"The children of England would never be slaves," the tall, intense blonde woman using the karaoke system sang out, "they're trapped on the wire and dying in waves! The flower of England face down in the mud and stained in the blood of a whole generation...." "Now that's cheerful," Circe noted, the gorgeous blonde pulling some beer from the tap and passing it to a customer. "I'm a bit surprised to see her here, honestly," Diana's eyes were narrowed, the tawny haired woman looking just a bit nervous. "You know her?" Circe raised a eyebrow as she walked to her lover's side, her blue dress hugging her body like it was painted on. Diana smiled slightly as she looked at Circe, "I'm surprised you didn't notice it, actually." She looked back to the stage as the woman continued to sing, "She's a relative, her name's Athena." Circe blinked at her lover, barely noticing the leather dress she was wearing today. "A goddess?" she murmured. Looking back at the blonde as she added, "I hope she isn't as much trouble as your last two relatives." "What, Herma and Baccus?" Diana grinned at the memory. "I seem to remember how popular Herma was with the crowds," she added cheerfully, getting some fresh nuts and pouring them into the bowls along the bar. "Not everyone was too happy to learn that 'Herma' is short for hermaphrodite," Circe pointed out to her lover dryly. Diana snorted her amusement as she remarked, "No, they're just a bit uncomfortable knowing that they can be attracted to someone of both genders." She gave Circe a grin, "Besides, Athena tends to stay out of trouble." "Let's hope," Circe muttered. The crowd was a good mix tonight, young men and women sitting at the tables and dancing madly out on the dance floor. They had wanted to keep the place a purely woman's bar but the lack of business had made them realize they were going to have to do nights like this just to stay open. It made things a bit more... dangerous in the club, but they could handle it. Then again, there were other problems to deal with. The brown haired woman dressed as a priest drank steadily, not seeming to care about what was going on around her, just trying to get drunk. Several men and more than a few woman had approached her curiously but she sent them, away with cold words and a deadly gaze. Diana moved to her end of the bar, wiping the top off with a cloth. "Anything I can do for you, Sam?" she asked. Samantha Teresa looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. She puffed out a breath, making herself relax as she commented, "I'm still surprised you let me come back here, considering the trouble I caused the first time I was here." Diana smiled slightly, "Jess spoke up for you, that helped." "Jess Drake?" Sam looked at her in honest surprise. She shook her head slightly as she muttered, "I'm surprised." "I get the sense that she respects you, even if you don't get along," Diana shrugged. She gave Sam a look, "So why are you trying so hard to get drunk?" Sam picked up her glass, gazing thoughtfully at the beer within. "It's Veteran's Day," she said, "and part of me wants to be with my former unit, honoring our dead." "Gulf War?" Diana asked. "Vietnam," Sam flashed a smile, "thanks." "But your vows as a Knight Templar say that you have to leave your past connections behind, if I recall correctly," Diana noted as she took the glass and refilled it, passing it back to Sam casually. "Getting drunk in memory?" she asked. "Does everyone know that I'm a Templar? Was there a notice put out about it?" Sam bitterly complained. "There are certain signs I noticed," Circe said to her dryly, "like the bulge of pistols hidden beneath your priest's garb, Sam." "Point," Sam made a face. "We used to go out drinking together," she sighed, "in between all of the chaos and patrols." She finished her next glass of beer then pushed away from the bar, puffing out a breath. "Guess I'm done," she steadied herself before adding, "see you later." Circe looked up from where she was wiping out a beer glass to see the intense blonde easily cutting through the crowd towards them. Athena stepped up to the bar and met her eyes calmly as she asked, "Do you have any Ozuo?" "Of course," Circe calmly answered as she took out a bottle of the thick, oily alcohol and poured her a shot glass of it. "Thank you," Athena drank the strong booze like it was water, only shuddering slightly once she was done. "Nice," she smiled. "I guess you're here to see Diana?" Circe asked her boldly, looking the other woman over thoughtfully. She could have passed for a teenager, her body fit and face unlined, at least until you looked into her old, old eyes. "Indeed," Athena agreed. She smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I'm willing to honor this place's status as neutral territory." "I'm sorry to be blunt," Circe flashed her a bit warmer smile as she poured the woman another drink, "Diana has told me bits and pieces about some of your family's spats, but she didn't tell me all about who sided with who." "You're concern for her does you credit," Athena murmured. Circe looked up, seeing her lover walking towards them and nodded slightly. "I think I'll leave you two alone," she said, moving away even as Diana arrived. Diana settled into the seat beside Athena, the two women bearing an eerie resemblance to each other as they looked at each other with years of wariness. "It's been a long time, sister," Diana finally said to her softly. Athena took another drink, setting the little glass down on top of the bar with a soft tap. "Well over a hundred years," she answered her, "not since before the Olympian exile." She looked off into the distance a moment before softly asking, "Why?" "You'll have to be more specific than that," Diana answered. Athena's eyes flashed with anger as she barked, "Don't play games with me!" She noticed the eyes of other patrons turning to them and dropped her voice as she continued, "Why didn't you join us in our efforts to overthrow Zeus?" Diana sighed, reaching over the top of the bar and awkwardly pulling herself a beer. "For someone as smart as you're supposed to be, you can be so stupid," she muttered. "What?" Athena looked offended. "Challenging the Throne was supremely stupid," Diana said bluntly, "no matter the crimes that m'lord may have committed against us." "I can't believe you said that," Athena looked over at her in surprise, "you remember what happened to Apollo!" "Don't talk to me about my brother," Diana said harshly, "I was there." Athena winced, "I'm sorry." Diana drank some of her beer, "Zeus is mad, even his wife would admit it, but that doesn't lessen his power any." She puffed out a sigh as she continued, "In some ways he's even stronger, no longer bound by any self-imposed restraint." "His power is in decline," Athena protested. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Diana asked her wryly. "All of we gods are shadows of what we were, while Zeus waxes stronger by consuming the unwary godlings that he finds." She paused sadly, "Like my brother, Apollo." "So you're just going to wait until He decides to pick you off?" Athena asked coldly. "This place is a sanctuary," Diana answered her coolly, "I and others have erected defenses even Zeus must be wary off." Her eyes were hard and cold as she continued, "And no, I'm not just waiting until He comes for me." "You do have a plan," Athena murmured, her eyes lighting up in hope. "Oh, yes," Diana agreed, "and having the assistance of the Goddess of wisdom and war would be most helpful. Would you be willing to stick around here for awhile?" "You have to ask?" Athena smiled. She looked around thoughtfully, "But I'm not waiting tables, I'll pay my way some other way." Diana actually laughed softly, "Somehow I can't envision you waiting tables, sister. Your dignity wouldn't allow it." To be continued.... Authors Note: Samantha Teresa has appeared in Blood, Sex and Magic and then turned up in Descent, aiding the human souled demoness in her small-scale war with the crime lord Lady Diana. I've been meaning to get into her background a bit so I thought this might be an good time to try.... The song that Athena signs from is 'Children's Crusade' by Sting, from one of his older albums.
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