Young Writers Society

Hearing another person's voice in his head was such a strange and startling experience that he nearly jumped in surprise. Though he knew it was certainly possible - Hecate had freaked Dionysus out several times by doing it to him - he had never gone through the experience himself. He also had been unaware that Jeanine had the ability to talk telepathically.

But there was a problem with her plan.

He couldn't talk telepathically. The most he could do was look at the other people in the room, but even that was difficult because Cornyx had just addressed him.

He let his darkness appear in the palm of his hand, but kept it turned away from Cornyx. Beside him, he could still see the vine just barely peeking out of Perse's sleeve. "I don't know exactly what's going on, though I do have a good idea," Hades admitted. "So I was telling the truth, Cornyx."

You don't have to respond, she sent, seeing his confusion. You just have to take action. Sorry. I didn't want to say anything. How about this: if you hear me, hold two fingers against your side.

"The rest of you most certainly do." The folded pocketknife is being flipped idly in his fingers now.

Jeanine sighs. "I gave you all mirrors for a reason. It's to communicate with TW and, by extension, me."

James looked down at the mirror in his hand, raising a brow. First, it was that mirrors were bad. But now they were a useful tool for communication? ...Ok.

He looked around the room dully, growing as tired of the tension as Cornyx seemed to be, though he was going to wait to see what Jeanine was planning on doing with the mirrors before he addressed the elephant in the room.



Meanwhile, as Alex and Deedee departed, Alex returned to his room, happy to find that no one else was there. He passed another employee in the hall, and let out a few fake coughs just to still play off the lie he'd sold them of him being sick. As he returned to his room, he lit a candle and returned to the place where he had been lying on the floor earlier, and peeked under the bed ruffles to see under the bed. With a devilish grin he reached under it...

The Woman appears in the mirror. "Play along," she whispers so Cornyx can't hear. "Don't let him know we know."

((He already said quite plainly that he knows they know))

James gave the woman in the mirror a bored expression. He looked up at Cornyx with the same face.

"So who's side are you on, Cornyx?"

He shrugs. "Mine."

((I do that ALL the time @soundofmind))

The Woman hisses and appears in the mirror Cornyx was holding.

"Block the doors and windows," Jeanine suddenly shouts. The Woman popped out the mirror, aiming to attack and distract Cornyx.

He disappears in black smoke/fog/mist, reappearing on the other side of the room without the mirror and still idly flipping his knife as he leans on the wall. "That wasn't very nice," he purrs.

All that Sarah could do was watch, helplessly, as Cornyx moved about the room. It wasn't like she could actually touch him and prevent him from going anywhere - he was living and she wasn't. Her only hopes resided in the other occupants of the room.

Darkness rushed out of Hades' hand and blocked all entrances and exits to the room. Seeing the magic in action left her in awe; she had only seen it once before, back when they were in the power room. Just as suddenly as the darkness had appeared from Hades' hand, vines shot out of the hand of the oddly familiar person standing beside him and towards Cornyx.

It was only when she looked at his face that realization flooded her, starting with why he looked so familiar. He was Percy, Hades' friend from years ago. If he also hadn't aged, didn't that mean that he was a god too? Once she figured that out, the rest was simple. Percy wasn't just Hades' friend.

He was his husband.

But that realization was only a distraction from the task at hand. She needed to do something! She would feel horrible and useless if she wasn't able to help take care of the chaos occurring at the hotel.

She suddenly had a hunch that was incredibly reckless. "Let me out of the room!" she hurriedly told Hades, knowing that there wasn't enough time to explain her train of thoughts. He complied, and, before Cornyx could take the opportunity to escape, she rushed through the now open door.

She raced down the hallway towards a room that should have been unoccupied. But the wavering light of a candle betrayed its occupant, and Sarah rushed inside. She grabbed the nearest object - an unplugged lamp - and held it to use as a projectile. Then she approached the man reaching under the bed for something.

"Stop what you're doing, Alex, and put your hands up where I can see them!"

DeeDee landed outside the window. "Now, deary, there's no need to do that. I was going to take him RIGHT BACK." She growled at Alex.

---

Jeanine smiles. Now they got him.

((The Woman was already out of the mirror attacking Cornyx))

"I was hoping to keep this civil, but I suppose if this will just be a fight..." He flips his knife open and it extends into a shadowy broadsword.

Raven, your aid would be much appreciated.

Jeanine swears. "Powerful guys, surround him and take out that shadow sword! I'll deal with any new threats."

((NO JEANINE NO))