With Death's mood seeming to darken at Kaia's comment, she wondered if she might've pushed too far. Perhaps it wasn't her place to make jokes with Death, but she felt she had to do something to lift her own spirits. She was dreading a response from her father, desperate for a distraction until then.

Death left for the front door. She let out a tired sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Think, Kaia. Think." What more could she do? There had to be another god they could reach out to in the meantime. There had to be another way to buy more time while they figured out how to set Death free. To bring back balance. She was tired. She slid down with her back against the wall, head in her hands, thoughts racing. 

If there were at least some way to guide the reapers. A way to signal to them that someone's time had come to an end... Then, like a thought being coaxed from her subconscious, an idea hit her. "Atropos!" She jumped up, "We could ask her!" The unalterable goddess of fate! Of course! She cuts the strings of fate to indicate when a life comes to an end. If they could convince her to show the reapers the strings she cuts, the reapers could find the correct souls to take! She had to pitch this to Death immediately! Kaia felt the tang of hope.

Until Death came barreling back through the door. Did he just say [i]HellHound?[/i] She patted her pocket, feeling the jar against her leg. No. She must've misheard. No simple-minded creature should be able to find them with the protection in place. A wave of orange lit up the end of the hallway. A flash of heat hit her at the same time as the realization. HellHound! She turned the corner, the breath of fire engulfing the rug and couch. Kaia noticed the spell jar she gave Death standing perfectly untouched on the floor and made a mental note to scold Death. [i]If[/i] they survived this. She ran past into the kitchen, ripping drawers open. She rummaged through the drawers first before tipping them over to the floor, "Where is it? Where is it?!" 

A rumbling growl came from the large dog as it attempted to bite at Death, jaws snapping shut, barely missing by a hair. The beast tried retreating only to slam forward again, gaining an inch further into the home, pushing Death just far enough out of reach. "Keep it there!" Kaia shouted, tipping the final drawer onto the counter.

Just then, a pleasant, silly tone started up from her laptop, making Kaia's head snap up, "Are you fucking serious? [i]Now[/i] it's important enough to talk?!" She pushed half of the drawer's contents onto the floor in frustration, sorting through what remains on the counter. Then she finds it; a normal looking steak knife. The only real differentiating features are the engravings in the blade and wooden handle itself. 

Kaia gripped the knife, turning towards Death and the Hound, realizing what needed to happen next. "Shit..." her voice came as a faint whisper, her hands starting to tremble. Again, the beast crashed into the door, pushing in up to its shoulders. One more push, and the guardian off hell will make short work of her. Her body froze, refusing to move forward or back. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. The rush of blood making her dizzy. She stared into the burning eyes of the HellHound, seeing her soul eternally ablaze.

The silly tone started up again, snapping Kaia back to the room. She glanced at the laptop, then screamed, "Oh, fuck you!" She ran forward at the same time the beast broke past Death and the door, lunging itself into the air. [i]This is how I die? A hopeless casualty in a selfish endeavor? A foolish madwoman taking on a HellHound? Fuck... this is going to hurt. [/i]

 The next moment, Kaia finds her world falling back. Of course she would slip on a spoon. The Hound landed on her with a yelp, knocking the wind from her lungs. It struggled a few seconds on top of her, then went limp, body rapidly cooling. Her eyes moved down, the knife had somehow found its way into the beast's heart. She'd laugh had she any breath to laugh with. The fires disappeared into a smoke, the beast's body crumbling away.