Everyone sat near the centre of the church hall, where benches and chairs had been arranged around a modified cogitator.
Lily sat closest to it, positioned where she could reach its controls. Her posture was relaxed but deliberate, as if she had already accounted for every way this conversation could turn.
Cassandra sat opposite her, her posture composed yet tight, hands folded together as if to keep herself anchored. Daphne remained slightly behind and to the side—close enough to intervene, far enough to avoid being mistaken for the one leading the conversation.
Lily looked between them once.
"Now," she said, calm but flat, "you can tell me why you want to meet Natasha."
Daphne's mouth tightened. The hesitation was brief, but it was there.
"I need to speak with Natasha," she said. Her voice lacked its usual confidence, though the firmness remained. "I hope you can tell me where she is."
Lily's eyebrow rose a fraction. No surprise. Annoyance.
"That's not an option," Lily replied. "Without knowing the reason, I'm not letting you get near her."
The words were calm. Final.
Daphne's jaw tightened. For a moment, it looked like she might argue anyway, stubbornness pushing past good sense. Then Cassandra moved.
She drew in a breath, slow and deliberate.
"It's about the future," Cassandra said quietly. "Mine, and hers."
Lily's gaze shifted to her immediately.
"Go on."
Cassandra hesitated, fingers tightening together.
"I hope she can protect both of us." She lifted her eyes. "In exchange, we can reveal some information related to Luthar."
That landed differently.
The cogitator hummed softly beside them. Lily didn't react right away, but the air in the room felt heavier for the pause.
"You're asking for a meeting with Natasha," Lily said, "based on something you can't tell me."
"Yes."
"And it's connected to Luthar."
Cassandra nodded once. "Yes."
Lily leaned back slightly, fingers tapping once against the cogitator's casing. Not impatience. Calculation.
"If this is about protection," she said at last, "you don't need Natasha. I believe I am more than capable of protecting you, especially here."
Cassandra shook her head immediately.
"That won't help," she said. "Only Natasha can protect me."
Daphne let out a quiet breath.
"I guess this conversation isn't going anywhere," she muttered.
She straightened, eyes hardening as she looked directly at Lily.
"It's about Apollo."
Lily's attention snapped fully to her, sharp and focused.
"He wants control over Luthar," Daphne continued. "To acquire the source of his weapons. He's preparing to approach other gods for support."
Lily exhaled softly.
Another idiot reaching for something that might become the reason for his death.
Out loud, she said, "Even if Apollo wants to make a move, that doesn't change anything."
Daphne stiffened but didn't interrupt.
"Both Natasha and Luthar have gone deep into the Dungeon," Lily continued. "I'm not calling them back because a god decided to get ambitious."
Cassandra's fingers tightened together. This was not how it was supposed to go, but she decided to give one last try.
"You said you could protect us," she asked quietly. "I just need to know what that really means."
She hesitated, then added more softly, "If Luthar decided we needed to be killed… could you stop him?"
The room went still.
Lily didn't answer immediately. When she did, her voice was flat.
"No," she said. "And I wouldn't try."
Cassandra stiffened.
"If Luthar wanted you dead," Lily continued, "you would be dead even if people like Natasha decided to help you."
She let the words settle.
"I don't know why you think Natasha can help you," Lily said evenly. "But understand this—there is only one person who decides life and death in this place. And that's Luthar. Not Natasha."
Her tone shifted—not softer, but practical.
"If you have information, tell me everything."
She took out her datapad, already preparing to record details.
"I'll speak to Luthar myself. That will do far more for you than speaking with Natasha."
For the next half hour, Cassandra spoke.
Piece by piece, she laid everything out—her familia, Apollo's growing interest, the moves he was making. The kind of person he was, and the fact that this was not the first time he had done something like this.
Then she spoke about the dreams she was having, ones that returned night after night, changing minor details but never the outcome.
Futures where her family did not survive. Apollo's interference pushed events past the point of recovery. Futures where Luthar stood at the centre of the aftermath—not as the instigator, but as a silent judgment.
Lily listened without interrupting as Cassandra talked. She didn't question the visions. Not yet. She only recorded names and events.
By the time Cassandra finished, everything was clear. Apollo intended to provoke Luthar, and the result would be large-scale casualties. Cassandra understood that without additional protection, they could easily become among them.
Lily didn't comment immediately. She reviewed what she had recorded, eyes moving once over the datapad.
Then she sent the message.
She waited only a moment before a reply came back.
"You can stay here for tonight," she said, looking up. "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to them." Lily continued, "Both of you. You can speak to Natasha and Luthar directly."
Relief flickered across Cassandra's face before she could suppress it.
"For now, relax," Lily added as she rose from her seat. "You can sleep in the medical room, since most of the other rooms are already occupied."
She gestured for them to follow and led them inside.
--
At the same time, far below, Luthar was moving through the eighteenth floor. He slowed for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the open expanse where the Goliath usually emerged.
Nothing happened.
Satisfied, he motioned forward, and the group continued on.
The stone corridors gave way to a wider cavern as they crossed fully onto the safe floor. Newly built, crude structures lined the space, lantern light reflecting off damp stone. The low murmur of voices carried through the air.
Luthar scanned the area once, then selected a position along the cavern wall.
"Let's rest for now," he said.
He gave them a short window to recover, instructing them to prepare the tent while he compiled monster data for the lower floors—along with information about their real target.
---
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