Her call was answered!! Kinda. Almost. ... Okay not really but at least there was a response, even if no one shared if they knew where they were. ...and she learned one thing: unless Thalia or Cosmos were in there with her, she was alone. The voices of her sisters seemed to echo, as though from far away, so they'd have to find each other before they could leave. 'Which won't be too bad,' she figured, reaching out to find nothing around her and so drawing herself up unsteadily under her own strength, 'At least we can hear each other!' Sure, she was blind but they weren't, and she could still hear everyone so tadaa! 


After the initial calls she waited for Thalia and Cosmos, almost wondering if she had missed them, but then an idea came to her and she reached out, walking to find a wall, both hands outstretched so she wouldn't hit it face first. "Hey guys?" she called, voice echoing off the chamber walls, "Clotho got me so I can't see anything, but I'm going to play my lyre so we can get all healed up while searching for each other, sound good?" she found one and quickly turned to lean her back against it. With a wave of her hand, she summoned the Lyre of Storms, the feel of the tortoise-shell instrument her father had made familiar to her fingers. "I'll stay put and keep it mezzo piano so don't walk past me, 'k~?" 


Sailor Euterpe began to sing and play, putting power into the words and song that would restore her friends when they heard it. Eyes closed - just for the feeling rather than to lock out the sensation of sight - she fell into the melody as a background sound with a smile on her face, easy to talk over but moving in waves towards them nevertheless. While she sang, she thought of her friends and happier times, the breaths between the battles - their lives rather than their struggles - and healing energy radiated around her in all directions, riding the sound waves.


"♪ There are days when those gray skies
Make you blue
Each forward step you take
You fall back by two


You've been hit by some hard knock
You just can't stand
Feeling like Alice felt
In Wonderland


Let me be the one to lend a hand♪


Call my name and I'll be there
There's nothing like the laughter that we share
Whenever you need someone
Or a shoulder to lean on~
Call my name and I"ll be there."

Healing song:

She wasn't surprised by Chaos' arrival. It seemed inevitable that the other woman would come—as before in so many other moments, Cosmos understood that the dark entity required an audience and reaction. It was not enough to simply take the action and know the result. The woman who cloaked herself in inky darkness had to talk—had to see. She wasn't sure if or how she could use this to her advantage. The faint voices she had heard just moments before kept the spark of hope lit in her heart. She knew it was possible that this was all some trick conjured up by her diabolical opponent, but she chose to believe it was true. She needed something to hold on to.

The words from Sailor Chaos could have felt ironic, but there was an undercurrent there that mocked. Nothing about this place was as Cosmos would have fashioned it. She preferred natural spaces, kept as they were, with their beauties and flaws intact and in harmony. It was not for lack of ability that she had created no "castle" of her own in all these years. She preferred light, warm and comforting, some not-too-distant star coaxing life on a planet. For all that Chaos claimed to understand and know, it was this oppressive authority that the two would always differ on.

As the woman in white leveled her gaze at the dark figure, she redoubled her concentration to stay calm. She could not risk her teammates, dear to her as they were.

"It seems fitting," Sailor Cosmos replied. "But I can't stay much longer after the tour."

She knew that every word she spoke added another potential for harm, but silence was likely to be viewed as more offensive.

She leaned against her spear, considering the woman before her and then shook her head. Ah, this one. Seemingly unruffled by whatever she did, but Chaos knew there were always chinks in every armor.  Everyone had a weakness.  She simply had to be patient herself.   Though she thought she had been. Eons? Millennia? How long had she waited for this?  For her return?

Truth, Sailor Chaos didn't really know. Time was hard to measure when you didn't really pay it much attention- or rather when it felt like it did not exist for you.   Still, she tilted her head for a while, considering something.  Normally, she would be even more chatty, but the stillness that she exude would probably be discerning for other creatures that were in constant motion.  

Even as her silence was prolonged, she turned her head, giving the other a profile view of her face. Perhaps, in another lifetime, another dimension or world- they could've been on the same team.  For good or ill of other things of life wouldn't have mattered in the slightest, they would've been able to work together. 

But that would not be so this time around. Or ever. 

Sailor Chaos walked towards the screen not looking at her. Cosmos, she had learned after years and years of studying her, wouldn't attack her from behind. She was too...noble, or something like that.

"Unfortunately, little light, you do not have a choice in the matter, I'm afraid."  Sailor Chaos spoke quietly. "I must ask- do you think you're on the correct path? Are you certain that fighting me, bringing those little stars behind you and dragging them into this game of ours, was the correct choice?"

She turned slightly, her face lacked the usual animated ways, and remained vaguely curious but still. "I know why I have chosen this path. I know exactly what I do and accepted that. But do you? Do you even know why you're fighting other than a notion of a construct? Is it because you're selfish? Do you just believe that, if you try just hard enough, that I'll disappear and never return?"

The words had not infliction on them, it was like they were simply discussing the weather. 


"Have you ever," The final question it seemed, "stop to consider, what it means to be who I am?"  Her eyes roamed the other from head to toe, then back to the screen, "I've considered you. Often. Enough so, that I know you leave me with little choice in the matter."

She could feel the presence of Sailor Urania. A presence she was longing for. She wanted to have fun, of course, but how much fun would be determined later. Closing her eyes, she sensed the vibrations of the Soldier's screams. "Call out as much as you want, Soldier of Cosmos, it will only lead me to you faster." Her cold heart began to beat as fast as it possibly could under such conditions. After all, she wasn't really human. 

The most pleasing part to Lachesis had to have been the girl's desperate pleas to Sailor Thalia. "The poor thing..." Lachesis cackled as she jumped across the rubble to the voice. She took great comfort in the fact that soon Urania would be all hers - her play thing. 

"I can't wait! I can't wait!!! I can't wait!!!!!" Lachesis gradually worked her way up to a frenzied scream. This is what she was looking forward to the entire time, after all. Total control to do whatever she wanted to the Senshi of her choice. She was actually quite surprised that Atropos was giving her such an honor. She would have gotten her way soon or later anyways just by threatening her sister. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn't the leader. Although not the most level headed, there was no doubt that she was the one with the most strength and conviction to carry out the tasks of Mother. 

Before she could arrive upon Sailor Urania, another Scent caught her attention. Not only a scent, but a song! It smelled of flowers and disgusting positivism. The beautiful Sailor Soldier with the crown of flowers... maybe this would be much more fun, she decided. 

Reaching out to her sisters, she let them know her sights were set on the beautiful soldier of song. She licked her lips and called out to her. "You might want to change your tune to a more somber one, Euterpe, maybe more like a Dirge, because your funeral is going to be here sooner than you think!" 


Laughing through her mask, droplets of blood dripped down her face. The pain was excruciating, but it wasn't anything compared to the pain that Sailor Euterpe would be feeling once she was through with her. Drawing her rod, she aimed for Sailor Euterpe. "Measure of Man!" She hissed. The fun was just about to begin! 

attack ooc:

Deep in the darkest recesses of Calliope's mind, something was taking shape. The seconds seemed like hours as she wandered aimlessly through the maze-or at least, that's what she was calling it. She'd only heard a selection of the teammates voices; as other's had yet to reply yet-leaving Calliope to assume the worst. Perhaps this strange labyrinth had claimed them? The thought was leaving Calliope with a familiar sense of dread. Panic, despair, hopelessness-all these things swirled in her head with each new wall she bumped into, and each new door she discovered and would find the room inside empty; leaving Calliope alone with her thoughts once more.

And yet each time she moved-each time she took a step in any direction; she could have sworn she'd hear two steps behind her. Yet when she'd swirl around to greet the stalker, there would be nothing but the darkness that she'd come from. And this sensation was getting worse by the second. Calliope was now running through each room, nearly kicking any door down she could find, but only the same results awaited her.

This is when she heard an incredibly familiar voice-and an incredibly renewing song. Eutrope's voice sung out loud and clear, and Calliope felt herself call out:

"Keep singing! I shall find thee! I swear on it!"

Only to be met with a reply. A voice; like a strange sentient echo-responded back.

"Thy shalt doeth what? Destroy the source of thy siren's foolishness? That is what I shall do. Would thee do the same?"

Calliope nearly dropped her harp in horror as a woman, dressed in her old conquest garb approached. Her hair was the same circled braids, her eyes still the powerful brown. The war medals made of gold and rubies were still in place between the iron shoulder-guards and the platemail-the very ones that Calliope had been unable to get rid of for centuries-perhaps even millennia. Such was a time in Calliope's life that she didn't speak or address, for it was so very long ago. 

Yet here this woman was, a perfect carbon-copy of herself, back from when her planet, Basaroch was nothing but a warring planet. When she took pleasure in attacking the innocent in her never-ending, bloodthirsty quest for glory.

That same blonde hair shaped into round braids. Those same brown eyes. The same Iron and Bronze platemail, adorned with gold and ruby war medallions, with an obsidian crown-ones that Calliope had locked deep within the recesses of her homestead; for she couldn't bare to look at them for generations. The very outfit she war back when Basaroch was a nation of conquest-when Calliope treasured nothing more then the distraction of towns in her never-ending search for the rush of blood-driven glory.

Calliope shook her head. "Impossible."

The woman responded by narrowing her eyes. "Is thee truly of my flesh and blood? Look at thy foolish, ornate attire! 'Tis the color of bile! How undignified, Caecellia." The woman swung a polearm, double-tipped on both sides, with dual-crescent blades adorning the top. Calliope, stunned at the use of her civilian name, narrowly jumped out of the way in time as the blades struck the ground where she once was.


"And thee dare to call thyself a warrior of Basaroch!" She hissed, arching backward to stare Calliope down, weapon raised and eyes scanning for the proper place to strike next.

Calliope could only stare in disbelief in a response. 
This couldn't be happening. 
It had to be a nightmare. 

In case you guys wanna see Calliope back when she was insane, aka what this other woman looks like:

Assuming that Clotho was right behind her, Atropos appeared in the common room, that she shared with her two sisters, within a small puff of dark clouds that dissipated quickly after. The room was dimly lit and it’s decor matched the rest of the dark castle. There were some comforts, such as three plush chairs surrounding a small, round black marble table, all arranged in the center of the room. On one side of the room was a small bar, fully stocked with the dark red wine Atropos enjoyed, and the other, a small console where Atropos often worked and did research.

Of course, the three each had their own private spaces, but they, more often than not, spent time here together when not on missions for mother. She took a quick moment to praise her sister before heading towards the small console.

”You did very well. I look forward to completing this mission with you.  Mother will certainly be satisfied,” she said with a small smile on her lips that quickly faded. Now was the time to think while she had a few precious moments. With a few steps, she was at her console, tapping on it in a few specific places.  A small screen appeared in front of her face from a projection on the console. The small screen was similar to what Mother used in her main chamber.

Now she could see just where Mother had sent Cosmo’s Soldiers so she could begin formulating a plan. Scanning the maze of the castle, she found her fingers picking at the hardened cracks on her skin. So she placed them there.  All those little girls so close yet so far. At this point, they would be trapped in that endless maze of deception and despair so may as well pick them off one by one, allowing them to suffer until their deaths. Atropos wondered if Chaos was forcing Cosmos to watch what was inevitable.

Just who to start with, though? Six pretty little disgusting soldiers of the light. Atropos frowned as her hatred for them bubbled up. Erato and Euterpe had given them quite the trouble on Earth and tried to convince poor Clotho to turn against her own sisters. She tapped on the screen, bringing upside by side shots of the two’s current locations.  She spotted Lachesis on the screen approaching Euterpe just as she reached out mentally to her and Clotho.

Good. One less worm to worry about. Though, admittedly Atropos felt a small tinge of disappointment. Euterpre was just so damnably positive and that singing. Her frown deepened momentarily as she slid her finger across the console. Scenes of the others flashed across quickly, as if Atropos was channel surfing on a TV.

Despite the speed of her scrolling, she considered each one carefully. Stopping on some longer than the others. Her eyes narrowed when Sailor Thalia appeared on the screen. She watched as the girl called to the others, only to go on unanswered. The others seemed to be able to communicate with each other and….ah, Urania, calling out solely for Thalia.

A plan finally formulating in her mind, Atropos made her decision. She tapped her finger on the moving figure of Sailor Thalia thoughtfully before turning towards Clotho.

”Clotho, dear. Are you ready? I know where we will begin.”

She heard Calliope, then Melpomene, then Erato. And then Urania, calling for her. Her heart lifted, especially when she heard Euterpe's singing voice. She relaxed a little, then shouted, "I'm here too!" not knowing that they could not hear her.

She began to try to find her way in the darkness using Euterpe's voice as a guide, though it seemed every time she thought she was getting closer, the voice seemed to be coming from elsewhere entirely. It didn't take long for her to get frustrated and anxious again. This maze of darkness seemed both endless and confusing; was there even a real way out? Would she ever see her friends' faces again? She tried to picture Urania's comforting face, but it was getting harder and harder to hold on to it.

The aches and pains from the previous battle suddenly started to fade, and Erato was grateful for Euterpe's song. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out in a battle if she felt so physically drained and exhausted.

But now even Euterpe's song couldn't save her from the pain in her heart.

Standing there, in the dark and all alone, all of the events from the last several hours came crashing down on Erato. She leaned against the wall behind her and sank to the floor, tears welling in her eyes. Here, in the privacy of wherever this place was, she could mourn for those she had lost. Even if she managed to make it out of here alive and help save the world, what would be waiting for her after it was all over?

Nothing. There was only death, destruction, and despair on Earth. Her aunt was gone, Themis was gone, her company was surely destroyed and/or useless at this point. She had no more friends, no more family. Even though she had her fellow senshi, she had always felt like she never got close with any of them.

At the end of the day, she would still be stuck in this room of darkness and loneliness. Maybe not in reality, but in her mind, this was where she would always be.

Urania's call for Thalia brought home the fact that her counterpart's voice was still yet to be heard through the darkness. Melpomene listened carefully, both with her ears and with her empathic sight, for any sign of Thalia, but she could feel nothing at all. Still her sight left her blind in every way.

Euterpe's voice brought Melpomene back to the current predicament. The sweet girl explained that she, too, could not see, and Euterpe's song helped to soothe the aches of the heart. Melpomene recognized the magic as she felt it, the first thing she'd felt since opening her eyes to the blackness. She hadn't been hurt during the battle, but she welcomed that familiar aura even as it already began to fade away from her.

It invigorated her, even if its healing warmth was of no help. It helped to ground her, even as her lack of senses left her feeling dizzy and wrong. If sweet Meela waited to be found, then Melpomene would try her best to find her.

She began to take careful steps through the darkness, feeling out with her hands for any kind of feature her eyes could not see. It wasn't much, but it was all she could do at the moment. Theirs was a dire situation, but if she could ensure Euterpe did not stay alone, that would be enough. "Hold on, Meela."

Sailor Calliope would have been extraordinarily relieved at hearing additional voices that she hadn't heard already. 

Sailor Calliope would find the song that Eutrope was still singing a light of hope, so to speak, in this odd maze of dark rooms and doors. 

Sailor Calliope would have easily been talking out loud to the others in order to approximate their locations and try to reconvene with them.

But as of right now, Sailor Calliope was not feeling like Sailor Calliope. 

Not while the image of herself from thousands of years past stood in front of her, berating her with an all-too-familiar look in her eyes. It was a look every warrior of Basaroch had, especially during the endless raids.

It was a look of pleasure. Absolute and total delight in the suffering of their target. With every swing of the polearm, her eyes would grow more intense. And the more intense it got, the more shamed and fearful Calliope became. This must have become apparent to her opponent, who emitted a deep-throat-ed laugh.


"Thy needs to take a look at thyself in a mirror! Such a cowardly plebeian thee has become!" The woman grinned, and swung the polearm down once more.

Calliope seemed to freeze up as she realized that she had managed to corner herself; in her state of befuddled fear she became unaware of where her feet were landing as she evaded each attack. All calliope could do was strum quickly on her harp. The tune she played was a rough one, and she felt the magic of the notes take effect just as the blade pierced her skin. While it didn't halt the impact, it lessened the force of the blow significantly-but this didn't mean that it did not hurt. Calliope cried out in pain as she grasped at the slash across her forearm; but didn't hesitate to sidestep quickly into a more centered part of the room, lest she get trapped at a disadvantage again. The other woman's face twisted into a snarl of disgust as she watched Calliope's fingers pluck at the harp strings, and eyed the now injured senshi in the center of the room viciously.

"Did the great and valorous Caecelia Tsu'Leon just partake in a magicked melody?"

Sailor Calliope eyed her attacker back. "Doth thy truly despise any form of joy?"

"PAH!" The woman turned her head and spat. "Such leisure is but a waste, the many arts a simple distraction for weak-minded in body and spirit. A great shame that Caecelia has partaken in. Joy cannot be found in shamelessness."

Why was Sailor Calliope talking to her? It seemed like a stupid endeavor, even by her standards. The woman glared at her again and continued her verbal assault. 

"And thee doth not fight, only flee. The fun of the fight is the fight, not the chase. For shame, woman!" She unhooked a short blade from her belt and tossed it at her. "Grasp it-feel what it is like to release your inhalations once again! Engage in combat! Fight me!"


Calliope saw the expressions of countless men, women and children as she gazed at her reflection of the silver blade that had found its way to her feet. How many times was the silver hue rusted with red? How many times had she needed to wash the stains of her sins away in a dirty basin as she eagerly awaited her next battle? Tears began to form in her eyes, and her voice strained:

"Tell me this is not true. 'O mercy above, tell me this is not true." 

Quote :

Near every Cosmos senshi suddenly a screen flickers on, showing what's going down in Calliope's place with her and her counterpart's battle.

There was no response. Why was there no response? So far she had heard every one of the other girls - except Cosmos, that is. Perhaps Thalia was safe somewhere with Cosmos then? Surely, that was the case, right?

With her back still leaning against a dark wall, her body began sliding down until she was seated on the cold floor. If only she were so naive. Perhaps then, she could have convinced herself that Thalia was fine. That everything was going to be fine. Perhaps it would have been better if she died while thinking that she at least was safe. If she had died, never understanding the futility of all of this.

They said she was the smart one. Why did it feel like such a curse at times?

Hugging her knees, tears began welling in her eyes. After everything she had done... It can't just end like this.

In the distance, she could hear Euterpe's voice again - the girl had taken quite a beating today, even getting herself blinded. And a screen flickered on right above her, showing Calliope fighting... a darker version of herself? That might have surprised her a bit, if only she cared more.

But she didn't. Perhaps now they would understand what she had already understood for a long time now.

"Thalia? Are you here?" she began calling out to her partner once more, getting herself to slowly stand back up. She kept moving. She would keep moving, even if she had no idea where to move to.

Calliope! Euterpe grinned as she sang - if Calliope said she was coming, then she'd be coming! And Mel! Honestly she had always always loved Mel, but realizing now what near sightlessness was actually like in reality, rather than blind-folded attempts at figuring that out, made her friend's bravery all the more compelling. There she was, standing around and singing, and Mel was out there actually searching for her in this mess! Her heart swelled. She emphasized 'There's nothing like the laughter that we share~' just for brave, beautiful Mel! As she finished the chorus she felt a presence in the room with her, and for a moment her heart took flight - they found her!! - but the voice that greeted her was nowhere near friendly.

Her heart caught in her throat - Lachesis. Lachesis who continued to beat dead bodies was in the room with her, calling for a dirge. Who for?! The voice seemed to echo in this cold, smooth room - she couldn't see, she couldn't pinpoint where she was. She couldn't see her. Could barely sense her. So she doubled down, forcing her voice not to shake, though admittedly the song was less cheerful now than through that first chorus -
"♪And when life's going your way,
Just like a breeze
It's a kite-flying--!!!"

'Measure of Man!' 

She braced, holding tight to the Lyre of Storms --- and the instrument her father made seemed to jump of its own accord, blocking Lachesis's rod but exploding with the impact. Maybe the pulse of energy Meela felt from the block that sent her back into the wall like a rag-doll also sent Lachesis backwards? She held the hope tight like a lifeline as both hands moved away with different pieces of her second, most beloved instrument. Her sight, her flute, her lyre, her friends, all gone. All but Lachesis. 

Calliope's voice sounded nearby and hope flared, but the quality of it pegged it to be a recording. She wasn't there. She wasn't coming to the rescue this time. By the quality of her fluctuating tone, it sounded like she could use rescuing herself. 

Shakily, she pushed herself off of the wall, taking in a deep breath. Lachesis was here and she was alone, powerless, and defenseless. Urania's call made it clear that Thalia was missing, too. Had she -? She swallowed the thought, but more like it just kept popping up. Where was Cosmos? Who was Calliope fighting? What about Mel?! Mel was coming to save her, and here she was with the most brutal of the Fates - after Lachesis finished with her, would Mel be next?! And there was no doubt in her mind: Lachesis would finish her. Meela knew that much. She had no chance. No hope. Her flute let her do amazing things, and it was gone. Shattered. The only piece she had left was now crumpled to dust in her right hand, alongside the splintered remains of her lute. She had scoffed at hand-to-hand combat training, or any training beyond practicing her instruments. Having fun and enjoying the little things had been her primary focus the whole time - what was this war, anyway? She was helping Cosmos, keeping people happy, and if she had saved people along the way that was great, but never her primary goal. Would things have been different if she had actually focused? Would they be in this predicament if she had taken things seriously all the time? She had been an idiot, and now she was going to die. 

Painfully. 

With Clotho or Atropos, at least it would have been quick. ...but maybe this was more fitting. Lachesis always seemed to do what made her happy, and as Euterpe, named for the Muse of Music and Delight, it seemed fitting that her life would end in another's pursuit of joy. It had been her life's mission anyway, right? Perhaps she and Lachesis were destined for this all along.

Her flower crown skewed in a tangle of long blonde hair, outfit a mess of blood and wooden splinters, she held her arms out by her side and dropped the remains of her instruments to the floor to face generally forward, palms open. Delight and Music. Her sound would hold no magic, would restore no one, but still she wanted to go out singing. Music and delight. 

"Here I'm standing in the night
Hoping my song gives them light


Alone against my darkest fear
But I sense my friends are near
I'll send to each the power they need
The evil here they will defeat!'

Sitting Duck:

In a puff of dark smoke, assuming Clotho would follow her, Atropos had disappeared from their shared lounge room only to reappear right outside of another room, its door closed. Inside these rooms, those foolish girls could do nothing but roam about endlessly as they changed and warped like a maze, never allowing them to find the entrance. Mother's illusions and trickery were grand in this dark palace. No prisoner has ever escaped.

She summoned her wicked blade, already feeling its urges to kill fill her mind. She took a deep breath, relishing the feeling, as she placed a hand on the wall, the door sliding open upon her touch.  The rooms only obeyed to Mother, herself and her sisters. Despite its darkness, Atropos could feel the starseed of the soldier inside.

Standing in the doorway, the occupant inside would only temporarily see her silhouette as she stepped inside, cloak lightly billowed behind her.

”Hello, Thalia.” she said, giving the girl a small wicked smile as the door slid shut behind her, ”I hope our accommodations have suited you?”

Without any warning, Atropos raised her free hand and blasted Sailor Thalia with Chaos Power.

Spoiler:

Chaos turned as the screen for Cosmos's room seemed to have two more.  Each showing a different scenario going on.  One with Euterpe and Lachesis, the other with Calliope and her double, and finally, Thalia being attacked by her darling daughters. 


"As I've said, Cosmos." Chaos continued looking at her with a slight smile, " I have thought of you often. Often enough to know that the only way to get you to see sense is this."   She leaned against her staff, " Truth be told, if you hadn't involved yourself with any of these little girls, none of them would be enduring such pain and hardship. "

She stood up, straight then, her nails glinting in the light of the room. An ominous light that gave everything a cast of red-purple like light.   Sailor Chaos tilted her head a bit, observing Sailor Cosmos still.  "So unruffled, you are.  Do you not care about their well being?  Well, I suppose not.  After all, it's just their bodies dying.  It's not like anything truly important is being lost."


She walked over towards each screen, " Look at them, so brave, Sailor Cosmos, such bright little stars."  She glanced over at her, her chin rested lightly on her hand with the other crossed over her midsection. Her expression thoughtful, if but a slight smile touched her lips, "So brave and no one will ever know their names or sacrifices.  All of them, could've had nice quiet lives, if it wasn't for you dragging them into our game.  Ah, I guess, that's the price you pay, isn't it?  I mean, why else would you drag them here? Lead them on the path to war and battle where they have lost so much, thanks to you." 

Sailor Chaos raised a finger, " And don't put it on me, little light, it is completely and fully your fault. Because I don't care about them, their worlds, their histories, or whether they exist or not.  It's you I'm after and you alone act almost as my herald for destruction to come.  My children, my other creations chase only your light and the light of others worthy.  The Light that rejected us all when needed most."  She laughed softly, "Isn't that always the way, though?  Only some are deemed worthy to become bright shining stars and others cast into darkness for not passing an imaginary bar.  And then, little light, it starts again. And again.  Over and over, this same thing continues on until..." 

Pointing to herself and then to Sailor Cosmos, she said, " It comes to us.  You and Me. Our fight."  She tsked and looked up at the screens again, "No matter, let us just enjoy this, Cosmos dear.  My daughters will make sure your soldiers are well and truly feel welcomed to our home."

A light flickered on, cutting through the darkness. Melpomene hesitated in her movements, curious despite the racing of her heart and deep need to find Meela.

The screen lay close enough that even Melpomene's poor eyesight could see the details of the clashing figures. Calliope was engaged with another who looked the same as her. Almost identical if not for the blood-thirsty and angry expression upon the woman's face, and the difference in clothing. The darkened honey of Calliope's roiling emotions caught her by surprise, the aura strong and stark amongst the emptiness she'd been left with since arriving in this cursed place. Whoever this woman was to Calliope, her presence brought about dark memories, and her words were harsh and unforgiving.

Another aura tore at her attention. Soft and smooth, barely there as if straining to keep the emotions back. Its pastel blue struck her like a blow, her chest aching as she realized it was Meela's particular aura flickering into existence before disappearing to her once more, almost taunting as much as it haunted her.

Melpomene froze. She knew that seeing Euterpe's aura meant that things were at their most dire, but the fact that it flickered out so quickly... Was she too late? Had Death come to claim the darling Meela already?

But then, a new song called out, the voice familiar and Melpomene found she could breathe once more.

Worry for her sister melded with the anxiety she already felt for Calliope. How was she to find them both? Impossible, she knew. No matter how much she might want to go to both their aids, the chances of finding even one was already near impossible. She'd need to pick one and hope someone else might reach the other in time.

It was not a choice to deliberate, as her heart already knew the answer. Perhaps in the afterlife she might find the chance to apologize to Calliope for holding one sister above the other, though she would make the same choice all over again.

She began to move towards where she'd felt Meela's aura, steps uncertain without even blurred objects to navigate from, but she quickened them nonetheless. It was impossible. She knew that. Death would not wait, and there were countless forces working against them all. It would not matter, in the end.

Meela was going to die alone, and there wasn't anything she could do. It was an inevitability she did not want to accept despite the evidence forced upon her.

Tears stung her eyes, her chest constricting so hard it was difficult to breath. She continued to stumble through the darkness no matter how fruitless the effort might be. Because she did not want Meela to be alone. Death was coming for all of them, she could feel it in the very air itself. But after everything, would cheerful bright Meela have to suffer it alone? Just like Terpsichore?

No, she would not let that happen. Melpomene's voice rose up to continue Meela's song. If she could not be with her dear friend in person, the least she could do was be with her in song. Perhaps providing some comfort despite it all, she could manifest her love for Meela in this shared duet.

Even the darkness could not take that away.

"Give us the strength to carry on
With all our love we can't go wrong
Only together we face the fight
Nothing can stand against our might."

As Lachesis sat up, she couldn't help but laugh. This is what she was waiting for... the moment she could cause pain to such a beautiful creature. It was a bittersweet moment. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in everything before she finally took her stance. The recoil was nothing compared to the pain she felt every day, in fact if she had been bruised in the fall she would not have even noticed, after all - it would just be another in the collection.

She took her slender fingers and placed them on her mask. Still laughing, pulled it off. She didn't wince at the pain this time. This was far too exciting to worry about pain. The blood poured down her cheeks, and she licked her lips, her slender forked tongue clearing the crimson from her face.

"Sailor Euterpe." The hiss sounded more demonic than her usual one. She was in a state of pure jubilee. You're so beautiful! It's going to be so magnificent to watch you writhe in pain! I can't wait to watch you die! Will you serenade me, even until the end!?"

She laughed. Sailor Euterpe was so beautiful in this moment, tattered and bleeding. Before her attack, she walked over to the blonde muse. She placed her hand on her slender face as she sung."How can you carry on in such a state, my dear? I wan't you and only you, to look at only me."

It all happened so fast, Lachesis suddenly laughed uncontrollably. This was so fantastic! This was joy! With her hand still on Sailor Euterpe's face, she spoke the words surprisingly softly looking straight into the eyes of the woman that made her heart pound. "Lachesis Chaos Venom." She wanted to watch her writhe in pain. After she was immobilized a bit more, this joyous occasion could continue on.

She noticed a faint light heading her way. Maybe it would be better to have that woman watch her die. After all, the show was more fun with an audience.

She walked over to Euterpe. "Would you love for her to watch you suffer, my dear Euterpe. It's a shame, you couldn't be mine." Lachesis leaned down and kissed Euterpe's cheek. This kiss was all a charade, as Lachesis suddenly sunk her fangs into Euterpe.

She drew her rod, and began to beat the girl's body. "All that beauty wasted for Sailor Cosmos! What a fool!!"

Quote :

Another screen flickers near every Cosmos senshi, showing what is happening to Euterpe and Thalia. Melpomene can now track Euterpe somewhat better to find her way there.

The dim light fell on Erato, and she lifted her head to see the screen that had flashed before her. With tears staining her cheeks, Erato watched in horror as Calliope faced herself - and seemed to be losing. Erato tried to swallow the fear she felt for her friend, but she was no fool. She knew what was going to happen.

Just like Terpsichore. Just like Themis. Just like her aunt. Calliope was going to die, and there was nothing anyone could do to save her.

To Erato's horror, more screens appeared in front of her, showing the fates of Thalia and Euterpe. Erato felt like her chest was caving in as she watched that wretched Lachesis beat Euterpe - sweet, innocent, beautiful Euterpe. And Thalia...she had always been so cheerful and uplifting. Why did it have to be them? If anyone deserved to die, it was Erato.

Angry now, Erato pushed herself off of the ground and began to feel her way through the dark, finding a door and throwing it open, only to find herself in another room just like the one she had been in. She continued onward, mindlessly, determined to find her friends and make sure they didn't die alone.

"It's pathetic," Erato growled, maybe to herself, but maybe to someone listening, "That you can only defeat us by cornering us where you have the advantage. You brought us to this hideous hellhole because you knew you couldn't defeat us back on Earth. Cowards are all that you are."

Thalia jumped when a screen flickered on beside her, and she narrowed her eyes to see who was there. It seemed to be... Calliope. Or rather... two of her? Who was that other woman that looked like her, but so terrifying, with no mercy in her eyes?

She heard Urania call her name then, and yelled, "I'm here! Where are you?" Desperation clawed her, the darkness suffocating and making her anxious beyond belief. Euterpe's singing gave her comfort, but she needed their physical presence, needed that string that connected them to each other. She missed Melpomene, missed Urania, Cosmos, everyone.

Then another screen appeared, and she saw Euterpe. Sweet Euterpe, beaten down and... facing Lachesis?

"No!" she cried, but even before she could watch any more, she sensed someone's presence nearby. At last.

Turning to greet one of her sisters with relief, she shrunk back instead, her heart plummeting when she saw who entered. It wasn't one of them at all. It was Atropos.

"It could use some improvements," she retorted back defiantly at her words, grappling for something, anything, she could use. Her powers were not terribly offensive, and it was so terrible to be left alone like this. She always had someone to depend on. Melpomene, Euterpe, Urania... Cosmos, where was she? Why hadn't she come and swoop in to save them like she always did? Didn't she care about them?

She tried to escape the incoming blast, but it hit her in the shoulder, and she was thrown across the room like a ragdoll. Hitting the wall knocked all the air out of her, and she glanced up at her opponent, wondering if this was how Terpsichore felt when she died. Alone and helpless in the face of utter darkness.

"Why do you do this?" she asked, trying so hard not to cry. "What can be so great about killing people?! Where is the beauty in destruction? Who hurt you?"

She heard Melpomene's song now, and then glanced at Euterpe's screen. Lachesis was going to kill her. Tears streamed down her face, thinking that every single person she cared about was going to die.

Calliope was quickly losing her will. No sooner had she stared at the blade in terror, begging out-loud for this to be a lie-did the walls suddenly light up around her. Panicked, she ran to each image, banging desperately at the sight of her friends-as though if she hit the screens hard enough, her hands would reach them and drag them to her side for protection.

"THALIA! KEEP FIGHTING!" She screeched as she got struck violently in the shoulder. Calliope knew not how long the battle had been with her, but was quickly distracted by the second image which depicted a more dire situation.


"EUTROPE! STAY WITH US!" She wailed as she saw the poor, sweet girl she knew and looked after beaten and wounded, her wonderful flower crown and flute in tatters. Yet she still sang, and she could hear the voice paired up with Melphomene's from somewhere in this horrible dungeon.

Calliope opened her mouth to call out the names of those she could not see-where were they? Where they also in such dire situations such as she?-but a scream was all that made it as she felt a searing pain on her left shoulder. A voice chuckled from behind her-the double that she had temporarily forgotten about had decided to make the cowardly move of striking her when her guard was down.

"Thee should know better then to have thy back to an opponent." The woman reeled in the polearm, a red smear across one of the blades. Calliope's froze as the harp fell from her arm; numb and unresponsive. No matter how much Calliope willed it, her fingers wouldn't so much as twitch. 

The harp was a two-armed weapon. If she couldn't hold it, she couldn't play. The woman, realizing the situation, could only look at her with nothing short of laughter in her eyes as she gestured towards the blade that still rested on the ground.

"Come, now! The sword can be used! Thee should know-'tis such a small blade. One arm-one blade. Claim it in the name of glory! Become a warrior once more, Caecellia!"

Calliope, gasping in pain and blinking back tears, could only shake her head in response. 

Where was Sailor Cosmos?

She kept moving. Went through another doorway. And another. Walking through more rooms of pitch black darkness.

It looked as if the screens were following her, a constant reminder of what was happening to the rest of the girls concurrently. Really, if their enemies had decided to utilize this magic, or technology, or combination thereof in the entertainment industry, they would have been crazy rich for sure. And money means power in most places, anyway. Why couldn't they settle for that? It would have been so much easier, for both groups too...

Another screen flickered on, showing that Lachesis had Euterpe. She grit her teeth; that was the worst. At least if it were one of the others, her end could have been quicker. She was injured - badly - and... she started singing? Despite everything, she would still...

No. Urania understood. She would not give Lachesis the joy to whimper or beg for her life. Not that it would have done her any good, anyway. She would go out singing, and Urania could respect that choice.

And Melpomene kept the rhythm.

And, rather despite herself, Urania joined in. Singing did not particularly appeal to her, but if that was going to be the girl's final stance, then surely, she deserved as much at least. And that's what Thalia would have done, right?

If she were here.

"Through darkness, the stars shall be your guide,
face your fears, move onward with pride.
Let the wind carry this f-- one tune," she stuttered for a moment as she was looking for a different word; 'final' was a no-go;
"take comfort, we'll be... together... soon." she began trailing off as she noticed that another screen had flickered into existence right above her.

Thalia. With Atropos.

No. No, this was no good. This was too soon. Way too soon. This was not supposed to go like this. If she had more time then maybe her plan would have worked out alright. Maybe. Yes, she needed time. And apparently, she did not have time. Should she just yell for her to stop it? Would that do any good?

What should she do?

"Sailor Erato?"  Someone was in there with Sailor Erato.  The familiar melodious voice of someone young. Someone she once knew very well.  " Is that you?"

The darkness revealed a young woman, dressed similarly to Sailor Erato.  Her eyes wide and wet with tears.  She shouldn't be here, and yet, there she was, Sailor Terpsichore.  Her familiar young face, far too young to have ever been apart of this fight,  looked paler than her normal hue.  Her hair was a slight mess but otherwise she seemed very much alive and very much there. 

She reached out to Sailor Erato, tears still leaking from the corner of her eyes, "Sirena, I'm so scared! I've been here for so long, I thought I would never see you or the others again!"  With a choked sob, the small soldier  went to the older one, seemingly to want to hug her. "I've been trapped! Ever since then, and- and-!"  She hiccuped. 

Everything about her seemed completely and utterly normal, and she was there- right with Erato. A person that had been alone was now here.  It was miracle.  

---------

For Sailor Melpomene , a ghostly chill shifted in the air near her.  The air shifted as something- somewhere from behind her- tried to strike her down.  The familiar form of a friend- a glow that Melpomene could see that was indeed her fellow soldier, but now it had darkened in a way that indicated corruption.   The soldier  stood before her, a glow to her eyes that were unholy to ever witness- for she was never such a person in life.  She had been a person who's very words inspired millions before.  She was a person who offered words of comfort to others that helped them pull through the worst of it. A person, much like Euterpe, who tried to find the bright silver lining in everything and kept their morale high.   Fervent in her beliefs, she would've been someone who, often times, annoyed others with that belief, naively going forth into their fights with only hope to be an armor.

She was a person who shouldn't be alive and yet she was but different somehow. Different in all the ways that couldn't be true.  From her familiar stance to the weapon she held in her hands, everything about her would be similar yet different all at once.  A horror that shouldn't be, and yet, it stood before Melpomene, blocking her way towards the fight between sweet Sailor Eutrepe and the sadistic viciousness of Sailor Lachesis.

Sailor Polyhymnia was alive and was looking to hurt her  former comrade. 

The only words the soldier spoke was thus: 
"There are no Gods."

Spoiler:

'Sailor Euterpe,' Lachesis hissed, and she sang harder to drown it out. '♪Alone against my darkest fear' coincided with the evil woman's talk of her beauty, how much she would enjoy her pain. 'Will you serenade me, even until the end?' She would, but not for Lachesis. For her friends. For herself. She loved to sing and she wasn't letting this person take that away, too. She wasn't going to be afraid and play it out like Lachesis would want. She knew what awaited her and knew just as well that there was no changing that. 

"Give me the strength to carry on!" - Another voice joined hers and she knew its owner immediately - Mel. Peace radiated through her. Mel was there. In spirit, if not in person, and with what was coming she was almost glad that she was alone. Courage whispered that it would be better to go out strong and alone than comforted by a friend's embrace, but the closeness of Lachesis's voice made that courage skitter. Louder and louder she sang, her voice harmonizing with Mel's, thinking only of her, not how close the monster was. A cold hand touched her face and her heart pounded in fear. Run. Run!! But though her body trembled, her song stayed smooth and strong through the chorus. Running was useless. It'd give her exactly what she wanted, anyway. She could only imagine what Lachesis looked like, and silently thanked Clotho for that small mercy.

And then her face burned. 

Her voice constricted, striving not to scream as poison flowed into her through that cold caress, but still the final chorus line strained until she regained control, pushing to turn the scream musical - '♪NoTHING can _stand aGAINST OUR MIGHT!" 

The snake-woman backed away and she breathed through a quiet sob while waiting for the next stanza. The venom sapped at her strength; she wouldn't be able to move or sing for much longer. She thought that would be that - that she'd die in peaceful agony, but then Lachesis was back and talking about someone watching her suffer and her heart dropped. Who? Cosmos? Cosmos could take it, but shouldn't have to - why did they always target her? Just because someone could stand something doesn't mean they should be made to - 

At Lachesis's kiss, her breath caught. Why would she offer kindness-- and then she bit her, fangs sinking deep into her soft cheek. She froze against the scream, the bite coming when the next line should have, and as the rod crashed against her, throwing her to the ground, one cry escaped. She covered, turning the call into that next line as she pushed herself back up to her elbows, and like the lyric had summoned her, heard Urania's voice join with hers and Mel's. That was why she cried - she was sure of it. It wasn't the pain. It wasn't how her bones cracked, but the knowledge that they were there with her in spirit, singing with her. They'd make it.

"Face your fears, move onward with pride!" Another blow and she was down again, unable to get back up as quickly as Lachesis's rod continued to beat her down, aiming and crunching hard in ~new and exciting ways~ every time. Her breath knocked out of her, she appreciated Urania's change to the lyric that she could not sing along with and struggled to rejoin the chorus.

Spoiler:

Why were they always so mouthy? Each and every one. Determined eyes, full of sass, and frustrating optimism. Even the less optimistic ones held on to some hope. Even if it was a false hope naively put in the wrong hands. Nightblade’s lust for pain and destruction nearly made her lose her composure at Sailor Thalia’s question.  What did she know?  There was no beauty in anything and whatever beauty there was, no one deserved. Only darkness. Only darkness could bring everything to as it should be.

Snarling, Atropos again raised her free hand, shouting her next attack. Red strings of fate flew from her finger tips towards Thalia, curling around each limb and constricting.  Dark lightning crackled as the red string began draining Thalia’s life energy. She walked slowly towards Thalia, holding her string taught, cold emotionless eyes looking down upon the worm at her feet.

”The Light betrayed me,” she finally replied to Thalia’s question. Her voice monotone and low as she came to a stop, staring down at the creature below her feet. Nightshade nearly trembling in her hands in anticipation as she slowly pressed the tip into the girl’s shoulder.

However, Atropos paused as if suddenly remembering something. She had taken little notice to the screen that Mother had graciously allowed these pathetic Soldiers to use until she heard a familiar voice. Momentarily loosening the string, she snapped her fingers.

Sailor Urania appeared in the room next to her.

She stepped forward to greet her sister, only to be met with praise. Clotho felt her cheeks flush with joy, her heart buoyed upwards at hearing such kind things from her eldest sister. After all, this was what she wanted: for Atropos and Lachesis to be proud of her—to love her. Her fears and regrets too often tangled with all of the things going on, all of the fights and battles in the name of the one they called Mother. It kept her from feeling sweet confidence and satisfaction. It kept her awake at night, tormented by thoughts that they'd finally deem her unworthy. That they'd finally leave her.

She craved those proofs of affection the way plants craved sunlight. Without that bit of nourishment, she'd wither and crumble.

No matter how much the thought of continuing to harm these sailor soldiers agonized her, regardless of their foolish and foolhardy affiliation and their silly thoughts that they might ever begin to stand against the power of Chaos, if Atropos believed in her... If Atropos would think she was working hard. If Atropos would be proud of her, and speak to her with that gentle affection... If that would happen, she could endure it. She loved them. She needed them. She just wanted them to need her, too.

The youngest of the soldiers of Darkness stood to the side, quiet and subservient, waiting for her big sister to finish the surveillance. When Atropos finally moved out, the pink-haired girl gave a nod and followed suit, reappearing behind her crimson-suited companion. She kept her eyes slightly averted when the dark-haired young woman blasted Sailor Thalia... but she knew she'd be expected to participate all the same. It was the most temporary of respites.

She didn't listen to Thalia's cries. She had heard them before. It was always the same, these soldiers of the Light. They never seemed to learn any new lines.

And then her sister stopped. The gray-haired figure leaned over the other, sword ready, but she paused. Clotho looked up, but with her poor vision, she could not quite tell what had caught Sailor Atropos's attention. Should she attack? Should she wait? Clotho held her breath, momentarily frozen.

Cosmos felt as though all of this had happened before. Every honeyed, self-satisfied word from Chaos' mouth rang in her ears with the echo of the memory from the last time such things had been said. Her consciousness slowly peeled away from the lithe body it resided in, lifting upward like a balloon seeking to escape from gravity, fragmenting her from the here and the now. How many times had she stood here like this, facing an entity that would never offer more than the threat of domination and the stench of death? She couldn't count them on her fingers, yet she numbered them in her heart. No matter how deep she buried them, those emotions would live on eternally.

How were her dear friends doing? What torments awaited them in this terrible place? She wished so much that she coul have saved them. The pale-haired woman had always known she would wind up here, face to face once more, but she did not want to subject them to the same. She also knew better than to attempt to bargain with the armored warrior in front of her; those pleas would certainly fall on ears either deaf to sympathy or keen on malevolence. Any one that she named would certainly mark the girl as an obvious target. She kept her pink lips pressed closed, bright eyes carefully watching the other woman.

And then the screen appeared, the images sharpening to dizzying crispness: Calliope. She fought another, one that Cosmos did not know from those among Sailor Chaos' forces, but one she supposed she could identify, given their fierce combat. Her fingers tightened around the smooth staff, but she could not intervene. The control that Chaos exerted over her home was sure to negate any attempt she could manage, and she couldn't risk weakening herself yet if she was to have any hope of success.

"Calliope, you are so strong. Stronger than you know," she prayed quietly, her heart icy with dread. "I believe in you. I believe you can overcome."

More screens. Euterpe... poor, sweet, hopeful Euterpe... She looked a sight now, her damaged uniform dotted with blood. The flower crown on her head seemed wilted, and the blonde was still injured from before... And she faced the violet, serpent-like "child", whose violent tendencies and capacity for harm was legendary. Sailor Cosmos didn't feel the tear that slowly dropped off her lashes and trailed down her cheek, so fixated on the image was she.

And then Thalia, against not just the most influential of those who served Chaos, but backed by the other. Even though her comrades had mistakenly tried to lure Sailor Clotho to join their side, Cosmos could tell by the younger girl's stance that she would not have been easily swayed. She might have shown some compassion, some empathy, but she still chose her path. Even if her comedic Muse tried her hardest, she was unlikely to survive a coordinated assault.

Meanwhile Chaos droned on, blaming and cajoling her, filling the air around them with so many words that Cosmos could not be alone with her thoughts. But regardless of what she said and believed, the dark-haired shadow was wrong: Cosmos had not dragged them here. They all followed her. They followed her even when she tried to emphasize the hardships. They followed her even when the odds seemed stacked against them. Planets fell to darkness; sailor soldiers died at the hands of Chaotic agents; people cowered in fear; the sins of humanity crescendoed to a fever pitch of destruction and evil... and yet, they followed her. They trusted her, just as she trusted them. They believed in the same bright future.

She wished she could have welcomed them into it.

When Melpomene's voice joined in, harmonizing with doomed Euterpe, her sparkling teardrops were the only accompaniment Cosmos could offer.

And then the others arrived. Although her poor soldiers might think this was a miracle, this was an act Cosmos had seen before. She felt only numbness as Terpsichore wept before Erato and Polyhymnia struck out at Melpomene.

"Don't trust them," she whispered, hoping the others would hear her. She doubted that they would, if Chaos had her way, but the words slipped out almost involuntarily. She knew how tempting it would be, to see those familiar forms, so beloved and so missed. She had been there before, herself. She was there again, as she watched.

For once she was thankful for the poor quality of her sight. The new screen would not hold any picture she'd ever want to see. Simply hearing it was enough to paint a dark and terrible picture.

Melpomene continued to sing the melody of Meela's song, though the lyrics escaped her. She had to keep moving. Her hands ached with the desire to rip Lachesis away from Meela. To protect the wilting pale-blue, the delicate petal-soft quality from becoming ruined beyond repair.

Meela was dying. There was no hope to save her, she knew. The cold hard truth of it wrung itself tight around her heart, strangling her.

Still, she sang and she moved. Meela would not die alone. Even Death could not be so cruel. Not again.

Another screen flickered to life. She did not want to look but she could not keep her eyes from glancing. Tragedy could not turn a blind eye to those who suffered. The blurred oranges were so familiar and so strange, projected from the screen.

Her heart twisted. Thalia.

So, Death had come for Thalia again. This time, Melpomene did not stand at her counterpart's side. This time, Cosmos would not save them. The dusky sunset began to darken, and there wasn't anything she could do. She faltered for a moment, hesitating as her heart broke. This time, they would face the demons apart. If she were an optimist, Melpomene might have thought it possible to reach Thalia's side after finding Meela. But she knew the way of the world, and the world was hopelessly cruel.

The petal blue would not last much longer, and Melpomene continued to feel her way through the black with shaking hands.  

Erato's voice wrought accusations through the shadows, Calliope called out encouragement to her separated sisters despite the foe she faced. Urania's voice joined in Meela's song, offering her own strength to the melody.

A cool chill drifted across her skin like a sickly promise, and something shifted behind her, but Melpomene, mind accosted by her sister's emotions and her own roiling in her thoughts, did not dodge the strike in time.

She fell to the ground, disoriented, but years of being a soldier helped her to find her feet again quickly. But something was wrong.

The aura crackled and bled darkness, its once beautiful colors tainted almost beyond recognition. But Melpomene would not forget such an aura, and memories of arguments, of late night confessions, came to her despite everything going on around her.

Polyhymnia stood in her way, blocking her from getting any closer to Meela. Eyes glowing and face contorted, she looked deformed as much as she looked familiar. This creature may wear the face of a dear friend, but Melpomene knew that the true Polyhymnia would never have such a rotten aura.

The words she spoke hurt more than the strike that knocked her down. This creature was not truly her friend, but to see that face speak those words... Melpomene drew in a deep breath, too many emotions tightening her chest that even breathing seemed too much. She focused on Meela, the need to give Meela some semblance of hope, a kind face to gaze upon before Death came to claim her.

Meela's voice struggled to keep singing, and her strained efforts were acid to already aching wounds. Meela...

Keeping Meela's melody, Melpomene drew her Mask of Tragedy and focused its debilitating power upon the creature with Polyhymnia's face. She did not know if it would work on this version of her friend, but she would move forward regardless. There was no time to fight, not with Meela so close.

Spoiler:

Well, she was going to have to call out to her and see what happens, she figured -- but before she managed to do so, she found herself teleported into the same room with Thalia and Atropos, and Clotho, apparently.

But why?

She tried her best to keep her composure, which was especially difficult upon observing Thalia's injured form. She hurt her, and if she chose to bring her too in this room to watch, she had probably figured out enough. It took all her self-control not to blast her with half a dozen arrows on the spot, no matter the outcome.

Instead, she gazed calmly upon Thalia, and then back to Atropos.

"Well? What do you want now?" she asked the eldest of the three sisters.

Quote :

Now there are screens showing Erato and Terpsichore as well as Melpomene and Polyhymnia as well.

She heard Calliope's encouragement, and... was that Urania actually singing? She didn't seem to know the words, but the fact that she tried anyway... A smile began to form on Thalia's lips. That was right. No matter what Chaos and her people did, they couldn't beat Light down. Even in their darkest hours, they would continue to shine. And as long as Cosmos was alive, she was going to carry their Light with her and continue their fight.

As two more screens flickered on beside her, Thalia gasped. Was that... Terpsichore? She was here the entire time?! They must save her! Her gaze moved to the other new figure beside Melpomene... Polyhymnia?!

And yet the words that came out of her mouth made her feel the coldest chill. No. They seemed so wrong coming from her. She was the one with the unshakable faith...

It wasn't Polyhymnia, was it?

Before she could attempt to understand it, red strings wrapped themselves around her, choking the life out of her. She looked back at Atropos in alarm, realizing that she had forgotten about her enemy. 

"The Light never did anything to you. That's not our way," she insisted, even as she could feel herself weakening. Her eyes followed the terrible looking sword that now poked her shoulder, her teeth gritting in pain as she tried not to cry out.

When the strings began to loosen up, she thought she was getting to Atropos, but then... Urania?

She blinked, wondering if it was the real Urania, or a fake like the shadow of Polyhymnia.

Urania certainly seemed unconcerned about her, and instead addressed Atropos as if they were just having an ordinary conversation.

"Asteria...?" she asked tentatively, hoping it was really her partner, come to rescue her. But why and how had she got here?