Welcome to Gaia! ::

Iona stepped back a bit, surprised by Mari's reaction. "O-Oh. I see." Iona turned and picked up her cloak, brushing it off again with a sigh. The black cloth was getting really dirty, thanks to the rain and sleeping outdoors. 'I shouldn't get attached to Mari, either... The gods are different from those of us who have human blood... As Artemis proved...'

She shivered slightly at the memory of the goddess. For some reason, the way Artemis had looked at her had made her feel uncomfortable, as if the goddess had been assessing her value as a servant or object. "Well, um..." Iona draped her cloak back over her shoulders and fastened the clasp, stalling for time as she tried to figure out what to say. "It has been nice meeting you, Mari... But I should probably go if I want to find a place to stay tonight other than the underside of this bridge..."

Iona frowned slightly, curious in spite of herself when Mari said she was a 'mortal goddess', but not curious enough to stay with the girl. Her pride wouldn't let her accept help. "Um... No thank you. I can do it myself. Farewell." Iona braced herself and stepped back out into the rain, hesitating for a moment as she tried to decide whether to seek shelter in the strange nearby building or try her luck in the strange metal city. Gritting her teeth against the cold rain and shivering, Iona headed out into the storm. 'I'm more likely to find a kindred spirit in the city than a single building...'

Iona gasped when she heard the enormous dog coming after her, and felt anger rising to the surface. 'How dare she think she can make me do whatever she wants, just because she's a goddess and I'm not? I will NOT be controlled again!' Iona threw her cloak to the side to distract the hound with a false scent and dashed off in the opposite direction, running gracefully and quickly through the woods.

Iona gasped in shock and fear, losing her grip on the rocks when she heard the dog right behind her. She cried out softly as she fell to the ground, wincing a bit as she got back to her feet and slowly turned to face the canine. "Nice doggie..." Iona muttered sarcastically, then attempted to dodge around the dog and start running again.

Iona trembled, both in anger and fear, as the dog pinned her to the wet grass when she tried to escape. She hissed at Mari like a feral cat when the girl came into view. "What do you want from me?! Who are you to control me?!" Iona bit her lip until it bled to keep from all-out screaming in her anger. 'I just escaped one captor, and yet... Why? Why is it that the gods send yet another person to take my will away?!'

Iona seethed as she got to her feet slowly, preparing to either fight or run, but her anger slowly left her as she processed what Mari was saying. Tears stung her eyes. 'Nanny... Nanny asked her to protect me? Nanny still loves me, even though my father killed her because of me?' Crying softly, and knowing now that she wouldn't run anymore if just because of her beloved nursemaid's wishes, Iona slumped to the grass, her back pressed against the cold rock and her arms clasped around her legs.

She shivered in the cold rain and sighed through her nose. She still didn't like being told what to do, but she had to admit to herself that Mari had a good point. She could speak Ancient Greek, Naiadic, Dryadic, and the language of the Sirens, but none of those were likely to do her any good in this strange new world she'd been thrust into. She needed help, as loathe as she was to admit it.

After a few moments of watching Tyrinus (and being shocked by his tender tone), Iona got to her feet and slipped back into the forest, retrieving her cloak quickly before returning to the others. Foolish as it might be, she couldn't stand to be parted from any of her few possessions. She knelt beside Mari and looked at the girl's face, surprised to see how young and defenseless the goddess seemed in sleep.

She looked up at Tyrinus after a few moments. "Is there... Anything I might do to help?" Iona asked in an uncharacteristically timid and quiet voice. For some odd reason, Iona wanted to take care of Mari. Probably because of her binding oath to Nanny. Yes, that had to be it.

Iona bit her lip, wincing a little as she accidentally bit down on her cut. 'She's like me... Locked away for her own protection... Mortal, yet immortal at the same time... It sounds like she had it worse than me, though...' Iona sighed and looked around, realizing with relief that the rain had stopped. "Well, we should not stay out here. We must get Mari to shelter." Iona draped Mari in her cloak, which was somehow already dry, and tried to lift the goddess. In spite of the fact that Mari was really light, Iona knew right away her untested muscles wouldn't be able to support the girl's weight for very long. "Any ideas, Tyrinus?" she asked hesitantly. Iona was new to this land, but she had a feeling that a floating fire-head and a six-foot tall three-headed dog would attract unwanted attention.