Sympathy For the Devil [Keith Richards]

Hope you Guess My Name

Keith had no idea who the voice belonged to. The only thing he did know was that he had heard it before and probably should know who it belonged to, but he really couldn't place it and neither did help him the appearance of the stranger. He was clad in a long dark coat, hiding any physical traits. He could be everyone and anyone. The only one he did remind Keith off was perhaps the grim reaper and he surely didn't know that guy or maybe he did now, considering where he was? However shouldn't Persy rather be a reaper than this guy? But she had told him she was a devil, didn't she? On the other hand he had no idea what anything here was, so why waste his thoughts on it. All it did was confuse him even further.

"Who are you?" Keith asked.

"I hoped you guess my name, but apparently not," the dark figure replied chuckling and stepped closer to Keith. He had no idea what it was, but he had a very strong feeling that he couldn't trust him whoever he was, even less than Persephone. She might have lied to him, but she hadn't hurt him in anyway. This guy however would, if Keith gave him the chance that much was clear to him.

"Charon, stop this. We're not here for that," Persephone answered stepping in between Keith and the Reaper guy. Making him wonder if he was indeed right and there was more to this Charon than Keith could see on the first glance or why else should Persy move in front of him?

"I know no one ever visits me of their own free will and why should you be an exception? So entertain me and show me why I should bring you to the Gate."

"We will," Persephone said and with a little snap of her fingers she made a guitar appear that looked suspiciously like Keith's, which she handed him. Keith nearly was thankful to feel the familiar weight of his guitar in his hands. Everything had been totally insane until now and this was finally something he knew and which felt like home to him. He really needed to pass these tests whatever they might be and get back. This place might have its advantages, but there was no place like home.

"That is definitely a nice trick, can you teach me that sometime too, before I go back?" Keith asked her.

She rolled her eyes. Persephone definitely had stopped being the seductive temptation, but why should she? She had Keith where she wanted him. He needed to pass these tests to get home and a long life and she needed them for some mythological feud. It was actually a win win situation, but could it really be that easy? Or would Persy maybe screw him over in the end? No matter what he did he probably needed to stay on alert as good as he could.

"I could, but then you would have to work for me and I thought you wanted to stay alive. So play some guitar and we can move on," she replied.

"You're even more exigent than Mick..." Keith mumbled and strung the chords of the guitar. At first it surprised him a tad that it was perfectly tuned without any adjustment from him, but he supposed the Devil is in the detail or in this case the Devil took care of every detail.

Charon chuckled. "I suppose he's your choice rather than Raphael's. His wasn't as amusing."

"Does that mean, I'm not the first you try to drag down here? I thought you would get erased and your existence was on the line!" Keith exclaimed in Persephone's direction frowning. He had at least hoped that the information Charlie had given him wasn't flawed, but apparently not even Reason could be trusted.

"You're her first, but not Raphael's." Charon explained. "Thirty years ago or something, somebody else tried to get down in his name with a guitarist. Hmm... I can't remember the lad's name. He was a blues musician, died at 27, dark skinned..." 

"Robert Johnson?" Keith exclaimed shocked. He had of course heard the legend about the famous blues musician who had apparently made a deal with the devil, but he hadn't believed it for a second, well neither had he really believed in Hell and where did that lead him to? He probably needed to rethink his views if he ever got home... Even if he had to admit that he had actually learned quiet a lot over the last few hours, especially this now. If this was true and Robert Johnson had been here as well, Keith was one of the only people who knew what really happened to him.