Jessup was no longer paying Lyra any mind. He ended his surf on the movie Gladiator and traded the remote for the cold beer on the lamp desk. Lyra, though falsely stoic with her emotions, was unamused. The mercenary was wasting her time and her patience. Smiling softly, Lyra bowed her head and closed her eyes. Her hands remained neatly folded in her lap and her left leg crossed over her right.

"Nemis," she summoned.

Jessup glanced suspiciously at Lyra before the black skeleton of a beast manifested from atop of the flat-screen. His eyes darted to the creature as muscle and sinew began to weave its bones. The hell hound landed on his legs. Large forepaws pinned his shins and gnarled claws sank into his mattress like knives. The bottle tumbled from Jessup's lips to spill across his bed as he reactively raised the M16 to have the muzzle aimed between the eyes of the fiendish dog.

The hound snagged the rifle between its craggy teeth and the metal gave like puddy, crumbling like crushed aluminum. Jessup cursed and batted the stock of the weapon against the side of the hound's maw. With an aggravated snarl, Nemis didn't even flinch from the blunt strike. He bounded onto Jessup's chest, slamming him against the mattress. The weight of the creature forced the wind from his lungs. He felt its claws becoming tangled in his black shirt and biting into his pectorals; and that was only half of it. There were claws all in him now, lightly piercing his flesh like thick pins. He felt them in his thighs and biceps, digging into his flesh but being ever so careful not to sink too deep. The hell hound had him restrained with his jaws parted about his face. Jessup's hands were locked upon the dog's forelegs, trying to hopelessly lift them from his form. The creature's breath was adding to the suffocation brought by its massive weight. It was hot, burning and the asphyxiating stench might have just topped the smell of his lucky shirt. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't move; and he felt immense pain and discomfort racking his mind to the point of breaking. Unlike a human that would have normally panicked under such situations, Jessup was furious. He was the deer in the lion's teeth. No; not lion. Dog.

Jessup's eyes widened with realization.

This person that sent you here...did they have a large dog with them?

Fuck! thought Jessup as he struggled to heft the animal off of him.

Growling deeply, Nemis brought his jaws closer together until its fangs pricked his throat and the sides of his face.

Lyra uncrossed her legs and rose from her chair. She sauntered over to the bed to stare past Nemis's jaws to the face of the scowling mercenary caught between them. Jessup glared up at her--his golden eyes like knives--the expression on his face unyielding despite his potentially fatal circumstances. She couldn't deny the fascination she felt. For a man to be caught in the fangs of death yet still as stubborn as a rock. She reached down to stroke her hand back through his dark, layers of hair despite the demonic drool that was soaking it.

"Don't ignore me, Mr. King. I asked you to perform a specific job, and I have full faith that you will do it. You have so much potential. It is why I won't kill you, but I can't have a hired gun that won't shoot. Release him."

The hell hound retracted its fangs and rose off of the mercenary. Jessup gasped for breath and rolled onto his side. He curled into a ball, grasping the screaming holes in his arms and legs, and trying to dry his head of dog drool on his pillow and sheet. Nemis dropped off the bed to the floor and clicked over to the door where it sat and patiently waited for his master.

"Hell hounds are filthy creatures. A mere scratch can cause a severe infection..."

Lyra rolled her eyes over the mercenary's holey skin and the wounds that were seeping through his sweats.

"Oh dear; you won't have long. I estimate 48 hours before you die from fever. If you have all of the targets dead before then, then I will help you. If not, then you were of no use to me after all."

Lyra walked over to the door and turned to face Jessup's back.

"This is an excellent opportunity to redeem yourself as an assassin, Mr. King. Good night; oh, you don't have long do you? I wouldn't risk sleeping on the job if I had so little time."

With a cold and poorly stiffled giggle, Lyra took her leave with the hell hound trailing behind her. As soon as the two left, Jessup rolled out of bed and desperately dashed for his bathroom. He pulled the stopper up on the sink and opened the medicine cabinet as he began scrolling over over-the-counter drugs for pain-killers, fever reducers, and orange, medicine bottles of penicillin. He compiled the pills into one container and carelessly tossed a handful into his mouth. With a mouthful of pills, he cut on the tap and ran his lips under cold water to wash them down. Setting the bottle of mixed pills in the sink, he stripped down and cut on the shower. He had to wash his wounds as futile as it may have been. He could already feel the infection setting in. The holes in his flesh were bright-red and inflamed--it was happening so fast. As the hot water spilled across his head, he had to sit down for he felt too dizzy to stand.

As Jessup sat with his arms crossed over his knees and his aching head tucked between them, he felt several overwhelming emotions. Anger; anxiety; frustration; they all equalled up to stress, and he had to stop stressing or the infection would worsen. The mercenary wasn't stupid. He knew that if he had done the job and killed all of those kids that in the end she wouldn't help him. It just didn't seem like her style. He had made a deal with the devil and he was paying for it. Fuck that dog...what was he going to do?

We can give you any answers that you want, but you have to stop trying to kill us.

The fucking librarian really? Jessup thoughtfully stared into the back of his mind as pink ribbons of diluted blood continued to spiral down the drain. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The saying was old, but in this situation it may have been very wise. Slowly rising to his feet, Jessup washed his body down with Dial and entered his kitchen to procure a bottle of iodine and a first aid kit from the upper cabinet. Inside the kit were bandages, gauze, and a knotted sock that he inserted into his mouth. He set it between his teeth as he began preparing bandages soaked in iodine to go over top of his wounds. After the painful yet necessary ordeal, he clothed himself in dark-blue jeans, a white tank, and of course, his lucky shirt to go over top of it. If he was going to see the librarian after their first encounter, he doubted that she would be alone. No; she would have the giant and fly boy with her.

Jessup equipped some weaponry in case the world wanted to fuck him over even more. Two M9s with two spare cartridges, the grenade belt in case he needed a quick exit, and knives, two of them being hidden on his person. He adorned the grey hoodie over top of his arsenal complete with his pill bottle. Every time he heard its rattle, he was reminded of Lyra and that dog. Sneering at the thought, Jessup gathered his apartment keys and phone and stepped out onto the step. He locked the door of his home and was prepared to flip to his bike keys when he recalled his bike being wrecked.

Lifting his hood over his head, he fumed in silence. Lyra should have killed him when she had the chance for she was making a grave mistake. He was going to find a way to kill her and her little dog too, and then he would go back to his normal life. The mercenary called a cab.

Hayden's mansion...

Blip, blip, blip; he still had it. He couldn't afford to lose it or break it at this point. There were three gathered inside a mansion the taxi happened to stop before...so one of them was rich? Jessup regarded the home skeptically as he mused over the possibility of the mansion being owned by the giant or fly boy. Fly Boy seemed to fit the image of a preppy, pampered rich kid, and if his parents were home, well, they had better be prepared for an unexpected guest.

"Hey buddy, you gonna pay up or what?" the taxi driver griped.

Jessup calmly reached into the pocket of his hoodie to remove his pill bottle. He took a few pills before he returned it and went to his denim pocket for his wallet. Drawing out two twenties, he tossed them at the driver and headed straight for the mansion door. Raising his fist, he pounded on it insensitively. He wanted to make sure the godlings heard him in that enormous house.

From beneath his hood, Jessup's lips stretched into an amused grin.

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me in," he muttered to himself. Or ah'll blow the fuckin' door down!

Jessup was going to try and be as peaceful as he could manage. He had every urge to shoot and kick down the door, the longer it took for someone to open it. It was a bad habit; an impulse that was apart of his life. They were kids not criminals. He had to remember that. Even if they had super powers, they were still kids right? Jessup frowned at the thought. If any of them tried to pull a hocus-pocus on him, then the war was on.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Hayden Condan

He noticed the taxi pulling up and he immediately recognized the man that got out. Who said surveillance equipment was wasted money? He rubbed over his now clean shaven jaw, then he decided to handle this man himself. He stepped into one of the shadows cast by the dim light in his room, he stepped out of a shadow just left of Jessup seemingly stepping out of the wall. His size made him tower over the other man, Jessup was no small man to start with. Hayden fixed the man with a baleful stare, but sensed that something was wrong with the mercenary, that aura of power was not that overwhelming anymore.

"I don't know how you keep finding us, but if you wish to cause trouble at my home I can assure you that you will not like where you will end up."

His voice was a low grumble, not angry or threatening, just neutral.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lydia Pruitt

Lydia woke to the sounds of a distant pounding. Stretching on the bed, she yawned and reached for her glasses. Once they were perched back on her nose, she sat up from the humongous bed and looked around the room. The noise obviously hadn’t been coming from in here. She stood and moved to the bathroom that was almost as big as the bedroom had been.

She splashed her face with cool water and brushed her mass of tangled hair with a silver handled brush that seemed to have magically appeared beside the sink. She felt more like a human with the brief nap and the clean face. She smiled at her reflection and moved back into the bedroom, pausing when she saw another door that didn’t lead to the hall. She walked towards it and peeked inside, her eyes going wide when she saw racks upon racks of clothing…and they looked specifically put there for her.

“Wow.” She murmured as she let her fingers trail over the clothing, stopping on a pair of black jeans and a red blouse that were absolutely stunning. She grinned to herself as she stripped and redressed, admiring the way that the clothing hugged her modest curves. She felt…well, she felt daring. A black jacket over her new blouse and she was ready to go downstairs.

She took the stairs two at a time, hearing Hayden’s voice booming as he talked to someone and she paused.