---

There were so many thoughts swimming around in people's heads...mostly about her titan's name. Mnemosyne. Mnemosyne. Men-o-syne. M-nemo-sin. Ne-mo-syne. Apparently it was quite the tongue twister even if the names of the other titans were just as ridiculous (looking at you Hyperion and your battery-brand sounding ass). In Korean it would be phonetically translated as "므 네모 시네" and that was essentially how she read it in her head whenever her titan felt the need to converse. She didn't very much like speaking in Greek as transferring from one written system to another was tough work. Plus Mnemosyne chose to live in her so she had to learn the language. It was like the rule of immigration or something.

Reading for words and literal content of the other vessels proved much harder as many of them were Japanese (or "Jap dogs" as her grandfather called them) and she had little interest in learning Japanese. She could only glean bits and pieces from the titans and pieced together that everyone was as wary as they were relieved to find others of their kind. The time that felt like mere moments to them was actually around a minute or two of internal conversation that Hyun let herself soak in as Mnemosyne reminded her that she should probably be saying something.

Aren't your siblings more worried that you aren't speaking up?

It's not my problem. I'll barely have an impact on this upcoming war, I've already seen it coming.

You are the titan of memory not future seeing.

The future merely consists of the consequences of the past and present. I'm only here to give you insight on both.

That's not very helpful or even decisive.

Neither of us are strong in that department. I had nine children after all. I just couldn't decide on one.

Nothing further came of the conversation as Mnemosyne dissipated into silence and Hyun stared at Ivanna who asked about choosing sides between the humans and the titans. The question caught her off guard as her titan felt completely content to leave her in the dark regarding important matters such as human-titan war, the destruction of the environment, and anything missing from the history book. She was content to let Hyun swim in uncertainty now that she met four others of her own kind, one of whom made it clear that she was likely heading toward the titan side and the other completely devoid of human personality. Hyun didn't really have an answer per se because she had very few attachments in the first place. She could live with her friends or she could find new ones.

On the other hand she couldn't exactly find new friends if they were all dead right? And she was human. Would she be dumped once the titans got their way? If that were true it was really, really screwed up. The idea didn't so much horrify her as piss her off because the titans could very well be that cold. They believed they were above humanity and it was humanity's fault that the Earth was slowly degrading (never mind the lack of divine intervention) and that didn't agree much with her.

Still...her apathy knew no bounds.

"I just want to bike and play video games," she shrugged.

It was the blue haired girl, Ivanna was her name, that brought to their attention why the titans were inside them in the first place. It was a hard reality for Kumiko, and often with Hyperion’s kind demeanor she forgot that the god inside her sought for the end all of humanity as a species. But because she had doubted ever encountering the other vessels whenever Hyperion had brought up his mission she had always tried to brush it off and give halfhearted commitment. She could feel Hyperion stirring inside of her, his euphoria over the fact his siblings had gathered, that they were already speaking of human annihilation. It was an excitement she could not say she shared.

It was only once Ivy announced that she was still undecided did the knot in her gut loosen ever so slightly, at least she wasn’t the only one on the fence over the titan mission. There wasn’t much hope, considering she said she was leaning towards the titan side, but hesitance was all Kumiko needed as confirmation that she was not abnormal for being unsure of her stance. “I cannot believe that girl even has any hesitance towards the cause.” Hyperion quipped in the back of her mind, and it made her nervous about admitting her own reluctance.

The Japanese boy was the next to voice his opinion after Ivy, and unfortunately he did not restate his name. He did, however; give them a small demonstration of his power. It was cool, and he seemed much more powerful than Kumiko. His ability to change the gravity around him was quite simply astounding, the rocks that hovered around him probably had no gravity acting on them at all, and that was amazing. She couldn’t keep the amazed smile off her face as he showed them his power. It could really be used to deal damage in large quantities, and possibly genocidal.

She was caught off guard when the boy then completely rejected the goal of the titans, and Kumiko could physically feel Hyperion inside her recoil at the statement, and even as the boy went away she couldn’t find it in herself to move. Hyperion was constricting himself around her mind in his anger at the boy, it actually hurt to do anything other then stand still, but he quickly regained himself. The experience did nothing more than frighten her into revealing her reluctance to join the titan cause, and Hyperion only encouraged her to voice that she was for the titan cause, as if it might influence the others to stay true to the titan cause. She cleared her throat, changing the topic instead to what they boy had mentioned earlier.

“Um, Hyperion is the titan of light, but his abilities deal more with fire… I can’t really do anything with actual fire though, and I tend to just run a high temperature, but I can do this!” The blonde girl took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling on her expanding lungs before she exhaled through her nose. As she did, plumes of smoke exited her nose, falling around her in lazy clumps and coating the ground around them in something that resembled fog. When the girl finished she bent down and ran her fingers through the thick smoke, it broke apart at the disturbance and reformed to create a few smokey rabbits. The little creatures seemed to come to life, darting around the small group with actions that appeared they had their own consciousness. The defied logic though, and were able to hop into the air and around them without need for solid ground, hovering and floating. The blonde girl smiled, pleased that her practice had paid off before she dissipated the little creatures. “That’s all I can do though… I also am unsure about my allegiance.”

She could feel Hyperion’s shock rock her body, and it quickly turned to anger, and then betrayal. She felt guilty, of course, the titan had be crucial to her survival since birth, but she could not just give up on humanity because of that. The titan inside of her was angry now, but surely after some time they could talk through it, Hyperion had always been reasonable and understanding, she was confident in that.

Forgive me and ignore this entirely... :'-

At least I didn't post in Earth... *cries* I tried I really did I swear but I just thought "hmm north America or new orleans hmmm" and made the wrong decision... fgfgdxawcrvdbuyvrje

---

Watch out for tigers and run like hell. Gale could do that. But she could do more than that, too. But nevermind that. If Chester wanted to destroy the circus on his own, that was okay. Did she want to destroy it too? Well, yeah, but she would respect his decisions. He probably had a good reason, right? Yup, probably.

Well if he was going to destroy the circus she'd might as well have a front seat. Nodding, she started making particular motions with her hands. As if on cue, the wind began to whip around her like a mini, invisible tornado. Concentration sunk into her features as she slowly propelled herself into the air, a familiar rush of ecstatic energy flew through her veins. Her hands never stopped moving, tracing invisible circles as she rose higher and higher into the night sky. She didn't fly that far from the ground, the reason being she didn't want to be seen. Instead of soaring high into the sky she didn't go higher than the closest tent's peak. Gale hovered in the darkness, most of her form obscured by the animal tent. The girl watched as a fire erupted, and almost smiled. While one hand kept her afloat, another summoned a strong wind. Her expression evolved into a light-hearted smile as the flames transformed into an inferno.

A warmth spread throughout her body similar to the feeling of sipping a cup of hot chocolate. For a brief moment Gale wondered if she was starting to feel the warmth, happiness, that she'd always longed to have, but after further exploration she decided it was probably just from the heat of the blaze.

Today was the day the titans began the end of humanity... And to think they weren't doing it together. Gale's face twisted into a scowl when thought of the other two, but her expression softened when she remembered that at least a few of the titan vessels had some sense in them. "Castiel, right?"

Her smile had returned when she waved to the boy. "Themis," The titan inside her corrected. Gale couldn't help but roll her eyes. Themis was... mind control, if she recalled correctly. Her smile grew, as mind control would be very useful to have on her side. Though lurking behind the smile was the slightest bit of anticipation as she recalled his hesitation toward the titan side. What if he turned? The thought struck Gale like one would strike their prey. Quickly and silently and more than anything, out of the blue. Having been taken aback by her own thought train, she accidentally dropped a few inches, but smoothly recovered, reassuming her position in the air.

"That's a nice name. Castiel, I mean." She pinched her lips at the comment. It was all she could think to say. Gale was never the conversation starter...

Her eyes locked on the destruction in front of her instead of the person she was attempting to talk to. Was it rude? Maybe, but she'd rather just gaze at the swirls of red and orange. Gale, worst conversation starter and rudest conversationalist. Yikes. She could imagine Crius nodding his head in agreement. A short laugh escaped her lips, loud enough for anyone close to hear.

Gale stared into the blaze for a while, thoughts running wild. Her mind jumped to many different topics, all irrelevant and small. Mostly memories of the past, each one consisting of completely different scenarios which all managed to stick in her head for whatever reason.

It was when Chester came back winded as could be that Gale stopped spinning in the past. Her hands stopped moving immediately, the wind stopped supporting her and she fell to the ground with increasing speed. She pulled off the landing with a kneel, then a small sprint in Chester's direction. The moment she sensed his presence in the wind, the way his breath lingered and his stance staggered, she knew he was on teetering on the edge of consciousness. It was when he tripped after but a few steps that she deduced that he could not run on his own. Not well, at least. Just then, an idea popped into her head. She bent down to help him up, then threw him over her shoulder. "You said you had a place for us to stay." She commented, a sense of urgency sweeping over her. "Where is it?"

---

"I can't fight." Castiel said, a simple answer to the question the girl posed. Better to be safe than sorry, and after all this was something of the truth. Castiel had a weak body susceptible to countless illnesses. He had never done anything too physical before with his recurring problem of asthma, so Castiel highly doubted his ability to fight off enemies. Making them kill themselves was another matter altogether, albeit something he didn't prefer to think about. Really killing people without any sense of remorse was something he might never learn. “Don’t worry, I can fight. And personally, I doubt those human loving idiots have ever thought of using their powers as weapons so they are probably worthless anyways.” Castiel raised an eyebrow at that, though he made no comment. He highly doubted that they would hesitate to use their powers as weapons however. Perhaps not against humans, but Castiel wasn't going to run into battle headfirst without being mentally prepared to be struck in the face by whatever power the latter possessed.

Chester then mentioned having a place for them to stay, along with the fact that he had some 'business' to attend to. Once again, that statement was accepted with nothing but a quiet nod. Either he or Gale is the so called 'leader' of their little trio now, and Castiel's job is only to listen and learn. It was the best way to observe and be underestimated at the same time, a strategy that he usually applied when meeting new people and having to work with them. Only when Chester pulled out the taser did Castiel have second thoughts. His arm was already littered with wounds, perhaps this wasn't the best choice of action for his health. Castiel felt slightly concerned seeing that, but he didn't have a chance to voice it before Chester already plunged it into his arm, his body immediately having a luminescent blue glow around him. Backing away a feel paces, Castiel could hear Themis excitedly squealing in his mind. He had never seen another person use their powers before, so this was completely new for him.

“As soon as I get back get ready to run. Oh, and watch out for tigers. Things are about to get electric." Get ready to run. Castiel wondered how much stamina he'd need, he could barely run a mile without losing his breath quickly. His body was really painfully weak, but perhaps if he let Themis take over it could give him an extra boost... Ironically, the running part was the one he was more concerned about. Tigers don't pose much of a threat to him, Castiel could force them with his mental powers to lie at his feet like domesticated cats. Chester was gone in an instant, once he finished speaking his sentence, leaving Castiel in silence, waiting with the other foriegn girl, Gale.

Who was now using her powers as well, much to Castiel's great interest. Much befitting her name, Gale's powers was one of the wind, and he watched with admiration as she lifted herself up in a whirlwind, fanning the flames with herself hovering a few feet away from the ground. How nice, being able to fly anywhere. Not that I'm not being appreciative of your powers, Themis. He added with a sigh, almost feeling the goddess pout. Themis could be oddly childish at times, yet having the ancient wisdom of a being that had been alive for far more years than humanity existed.

"Castiel, right?" He was temporarily pulled out of his musings by Gale and he waved back with a slight smile. However, before he could ascertain her statement to his name, the girl seemed to drop a few inches, much to Castiel's amusement. She's wondering if you're going to betray them, Castiel. Just so you know. Thank you for the warning. Themis had the ability to probe the minds of others, though Castiel didn't use that strength because it was too intrusive. That and people could have some twisted thoughts at times. Still, he had no real control over how Themis liked to use it. Despite that, the two were a team, without any one of them insistent to take over the other. Themis gave him warnings of thoughts that could be against him, and those are quite useful, especially with the business dealings of his Father. However... Castiel glanced up quickly at the girl in the sky. If she decided that her suspicions were justified, he honestly wouldn't stand much of a chance.

"That's a nice name. Castiel, I mean."
"Thank you for that compliment. My Mother gave it to me." Castiel replied with a nearly distant air of courtesy. He didn't quite notice his attitude, it was a reflex when he was talking to others, since he had never met anyone closer than acquaintances before. But the girl didn't seem to interested in replying, staring into the flames. Not that it bothered him the least, small conversation was hard to make at times. It had already been a few minutes since Chester left, apparently to destroy the circus, perhaps it was a good time to conduct a light probe just to see if Chester needed any help. Gale was still some distance up, so Castiel was sure that she wouldn't see his eye in the cover of darkness. Hopefully. His strange eye had been known to scare people, forcing him to hide it away. Castiel removed the patch covering his eye, and immediately regretted the decision. Screaming, so much screaming. The panicked thoughts and screams of the people caused the boy to double over in shock, the patch falling out of his shaking hands. More thoughts were added to the fray, animals by the looks of it. Not a good situation.

Castiel! Pull yourself together! Themis's voice broke through the sea of thoughts thankfully, and as the hubbub was silenced Castiel picked up his patch and redid the knot tightly. He was able to garner nearly nothing from that, except for the fact that Chester was at the 'watch out for Tigers' part of his plan. He should be returning soon. “We’ve gotta get out of here, fast.” As if on cue, Chester's voice came and Castiel looked in his direction only to reel back in shock. Blood. He was covered in it, yet there were no visible wounds on him. That meant... He killed... How many people? Castiel felt sick. Still, he instinctively reached out to help Chester up, his lip curling in disgust at the Crimson color now staining his cloak. Thankfully, Gale put him over his shoulder, saving Castiel from needing to prepare himself mentally to touch the blood again. This should be the time to run, if he wasn't mistaken. Themis.I'm ready. the goddess replied, and Castiel allowed his conscience to step back, allowing Themis to take control for now.

"Ah, Sister Crius. I'm sorry for not greeting you in person just now, but haven't you found a wonderful young vessel?" Castiel, or rather, Themis smiled brightly at the girl. "Well, I think I'm ready. Coeus's vessel doesn't seem to be in good shape, so you're right... Gale. Let's proceed immediately."

Chester felt his chest heaving in effort as his body slicked his body with sweat. In the distance he could hear the chaos he had caused swell in volume before dissipating over and over like tide meeting the beach. He wanted to see Adelaide’s reaction, he wanted watch her come across the carnage he had dealt to the people she cared about, see the pain twist its way into her face when she saw the dead and wounded, and he wanted to see her snap when she saw that male dancer torn apart. But, that wouldn’t be possible with his current state.

He fist clenched in frustration and he didn’t move until Castiel grabbed him by the hand and hauled the white haired boy up to his feet. As soon as he was up Chester felt his legs giving out almost immediately, he felt like a newborn deer figuring out what legs were used for, but before he could fall Gale was next to him, supporting his weight. He gave a grateful smile to the girl and adjusted himself slightly, without having to worry about standing all the other pain he was feeling came to the forefront of his mind. Electromagnetism did bad things to his body, that he was aware, but it was a vital ability to keep him stronger then titans that would not stay loyal to the cause.

He was caught off guard when Gale didn’t stop with just supporting him and literally hoisted him off the ground. He didn’t fight it too much though, the pounding headache made the thought of taking a step daunting, and his limbs tingled in ways that made the idea of running just as intimidating. The boy didn’t usually like to submit to letting others help him, but seeing as Gale was a titan it kept a lot of the edge and wariness off his shoulders.

He looked over when Castiel started speaking, his voice didn’t waver the way it had been. He sounded confident and sure of himself and he scanned the boy. It seemed like the titaness inside the boy had taken the reins, something he didn’t know was a possibility. Coeus had never even spoken to Chester, much less overshadowed his consciousness to act out on his own. He smiled at the boy and gave a slight nod, acknowledging that he had noticed the change. Themis was right though, and he wasn’t doing well. His consciousness was barely there, and the sound of sirens were growing louder with every passing moment, they didn’t have time to wait around any longer. Not to mention the predators prowling the circus grounds now.

“I’m staying in an abandoned house downtown, its only like four blocks away from here.” Chester took a deep breath, his voice was coming out whispered and breathy, and as he tried to focus his voice he could feel the darkness edging his consciousness. “The street is called… Westchisher. The house is dark blue, and its got this… cast iron fence. Hard to miss.”

Unable to keep his eyes open, the boy felt his awareness leave him.