"Actually, the general plan was Doctor Balewa's idea. I just suggested that we enter the Dream from here."
"Why do you want to physically enter the Dream? Is my sister involved?"
As hard as it might be to believe, Zaggy, the world
doesn't revolve around the affairs of the Olympians.

But
OL being involved is very easy to understand.
"Melinoë isn't involved, and if Doctor Balewa didn't tell you then I probably shouldn't. This isn't something that can become widely known."
His face hardens. "Thanks to your bizarre effort at marriage counselling, I have been forced to remain in Erebos in case matters arise that my father does not remember how to deal with. Erebos is not your playground and you may not simply come and go as you please."
How
is that going, by the by? Any juicy gossip from their dates?
Sanderson looks at Zagreus for a moment, then looks at me. "Are you going to introduce us?"
"This is Prince Zagreus, God of Trapping and son of Hades, God of the Dead. Zagreus, this is Sanderson Hawkins."
Trapping, eh? I suppose it
is a form of hunstman-craft. And probably minimises confusion with Artemis' more
aggressive portfolio of Hunting.
Sanderson looks confused. "You're a god?"
Zagreus nods curtly. "And you are-." His eyes widen slightly. "What are you?"
Besides rather
handsome? Living sand probably isn't something he's ever seen before.
"I'm-. Sandman. A super hero."
"I can feel the-. The Dream's magic throughout-."
You need to be a little more confident, Sanderson. Don't
ask people if you're a hero, declare it loudly. Preferably
after you've knocked out the bad guys from ambush, mind. No point taking risks, even if you might be rather more
durable than your mentor was.
Alan nods. "We're sorry for keeping you out of the loop, Zagreus, but… Ah, if there's one thing spending time with Paul has taught me… Sometimes it's really best not to ask."
…
Yes, OL, they're
serious. You are something of an
acquired taste...
That's fair. But it's actually true here. If we lose -or at least fail to achieve our primary objective- then John Quinn might take revenge against Erebos for allowing us to use the portal. Doubly so if he knew in advance.
Then again…
He might be a
little wary of taking on a pantheon, even one going through some reorganisation.
"Zagreus, what is my position in the Olympic pantheon?"
He frowns. "Your posit-?" A moment of realisation, and a small nod. "You are Hephaestaean's herald."
Not a completely
formal posting, I take it, but a convenient legal loophole. I presume Hermes is still
negotiating his updated position with Hephaestaean.
"Yes. So I actually do have the right to come through here without explicit permission. You could argue that I should have gotten permission for Alan and Sanderson, but I don't think that's actually true. I will thank you for your cooperation upon my return."
"You intend to speak to-? Why would-? No. No, I do not need to know. You have introduced enough chaos into my life."
See, Zaggy, you're learning. In this case, what you don't know won't give you a
headache trying to understand it.
"That's what I do."
"Then I will make a request that you visit my father's home once your business in concluded and you can explain it to me."
Hope you plan to have some aspirin handy, then.
I nod. "Circumstances permitting, I will."
"I would wish you good fortune, but I suspect that your enemies will need it more."
Also true. Of course, given the Constantine Luck...
He tugs the reins, his perfectly normal horses turning in the air to return him to the palace.
Sanderson watches him go. "I thought a god would be… I don't know… Bigger?"
What, were you expecting a figure three times the height of a man, with a tunic the colour of blood, pinned with skulls?
"You could put that in the suggestions box."
"What's a 'suggestions box'?"
I suspect Zagreus hasn't introduced
that modern convenience, and doesn't plan to. Easy enough for someone to come find him if they want to offer their thoughts.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
The three of us finally finish flying over the Fields Formerly Known As Punishment and begin our descent towards the Gate of Horn and Ivory. The area around here is a place the priestesses of some Amazon cults make pilgrimage to, due to the… Intrusion of the Dream into Erebos and the mixing of their magics. There are some very strange creatures in the surrounding area, but those aren't our problem today.
The
passage into Dream's
realm, and more often than not a direct route to his castle. Hopefully they won't have to challenge the guards:
The Gryphon, Hippogryph and Wyvern.
"If you see something that you think should be changed, you write your suggestion down and post it in the box. Every so often, someone from management comes down, opens the box up and burns the content."
Alan lets out a burst of surprised laughter.
Yeah, I expect he's had to deal with
that sort of upper management in his time.
Sanderson doesn't get it. "Then why does anyone write anything?"
"They don't do it where the staff can see. The idea is to make people identify more with the company than they ordinarily would; giving the impression that they have input in its decisions. People commit more to things they were involved in deciding. Or things they think they were involved in deciding."
Also, OL
is making a joke. I mean,
burning the contents? These days, that'd get them penalised for environmentally unfriendly practices.

It'd be straight to the recycling bin!
I shrug.
"And thus: democracy."
"But I can set fire to paper just fine by myself-. No, wait just a minute." He sounds upset. "Are you serious?"
...And this is why Alan didn't want him hanging out with you, OL. Your sense of humour is rather..
elevated.
"Well, the idea of the national struggle comes from revolutionary France, as distinct from aristocrats fighting over their own concerns and dragging the local peasants into it. The idea is that The People have decided to fight and therefore every citizens is obliged to get involved however they personally feel about it."
"But surely they don't burn the ballot papers."
Sadly the theatre of politics is all about the
imagery.
"Paul." Alan raises his right hand with a small shake of his head. "I don't think that Sandy's quite ready for… You, yet."
"I'm sorry. Trustworthy elections have election monitors from either all involved parties or entirely uninvolved parties precisely to make sure that things like that don't happen. Because if it does happen, it completely destroys confidence in the process, even if it doesn't happen very often, because people need to know that their contribution meant something."
OL... Just... Let it go, before you break his faith in modern culture entirely...
"So that whole thing you just did was a joke? Kinda dark, don't you think?"
"Civilisation needs both people who see all that it could be and people who see what it could become. And it's helpful if they talk to each other." As we land, I point to the two people waiting for us. "Case in point. Allow me to introduce Doctor Nommo Balewa, aka Doctor Mist, and The Demon Constantine. Constantine, say something uplifting!"
And which side of that divide do
you fall on, OL, hmm?
He affects a look of confusion for a moment, before shrugging. "If you're short sighted when you're young, you'll eventually get perfect vision 'cause of how the muscles in your eyes get weaker with age. Lasts for about a week, then you start being long sighted and need completely different glasses."
"Doctor Balewa?"
Huh, I'm amazed he rolled with what he'd see as a non-sequitor. But then, why pass up the chance to fuck with the good guys?
"All things thet live are linked by a shared vital force. No matter where we are in the universe, we are near things that are kin to us."
"Thank you, point proven."
Well, he is
Enlightened. He's more than well
aware of those connections, even if not consciously.
"It is good to meet you, Sanderson Hawkins."
"You too, sir."
No hesitation there. That's what comes of being friends with William Everett.
That would be
Amazing Man, one of DC's less well-known characters. A hero during the War, and a colleague of Sandy's during the All-Star Squadron days.
"Are there any preparations we need to do?"
"No." Dr. Balewa turns and strides towards the gate. "We should begin our journey at once."
And here comes the
acid-trip road-trip.
