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She didn't allow herself to smile. She wanted to, though, because he'd just admitted that Danni was, in fact, alive somewhere. She could help get Danni back. "I don't have to get hurt to help."

She wasn't sure of this, but there was always a way for someone to help without getting hurt, right? Like on Kim Possible, which she used to watch all the time. What was that one guy's name? Wade? He never got hurt, but he was a big factor in Kim's success as a... well, whatever she was.

She just frowned at him. "Tell me what's so bad that I can't do anything. What is so bad that I can't help even with the Full Moon's approach?" She hoped to the heavens that he didn't know she wouldn't be as in control, as knowledgeable of what she did on the Full Moon. If he knew anything, she hoped that all he knew was that she got a power boost.

She huffed at him. Adolf was itching to say something, but this was her battle--he stayed silent, which earned him a small glare. To him, it was rather ruined by her pajamas, but she didn't care.

Athena fumbled around in her pockets and shifted side to side. "...I have Dust," she mumbled. It probably wouldn't mean anything to him. "And tomorrow night, I'll be able to transform into my full form even here on Earth, to maintain it without trouble. And with Dust..." she trailed off. She didn't really know how the Dust would affect her if she used it. Heck, she didn't even really know how to use it! But she was determined to get Danni back.

This made Athena ponder for a moment. "Well, if we're going to Hell, it's all the better, because I don't even need the full moon to be transformed there." She shrugged, hoping to emphasize her point.

"Dust... In theory--I've never used it on the full moon--but in theory, it will greatly enhance... well, anything. If I were to, say, sprinkle it on my amulet - " she pulled out her alchemy necklace, displaying it to Ialo " - any alchemy would be more powerful and would be able to bend the laws of science even without extra magic. It would also be faster, possibly instantaneous." She decided to obliterate the fact that she'd never used Dust.

Adolf decided that, perhaps, he would need to step in for just a moment. "If Athena were to do anything, I would come as well. I am her godfather and I take it as my personal duty to protect her." She frowned at him. "If you are planning to go to Hell," he added, "I have been there, and I know my way around a bit."

Athena sighed. "I don't know," she admitted, "but I do know that right now, I'm the only one who's trying to find her. Well, maybe not the only one, but I'm the only one I see. Ophelia doesn't care. Ambrose might be trying, but he just isn't here, so I don't know what he's doing. Everyone else in this school, barring some of her teachers, is only sad that they're not going to get some of her food in the morning, but they won't even notice that because they don't care. So I do accept it. What do you think she'd do?"

Well, actually, Athena knew what Danni'd do: she'd already be gone.

"Like I know. He just kinda disappeared. I think he left after the funeral. I want to say he went back to Bai Ching, but since Lin's been moping around in the library, I sincerely doubt it. Arzol probably knows."

Meanwhile, in the middle of the Australian Outback, Ambrose absently stroked Addie Harper's hair as she dozed on the couch, leaning against him. So trusting of a stranger, he thought, so vulnerable and defenseless.

But in her words from earlier, he'd heard his Izzy, the one who'd prefered direct confrontation to evasions any day of the week. The Izzy he knew would never run, would never hide, never cower. She would face things head on, and bend, bend, keep bending with the weight on her shoulders until she simply snapped. She had never allowed herself to break-the Rinaldi pride had always shown up there-but she'd tended to snap and shatter, being relatively normal right up until her breaking point.

Then she was like glass, shattering into sharp little shards so that nothing could be done except to sweep them up and then begin the long, hard process of piecing it all back together again, shard by shard until she could stand on her own two feet again.

Even as he thought this, she began stirring, curling up on herself, a soft whimper escaping her lips as her body trembled. Eldest had explained that the nightmares, or the dreams, whichever, were to be expected, seeing as her memories returned bit by bit when she slept. Since time was of the essence, no matter how much they wanted to care for her, she would find herself sleeping quite a bit. Still, he wrapped his arm tighter around her, wanting to comfort, while she waged war with her subconscious.

It was so hot, so dark, so...evil. There could be no other term to really describe the scene but evil, pure evil. Around her were creatures of unspeakable horror, fanged demons, scaly hell dragons, slithering black serpents. The flames seemed to shoot up from out of the ground, surrounding her, closing in but never quite touching her.

"Does it not feel wonderful, my little mortal, to know that everyone you lay eyes on bows in respect, even in the deepest pits of Hell?" It was as though she were looking in on the scene of a horror film. There, upon a huge black throne, was a figure forever in shadow, his voice commanding attention and chilling blood.

Beside him, on a smaller throne, with the black and red circlet of royalty atop her head, a blue haired girl lounged sideways in the seat, her legs dangling over one of the arms as she kicked one absently back and forth. She was tall and lanky, with piercing dark eyes and a body covered with a concealing black cloak.

"Respect comes with the fear, I suppose. Still, it's a bit annoying that no one dares look you in the eyes. I'd expect some spine from the 5th Realm demons, like when we visited the final realm. But this...It seems power and utter boredom easily go hand in hand." She said dully, rolling her eyes slightly before glancing at the shadowed figure, who emitted a dark chuckle as he ran a huge hand possessively over the girl's hair.

"You never cease to amuse me, Shadow Runner. Would you really not consider leaving the humans behind on that dreadful Top World and stay with me, here?" He asked, and, as though she were the girl, Addie felt the internal shudder, the quick flash of disgust and loathing. But the blue haired girl merely smirked, removing her circlet to twirl it absently around her finger.

"The Top World never fails to fascinate me, boy-o. We humans, we're so damned unpredictable, it's often hilarious to try and watch them carve some meaning out of their worthless lives, always trying to set records, makes something of themselves without ever realizing it means nothing, absolutely nothing. To spend time among them, however pitiful they are, I find would be more pleasing than snoring down here as your teenage mistress. Imagine what scandal that would bring to my family name, darling." She said with a quick, humorless laugh.

"I can just hear it now, 'Hey Richard, have you heard Sly's youngest has gone and shacked up with Satan? I always knew she was a bad egg.' I could probably live off that for decades." She mused, and though she caught the brief wave of annoyance in the air, it was soon replaced with reluctant amusement, and she merely puffed her cheeks when he patted her head like a pet.

"Ah, I forget, too often it seems, that you are still so young. Yet you have the eyes, the mind, of one with many more years. It is the carelessness of those foolish mortals, I suppose, that keep them from seeing your true potential. Imagine their nerve, locking my beloved little Shadow in a basement. They shall never know, my pet, just how talented, how powerful you really are. That's for the best, I think. They'd just try to use you, wouldn't they, my pet? Use you and deny you the respect, the loyalty, that you so rightly deserve." He said, and though the blue haired girl's eyes remained emotionless, Addie cringed at the dark thoughts she could almost hear aimed at the shadowed man.

'Use me like you to try, you mean. You sick, selfrighteous b*****d. As if I would ever be your pet, your anything. Keep dreaming...'

Ialo paced around the gym for a bit, making sure most, if not all, of the magic had evaporated. He thought for a moment he had forgotten something, but disregarded it.

He left the gym, leaving the doors unlocked for the night students... even though Dymetri was gone. He wasn't Ialo's favorite person in the world, but that didn't mean he hated him. Hate was special, reserved for only two or three people you would ever meet in your entire life.

He found Athena's dorm, and knocked on the door. He had to tell her that they weren't leaving tonight. Alec wasn't Superman, and neither was Ialo. The Headmaster was still weak. He would leave tomorrow maybe, but even then he sill wouldn't be in top form. He couldn't afford to wait that long, but maybe a day, just one more day...