The Quest to Find Persephone's Lover

• Dream
• Overview
• Locations and Monsters
• End Game
• Questers

The following message took place during a dream:

“Katherine ...”
The voice of a woman echoed in the darkness. Kitty was unarmed, unprepared and unsure of what was to happen next. But she, for reasons unbeknownst to her, was unafraid.
“M-mother?” Kitty asked the emptiness. “Where are you? Please show yourself!”
“I am afraid I made a terrible mistake.” Persephone continued. Her voice was as bleak and melancholy as a lonely winter night.
The darkness lifted before Kitty, flashes of imagery almost blinding her with their vividness and disjointedness. They were images of her home in Dutchess County. The large chateau that grew to be Kitty’s playground was ransacked. There were deep scratches carved into the masonry of the wall. Their belongings were scattered, shattered and ruined, fragments of glass, marble and porcelain glittering dangerously in the flickering light. The windows were no more; even the wooden panes were reduced to splinters. A sleek, black, electric wheelchair was overturned against the wall and marred with scratches and burns but more importantly, it was empty.
“Where is he?” Kitty’s voice was grave.
“I do not know,” was the solemn reply. “Anywhere. Hades is keeping me prison in the Underworld. I cannot leave and he will not let you in if you try to come and free me.”
“I need to find him.”
“That is why I need you.” Persephone tried to keep her voice level but it was cracking under the pressure of her emotional agony. Kitty did not need to see her mother to know that they shared a mutual sorrow. “I would not ask if I could do it myself. But I fear for his life.”
“Where do I begin?”
“Even if I could leave, I cannot sense him. He is nowhere near the living. But perhaps ...”
The following images formed a cacophonous mix of confusing tricks of light, pictures of cities she did not recognise and landmarks that she had never seen before. Light-headedness washed over Kitty as her brain failed to process what she was seeing quickly enough.
“Find him, flower. And tell him that ...”
The images disappeared. Kitty tried to regain her composure, breathing deeply as she stared into nothingness once more.
“He made a mistake, loving one such as me.”

After 18 years, Persephone mustered up enough courage to go and see Brandon Winters during the first summer Kitty was away to Camp. Persephone told him everything: who she was, why she left, where she had been and in the midst of it all, she recited a litany of apologies which contained every synonym for 'sorry' under the sun. Brandon cared not. He didn't realize how much he loved her still, after so long and wanted only to keep seeing her. Persephone kept making furtive trips out of the Underworld to see him, her visits growing more and more frequent.

Hades, of course, noticed her disappearances during the summer which had escalated until she was gone from his side for days at a time. He learned that she had been meeting with one of her mortal lovers. She had never returned to one of them before, much less stayed with one of them after bearing them a child. In a blind fit of rage and jealousy, Hades bided his time and waited until Persephone was trapped in the Underworld during the Autumn and Winter seasons before he arranged for his Furies (monster subject to change) to take Brandon away to a place where little green grows, where few flowers bloom and where she can't reach him ever again. Persephone, confined in the Underworld, wallowed in her guilt and sorrow for condemning Brandon to whatever fate Hades has decided for him.

There is little joy left in the goddess's heart and it is dwindling with every fleeting minute. With one final burst of hope, Persephone reaches out to her daughter to right what she has done.

This quest will more or less be a nationwide trek through three highly polluted cities in the search for Brandon Winters. Each one will feature a different kind of pollution from it's predecessor and each one with worse monsters. Kitty will probably grow weaker with each location which could be linked to either the lack of greenery and cleanliness in the locations or her mother's growing sorrow.

• Camp Entrance
• The Winters' Chateau (New York) - Flesh Eating Sheep
• AK Steel Factory (near Ohio river) - Karkinos
• Comfort Inn and Suites (Rockport, Indiana)
• Chandler Apartment Homes (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Fremont Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas, Nevada) - Lamiai
• Mexican border - Keres
• General Hospital (Mexico City, Mexico)

It is no secret that Hades was the one who stole Brandon away and put him in some faraway city but unbeknownst to Kitty and Persephone, Hades asked his lackeys to prepare a draught of water from the River Lethe to wipe away Brandon's memories of Persephone and their daughter, thus removing all connections he ever had to Hades' queen.

1. Katherine "Kitty" Rose Winters - owned by User:BeyondTheStars
2. Christopher Winchester - owned by User:AliasKit
3. Astrid Faye - owned by User:theawesomeperson202

Quest

Prologue (Kitty and Kristoph)

Kitty: She had returned from the Big House that morning. A dream haunted her almost every day for the past week and only now had Kitty mustered up the courage to go and ask Alexander to lead her first quest; one that was paramount to her and one that she will stop at nothing to complete. Thank the gods she had received his approval. She could only think of one person to go with her but his regulations demanded that at least three were to go and venture out on such missions. He would choose her third member but first Kitty had to ask that aforementioned one person first. She didn't look as clean and ordered as normal, her long hair tied up in a quick ponytail. Her eyes were heavily bloodshot, the scarlet network of blood capillaries surrounding her emerald irises, almost looking like they were reaching to rip those bright green rings apart. Her leather boots softly thudded against the grass as she jogged to the Morpheus cabin. Had to start somewhere. She stopped at the door and straightened her yellow blouse before knocking. "Hello?" she called out. "Is Kristoph there? Please, I need to speak to him!" Kristoph: In the midst of fixing his stuff, he got startled by the sudden knock on the door making him whip his head to that direction and wonder who it was that sounded so urgent. He slowly stood up as if reluctant to open it since his brothers were there and anyone else could just take it but when he heard specifically that he was the one that person was looking for, he trotted up to the door and told his brothers that he'd take care of it. The voice sounded familiar but it was a bit muffled so he had a hard time knowing who it was until he finally opened it and saw Kitty who seemed all stressed out. Surprised, he couldn't help but say, "WOAH! Woah there, girl! You okay?" Now all he had to do was remember her name. "Sorry uh... we met before, right? You were with Paige?" He pressed his temples as he tried to recall and almost forgot about the urgency. "Ki-- It starts with a K." Kitty: Kristoph opened the door and she sighed with relief. She watched him struggle to remember her name and Kitty shook her head to dismiss its importance. "Kitty. But th-tha-that doesn't ... doesn't matter right now." She pressed her fingers to her temples. "I-I .. I need your help. You helped that girl - red hair, trying to kill me - with her nightmares and I wanna ask you to do that again. But for me. But not to, like, help me sleep, it ... it's for-" she sighed, trying to form her words coherently but worry and stress had completely overwhelmed her. Kitty took a deep breath, pinching her nose-bridge with her thumb and her index finger. She had finally calmed down enough to ask. "Is there some place we can talk?" Kristoph: He remembered everything that Kitty mentioned and nodded. "Yeah, I di--" He noticed Kitty seemed frantic and talked continuously. "Okay, Kitty, calm down, girl. Calm down," he said as he breathed in and out implying her to do the same. He answered her latter question with a, "Huh? Oh... um..." He quickly thought of something. "Yeah, let's go to the lake." Kitty: Kitty was silent on their walk down to the lake and stopped at the water's edge. She took a deep breath and looked to Kristoph. "My mother ap-" she stopped and corrected herself, aware that perhaps Kristoph won't have known of her parentage. "Persephone reached out to me in a dream. At first, I thought it was just my paranoia about what could happen to my family while I was here but I had it every night. I couldn't go back to sleep as soon as I woke up from it, which was often in the very early and unreasonable hours. I can't make sense of a lot of it but one thing is very clear." Her eyes darkened with a determination and a vengeance that was almost terrifying to behold. "Hades had my father kidnapped." She pursed her lip and looked away, crossing her arms over her chest but her fists were balled into fists so tight that her knuckles whitened. "And I would like you to help me find him. I'll compensate for the trouble in any way I can. I'll pay you even!" Kitty sighed, aware of how desperate she was coming across before she redirected her attention back to him. "You're the only one I know who can help me make sense of my dream. Persephone left clues as to where she thought he could be hidden but the dream flicks through the images so quickly it hurts to look at and I can't focus on one." She dropped her arms. "I'll be at the camp entrance tomorrow at 9am. Will you be there too?" Kristoph: He knew the pain of losing someone dear. He might be acting all happy-go-lucky but then, in the back of his mind, he was somewhat doing it to forget the hurt he felt when he knew of his mother's death. He never knew that he would see and feel that same pain again through another... Kitty. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a determined look on his face. "Kitty," he said, "any form of payment is not necessary." He put his hand back to his side. "I'll help you." A warm smile formed on his face, showing that he was serious about helping for free. He winked at her and gestured his hand like a gun as he clicked his tongue. "Got it," he said as a reply to her question. "I'll do what I can, Kitty." Kitty: Kitty's eyes shot up, surprised that he agreed. She sighed, almost laughing with relief. "Oh …" she smiled widely. "Thank you. Thanks so much. I …" she trailed off, glad for the help she knew he'd bring. "I'll let you go and pack. If you have a passport or something, it'd be a good idea to bring it. I have no idea where this quest is gonna take us. That, and anything else you feel you'll need. I don't know how long we'll be on the road for. Th-thanks again, Kristoph." she started walking backwards, grinning and for the first time since the dream haunted her, she felt hopeful. "I'll go speak to our third member. See you tomorrow!" She gave him a quick wave before disappearing down the hill.

Prologue (Kitty and Astrid)

Later in the afternoon that same day Kitty spoke to Kristoph

Kitty: She rubbed her eyes as she walked, probably not helping how dreadfully bloodshot they were. Kitty took deep, regular breaths as she walked towards the Melinoe cabin. She can't freak out the way she was with Kristoph. This was someone completely new to her and what's more was that she was asking this to embark on what could be a dangerous escapade with two other strangers. But Alexander trusted that she would be able to help and Kitty needed all the help that she could get. She took a deep breath and knocked on the completely stark white door of the Melinoe Cabin. It was a place she had never set foot on before and it intrigued her, what with its occasional disappearing pieces. "Hello?" she called out from behind the door. "My name is Katherine Winters. I'm looking for someone by the name of Astrid Faye." Astrid: When she had learned she would be joining a quest, she had been quite shocked really. She had pondered for a while on it and had realized that she was actually very ecstatic about the quest. The feeling had astonished her, as she would have thought that she would be feeling like she didn't want to go at all. Instead, she was feeling like she did want to go and was giddy about it. Now, she was packing her humble belongings for the quest into her black Nike duffel bag for the next day. Halfway through packing, she lay back on her bed, not because she was tired, but she was confused. She had been thinking about the quest all the while she had been packing and she was confused on why she, herself, was feeling so excited for a stupid quest. She hugged her decorative pillow, a frilly, gray one as she searched her thoughts. Maybe it's my mind telling me that I'll soon be able to have actual friends and stop being so alone. Maybe. And it will be good for me, a great experience and all. Dad would be so proud. Tears brimmed her eyes at the thought of her late father, but she soon scowled when her thoughts changed to thinking of her mother. As she heard a knock at the cabin door, she shook away her thoughts. She walked out of her room and turned towards the entrance, listening to the demigod's introduction. That's the girl for the quest, She hurried towards the door before the ghosts or her siblings could get to it. She swung the door open and examined the girl head to toe. "I'm Astrid," she said, deeply and very calm. Her tone had surprised her since it didn't match her feelings;she was feeling giddiness and her tone was almost expressionless. Kitty: Kitty smiled politely. "Good afternoon. So I'm Kitty. I trust that Alexander had told you about the quest that I'm leading but I wanted to come and speak to you myself. Please, I'd like for you to walk with me. This is a personal matter of the greatest importance and while I don't think ill of your half-siblings, I'd rather this stayed only between those involved." She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from the door of the cabin. "I don't know how much Alexander told you. I imagine he mustn't have said much. But risking sounding repetitive, I'll make clear exactly what it is we're setting out to do. In fact, there is little certainty about what we're setting out to do. Right now, I don't know where we're going, what's we'll encounter, how long we'll be away for. But you are looking at a desperate girl. I'll even pay you at the end of this quest for your trouble. But before I go on, how much did Alexander tell you?" Astrid: She felt utter pity for the girl standing in front of her. You don't have to pay me, Astrid thought, but only thought as she didn't say it out loud to her. She felt her face change to a compassionate look but it only lasted for a meager moment before changing to her normal expressionless face. She stepped out of the doorway and out onto the porch of the cabin, closing the door behind her. "I'll take a walk with you," she replied. She glanced around the outside at the trees and bushes, before starting slowly. "Alexander told me that I was selected to go on a quest with a daughter of Persephone, Katherine Winters, much to my surprise. The director told me that we would be finding somebody that's been kidnapped, that's all really. He didn't give me full details on the quest, though, but as I believe, he trusts that you will tell me." She glanced at Kitty, waiting for her to start the explanation. Kitty: "Somebody had been kidnapped." she repeated almost blandly, nodding. Her eyes were completely glazed over with dreadful worry. Once they were far enough from the Cabin and Kitty was sure that they were alone, she turned to face Astrid. "That somebody is my father. I dont know how long he's been missing for and I dont know where he is. I do know that it was Hades who arranged for his abduction which means that he is beyond the help of mortal police. All I have to go on is a dream that I've asked a Son of Morpheus to help me decipher." Kitty pushed her long ponytail over her shoulder and fiddled with its end as she talked. "I don't know anything about you, Astrid. I don't know how close you are with your family but trust me when I say that I will drag my feet through the ends of the earth to get the only family I have left back where he is safe." Everything about her showed a fierce conviction, her tone, her eyes. "But I know I'd end up dead by myself and I'm no good to my father dead. So here I am, pleading for your help." She took a deep breath. "Like I said, there is so much I dont know and I cant guaraantee your safety or if you'll be back here within a certain time frame and I understand if you do not want to help me. But I will be at the camp entrance tomorrow morning at 9am. Will you be there too?" Astrid: She glanced purely at Kitty then looked away, her face pure sorrow as she felt feelings of nostalgia while thinking of her own father. She remembered how kind he was and how horrible losing him was. A new set of tears brimmed in her eyes and she let her hair fall on the. part of her face where a tear was falling, the strands shielding off the drop from the daughter of Persephone. As the tear dissolved, she shook her head and brushed her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath and gulped. "You can count me. Even though I just met you, I know you shouldn't feel those feelings of when you lose your father, no one should feel them." She said absently, looking into the distance. Kitty: She smiled, relieved, letting out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. "Oh, thank you." Kitty nodded. The team was complete. And now she had direction. She didn't know where that direction would take her and her team but now, she knew that her father was within her reach. "If you have a passport of sorts, please bring it tomorrow. That, and anything else you feel is necessary. We could be away for a while." She started walking away from the girl before she turned around once more. "Thank you. Really. This means the world to me. See you tomorrow." She gave the girl a quick grin before running off into the distance."

Camp Entrance

• Kitty: Kitty was speaking to a man by one of the camp vans, donned in dark jeans and her usual long, leather boots, both of them slightly bulged at the side as they carried her sketchbook and pencils. She had a crimson red tank top on underneath her bolero jacket, a backpack strapped to her back. Kitty swiped three goblets from the Pavilion so that they didn't need to worry about staying hydrated as well as asked for some ambrosia cubes and a flask of nectar from the Infirmary. She brought one other outfit, her passport, some food and a picture of her dad. Her weapons were well-concealed so as to fool the eye of a mortal. Her bullwhip was secured to the strap of her bag, the handle close within reach and she had two daggers in their sheaths, strapped to the back. Kitty could feel the pommels of the daggers dig into her back as she walked but it was constant reminder that they were there. "Just take us to this address. That's a far as you need to take us, I'll handle the rest of the way." The man was one of the training instructors of the Camp who had agreed to drive them for a price. She took out a couple of bills from her pocket and handed it to him and he argued with her no more. Crossing her arms, she turned her back to him and waited for the others.
• Kristoph: He ran uphill heading to the Camp Entrance, where Kitty told them to meet at 9 A.M. Behind him was his black backpack strapped to both of his shoulders. As he moved, the bag bounced and one could hear clanging inside of it as if he'd bought a few metallic stuff. In his other hand, he held a small case for his ukulele. Who on earth would have the time to play such an instrument during a long, most probably dangerous, trip? Kristoph definitely didn't mind. He had a red plaid shirt over a white round-neck shirt on with a printed design of a particular artist logo. He paired his top with his usual blue jeans and brown boots with tightly tied laces. He looked at his watch and only fifteen minutes left before nine. When the sign that said "Camp Half Blood" was already in sight, he slowed down and trotted until he reached the top of the hill. He stopped for a while and thought that was the perfect time to... put on his shades, which was hooked on the collar of his shirt. Yes, he felt cool. Anyway, he looked around until his eyes landed on a certain camp van with a girl just beside it. He put his shades down a bit to have a better look on who the girl was until he was able to confirm that it was Kitty. He put them back on and smirked. "Hm." He trudged going to her and greeted, "Hey there." He looked at the van and then back at Kitty pointing at the vehicle. "Not bad." He nodded as he checked out the van.
• Astrid: She walked slowly, her Nike duffel bag hung on her shoulder. The bag was heavier than she would have expected, but she had packed all her essentials: her passport, a pair of sunglasses, toothbrush and all those body stuff, an extra pair of clothes, some ambrosia and nectar, and a bag containing a lot of single dollar bills. She had been wearing for comfort that day and picked out a pair of dark jeggings and a black leather jacket over plain, gray loose tank top matched with a pair of black combat boots. Her machete was strapped on her back in its sheath, as she didn't think it would really fit in the bag given the bag's size. As she walked towards the entrance of the camp, her hair, which she left untouched, had decided to continuously whack her in the face so she tied it up rather messily. At last, Astrid made it to the entrance and she hiked up the hill, walking step by step, till she caught sight of the van and the two campers in front of it. Looks like I'm the last one, she thought to herself, suddenly starting to walk faster than before. When she came closer, she gave a polite nod to Kitty but looked skeptically at Kristoph, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth to the side. She remained quiet, though kept her eyes on the demigod and she pulled the duffel bag further up her shoulder. Astrid examined him from head to toe and upon sight of the ukele, she frowned even more. "Why do you have that?" She said to him with a bit of a harsh tone, pointing at the instrument.