"The brother, yes. The fights, sometimes. The eyes…" Mallory trails off. "No, never happened before. But notice that my brother had that on one eye. It's permanent. That's badass," she says, unaware that her right eye is the way it is.
“Well, I don't know if it's permanent but your eye is still doing “it”.” the former goddess says, gesturing toward Mallory’s right eye.
"Oh?" She summons a mirror and looks. "Yooooo, that's awesome!" She laughs. "Anyway, what now?"
“You're not worried about that?” she asks, raising a brow slightly at the odd new words. “I… I am unsure. I did not receive any guidance last night but I awoke with a feeling that told me they have made their decision.” she answers, tilting her head toward the sky without actually looking at it.
"Not concerned at all. It's cool!" She swipes her hand and the mirror disappears. "I… saw something. Something troubling." She shakes her head. She walks over and sits down at a picnic table. "I… this is hard to say. I almost don't want to say it for fear of what it may bring." She looks at Maddalena pleadingly.
Maddalena nods with a reluctant sigh as she sits beside Mallory. “I understand. You are hardly the first to have a vision and not share it. You do not want to speak it in hope that it will stay a vision, correct?”
"Hm." She takes a breath. "But you must know this. While you were sleeping, I entered a meditative trance, something my brother taught me. It allows my body to rest while also keeping my powers intact, and helps strengthen them. Anyway, I saw a large chamber, similar to the one in Manhattan, above the Empire State Building. There was a god in a red tunic, named Arta. A goddess named Miania, another god named Tracaro, and another goddess that was unnamed. There were 16 chairs. One was empty. Yours, I would guess. Then there was the god in charge, Ixstan. They said something about sending us on a dangerous mission, grueling tasks. I saw a mountain cave with skeletons. And myself in pain, death possible. I… I don't know." She hesitates. "And something about-"
The howling of wolves comes from nearby. "Yeah. Something about that. Baix Wolveris. Quick! Before they get here, what are their weaknesses?" She says, standing and reaching out, trying to locate the wolves before the wolves find them.
Maddalena listens carefully, a bit relieved, as Mallory shares her vision. Though she can't help but scowl at the names of the others, still mad at them for putting her through this. She jumps a little when she hears the all-too-familiar howl and barely holds back a curse when Mallory confirms the identity of the creatures. “Not many. They have good night vision, so a bright light could blind them for a time but their sense of smell would compensate for that. They're covered in thick near impenetrable fur which makes their weakest points their eyes and the inside of their mouths but they do have a soft spot somewhere on their underbelly.” she informs, standing as she looks around.
"Hm. C'mon! Let's get to the car! I have a few tricks left up my sleeve." Mallory starts running for the car. She starts it up and gets on the highway. The wolves were 70 feet behind them now and gaining fast. If the mortals saw anything, they gave no indication. "Maddi, summon lightning when I say." She jerked the wheel to the left. "See if the wolves can follow this." she muttered. She closed her eyes, while still driving, and sensed her surroundings. She didn't need to see to drive. "NOW!"
Maddalena quickly follows Mallory to the car, unsure if it's her own desire to stay safe or a result of being bound. But at the moment, she doesn't really care. When Mallory tells her the plan, she doesn't hesitate. Opening the window and twisting so that she is facing the oncoming wolves and instantly fires multiple bolts of lightning at them when Mallory shouts.
"Get back in here!" she says. "And hold on tight!" She swerves again. She mutters, "See if you can follow this, suckers." Nothing seems to change, to the normal eye. But in reality, or rather ethereality, Mallory has managed to add a layer of ethereality into the city. They are still in the city, but on a different level. The car goes straight through other cars as if they don't exist. They wolveris are still trailing them, but any attacks shouldn't work since they are still in the fully real world. RinRin appears in the backseat. "Sup?" he says. "Seems like you need a little help." Mallory is startled and she swerves, narrowly missing a building, which scrapes against the side of the bed on her truck. "Damn it, RinRin! Don't do that."
He says, "Do you want my help or not?"
"OF COURSE I want your help!" Mallory exclaims.
"Hm. You can let the ethereality go. It's draining you." He says.
Mallory releases the ethereality, hoping RinRin will take care of the rest.
RinRin makes all the mortals steer clear of them. Then he picks up the wolveris and chucks them several football fields in the other direction, hoping maybe the impact will kill them. He does all this without even the slightest movement. "Okay, that should hold them for a little."
"Cool, where are we going?" Mallory asks.
"Get on I-75 towards Atlanta." RinRin answers. "I'll be back if you need help." He disappears into ethereality.
Maddalena stumbles a little as she climbs back into her seat. “What? That's the only way I can be sure I hit the wolves and nothing else.” she defends as she braces herself. Though she jumps when RinRin suddenly appears. “You think I would be more used to people showing up like that.” she mutters, shaking her head as she remembers the number of times other members of the Parthenon just showed up. Perhaps it was a passive ability that had also been denied her mortal form.
Mallory gets on the I-75 towards Atlanta, relaxing a little. "Okay, now. What the actual hell? Evidently, they hate you a little more than anticpated. What did you do?"
“I’m the goddess of Theivery and Mischief. I always get into trouble with them.” Maddalena answers, somewhere between indignant and defensive. “Sometimes, yes, it is my own doing. Other times, they just blame me.” she sighs, unfortunately, used to that fact. “This time it was just a bit of mischief that got out of control. But looking back… They may have piled everything I’ve done against me and are using this as retribution for it all.”
"But what specifically did you do?" Mallory asks. "Surely sending monsters after us means you did something."
“Well… Not necessarily.” she shrugs. “Whenever someone was claiming to be a hero or a Demi, sometimes monsters were just naturally drawn to them. But that's obviously not the case here.” she admits since she has never been one that others looked up to and certainly never as a hero. “But we are on a quest, which most watch as you would a gambling event. Such as horse races or gladiator fights.”
"Gladiator fights?! That's still a thing?" Mallory asks incredulously.
“Isn't it?” Maddalena raises a brow. “I haven't visited in quite a while so I might be a little out of touch… But I hear some of the others mention things like “cage fights” or something.” she shrugs.
Mallory nods, "Yes, cage fights, but not gladiator fights." She passes a semi-truck. "We've got a while until we get more instructions from my brother." She looks over at an exit sign. "You hungry?"
“You don't have gladiators anymore?” she asks, a little surprised, but nods at the question. “Actually, yes. Using so much of my powers seems to have taken a lot of my energy.”
"No gladiators. That died with Rome." She takes the next exit and pulls into Popeye's. "We need to hurry. I've got a feeling those wolveris aren't far behind." She turns off the car and walks inside. "What do you want? Ah, never mind. You won't know what the hell it is anyway. I'll get you what I get. The chicken here is amazing." She walks up to the register. "Hi, can I get two 5-piece chicken tender meals with mac 'n' cheese and a large Dr. Pepper on both? Also some blackened ranch sauce, please?"
"That'll be $13.35."
Mallory pays with cash. No doubt the Parthenonians have some sort of something-or-other to track my debit card.
The dude at the register handed them their food.
"Let's go," she said, walking briskly for the car. Before she got to the door of the restaurant, the baying of wolves was heard again. "Damn. C'mon!"
She jumps in the car and they get on the highway again. Mallory hands Maddi her food. "Here, eat."
Maddalena hums softly giving a brief nod. “Rome didn't die… Unless you mean the roman empire.” she points out, proving that it was just the general details of things that she wasn't familiar with as she got out of the car with her. “Though I agree with you about the wolveris. They are very persistent in their hunts.”
Once inside the new building, Maddalena decides it would be best not to say anything in an attempt to avoid unwanted attention. She keeps her face a neutral impassive mask, taking in all the new sights without giving anyone the impression that she wasn't from around here. Though she raises a brow at the exchange of paper rather than the coins she was familiar with.
The sound of the pack of wolveris already so close on their trail made her sigh in annoyance as they quickly got back in the car. “Do you have to be so demanding?” she asks as she takes a box of the delicious-smelling food out of the bag.
"We're possibly in imminent danger, and that's your question?" she says. "Shove some food in it, I need to drive." she says, gunning the car up the outside lane.
Maddalena rolls her eyes and gives a brief shrug. “Mortals must have gotten softer.” she comments before taking a bite. “Cooking has gotten better though!”
"Told ya. Stop talking." Mallory commands. She weaves around cars, probably exceeding the speed limit.