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I know OL's a bit crazy, but 'demon'? Still, it's nice to see Zagreus takes guard duty seriously. Though I suspect OL's lucky he didn't shoot first, investigate the remains later. With an eleven-foot pole.27th October 2012
09:35 GMT +3
"Halt, dem-!"
Zagreus spots me, and lowers his bow.
Surprised you don't simply have him trussed up like a hand-bag. A handle would probably make it easier to keep him where you can see him..."Lantern, I realise that you are frequently a stranger to reason, but we try to keep demons out of Erebos."
Richard Simpson tries to make himself look smaller. The thaumically active and anatomically accurate android body he's currently in doesn't have any sort of size-changing ability, and the warding chains that prevent him accessing his more exotic abilities are in place to prevent him adding such an ability. As a result, he's limited to cringing. It's a bit odd; he's not any physically weaker than Nergal was, and all that will happen if his body gets damaged is a few minutes of inconvenience for me.
And since Hecate is unlikely to be inclined to leave Erebos, well..."Mister Simpson has information vital to a project I'm pursuing, and I need to get him and Hecate together in one place."
Zagreus doesn't look impressed.
Easier to ask forgiveness than permission, what with bring a live demon in here."I was coming to the palace to get permission from Lord Hades; you just intercepted us before we arrived."
"Really."
Are you sure you really want to know? Really, really sure?"I respect Lord Hades."
His right hand goes to his forehead. "Then in my father's name, tell me what you are planning."
...No, no he is not."Are you sure that you want me to?"
He regards me for a moment.
...I swear, I am not reading ahead."No. No I am not. But I have a duty."
"Are you familiar with the term 'plausible deniability'?"
Can't admit to doing something of dubious legality and safety, after all."Yes. I assume that you're going to do something I might want to deny having know about."
"I say no such thing. But you could see how something like that could be-."
He isn't paid enough to deal with this shit. ...Not that he's paid at all.
Such is the drawback of OL's spur-of-the-moment impulses. They're often hard on other people's blood pressure.I pick up Mr. Simpson with a construct and fly at speed in the direction of Hecate's Pool Party.
"You didn't tell Hecate I was coming either, did you?"
...I mean, anatomically correct body. But setting that aside..."No. But I'm confident that she'll be interested to meet you."
"How come?"
Unless that's a joke about OL's Earth, I don't follow..."Wouldn't you rather live in a universe where she is than a universe where she isn't?"
"Shiiiiiiiit."
Chances they aren't wrestling, but are actually 'wrestling'?A couple of probably-Amazons are mock-wrestling on the inflatable, while there's a greater current of action amongst the others. Eris-
"Hey!"
Surprised they haven't got a sound system set up, laying down the DOOFs... Ain't a proper party without music.-is holding court, but pushes through the swimwear-clad courtiers to get closer to me the moment we make eye contact. At least she's wearing clothes now.
"Lady Eris. This is-."
...Let's just hope he doesn't come busting in at the wrong moment."Does Hades know you've got a demon?"
"He will once Zagreus tells him. This is Mister Richard Simpson."
OL might have played a part, yes. Do you like it?Eris looks at him, an expression of amused curiosity on her face.
"A demon lord hiding in a robot body. Did you do that?"
It's gonna be a hum-dinger. Zeus won't be so amused, but fuck him."I did most of the robot. The rest was him. Is Lady Hecate still around?"
"A demon, a goddess and a giant snake walk into a pool party." She smiles. "I've got to know the punch line."
It's probably the most harmful of the rivers of the Underworld. And yes, I am including Phlegethon, river of fire, in that metric.Mr. Simpson looks around a little awkwardly as Eris leads the way back towards the tower. "I wasn't expecting a pool."
"It's a reward for working out how to purify the river Leith. They've been working on that for a while."
No doubt Hecate's been working on ways to weaponise it for Hades? Or at least dispose of it safely."Purify as in..?"
"Turn it into normal water, with the residue being a nasty mind wipe magic."
Oh, don't brag because your favourite worshipper is so exciting...She shoves the door open and marches inside.
"He-cat-ay! My guy's doing his thing again!"
Putting OL's offerings to good use, I see.The shop from before is gone, replaced by a slightly old school arcane workshop. Hecate in teenager mode is standing at a lectern, reading through a modern book on Atlantean thaumaturgy.
She looks at Mr. Simpson, who raises his right hand to wave awkwardly.
'And that was the first time I died...' I'm sure Hecate heard the name Constantine and went 'Yup, that'll happen.'"What is this? A demon golem?"
"No." Mr. Simpson shakes his head. "I was a human studying how to use altered states of consciousness could allow the human mind to directly interface with electronic systems. A bloke called John Constantine asked me to have a look at this weird cult called the Resurrection Crusade. I got him the info, but they-. I got too focused. Didn't spot their defence spells. My body got burned to ask while I was still inside."
Sadly, that's about normal for a Constantine plot-line..."But you're a demon golem."
"Getting to that. John got into a fight with Nergal, and since he's a fifty a day smoker he wasn't going to outrun him. Instead, he did what I did: put his soul into a computer system. So I took his body and ended up face to face with Nergal. Bloody lucky he realised I wasn't John-. Then I showed Nergal how to go after John, and John got him to chase him into Heaven's data network. Angels burned Nergal to death, but I still had John's cancer-ridden body. Which for some reason, John wanted back. So John convinced me to take Nergal's body instead. I managed to integrate with it -which wasn't much fun- and got to enjoy it for a whole five seconds before Agony and Ecstasy dragged me to hell."
Well, just a matter of rewriting the hardware drivers.Hecate considers this.
"They burned his spirit, while he physical form remained. And you were able to interface with it?"
...Boy, she is really stuck on the 'golem' thing, isn't she?"Well, yeah. I'd been living in a computer, dodging technomantic defences and dealing with a reality the human mind isn't designed for. Compared to that, a thing made of human vice was easy."
"What an adaptable consciousness you must have. And why are you in a golem?"
...Yup. A new Titan, after thousands of years. Not yet aware beyond the most instinctive level, just waiting for someone to snap up its power..."I did okay in hell. Even took over the Odium. But it was still hell. I wanted out, and the best way looked like using the dream of machines to bootstrap myself into full godhood. Only this-. Lantern, stopped me. Made me this body so I don't have to worry about the other demons finding me, but that's not a permanent solution."
"The dream of machines? What do you-?" Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh."
I'm sure it'll be an interesting exercise for her. And such fascinating company.I nod. "Modern machines are like nothing in nature. They have their own nature that doesn't shade into anything else in the Dream. Mister Simpson found something emerging. I want the two of you to put your heads together to see if it can be used to empower a god enough that they'll be able to fight Zeus."
"That is interesting." Hacate looks at Eris with a smile. "I see why you like this one."
Well... Lawful Evil Paul should need the Moirai, since without them there should be a 100% chance this fails.Well, she's in. Anyone else needing to be lined up for this not-a-heist OL's setting up? Man, this is going to come completely out of left field for the Olympians. Only a few of them seem to really comprehend that humanity has been changing, and they need to change with them. Zeus and so many others have just been chilling in Olympus. Maybe the shake-up will do them some good...
Such is the drawback of OL's spur-of-the-moment impulses. They're often hard on other people's blood pressure.
Well, she's in. Anyone else needing to be lined up for this not-a-heist OL's setting up
It's gonna be a hum-dinger. Zeus won't be so amused, but fuck him.
What? There may be an extraneous word, or a missing word here."No." Mr. Simpson shakes his head. "I was a human studying how to use altered states of consciousness could allow the human mind to directly interface with electronic systems.
We have the Green, the Red, the Grey...
What would machines be like? The Blue, for electric energy? The Black for Oil and Iron? The Gold for refined metal?
What would machines be like? The Blue, for electric energy? The Black for Oil and Iron? The Gold for refined metal
Now, maybe maybe you could excuse that if the power boost was needed to stop say, Darkseid. But Lawful Evil Paul wants it to punish a guy for giving a friend of his a shit job after she refused to sleep with him.
That's like... Not even Constantine would do something like that...
So was Hades, and Heph was an attempted rapist, and Hera was an attempted child murderer. Yet only one has to remain that way in this story.
Thank you, corrected.
AAAAGH! AAAAGH!
May I know why you said this?
Also, just through Vaermina onto your block list like the rest of us have.
I was trying to imply that it meant there was a real river that would cause you to forget everything if you drank from it.
I don't understand."No. But I'm confident that she'll be interested to meet you."
"How come?"
"Wouldn't you rather live in a universe where she is than a universe where she isn't?"
"Shiiiiiiiit."
Why do I feel like this is how you make the Broken God?I nod. "Modern machines are like nothing in nature. They have their own nature that doesn't shade into anything else in the Dream. Mister Simpson found something emerging. I want the two of you to put your heads together to see if it can be used to empower a god enough that they'll be able to fight Zeus."
Most of the time missing thread context is more irritating to me than Vaermina is.
"having known about." or "having to know about."Yes. I assume that you're going to do something I might want to deny having know about."
River Tay?I was trying to imply that it meant there was a real river that would cause you to forget everything if you drank from it.
I mean, it's in Scotland...
Thank you, corrected.
Why would he want her back?Hey if Hephestus uses his new power and status to steal Aphrodite from Ares is he cucking him Reverse cucking stealing his woman back????
Because she's really really hot?
Also, just through Vaermina onto your block list like the rest of us have.
He really wants to dethrone Zeus and beatup Ares fucking Aphrodite seems like something he would want.
He really wants to dethrone Zeus and beatup Ares fucking Aphrodite seems like something he would want.
Because he knew that other than divorce, there was nothing else he could do about the situation. But a sudden burst of power could go to his head and give him some delusions. I'm not saying that it's a good idea. But I am saying that it isn't all that implausible.