Owch...

So then, I found Athena finally in Navere and tried to get to her after checking in on Marmar. Thaydin blocked my way and was acting like a jerk as usual. Then Athena came out just as he tired of bothering me. I think Valkryn might have taken over... Yes that seems most likely now that I realize it. Valkryn is in Thaydin's body. I shall ahve to investigate this.

Anyhow she lured me into the house nad down to the dungeons. I knew what she was up to but it was when I found out why that I got worried: She wants the crystal for herself. It's taken over her will and driven her mad. So I prepared. I drank a potion of curing poison slowly so it would be running through my blood and offered it to Athena. Naturally she was suspicious and didn't drink it.

So when I stuck her with a sleeping dart I was ready for her retribution when she shoved it into my thigh, but I didnt go down. She was out like a light and I could have left her in the dungeons, but that would be too cruel. So I took her upstairs. I hoped to get her to the tower, null her magics, tie her up and talk sense into her, but Xavier stopped me and even called the guards.

I let her stay there and then went to see Siona. Or rather Siona came to see me. She was chiding me for coming to Navere and then scolded me even more for the business with the crystals. For a while I was able to take it but then I started to see something different in the way she treated me. I guess I'm used to being treated like some kid... But when I was with Siona today...

It just seemed like she was going out of her way to get on my case, and I thought maybe all of her scolding and condescension were just her trying to prove she was teh better mage as she always does. She didnt really say anything particularly mean, just the usual telling me how irresponsible I was... But this time I felt like lettign her take care of me as she used to would be like letting a rival get the better of me, she's become so different lately and I feel like we cant relate anymore... That made me really sad.

I excused myself silently, nearly crying and went to rest a bit with Liv. And wouldnt you know it, she decided to threaten me between the legs with a pair of scissors... Yay. Well I turned their blades to rubber but then she grew talons, so I used a flesh to iron spell, but she had other magics and before long I was crying and laying in a rather large pool of blood. When I finally healed I must have kicked an punched her a hundred times, so she cast a spell to make sure I couldnt put it back.

I fell asleep after a while still cursing at her and begging her to fix it, but the only result was that she agreed not to take the berries to go with the twig... She can be really scary...

Speaking of scary the next day I went to see Athena again and this time we just went at it. She tried to get me into the dungeons again and used the ear pulling tecnique on me, finally tying my wrists adn trying to hang me from a rafter. I doubled up and got onto the rafter, than when she tried to tug me down I jumped and pulled her up and we fought like that for a while. Oddly enough I had the upper hand without any magic involved but I knew I couldnt win in there.

So I swung back and then let go, rolling towards the doors and letting her fall. I made a portal and hopped through, leaving it open for her and preparing a spell. She blocked it surprisingly well and countered. I got wounded twice because I wasnt expecting her to actually try to go for my throat, to try to kill me.

I found the crystal but trying to get it caused al ightening bolt to course through me and then Athena zapped me again. She even faked turning good again just to trick me. Finally I teleported to Liv's house in the future.

Liv broke up the fight and took the crystal for safe keeping, but in the heat of the moment I told her if she saved me she could have Athena. At that time Athena was trying to kill me so I wasnt so guilty... but when she'd passed out she looked so helpless I couldnt do it, but Liv wouldnt back down.

I took Athena's place and began to cry as Liv snapped some sort of magical choker around my neck. She took me up to her bed and we snuggled together. Somehow no matter how often I throw a temper tantrum she always gets me out of it, it's odd... I fell asleep rather easily once I'd calmed down.