lina_musebox | ;rey&poe

The sight of the withered tree and no Rey in sight was the most pain Finn experienced in a very long time. He rarely got worried like this for anyone, but something clearly happened to her. Something was wrong.

Not knowing what else to do except to keep calling out for Rey in a field he knew was empty, he returned home to the Underworld. He'd told Poe everything he could recall about Rey the night before. He wasn't sure if his other half could help but... what could he do? He was too panicked to even think right now.

"Poe!" He ran through the halls, quickly finding his beloved and latching on to his arm. "She's gone. Rey's gone. Something's happened. She wouldn't just vanish. Her tree- The tree she made was dead. Something's wrong."

Could she have died? No, that can't be. They would have heard of a God dying. They would be the first to know, right?

Finn had told him that he'd planned to go back to the surface to visit his new friend - "friend" - so he hadn't expected the other god to return so quickly. He started a little bit as Finn grabbed him - worried for half a second that he'd accidentally let a soul slip free from the river into their quarters - but then relaxed when he realised it was Finn.

That relaxation didn't last long, his brows furrowing quickly and a frown pulling down his lips.

"Slow down," He said, taking Finn's hand and gripping it.

"What do you mean, something's happened? She was just there yesterday. How does a tree die that fast?"

He already knew the answer as soon as he said it: they didn't. He may specialize in the souls of the sinful, but everything on Earth died. Sometimes easing the souls of animals and plants into the shadows of the afterlife was the only real peace Poe could find in his work. He always, always left the kind human souls to Finn. Without fail.

"Okay, look, just - just slow down and tell me exactly what you saw."

Slow down. Sure. He could do that.

Okay, but really, panicking wasn't helping. Finn took a deep breath and tried to gather himself.

"I went to where we agreed to meet, but she wasn't there. The tree she worked hard on yesterday, the one she said she created for nymphs, it was withering and dying. She'd never let that happen. I know she's not dead, but... who would take her? She mentioned Artemis, but she isn't-... Demeter?"

Poe's face grew darker as Finn spoke.

"... Yeah. That'd be my guess. I knew it was too good to be true." It was hard to keep that edge of real honest rage out of his voice, even low as it was. If it were up to him, Finn would have a high seat of honour on Olympus. He would be recognized and treated as equal among them. Instead, by whatever fate had bound them together in the underworld, he was reviled and mistreated and misunderstood. Finn was better than any of them, and yet Demeter had probably stolen Rey away simply for speaking to him.

He turned his head and whistled sharply for his dog.

"Okay. Look. You just stay here, and try to set it aside for now. I'll deal with it. I was planning on going topside to meet her anyway - Beebee and I can find out what happened and where she's gone."

"Poe-" Too good to be true? Deal with it?

... Was this his fault? "I could help. I could do something." Though, what, he had no clue. Beebee did have a good shot of tracking her down and someone had to be in the Underworld these days.

"I'll-" Dammit. He felt so useless. "If something changes here, I can let you know. The dead talk all the time. If they see her-"

"One of us needs to stay here." That was the rule. The dead flowed to them at a near constant rate. They couldn't leave the gates unmanned.

"If they see her, send word. But I'm sure between the two of us, Beebee and I can find her."

On cue, the huge hound appeared, its three heads bright focused at attention. Poe reached up and patted its flanks, as his own clothing changed. Black grecian armour, with a black cloak lined with a bright blood-orange stripe and a helmet with a blood-orange crest suddenly graced his person.

It would keep any mortal who dared to look at him from daring to speak to him, at least.

"I'll find her."

His eyes flashed purple and a doorway appeared and he clicked his tongue for the dog to follow him. He didn't turn back again - he didn't want to see Finn's face. Didn't want to know what lay upon it. Worry or grief or hopelessness - none of them were things he ever wanted to see on his lover's face.

Actually finding Rey was another thing all together. But the dog caught her scent at the tree, and time and space had no bearing on their hunt.

They'd find her. No matter where she had been hidden.

He wanted to say something. He should have said something. Instead, Finn watched as Poe and Beebee disappeared beyond their realm.

What if Rey really had been lost? What if he lost Poe, too? His lover left armed for battle. Finn couldn't lose him, too.

But what choice did he have now? There was nothing he could do except remain in the Underworld and hope they returned to him.

His hands gripped at his tunic and he fled for the river. If all he could do was listen to whispers, then he'd do it.

Rey didn't realize what a stir she caused in the Underworld. She didn't realize how worried Finn was. She didn't think it would matter, considering she wasn't an important goddess. She wasn't one of the ones most celebrated or worshiped, which was fine with her. Demeter had given her a new assignment, created out of a mother's love for her daughter, and she would strive to finish it...

Though her mind kept wandering back to Finn, hoping he was alright. Hoping he would understand why she had to leave. Doubtful Demeter would allow Rey to talk to him again, or anyone that wasn't in her circle of...trust? Or, good side?

The sun was glaring down on her, but she managed to create a few shrubs and plants that were thorny and prickly in nature. Something to test out with, but....it didn't feel right. It didn't look right, and she was getting frustrated. She didn't want to argue with her mother, but she wouldn't listen! Demeter didn't want to hear that Rey had enjoyed herself and that nothing happened! She had wanted to give Finn her gift and now...

Now he probably would hate her for breaking her word.

"Damnit!" she cursed, pushing back her long bangs as another creature withered and turned to ash. She was surrounded by rock and sand, and her mind was too focused on Finn. She shouldn't care what he thought of her...but she did. And that was aggravating! Why....why did it hurt so much to think about him?

It was the hound that found her first. His keen nose had him leaping through fields and over mountains in single strokes - Poe following behind.

But it was the dog that ran over the rock and sand toward his found target.

He barked, high and sharp, though oddly... friendly... for a massive dog with three heads.

He also didn't seem to be about to slow down as he barrelled towards Rey.

For a split second, Rey thought she was imagining things. Thought the heat from the sun might have messed with her mind, or her mental block was causing things to sound and appear out of thin air. Or worse, another test by Demeter. But, she heard it--the sound of massive paws hitting the earth and then a bark.

She turned her head, taking in the creature and three heads it had. Three heads--

Cerebus?

FINN!?

No, it couldn't be. Shit, it was barreling towards her, ready to pounce. Artemis had a kinship with the animals, not her! Still, she had to think of something!

"Stop!" she yelled, preparing to conjure thorny vines to act as a shield to protect herself or tie it down. She didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't want to pinned by it either!

The great hound skidded to a stop at the last second, tongues lolling as all three heads panted happily, the one on the furthest right giving another sharp yip of a bark.

Slowly, the dog began to shrink, and as it did so, the desert behind him slowly became visible - as did a darkly armoured figure, walking towards her.

Perhaps at a distance, he may have looked like Finn. Same height, similar build. They could have worn each other's clothes. The helmet hid part of his face, but even then, as he came closer, it became more and more obvious that this wasn't Finn at all.

Well....Rey wasn't expecting to really work. However, she was glad it had! A smile slowly crept over her face, happy to see the beast shrinking to a smaller size. But, that happiness was short lived when she saw a figure dressed in black in the distance.

That wasn't Finn. He didn't have armor like that, then again she had only met with him for a day. He wouldn't approach her in such a manner. Her eyes narrowed at the figure while she heard her mother's voice whispering in her ear.

"The world of man is not kind, Rey."

"Zeus and his brothers are brutes, they would like nothing more than to add you to their list."

"You must fight. You must stay away from them."

She moved away from the pup, focusing her energy on creating vines and thorns to form a staff in her hands.

"Turn back," Rey warned, voice low and eerily calm even though her heart was pounding loudly in her chest.

He raised an arm, pulling his helmet from his head, but did not slow his approach. The dark curls framed a face that was pulled into a tight, serious frown.

Beebee tilted one of its heads and then started to circle around her, as if preparing to herd her towards Poe.

"We came a very long way to find you," he said bluntly, tucking the helmet under his arm. "Do you have any idea how worried he is about you? How did you get all the way out here?"

If the poor pup tried to herd Rey towards the stranger, she wouldn't budge. No. This was a trick. This was what Demeter had prepared her for. Rey's grip on her staff tightened, still prepared to fight if it came down to it...and judging by how serious the other looked, the possibility of a fight was strong.

"I didn't want to be found." A lie, it tasted so bitter on her tongue. Demeter didn't want anyone to find her, but she should've known better.

As for 'He'....he couldn't have meant Finn. Hearing his name made her heart ache, but she wouldn't lower her guard. Another test. Another trick, and if she failed...Demeter would be disappointed, or worse. But...there was only one other person she could've talked to. Did she dare lose an opportunity to not know how Finn. How could she be sure?

"It's best if he doesn't worry...or think about me. What I promised him, I'll deliver, but you..." she had to keep herself from looking around in case Demeter was watching.

"You need to go."

"So you lied to him." His tone was sharp, pointed, a flare of righteous anger in his chest. He could have dealt with it, if it was Demeter - if she'd squirrelled Rey away but Rey hadn't actually wanted to go. The idea that Rey would promise to meet Finn and then just leave him - leave a withering corpse of a tree for him to find, as if mocking him--

There was nothing in the world like Poe's rage in defence of the man he loved.

He reached out his hand, black and purple smoke curling from in, extending, until soon he had a long pole to match hers. No sword. He didn't want to hurt her - Finn wouldn't forgive him - but he wasn't going to let her try to smack him around, either.

But it wasn't a trick that a mortal man could do.

"What you promised him was to see him. And you let him find death, instead. If you didn't want to see him you should have told him." His expression darkened further. "Was this a game, to you? Did someone put you up to it? Try to taunt him?"

It wasn't a mortal man before her. A demigod, or god stood before her. She should've distanced herself, should have prepared something else, or hidden herself better. Artemis always drilled into her mind to have cover, use her environment to her advantage--but there was nothing in this desert. Not until she breathed life into it.

His anger called forth her own. She didn't lie to Finn, only to the man before her. How dare he accuse her of such things--she wouldn't do anything to hurt Finn. Her anger coiled around her, causing thorns and vines to sprout from the sand and stone, awaiting for her command to lash out.

"I wouldn't taunt him. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him." Her eyes flickered red for a brief moment, her rage and hurt bubbling to the surface. Demeter had taken her, had scolded her and punished her for talking to someone she wasn't supposed to. Instead of perfecting her craft, or finding her duty, she was chatting and wasting time with someone who had ill intentions.

As much as she yearned for her mother's approval, she also felt such anger towards her.

"What do you mean death? The tree I left was still there. It should have survived." Unless...Demeter didn't destroy it...did she?

Edited 2019-10-12 13:42 (UTC)

"It didn't."

If he was a smarter man, maybe he would have realised that something else was going on here. That someone else clearly had a hand in this. But he was easily blinded by righteous fury, and that's where his heart had currently settled. Watching the thorns and vines sprout around her only fuelled his ire.

"You can explain to him yourself," He hissed, reaching out his free hand. He pulled it tightly and suddenly into a fist, and the ground below her cracked and caved and started to crumble - a hole opening all the way down to Hades itself.

The ground was cracking beneath her, preparing to swallow her whole. Rey could hear her mother's voice taunting her, telling her she should have been more careful. Rage bubbled in her again, making her grind her teeth and dash forward, trying to out run the ground beneath her.

"You are not taking me!" she yelled, bringing her staff up, trying to knock him back and prevent him from taking her.

It should have dawned on her that the other man she was charging was Finn's other half, the other part that made up Hades, but she had one thing in her mind; surviving.

She was too fast, and he had to force the ground to move faster, and split toward him like the crevice torn by an earthquake. It was loud, and it also meant that he didn't have time to react to her charging him other than bring his staff forward at the last moment.

She hit him like a ton of bricks and then he felt the earth split beneath him, losing his footing and tumbling backwards as the ground threatened to swallow them up.

Rey had succeeded in taking down the other god. Now, she had to worry about the ground swallowing them. Without any trees to act as anchors, her vines would do nothing. Her main intention was to pin him down and knock him, but there was nothing she could do but press her staff against his neck and try to stay on top of him as the ground fell out from under them.

It was a long fall.

He could have hit her back, but he really didn't want to hurt her. As angry as he was, this was someone that Finn cared about. All he wanted was to have her speak to Finn herself.

He would take no such message to his partner.

They didn't hit the ground. As the crevice opened into the wide, barren plain of the underworld - the palace of Hades just off in the distance, Poe hissed, his eyes glowing purple as they started to float slowly downwards. Her staff was still braced against his neck and he scowled at her as Beebee leapt past them and hit the dark, almost-purple earth below.

He didn’t hit her back, didn’t try to squirm or lash out at her. He didn’t try to get out from under her either....which was puzzling. She didn’t know what to think of him, other than he was being aggressive. Rey didn’t want to hurt him, especially if he was who she thought he was.

Eventually, she let up on her staff, not barring down on him but enough to try and maintain a hold. Her focus was on him and not the palace in the background. A second later, she pulled back from him, still defensive but not ready to hit him.

He didn't say anything else, just glared up at her defiantly as she held him there. When she stepped back, he didn't move, just turned his head to his dog.

"Beebee, go find him," He said, his voice rough. The dog barked once and bounded off to fetch Finn. Poe turned his attention back to the girl.

"Sweet, he said," Poe muttered a little bitterly. She'll love you, too.

The crevice above shifted and creaked, the only escape to the upper world closing in on itself.

"He'll be here soon. You can explain yourself then."

"What?" Rey questioned with an edge to her tone, staring at the other as the hound went to find Finn. Her attention briefly turned up, watching as the upper world stitched and mended itself, closing the entrance they fell through. The sunlight, the life she felt became weaker and weaker until there was nothing, just echos of what was once there.

Demeter would know she was gone. Demeter would come to see nothing growing out of sand and rock, and be disappointed in her. But...if she went back soon...maybe she could be forgiven? Rey didn't know, but she would have to find a way back.

"And then? Keep me here?" He wouldn't dare, and he couldn't have that sort of power....right?

“That depends on what you say,” Poe rumbled lowly, slowly standing. The staff he’d held disappeared into black and purple smoke.

“So I suggest you be truthful. And kind,” he warned. “Because I am very, very tired of all of you treating him lesser than yourselves. I was inclined to like you before.”

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