The Quest to Find Persephone's Lover

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.

Katherine "Kitty" Rose Winters - owned by User:BeyondTheStars
Christopher Winchester - owned by User:AliasKit
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, as well other essentials. 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.
Kitty: She smiled at Kristoph as he jogged up the hill, raising an eyebrow at the ukelele. "I don't quite think that'll be necessary." She told him as she pulled on the door's handle and slid it to the side to open it for him. Kitty heard the instructor get into the driver's seat, the door shutting behind him as she saw Astrid appear in the distance. She gave her that same friendly smile and shrugged dismissively when Astrid, too, questioned bringing the ukelele. "Ah, it doesn't matter. First stop's my old house in Dutchess County. Not far from here. And there, we should be able to find out what happened to my dad as well as any clues as to where he went. Now, that we're all here, it seems like a good idea not to waste any time and get going, no?" She climbed into the van and took a deep breath. How long had it been since she was there? Kitty remembered the pictures in her dream, how wrecked the place looked, and her heart sank at the notion of seeing it with her own eyes.

The Winters' Chateau

Kitty: The van pulled up along the paved path of the garden of a large villa, twenty minutes away from the nearest city and surrounded by plants, trees and forestry of all kinds. It was the house of a wealthy family, a mansion built three storeys high with white stone, a balcony in front of each of the second and third floor bedroom windows and a marble fountain gracing the front lawn. The garden was unlike any other, a tribute to Persephone with its huge array of flowering plants and trees. As the van drew closer, Kitty could see that the large mahogany doors were reduced to splinters, planks of wood hanging at the hinges and some of the windows were smashed in. The steps of polished stone that led to the doors were scratched and clawed at horribly and the walls bore the marks of the Furies' forced entry. The van rolled to a halt and she was the first to jump out, leaning against the back of the van whilst she inspected the wreckage from outside.
Kristoph: He was sleeping the whole time of the trip, hugging his ukulele case, leaning his back against the seat. Sometimes his mouth would slowly open and immediately close like it was automatic. When the van came to a stop, his body leaned forward and almost fell to the front but he managed to shake his head as he woke up. "Huh? What, where?" He looked out the window and saw the chateau. He raised his shades and stared at the place in awe even though it was somewhat wrecked. He stepped out of the van, already carrying his stuff. "Oh... my... gods..." he said. "This place is huge." But then the sight of wreckage ruined the beautiful view. "Hmm..." He scanned the surroundings and saw Kitty beginning her investigation. "What can we do to help?" he asked.
Astrid: She hopped out of the van, glancing around the area. Tucking a strand of hair behind her hair, she went to join the two. Her mouth opened slightly as she looked around clearly, gaping in awe. She stroked a nearby flower, brightening at the sight of such beauty. Then her eyes saw the sight of the wreckage and her breath caught in her throat. "Oh gods," she breathed, glancing sideways at Kitty. She felt bad for the daughter of Persephone as she had said it was her old home. She couldn't imagine how Kitty felt and she dipped her head. Looking up, she asked in reply to Kristoph, "Yeah, what can we do?" She turned to face Kitty and folded her arms. Again, she looked around, as if having not taken in the place completely the two times.
Kitty: She solemnly nodded at their gasps of awe. "Yeah, I don't normally let people know of this side of my life. I get mistaken far too often to be a snobby rich girl." She sighed and leaned off of the van, hitting the vehicle twice with her hand. "Thanks for the ride!" Kitty yelled without looking back at the driver and heard the van roll away from the villa. She heard Astrid and Kristoph's question and let her eyes run over the surroundings for another moment. "Let's ... go inside first. I'll figure out what to do then." She jogged forward and up the steps, stopping halfway to get a closer look at the claw marks on the walls and doors. Inside, Kitty turned into the lounge where the wreckage was worse than outside by tenfold. Large deep gashes were carved into the once-stylish wallpaper. Their armoires had been tipped over and smashed; their solid oak coffee table looking like it had imploded down the middle. A grand piano on the corner by the shattered window was missing a leg, some of the ivory keys scattered on the floor. Their couches were mottled with explosions of stuffing. That was just to name a few of the disasters that had happened inside. But all of that went over Kitty's head when her eyes landed on the sleek, black electric wheelchair that had been overturned by the fireplace. "Daddy." She whispered and ran to it, kneeling down by the chair and turning it upright, not caring about the many glass shards that surrounded her knees and that could dig through her jeans at any moment. Bits of the metal spokes on the wheels had been sliced apart, the wheelchair full of scratches and the leather back of the seat had been split open. Kitty rest her arms on the arms of the chair and lowered her head, her shoulders shaking with her unsteady, erratic breaths as she sobbed silently. A golden glint of light made her lift her head and she saw a spot of bronze in the fireplace. She dug in and took out a Celestial Bronze dagger, the very one that her father used to defend her from harpies when she was young. Kitty lifted it and inspected it, seeing the dried streaks of golden ichor that stained the blade. Through her tears, she shook her head. "You put up one hell of a fight, you crazy old man."
Kristoph: As soon as Kitty gave her instructions, Kristoph nodded once and asked no more, following Kitty inside. Chills went down his spine once he got inside, the scene of total ruins right in front of his very eyes. He stood by the door and examined the surroundings. He imagines the place to be an almost perfect haven but then the picture was completely destroyed after seeing the aftermath of chaos. He walked further and saw all the possessions of the Winters, which seemed all to be so expensive and yet... what a waste. He went to the couch and they didn't seem so comfy anymore with all the stuffing coming out. All of a sudden, everything felt dull and got even more lifeless... silent. Even Kristoph didn't have time for his jokes because the situation called for his seriousness. He checked outside the shattered windows, careful not to hurt himself with the broken glasses by their frames, to see if there was anyone or anything outside, perhaps a clue that might lead them to who did all this. There was no one and nothing. He whipped his head when he heard heavy footsteps and glasses breaking then saw Kitty running to the wheelchair. "Kitty--" he tried to call out to warn her about the bits of glasses on the floor. He trotted up to her but by the time he reached her, she already got to the fireplace and saw her take out a dagger from it. Out of the corner of his eye was the wheelchair, which he assumed to have belonged to someone dear to her. He saw her cry... or perhaps just lower her head for no apparent reason. He was unsure but then sadness went to him and he just felt his heart sink. He looked at Kitty and heard her talk. She seemed to only be keeping the tough facade for the rest of her companions, or even for everyone in general, but he knew she must have somewhat needed a bit of comforting from someone and so he walked towards her and held her by the shoulders gently squeezing them for reassurance. "Hey," he said with a gentle smile. "We'll find him." He let go of her shoulders afterwards and said, "Whoever did this--" He hit his fist on his palm that met in front of his chest with a slap. "Will get some real hard beatin' from team Kitty." He chuckled trying to lighten up the solemn mood.
Astrid: "Tell me about it," she murmured, in reply to Kitty's statement about being judged as a snob. She stepped in hesitantly but stopped once she caught sight of the inside. The whole place made her feel lightheaded. She glanced around the area, clenching her shirt. The wrecked piano reminded her of her piano that she used to play with her father when she was little and felt feelings of nostalgia. She wondered how hard it was for Kitty and felt guilt at she was feeling when someone else would be feeling a lot worse. She heard the glass break and turned to Kitty; upon seeing her, she stepped towards the demigod but Kristoph was already there. Exhaling, she stopped and stood off to the side, examining the place and it's entirety. She walked around more dodging shards of glass lying around. Whoever did this must have been pretty desperate, she figured. Her hand felt the wallpaper and she let it slide across, the ripped portion fixing itself in place, and then falling, lifeless. Astrid inhaled, then exhaled slowly her whole body moving with the process. She knew there was no way someone could escape this alive, no way in all the world, none, nada....zip. But there had to be hope. She walked back to the two demigods and kneeled down in front. "He's out there and like this guy said, we will find him. But we need to hurry in case....... anything happens," she says, a warm look on her face to try to reassure the girl.
Kitty: She stood, nodding and turning away from Kristoph to wipe away what tears had stained her cheeks. "Thank you both. You're right. We'll find him." Kitty gripped the dagger and turned to face them. Astrid's words registered in her mind, hearing her address Kristoph as 'this guy' and Kitty gave a small chuckle. "Oh, how very rude of me. I didn't actually introduce you two at Half-Blood Hill. Kristoph, this is Astrid Faye. A daughter of Melinoe that I asked to come with us. Astrid, this is Kristoph Winchester. The son of Morpheus that I told you about who's helping me with my dream." she motioned to respective people as she spole and her eyes widened for a moment. "My dream …" Kitty repeated. "Yes, that's it. That's all we can do now. There's nothing else here. Kristoph, we'll take a seat and you do what you need to do to help us figure out where to go next. Astrid …" she crossed the room, crushing the shards of glass beneath her feet and opened a small wooden cabinet on the wall, taking out a set of car keys. "Through that door at the back, you'll end up in the garage next to the stables. These are the keys to a red convertible. There are like four cars there but it's the only red one. We could be driving for a while and that's the only car I know for a fact that will have a full tank of gas. My dad bought it for me but he hates it, he won't be caught dead being driven in it." She tossed her the keys and sat on the ruined couch, unzipping her boots to take out her sketchbook and a pencll. "Could you start it and open the garage door? The door should open out in front of the stables. As soon as I figure out where we're going, we are out of here." With a sigh, she looked around at the home she once loved. Her playground as a child. "I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." she added quietly.
Kristoph: A genuine smile was formed on Kristoph's face as Kitty said her thanks. "No problem," he replied. When they finally got introduced, Kristoph gave his casual salute and said, "Yo. Nice name there, Astrid. Much badass." He laughed a bit then stopped after he heard what Kitty said next, confused. "Wait... uh-- Me? Your dream? Aw... shucks, Kitty..." he said with his hand on his chest, now feeling all demure. "I didn't know that--" Again, interrupted by Kitty's continuation. "Oh... that dream," he said with a flick of his index finger indicating that he finally got it. "Okay." In a second, all his feelings of flattery were washed away. He nodded now with his serious face on. "Let's do this." He rotated his head to stretch them, releasing all tensions and even cracked his knuckles and shook his whole body. "I'm ready."
Astrid: She nodded politely at Kitty, and looked at Kristoph. She rolled her eyes at his comment about her name and looked back at Kitty waiting for further instructions. Astrid caught the keys and nodded in understanding. "I'll be waiting," she said, waving slightly. She followed Kitty's instructions, taking her bag, and went out the door to the garage. Her eyes immediately caught on to the convertible and she opened it, tossing in her bag. She leaned over the drivers seat and inserted the key and started the car. She opened the garage door immediately following and leaned on the back of the car, waiting for them to get over with their work. After about a minute, she got bored standing there and decided to walk around the estate. Just after walking a step out of the garage, she saw the stables and decided to walk in and see if the horses were still there and possibly feed them while she was waiting.
Kitty: She gave Kristoph a pointed look when he began misinterpreting what she said about her dream and nodded when things clicked with him. Astrid disappeared behind the door to the garage and Kitty zipped her boots back up, putting the graphite tip of the pencil to paper. "If you could send me into that dream without making me fall asleep, that would be preferable. I'll draw or write down anything I can remember. Now, like I said before, the pictures in my dream hurt to look at so don't push it. I need you to be alert and still with your wits about you when you're finished. So focus on one picture that Persephone gives as clues to my dad's location and just hold it long enough for me to gather enough details about it. Don't try to get any more. Okay?" she turned away from and looked at the paper in front of her, taking a deep breath and bracing herself for diving back into what had haunted her for too long. "I'm ready. Go for it."
Kristoph: He nodded as Kitty enumerated her instructions and with a final nod of assurance he said, "Alright." He took out his hands and offered them to Kitty, expecting her to hold onto them. "I hope you trust me," he said with a confident, but at the same time, playful smile. Kristoph closed his eyes in intense focus as he used his ability to make a person daydream. He concentrated hard on one specific image but Kitty had to be fast because the longer he continued to use his power, more energy was drained from him. Not a moment later, he was able to enter into Kitty's dreams but the images were quite fuzzy and hard to determine what they were as if Kristoph was merely standing on a space of a blurred world. "Okay, Kitty. I need your help," he said. "Focus."

Astrid: Astrid sauntered over to the barn, taking her time to get there. The stable doors were closed, though the right door was slightly open. She pulled on the door, the wood creaking as it moved. As soon as she opened it, the dank air and the rotten smell hit her. The demigod pulled her jacket side over her nose, her face cringing which caused thin lines to forms to form on her forehead. She coughed into the jacket and walked in, coughing every so moment as she looked around. Her feet softly kicked at a horseshoe lying on the ground, and she bent to pick it up, examining it. It was slightly rusty, the original color appearing to be almost gone. It was a regular old horseshoe. What caught her about it, though, were the specks of blood on it. She looked around the stables, taking out her machete which was on her back. Stepping forward to the first stall, she peered in it and gasped. In the stall was about five sheep eating a horse, the contents of the body of the horse out on the floor of the stall. She felt a pang of nausea. Those couldn't be sheep. She stepped back, stepping on a thin bone behind her which made a loud noise. The sheep's heads snapped up to her, and peered at her with these evil eyes. She felt frightened, but she could take them on. She was ready to take the first one out, when one of them made a grunt or something. She heard rustling behind her, and turned, eyes wide. She was surrounded by a whole ton of them. They all made a large sound and lunged at her, but she was ready. Astrid stabbed the one nearest her and jabbed the next one, pushing and kicking and stabbing. They were doing their best to bit her, and one successfully bit her jacket sleeve but not her arm, thankfully. She knew she wouldn't get rid of all of them, there were too many. She just need to get to the door. She finally reached the stable doors and opened them. She sprinted to the garage and did her best to close the garage, succeeding. Before she closed the door, she caught sight of how many sheep there were running after her and her heart stopped mid-beat. There was at least a thousand, no ten thousand, a whole like two herds! She had to get to Kristoph and Kitty.
Kitty: Kitty's breathing slowed and everything around her blurred until it was nothing but darkness that consumed her. She knew she wasn't asleep, but she wasn't present in the room. She was on the breaking point of hyperventilating, her subconscious fearing being told about her father's kidnapping despite already knowing. It was like Kitty was panting while waiting for her mother's voice.
"Katherine."
She heard and fell still. It was a vicious cycle of emotions that never eased up no matter how many times she experienced it happen. The pictures of her wrecked home, despite being in the middle of the devastation, sent her into a fit of erratic breaths that only calmed when they faded into the blackness. Kitty made the conscious effort to not let her fears cloud her determination to find him. She asked where her father was and braced herself, her fists tightening and snapping the pencil in her hand. The pictures flew past her subconscious mind and Kitty took a deep breath. 'This is my dream. My mind. I can control it.' The images began to slow but her willpower alone did not suffice. This was why she needed Kristoph
Kristoph: In Kitty dream, he kept just the right of distance from her so he won't distract her concentration. He just kept his guard on in case something unexpected would happen. In the midst of silence, he could clearly and loudly hear Kitty's breaths and heartbeat that would sometimes go faster than normal and so he would try to vary each scene which he thought would be too much for her to take in. Looking through the different images that flashed, he himself became rather confused of what Kitty's mother wanted to show them. Kristoph closed his eyes in order to manipulate her dream and attempt to focus each picture that came by quickly. It became a bit difficult for him. He sense the urgency and the need to show multiple scenes in so little time. He could already feel himself getting drained for using his power but he continued until they were successful to slow the flashes down enough for Kitty to hopefully remember the details. After a few more, Kristoph mostly saw pictures of what seemed to be a factory and a river then the rest of them flickered and darkness took over. With a gasp, Kristoph finally opened his eyes, feeling his legs getting wobbly that he almost lost his balance but managed to maintain it. He felt a throbbing pain in his head, making him press his temples and rub the back of his head. He then looked at Kitty and said, "I hope you were able to remember that. Sorry I can't continue further."
Astrid: Astrid swung open the door to the chateau, bursting into it and disturbing Kitty and Kristoph from their dreamtime. "We got to go now! Zombie sheep ate the horses!" She exclaimed, going to the nearest window and glancing out it, hoping to make out a route to escape by. Astrid looked back at the two and corrected herself, "I mean flesh eating sheep, I think, not sure though." And she continued to look out the window. Sadly, she couldn't see clearly given the window was blurry and all she could see outside was red and white and a little black. "Are you guys done with the dreaming or did I disturb you?" She asked a bit harshly, squinting at the window. Astrid wanted to go, but she was afraid that she stopped the two from their dreamtime and felt guilty. She shook the thought away and stated again, "We got to go before one of their bigger monster friends come along."
Kitty: Kitty snapped back from her dream , panting and shaking her head. There had never been a clearer picture in her dream. She put her hand on Kristoph's shoulder. "I got it. You did good. Thanks. Now it's time to actually fin-" She stopped talking when Astrid burst in, a life-threatening level of urgency in her voice. "Zombie sheep?!" Kitty repeated, launching to her feet. She quickly grabbed what was left of the pencil she snapped and shoved it into her boot, her sketchbook quickly following after. Astrid quickly explained further, venom in her voice that Kitty knew was not misplaced. Astrid was left outside whereas Kitty and Kristoph were literally stuck in a dream. Kitty only nodded and ran to one of the drawers, sighing with relief as she took out a smartphone. Her dad's. She was fortunate that he didn't have it on him. They had to rely on the Internet to find the factory now, not what knowledge the three of them had. Kitty quickly ran outside, to the garage, scowled and ran back into the lounge. "The herd's blocking the garage door! There's too many to blow past, we'll just get stuck. We'll have to thin them out and I'd rather not get surrounded." She gripped the Celestial Bronze dagger and pulled on the whip handle that was strapped to her bag. The two-metre long cord's barbs gleamed dangerously as the whip sprawled out on the floor. Kitty turned to Kristoph. "You're drained. Don't push yourself to fight if you can't. Astrid," she paused, turning to the daughter of Melinoe. "Ready to kick some flesh-eating ass?" She grinned, spurred on by a greater sense of purpose. Kitty wasn't only fighting to find her father now. She was fighting to keep her team alive. She left through the door, disappearing into the garage and ready to take the monsters on. The air smelled dank, of rotten flesh and she knew that the smell could easily be her friends if they weren't careful.
Kristoph: He only held Kitty's hand on his shoulder and patted it to show that it was all okay then the moment was suddenly interrupted by the slam of a door, making him whip his head to that direction with alertness, Astrid bursting in the room out of the blue. He listened to what she had to say and looked outside although it was quite difficult to make out what was happening. Only one thing was sure--they had to get out immediately. When he was about to make his move, he was stopped by Kitty but he shook his head and showed a tight-lip smile. "You can trust me." Without waiting for any further instructions, he ran straight to the garage hoping that he plan would work if what he needed was there. It's a garage, there has to be one, he thought as he rushed to herd of flesh-eating sheep and used his ability to make the monsters day dream for a short while so they would not want to attack him. "There, there. Good sheep." He made his way through them and rummaged the stuff piled in the area. "Come on, there has to be something," he muttered under his breath in a hurry to find whatever could kill those beasts because he knew that what he just did wouldn't last long.
Astrid: She nodded at Kitty, readying her machete, but soon jumped back by Kristoph's suddenness. Astrid regained herself and gripped her weapon tightly, grinding her teeth in the process. "Idiot," she murmured, stomping into the garage. She glanced at the sheep, and gaped, before frowning at Kristoph. "What now? You don't have a weapon?" For a reason she didn't know, she felt annoyed at Kristoph and stood there gritting her teeth. She glanced at Kitty, the leader of the quest, "So, after Mr. Moron here gets something to defend himself, what's the direct plan?" She asked, tightening her ponytail.
Kitty: Her mind turned back to when they were at the camp entrance. There was no hint of a weapon on Kristoph. Only his ukulele case, and she had assumed there was something in his bag that was worthwhile - what with all the metal that was clanging around in his pack. "Whatever you're looking for, it better not be your only plan. We need you. And we need you not to waste time. Take these if you have nothing else!" She reached for the small of her back, taking out the sheaths of her twin daggers and throwing them in his direction. "All we can do is clear a path." She glanced at the convertible behind her before looking in the direction of the graveled path. The sheep would be all over it. She dropped her backpack in the backseat of the car. "Come on, dump your things. There's a path leading out of the stables and to the main road which is no doubt overrun by the sheep." Something clanged against the metal door and Kitty stopped short, glancing up at the sheet of corrugated metal that temporarily served as their sanctuary from a flock of ravenous sheep. "We get them to clear the path and I can drive the car up to you guys to get us out of here. Unless one of you, when the path is clear, can make it to the door faster and can drive."
Monster (Sheep): The metal clanging became more frequent and even the angry bleating made their way into the garage. The metal groaned at their collective weight and pressure against the door.
Kitty: "We need to do this now. We'll be overrun and we won't be able to drive out of here." She ran to the garage door and opened the garage door panel, switching it to manual. Grabbing hold of the metal chain that would lift the door, she turned to her team. "When this opens, we need room to get out of here. We cannot let them into the garage. Use attacks that would push the lot of them as far back as you can manage. Or ones that would freak them out and/or make them confused and useless. That's the priority here. We need to clear the path, not waste energy taking out as many as we can. But if you can manage to bring down some of the sheep that ate my beloved horses, I'll take it as vengeance and be appreciative." She added a slight humourous line to ease the tension before the battle had even begun. She placed a foot on the wall to give herself bearing and gripped onto the metal chain tightly. "Line up by the door, guys. Attack as soon as you can manage." She took a deep breath and began to open the door.
Kristoph: "Woah, wait!" he exclaimed in surprise when Kitty threw her twin daggers at him and thanks to his reflexes, he was able to catch them midair. He just held the weapons close to him while he continued to look for the thing. "AHA!" He grabbed the orange gallon container that was covered in thick sheets of cloth. He knew that what he was about to do might do a bigger damage than he expected but that would be the most effective way to get rid of the monsters. "UMMMM KITTY!?" He shouted in the midst of the ruckus, hoping Kitty would hear him. "PERMISSION TO BURN-- UM-- SOME AREAS!" Kristoph knew that fire was the best thing to make those monsters vulnerable. "KITTY! AN ANSWER IS MOST APPRECIATED NOW!" he added with an increase of urgency since the effect of his powers to make the sheep friendly to him might wear off any minute.
Astrid: She gripped her machete tightly as the garage door started to open, letting in light and making the bleets of the monsters louder. Astrid glanced at Kristoph and figured he was going to use something in that container, possibly magic. Her mind flickered to the possibility of her using powers to help them clear the sheep, and her grip loosened. She bit her lip hesitantly. If she did, she would drain much of her energy; if not then she would either be stampeded, eaten or it'll just take a long while to clear out the herd. But they need to find Kitty's father quickly or something might happen. As the door lifted, Astrid coated her machete with ectoplasm and waited readily for the herd.

OOC/Bey: I'll leave how quickly Kitty's opening the door to your interpretation, whichever suits your attacks. And don't worry about how long it's taking you guys to post and whatnot. I know things are busy. We just need to stay within two weeks of each other's posts but we've never taken that long. And short, concise posts might be better now since it's a combat scene.