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Remember that this happened every ninety years? Whenever the recurrence started, Minerva would show up, and at the end of the cycle Ananke would die and she'd take over with all Ananke's memories. And they were siphoning off us- do you remember anything about severed heads? Did you ever know about this? Turns out we could still live as severed fucking heads. And...that's what they'd get power from.

[ ...Those are words she just said. ]

Look, my- my point is she was using us to live forever. And she didn't care who fucking died when she did it. We never had to die.

[ Haru doesn't know a thing about severed heads, as evidenced by the colour draining a little from her face at the idea and staring at Cass in complete and utter shock. ]

That's...

[ She's not sure she can drink her coffee just yet, putting a hand up to her mouth. ]

... that's horrifying.

Mmm.

[ It's hard for her not to seem a little cold, responding to something like that. She, in many ways, appreciates Haru's attempt to understand, even if she's not expressing it- it's the kind of effort she'd make herself. ]

It turns out...the entire reason she told people that that's what they were, that they were gods if they had powers, was so she could keep up the ruse. If we'd known, we could have just realized we weren't. [ She pauses, awkwardly running a hand through her hair. The point is getting across. ] So we did.

[ Her hand slowly descends away from her mouth, but her eyes remain wide, her shoulders taut. ]

Then... you aren't a god at all?

[ But the way she gestures to herself... ]

You stopped being a god? I don't think I fully understand...

[ Cassandra stops for a moment, to articulate her position. She's sure this explanation is especially weird coming from her, someone who never embraced divinity in the same way as others. ]

I never thought I was a literal deity, but...I still believed I could prove shit to people with my powers. That somehow that made me more worth listening to. That was enough to believe in those powers. Once I knew better? That I may as well be like everyone else with some extra cigarette-lighting powers?

[ Speaking of which- she snaps her fingers. The tip of her thumb goes alight for a second, and then goes out. ]

Then it was gone. And none of us knew we could get out of it because everything Ananke had done made us think we couldn't.

A figure in power who manipulated all of you... such callousness and cruelty.

[ That sounds far too similar to ordeals she and the others have dealt with back home, so she greatly sympathizes with Cass. ]

Oh! [ She isn't expecting Cass's thumb to light up, but it's gone as quickly as it had come. ] Do you no longer have your powers?

Apparently I...do? Sort of. There were literally about two minutes between me giving them up and getting thrown back into this shitshow.

[ She wishes she had her port-in papers in front of her. She looks away, rubbing her chin in thought. ]

What I got said that I can still do the same shit, but not nearly as much. It’d make sense. Laura gave it up before everyone else, and she could still knock people out, set little fires- that sort of thing. It was the extent of what we did that was the lie, not having powers.

It sounds as if this Ananke woman needs to be stopped. What she's doing is... it is beyond wrong.

[ She eyes Cass expectantly then, hoping to hear any semblance of good news on that front. Maybe it's already been taken care of? ]

I think we just might have? By giving up our powers. She had to keep up the cycle, and if she can’t...

[ Well. What will happen to Ananke, Minerva, whatever they’re calling her now? Can she even strike out? It’s not as if Cassandra just wants to kill her, but... ]

Well, who knows what her ideas are, but I don’t think she can do much of anything to us anymore. That’s not how it works. We...might have finished it for good.

[ She hadn’t thought of it that way before. Jesus. ] We’re the last Pantheon. We should be. Fuck.

... are you happier this way?

[ It seems as it's come at a great cost, but now it sounds as if impending doom isn't looming over the Pantheon anymore. ]

[ Good question. She should be. In her own world, she thinks the answer would lean closer to yes, even with the hurt of what she'd been through, the sting of not realizing anything sooner.

But here...? ]

...I never wanted to die. That's fucking wonderful. But without being able to divine as much anymore? Right now, with what we're dealing with? Frankly, I've spent my time feeling useless.

Nobody wants to.

[ Her shoulders pinch as the words echo in her mind: I never wanted to die. A horrible, dreadful sentence to carry above one's head all this time. Haru hadn't even stopped to consider it while she was fully convinced she was Pachamama, but maybe that was Woden's doing... ]

You are not useless, Cassandra. I'm sure you will find a way.

[ She's sharp, there's still that. ]

Yes, yes, so I’ve been told.

[ Perhaps she’s grown too cynical, but she’s hearing that from everyone. She knows they’re saying the right thing, but it’s started to feel tiring.

She looks around, trying to change the topic. ]

Do you...uh, want something to eat? I think I’ve gotten Rex to buy more than oatmeal at this point.

[ There is now one thing that piques Haru's curiosity. ]

Something light and sweet, if you have.

[ She drums her fingers along the surface, her expression pensive, not meeting Cass's eyes yet. ]

... hey, Cassandra? Does this mean Woden is the same?

Edited 2019-07-28 05:02 (UTC)

[ She gets up to get Haru something, maybe some of the fruit they have for the oatmeal, until the question catches her totally off-guard.

She stops halfway through reaching up to the cupboard for a bowl, blinking in surprise. ]

Shit- no. He never was. And Woden’s dead, Haru. From what I can tell? Very, very dead.

[ And under her breath: ] Fuck. You don’t even know about Jon.

... what?

[ Jon is a familiar name now, only thanks to Woden mentioning him to her, but the former is a shock to her. ]

He's... he's dead in your world?

[ It's hard to swallow this information, if only because Woden seems inescapable. Like a cockroach that won't go away. ]

Yeah.

[ So much had been going on that Cassandra could practically take it in stride. But here, Woden has somehow affected even more people dear to her. ]

I wasn't there for it, but- I got the impression it was pretty fucking brutal. Minerva had him killed once he was told who she was, I think. We only knew because a....failsafe he had in place in case he died went off.

[ She pauses, then speaks softly to herself. ] Fuck. How are we going to deal with that?

What was the failsafe?

[ She feels... bad for coming here, honestly. It seems as if Cassandra is only more stressed out having to think of these things. ]

It’s...

[ God. ]

I’m telling you this because I trust you, and it doesn’t fucking matter here. It’s security footage of a murder. Persephone- Laura, she killed Ananke’s...elderly body, before we knew she and Minerva were one person split up. We told the public it was self-defense, but it really wasn’t. Ananke murdered Laura’s entire family, along with who knows how many other people. Laura...don’t hold this against her too much. She’d lost everything.

[ She rubs her forehead. ]

None of us wanted to put Laura in jail, so we went with the self-defense story. Obviously the video proves it wrong. Woden was just being a bitter asshole.

[ Without knowing much about Persephone, just what she's heard from word of mouth, Haru can't exactly pass judgment about her. Although her heart, as it often does, pangs with sympathy for someone who lost her entire family through senseless violence. Haru knows the terrible, aching loneliness that accompanied that loss. ]

Woden really does continue his cruel streak without sparing a second thought...

[ Ugh, that creep. ]

The public doesn't knows of Ananke's crimes?

He wanted to rub it in our faces posthumously. And that's not even getting into the shit about his son-

[ Which Haru should know, but Cassandra answers her other question first. ]

They don't know the full extent of it, but they knew she was out of her mind. There's security footage of her murdering- [ She pauses. ] The people we thought were Minerva's parents, but they couldn't have been, so I guess they were just hired or brainwashed or whatever. We had to release it when we made the bullshit self-defense story, to make it believable. And Ananke was an actual murderer, so it was.

Oh, dear...

[ Haru is at a loss for words again. Everything Cassandra tells her doesn't end on a positive note. ]

... it does not seem as if going home was a pleasant experience for you. That's unfortunate.

[ And almost... unfair. Cassandra already paid a price for her godhood, why was she going through more of this chaos? ]

I'm really sorry, Cassandra. I don't think I ever truly considered just how complicated your life was back there.

[ Cassandra pauses for a moment, not saying anything- but after running a hand over her forehead, pushing her hair back a bit, she sighs and waves her hand. ]

You know...I wouldn't remember back in my world, obviously, but this place is frankly just as bad. Maybe worse, in some ways? I should be used to it by now.

And it's not as if it's not the same thing for you, from what I've heard.

[ After all, she can still barely make sense of some of what Haru's told her. ]

No, my world is nothing like this or yours.

[ It isn't meant to be an abrasive comment or anything like that; Cassandra's world sounds almost as chaotic as this one. Haru's was chaotic, but they were able to stop the worst from unfolding. ]

I'm... [ And she had come here somewhat upset with Cassandra for not telling Haru she was back, but it's hard to feel angry after the entire conversation they have just had. ] I'm sorry. Martin told me you had returned and I was surprised to hear it. I didn't understand why you wouldn't have told everyone you were back as we were worried, but...

I understand a lot better now.

I- [ She looks away again. She has an easier time acknowledging things like this than she used to, but it’s still shameful. ]

I should have let you know, anyway. You must have been thinking I was still gone, and...you’re a good friend, Haru. You didn’t deserve to have to find out like that, no matter what fucked-up shit I did before I died. I’m sorry.

[ It was easier, not to tell anyone. She told herself that keeping her distance was what was deserved. And yet people keep coming to tell her they missed her, that they wanted her back, again and again. She still barely knows what to say to it. ]

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