The last tremor drains out of the archive floor. Dust hangs in the lamplight, and the glowing anchor core sits in Ares's hands like a captured star.
From the shadows between two stacks, Eris steps out, hair stirring as if a storm breathes only for her. She laughs once, bright and cruel.
Eris
You did all that work to put the knot back. Why not let the whole rot unravel?
A second figure appears behind her, hood drawn low, a slim bundle of wax tablets tucked under one arm. The newcomer stops at a careful distance, watching Ares with open caution.
Calliope
Peace, Eris. If he breaks this wing, the dead lose their maps. I would rather keep the shelves standing.
Eris
Always counting losses. He has a god's prize in his hands, and you fret over dust.
The hooded archivist shifts beside Ares, eyes fixed on the core, ready to guide or warn. Eris tilts her head, amused, as the archive waits for Ares's next move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Defend the anchor core from Eris
“I ask Eris why she would do this, knowing how important Hades is to me.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
Ares
Why would you do this, knowing how much Hades means to me?
Eris
Because it hurts to watch order pretend it is mercy. Because your uncle is strong enough to survive a little ruin, and the rest of us are expected to kneel in its name.
Calliope
That is not mercy, Eris. That is appetite dressed as philosophy.
Eris's smile thins, but her eyes stay bright. The archive is so quiet now that the soft pulse in the floor feels louder than any voice.
Eris
Appetite? No. I am tired of watching gods call their grip a duty. He keeps the dead in line, yes. But look at what that line costs.
Mnemosyne
Cost is not the same as cruelty. Ares knows that.
The Hooded Archivist keeps one hand near the core, ready to guide it if Ares shifts. Eris watches him instead of the stone, measuring whether he flinches.
Eris
Then tell me, war god, when Hades holds the world together, who holds him?
Quest Complete
Defend the anchor core from Eris
“I ask what she wants from Hades”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Ares
What does she want from Hades?
Eris
A crack. A pause. Anything that proves even the Underworld can be made to hesitate.
Eris
Hades keeps everything bound so tight that nobody gets to choose their own breaking point. I want him to feel that pressure for once.
Calliope
That is a theft of order, not a correction of it.
Mnemosyne
And if you press him, Eris, you will only prove why he holds the line.
Eris
Maybe. Or maybe I prove the line was never mercy at all.
Her gaze flicks to Ares's bleeding palm, then to the anchor core cupped in his hands. The floor gives its faint, steady beat beneath the hush, as if the archives itself is listening.
Mnemosyne
Keep the core steady, Ares. Her words are sharper than her hands, but they still cut if you let them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reject Eris's temptation to embrace the chaos
“I turn my back on Eris and ask the Ledger-Keeper how to safely seal this core away.”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +1)
Ares turns away from Eris and lowers the glowing core toward the Ledger-Keeper instead. The archive stays hushed, but the pulse under the floor feels like a waiting drum.
Ares
How do I seal this safely?
Calliope
With patience. Wrap the seam in lined cloth, then set the core into the black mortar cradle. Do not force it shut, let the archive take its weight.
Mnemosyne
And keep your hand steady. The core answers pressure, not panic.
Eris's smile thins as Ares faces away from her. She does not move in, and the moment she hesitates, the room's balance shifts.
Eris
So you choose their rules. Hades must be proud.
The Ledger-Keeper extends a tablet, already marking the mortared seal, while the Archivist reaches to guide Ares's bleeding palm clear of the core. Eris watches, shut out of the work.
Quest Complete
Reject Eris's temptation to embrace the chaos