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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3679717" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter One-hundred-eighty-three, “The Daedalus Stone“, Friday, June 16th, 3:00 P.M. Kate notices that time has frozen for everyone except her then sees the Goddess Diana, attired again in Native American garb, seated on the chair beside her. "I had not thought to see you again," Kate said, for the first time meeting the goddess with a semblance of composure. "I'm glad I was wrong. The last days have been difficult and to see you is comforting." The goddess replies, "You can relax now, those creatures are now all gone. Another happens to be on its way here but for completely unrelated reasons. Mr. Tomlinson and Miss O'Hara should have no difficulty in identifying him and taking appropriate actions, so you need not concern yourself with that." Kate nodded. "I'm thankful for that. Every time I had to decide if I should help or not was more difficult. If I may ask, what has drawn you back here?" She replies, "The future path of your nation and your world in general. As I stated before, I prefer to act in subtle ways. I had an opportunity earlier this afternoon to bring about major change through a very minor act on my part and chose to do so." Kate asks, "How so? Through Mr. Berwind or Mr. Roosevelt perhaps?" Diana responds, "Yes. Have you ever heard of the Daedalus Stone?" Kate answers, "I don't think so, but then my memory seems to be shrinking as my belly expands." Diana asks, "Well, are you familiar with the ancient tale of Daedalus and Ikarus?" Kate states, “Yes, although it's been a long time. Father and son, they were fleeing Crete. Deadalus had built two sets of wings and warned his son to stay away from the sun and from the water. His son didn't listen and flew too high. The wings melted and he drowned." Diana replies, "Yes, the story is true to a point. Greek families later modified a few of the facts in order to instill the lesson that children should listen to the parents. Daedalus was a skilled craftsman and did indeed build a pair of winged gliders for him and his son to escape, but they traveled together. His mistake was indeed using wax for part of it, and just as would happen if you leave a candle in the sun, over time the exposure to the constant sunlight caused the wax became softer and the wings began to separate. Both crashed onto the land, where Icarus was killed instantly. But Daedalus was spared by having on his person a stone enchanted by Zeus himself to prevent physical harm to whomever held the stone against their skin." Kate was silent a moment. "Yesterday... I saw Wyatt Earp running toward an enemy, wearing not a stitch of clothing. Covered in soot. An then there was that enormous explosion when the dynamite shed went up. And yet there he was today, in nearly perfect health." Diana smiles and says, "You are both wise and observant. Daedalus passed the stone on to his priest and it remained in the hands of the clergy until Alexander the Great conquered the lands and displaced the churches. The stone later became the property of the Roman Emperor. Julius Caesar's death was due primarily to the fact that a concubine stole the stone from him, replacing it with a copy. He walked into his death mistakenly thinking himself invulnerable. It remained the property of a Roman General after that, who was assigned to the part of the Empire that would become Great Britain. He mated with a local and the stone passed on to their descendents. Those descendents would become part of Scotland's Monroe Clan and the stone would be carried by Clan Leaders from the Battle of Bannockburn where the Scots gained their independence from the British until the Battle of Culloden over three hundred years later when that independence was lost. The stone found its way with a Monroe settling in the New World, specifically your city of Boston. There is a story of a Monroe who fought at the Battles of Lexington and Concord which began the American Revolution. At the end of the day his clothing contained twenty-nine bullet holes, but there was not a scratch on him. The following year the stone passed on to a cousin serving in the Continental Army. That cousin, James Monroe, fought with distinction. He carried the stone with him during his term as the fifth president of the United States. Upon his death in 1831 the stone was to go to his youngest daughter Maria but instead was stolen by a maid working for the family. She sold it to her brother who later traveled to California with the forty-niners looking for gold. During the next two-decades the stone changed hands many times without its true nature becoming known. It was only after Wyatt Earp won it as a stake in a poker game that the powers were discovered again." Kate states, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could read the history of things just by holding them? The stone is truly ancient then, and already been in the hands of some truly epic men. Earp won it in a card game? Whoever had it obviously didn't know what it was. I suspect you wish to put it into the hands of someone else? One of these gentlemen?" Diana smiles and says, "I already have, around two hours ago. Earp survived both the fireball and the dynamite explosion by having the stone in his hand, but the explosion carried him hundreds of feet through the air and into the second story brick wall of your town butcher’s home and shop. The impact caused him to drop the stone and then fall to the ground resulting in the first physical pain he experienced in nearly two decades. He awoke in the jail cell. Mr. Roosevelt was a sickly child but learned to overcome that through vigorous exercise. After lunch and before coming over here he took a walk around the town to burn off some of the meal. I merely needed to draw his attention to the item. It is now in his pocket and he should eventually discover its true properties. It is important that he keeps the stone. In less than two years time both his wife and mother will die within months of each other and he will fall into a deep depression, worse than that which overtook you Katherine. Even after he remarries and has children with his second wife he will still have an unconscious desire to rejoin his first wife in death. He will resign from the New York Assembly and travel out west. He will be suffering from survivor's guilt and have a form of death wish, volunteering for the most dangerous of jobs. He will die serving as a Deputy Sheriff in the Dakota Territories, a place even rougher and more dangerous than here. If the gods intervene and save him then he will go on to return east where he will become the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. In that role he will fight the status quo and for morality without any concern for his own personal safety and will be murdered in a conspiracy of corrupt police and politicians. If the gods intervene yet again to save him from that fate he will volunteer to be an officer in the United States Army during a war against Spain near the end of this century. He will die leading a charge up a hill on the Caribbean Island of Cuba. If the gods were to intervene yet another time as a war hero he will receive the nomination for Vice President of the United States and later assume the Presidency. But that too will be short-lived as he will make public appearances again without concern for his own safety and will die from an assassin's bullet. Katherine, in none of those timelines will he survive to become the great man that he can be, nor would he inspire those children who now surround him to go on to all that they can accomplish. He has the potential to be one of the greatest leaders in your Nation's history and be immortalized alongside Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. And my own selfish reason for this is that he will take an opposite position as Berwick and that man's contemporaries, who see natural resources for them to exploit. Roosevelt will be inspired by the man who will become his best friend, Seth Bullock, who ten years ago when he was with the Montana Territorial Legislature got the Montana land known as Yellowstone Forest preserved. As President Roosevelt will declare large patches of virgin forest and other natural wonders throughout the country to be national parks, preserved for Millennia for Americans to enjoy as they are today. Without him, the oil, coal and railroad barons of the early twentieth century will destroy those lands and the animals upon them and it will be lost forever. So with the Daedalus Stone, that will change everything, and Roosevelt will survive despite his unconscious death wish and aspire to greatness. And if I can preserve several hundred thousand acres of land and the animals upon them by simply pointing out a lost rock on the ground to one man then that is what I have done." Kate was silent for longer this time, taking everything in. "I wouldn't wish the pain I've known on any other. Somehow, knowing Tom and I will be together again somehow makes it easier to wait for that time to come. And knowing I have things to do here. I wish there was some way I could tell him that, but I don't think it's good to know too much about our own futures. I would hate to see this land covered in mines and shafts and railroad ties everywhere." She hesitated. "I have a question for you, but first, why tell me all this?" Diana answers, "Because you have been feeling guilty about your actions yesterday. You followed your instincts which cost your group the element of surprise and set a number of other things in motion. Had you acted differently Mr. Earp would still have the Daedelus Stone rather than Mr. Roosevelt and your nation and world would now be facing a far more bleak future." Kate states, “I was impatient. I knew none of us were experienced with such things, and it seemed like every time we turned around another thing was standing between us and the creatures. Not only that I displayed my skills. I just... At least no innocents were killed, and as you say, someone very important will live to fulfill his promise. You have taken greater care of me than I could deserve." She looked over to where Rebecca Eaton sat frozen. "Speaking of deserving... Doctor Eaton's daughter said she hoped she was worthy to be in my presence today. She called me a chosen one of the gods! I don't want to be a holy object to anyone, I'm just Katherine. I told her that you bless many, including her mother, but I don't think she really understood me. I suppose I want to know... I thought I would have to keep this a secret. That people would think I was crazy. Now enough people know the truth that I wouldn't have to hide it, but I'm afraid of people reacting just like Rebecca. I'm not sure how to handle it. As a child I thought I might serve the gods. It's too late for that now, I'm on another path, and practicing another power. Is this the way I can serve?" Diana replies, "Katherine, the child does not really understand. She is basing an opinion upon incomplete information. Information is the key and you already have the tools at your disposal to shape this town's perception of you. This town's priestess is a close personal friend of yours as is the editor of the town's newspaper. Furthermore, the publisher of that same paper shares the same teacher as you. If you wait until options are already formed it will be difficult to change them, but the opportunity is before you to define and shape them yourself." She then points across the room to the children and Mr. Roosevelt and says, "And as for how to best serve me, you are already doing it. Look at the faces of those three youngsters, they are soaking up every word he says like a sponge and being inspired to know no limits. Years from now when he is President they should be encouraged to write to him. He too will remember this day and will write them back. Time is fluid, deities and their servants could change things, but if history proceeds upon the path that I have now set into motion Theodore Roosevelt will go on to be this nation's twenty-sixth president and will bring this country into a leadership role on the world's stage. A few decades later Herbert Hoover will continue that mission as the nation's thirty-first president. Early in the twenty-first century Matthew Santos will become the forty-forth president and the first non-human to be elected to that office. During his term Consuela Tollucca will serve on President Santos's Cabinet as his Secretary of Health and Human Services and then later as his Vice President. She will succeed him as the forty-fifth president and the first woman to hold that office. Under her leadership the entire planet will be united with a mission of peace. These are the minds that you will help to shape Katherine. It is an awesome responsibility but also one that I know you will be able to fulfill just by being yourself and following what you truly believe in." Kate says, "I hope that is all that's required, I don't how to do more. The potential is in these children, I'm only a facilitator." She looked over at the children and the visitor she hadn't even known would be here today. "It's more than I can wrap my mind around, how small decisions add up. Mr. Roosevelt wouldn't be here today if I hadn't... If I hadn't allowed myself to care for Conrad and bring him with me to Boston and go with him to New York." She stopped short of saying If Tom hadn't died. You're really suggesting that I lay my private life out for the whole town in the newspaper? I would feel as if I were bragging. I suppose it could be included in a story about your visit to the church. It would be better for the school if the town understood." Diana replies, "I am saying that once people begin to notice you should trust your friends." Kate answers, "Well, I've said more than once I was on a mission to win over most of this town. I'll just have to keep working on that." Kate blushed and added, "I appreciate how patient you are with all my little foibles. In Boston I always knew who I was and what to do. Here, everything is so different, I'm often uncertain and always questioning. And sometimes resentful." She looked over at her students. "I wish Niles could see how far his nephew will go. I wish I could see what Matthew and Consuela will do, but I'm glad they'll stay friends and support each other. The world will be so different by then." Diana says, "Yes it will. I will be taking my leave of you Katherine. I will visit you once more, shortly after your son is born, but that will most likely be our final physical encounter. But when you speak to me I will listen." Kate answers, "Yes, somehow I have believed so since our first meeting. I will try not to blather on too much. Now I have another reason to be eager for December to arrive. The words can't possibly express how grateful I am, but I thank you." Diana answers, "No, thank you. And I believe that I can also help you with the situation that you had with young Miss Eaton." Time resumes it's natural pace as the chatter of the room reconvenes. Conrad turns to Kate and says, "Would you like to introduce me to your friend." Kate sees that Diana remains beside her attired in the Native garb. The only change to her physical appearance it that her ears are now pointed, giving her the appearance of a half-elf of High Elvan descent. Kate shook her head and said to the Goddess. "You don't have any idea how disorienting that is, do you?" She took Conrad's hand. "My dear, this is Diana. Diana, Mr. Conrad Booth." He arches his eyebrows and says, "Diana, were you named after the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon?" She smiles and says, "No Mr. Booth, I am the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon." He appears momentarily at a loss for words. Kate squeezed his hand. "It's alright. There are no bad tidings or surprises today. And I'm sure she would be interested in meeting someone likely to be a large presence in my son's life." Conrad says, "Well...yes. Thank you Diana for showing your blessings upon my friend Katherine. Your continued presence in our lives is a great honor. We are indebted to you." She replies, "Thank you sir. Continue to keep Katherine and her son safe and I will be indebted to you as well." She stands and walks across the room to where the three Eaton children are listening to Mr. Berwick. She gestures for them to approach her. Five-year-old Tad begins to go that way until Rebecca grabs him and pulls him back, exclaiming "That woman is part elf. They are savages, never approach them." The room then becomes silent again and most people in the room freeze in place once more. Kate notes that she and Conrad are not frozen, nor are the Eaton children. It only takes a second for Philby Eaton to see that the others are unmoving and point that out to his siblings. The woman says, "Yes, I am part Elvan and also part Human." Her physical image then shifts again, alternating from races to race, her body transforming from tall to small and back to human sized again as she becomes Ogre, Halfling, Orc, Gnome, Dwarf and back to Human. She then says, "I am one with all races who believe in me. I am Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon. I met your parents last week children, just as I am meeting with you now. I bestowed blessings upon them as I will for all believers. Do not harbor hatred or mistrust in your hearts for those of other races, as all races are truly one, and only through working together can we prosper. Now please come forward, I have a gift for each of you." The children appear reluctant to move. Kate approached then and squatted down and says to then, "She is very lovely, isn't she? But the first time I saw her I was a little scared, too. There's nothing to fear. As we are hers, she is ours, and as you love her so she loves you. Your mother showed you the token Diana gave her. Why don't you go see what she might have for you?" The three approach. She reaches into a pouch pocket and removes eleven seeds, handing a pair to Tad, three to Philby and six to Rebecca. She says, "Each of these seeds are for fruit trees not native to this area but with the proper supervision and caring will thrive for you. Each of you is to find a mentor, a person familiar with the flora and fauna of this area and the two of you are to plant these together, each of you three planting just one seed." "Tad, you will go with Mr. Booth," and she gestures across the room to Conrad. He waves back. "He knows of a special place to the east of here, where he has taken Mrs. Kale for picnics. The two of you will plant your seeds there. Philby, you will find an older high elf named Jadito. He has lived in these lands for hundreds of years. Take Emily Banks with you, the three of you will study together for I sense that you have the spirit in you to become a priest of nature, as does she. It is alright to worship the deities of both the Roman pantheon while also showing reverence to the deities of the elves, the half-elves have done so for centuries and the gods accept them. You three will plant your seeds at Jadito's favorite mediation area. Rebecca, you will seek out the centaur Qualtaqa to assist you. You have seen him before in town but have always been afraid. Fear him not, his honor is like that of the Knights of the Round Table and once befriend he will protect you forever. The two of you will plant a pair of seeds in his meditation spot. The final four seeds you will give to your parents who with the Priestess Florencia and her companion Nanuet will plant them near the newly constructed church. Until now there has been mistrust between the four of them before and this bond with strengthen their ties. They will learn to become fast friends, depending upon one another to help stabilize this town." She then reaches into another pouch and removes four acrorns, handing one to each child. "This town will be your home for the near future and in future years a place that you will always be drawn back to visit. But once you are each are married, starting a family and ready to settle down in a permanent location elsewhere you should plant that acorn. A long-lived tree will then grow in that spot and so long as your family resides in the shade of that tree it they will be kept safe." She hands the final acorn to Kate and says, "Plant this on your ranch and it will do the same for your family." Kate replies, "Thank you. I'm sure it will grow as beautiful as Tom's tree, and bring as much comfort. I hope members of my family will be there for many generations." Diana smiles and says, "Ah, but I thought that you did not wish to know too much of your own future? I must go now." She turns towards the Eaton children and says, "Always remember what I have told you." She looks towards Conrad and says, "Be alert Mr. Booth." To Kate she says, "I will see you in December." Her appearance changes back to the half-elvan. Sound reconvenes throughout the room. Diana casually walks up and out the door. Meghan walks over to Kate and asks, "Who was that half-elf? A friend of yours?" Kate replies, "Yes, a very good friend. She'll be back in December, when the event she set in motion comes to pass." Meghan is quick on the uptake and says, "The event....do you mean to say that was...." Kate laughed softly. "Yes. She checks on me from time to time and she wanted me to know a few things to set my mind at rest. And she straightened out the 'hero worship' problem." "And how did she do that?" Meghan asks. Kate replies, "She spoke to the Eaton children and gave them each seeds to plant. And she told them where, and with whom to plant them. Hopefully their parents will believe them, since it is an elderly high-elf, a centaur, and Conrad who they're supposed to plant with. Hopefully, Rebecca having her own experience will solve any worthiness concerns she had." Meagan replies, "Well....um...I guess that's good. If I had known we were entertaining a Goddess here today I would have worn my better dress."</blockquote>

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