14" 'To remember nothing,' they would say. 'What more could one possibly ask of eternity?' "
Stefan Merrill Block- The Story of Forgetting
2015 - Olympus
"The heroes of Olympus, Long have you suffered in our name, and today we bestow on you our gratitude. Rise Nasir, god of loyalty and Tam, goddess of courage, the guardians of heroes and Camp Jupiter. Rise and accept your duties."
This was it. With one less deep breath to squash the empty feeling deep in his chest Nico Di'Angelo, now Nasir, one of the 4 gods of heroes pushed himself from his knees until he stood facing the raised dais in the gods' throne room. In front of him, the 6 children of Kronos were seated, regal as ever in their thrones, though the Ghost king was sure that he saw his father wink at him from the corner of his eye. Zeus was staring straight into his eyes though, as though he was weighing the worth of his soul. It was enough to make Nico want to cower in the corner of the room, but he forced himself to stand tall, he had made his decision and he was not going to back out of it now.
From the space beside him, he felt more than heard Thalia, now Tam, take a fortifying breath and he felt his hand twitch, aching to offer her some form of support but he quickly stifled the urge. The ex-huntress would not thank him, even if they were both feeling like they just needed someone to cling to at the moment, if there was anything that the daughter of Zeus hated more than being belittled, it was displaying weakness, especially in front of an audience. Instead, he focused his attention back on his Uncle who had risen to place a hand on their foreheads.
No sooner had the contact been established than Nasir felt a jolt of heat pass through into his body, burning through his veins until it reached every last inch of the body. Once it had flooded his system entirely, there was a sudden pain, as though he was being ripped apart from the inside. Every molecule of his being was torn apart simultaneously before they were put back together. On the outside, the two newest gods seemed to glow for a moment before the light faded, leaving them looking unchanged, but inside, they had been completely and irrevocably changed. A new power could be seen shimmering deep in their eyes.
Nodding in satisfaction, Zeus stepped away from the pair who dropped back to their knees when the connection was broken, both of them panting like they had just gone twenty rounds with Ares in the arena.
It was through hazy eyes and ringing ears that Nico witnessed the next part of the ceremony where the king of the gods turned to face the last pair of Demigods in the room, both of whom wore an expression of steely determination. Though, as the daughter of Ares looked over, the new god of Loyalty (a title he swore should belong to his absent cousin) caught the quick flash of regret in those hazel pools before Zeus began speaking once again, drawing attention back to his commanding presence.
"Again, we offer a token of our thanks. Rise Aileen, goddess of leadership and Celina, goddess trust. Stand and take your mantles of the guardians of camp Half-blood."
Once again, he laid a hand on their heads, transferring power to them in a manner that only took a fraction of a second, yet which felt like an eternity for those who experienced it. This time, Nico was able to truly observer the change as he finally began to recover, new strength pouring into his bones and allowing him to stand straight once again.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Olympus, I present to you our newest gods, the Guardians of heroes!"
Knowing that this was his cue to turn and face the crowd gathered in the cavernous throne room, Nico forced his body into movement, though, when he bowed, his actions were wooden and hollow. This should have been one of the proudest moments of his life, but it just felt empty, his thoughts still fixed on the one face that was not present, the face of Percy Jackson, the greatest hero he had ever known... now the denounced traitor of Olympus.
2020 – Realm of Nyx
There was no time to think for Andras, there was only action and reaction, ducking and swerving to avoid the silver blade that darted here and there in the perpetual darkness. A Split second decision and he narrowly missed being beheaded by his opponent, instead, the dagger slipped through empty space, severing a few strands of midnight hair as they crossed its path.
He was beginning to tire, and that was not a good thing. He could hear that the breathing of his opponent was still smooth and controlled, like she had only just walked into the room while his own were ragged pants that scraped his throat sore with every gasp. He would have to do something drastic if he was to win this fight, and he would have to do it soon.
With a twitch of his wrist, the dark robed teen tossed his own knife high into the air, a dangerous move that could end in him losing his only weapon, but it was enough to distract his attacker for the few vital seconds he needed. Spinning on his feet, he managed to land a solid kick in their side, sending the figure of his opponent crashing into the wall at the far end of the hall before he deftly caught the flickering blade.
Andras had been so engrossed in his fight that he had not noticed the entrance of the two women who now stood by the door, the shadows of the room wrapping around them in a loving caress. Instead, his attention was fixed on the small, white clad figure who was now pushing herself out of the crater in the wall, so the sudden sound of applause, when it came, was a suprise.
Still high on the adrenalin from the fight, the weary fighter span round, his dagger coming up in a defensive gesture once again, before he was brought up short by recognition. Instead of attacking, he merely moved towards the women, his movements so smooth that he appeared to glide in the gloom of the chamber, until he was kneeling at the feet of the taller of the two figures. In a well practised gesture, he reached out and took her offered hand and laid a chaste kiss on her knuckles before tilting his head to face her, a truly happy smile visible even in the dark.
"Matrem."
The elder of the two women smiled down at him, using their conjoined hands to pull Andras to his feet before pulling him into a tight embrace. Over her shoulder, he was able to see the second figure smirk at him, her crimson cowl, for once, pooling around her neck. When she noticed his attention, the girl sent him a quick nod of approval before moving to help the child in white who had been walking back towards them, a small train of blood running down the side of her nut brown head. Although he tried to turn and apologise for the injury, now that he knew of its existence, his movement was halted by the strong arms that held him tight, and he was soon distracted by the words, smooth as honey, that were whispered into his ear.
"Every passing day you go stronger fili mi, and once you and your sister have regained your past abilities, your training may progress. Train hard Andras, Patrem cannot wait to meet you."
With that she pulled away so that she was facing the young man before her, her dark eyes meeting their reflection in his own and it was with a surge of pride that she recognised the determination and love in their depths. Happy that, after all these years, some life had bled back into those black orbs so very like her own.
"Of course Matrem."
2089 – Olympus
Lights filled the hillside and the very air of Olympus seemed to hum in excitement as the residents darted from place to place, gossiping where ever they went. In an open aired amphitheatre, the Muses played a joyful tune until everyone could not help but smile in excitement. Everyone was looking forwards to the event scheduled for later that day in the temple of Hera itself. For the first time in several Millenia, there was to be a wedding on Olympus, and it was enough to bleed a new life into the normally sleepy society.
From her vantage point in her father's temple, Tam looked down on the excitement with a beaming smile on her face, the barely restrained energy flowing underneath her skin seemed to make her skin glow and she was having far too much trouble standing still. It reminded her of the days when she was still a demigod, where her ADHD did not allow her to remain in one place for long, it was a nostalgic feeling.
An exasperated huff coming from the corner of the room had her freezing before she turned to face the child who was leaning against the wall, her face both amused and resigned.
"I don't care how many times you try to talk me out of this sister, it is not going to work. I want this, and you can't stop me!"
Although her words were hard, they carried no real weight, only the soft amusement of an argument that had long since lost any heat, and Tam could feel the grin on her face stretch wider when she received the same reaction that she had seen so many times before. Even as Artemis, still in the guise of a 10 year old child, pushed herself away from the support until she was standing at her full height, she could not bring herself to scowl at her youngest sister and ex-lieutenant.
"I still cannot believe that I am losing one of my huntresses to marriage of all things. But you seem happy so I suppose that I can allow it just this once. Now stand still, if Aphrodite sees what you have done to your hair after she spent so much time agonizing over it, I will not protect you from her wrath."
With that she took the last few steps to close the gap between them, her hands moving quickly to pull the artfully styled curls back into place once again and Tam almost laughed at the absurdity of the entire situation. While she was still human, this was not something that she had ever expected to happen. There was no way that she would have ever seen herself marrying the scrawny little boy she had helped save from the manitcore all those years ago and no one would ever have imagined the goddess of maidens herself to willingly act as a maid of honour. It was enough to make her heart almost burst with happiness. It would have been perfect if it were not for one small thing.
"Is there still no word …?"
Unwilling to voice the end of her question and acknowledge the absence of her best friend, Tam allowed her voice to trail away into nothing. Her smile falling from her face as she felt her elder sister's hands freeze where they rested on her veil.
"No... we could not find her. I'm sorry."
At the beginning of their immortal lives, there had once been 4 guardians of heroes, and now there were only 3, yet even from the beginning they had known that this would happen. Slowly, over time, Aileen had distanced herself from those around her, drawing deeper into her shell with every year that passed until even her mother could no longer get her to speak. Then, 20 years ago, the goddess of leadership had just vanished without a trace, and no one had been able to find her since.
Against her better instincts, the goddess of courage had hoped that her best friend would attend today, that she would be willing to offer her support again, but deep down she had known that it was a fools hope. In her wedding party there would always be a void that could not be filled and even though she did not let that ruin her happiness, there were still two shadows in her heart in the place of two friends. Both lost in to the same war.
With a sigh, she pushed those heavy thoughts away and turned back to her sister, pulling the amber haired child into a loose hug before dancing across the room, allowing the muslin gown to flow out behind her with her movements.
"Enough of this doom and gloom. It's my wedding day and everyone should be happy! Now, lets be off before my fool of a husband thinks I left him at the altar!"
2142 – The Void:
From her position in the throne room, knelt beside her brother and their team, Layla could feel his approach and it felt almost like a current that jolted through her with every step closer. Still she kept her head down and her breathing steady like she had been trained to do, even as excitement flooded her entire being. This was it. The culmination of all of their efforts for the last century. And it was this that would make it all worth while.
Over the years they had been training in the vast halls of her mother's domain, learning to move through the shadows that curled around them like faithful pets. Discovering how to make their footfalls as soft as a dying breath and movements as deadly as a striking snake. All of the blood sweat and tears were worth it though.
Mother had told them all, of course. She had explained it to them all so early on that Layla, known outside of her family as Rogue, could not remember a time when she had not known where she was heading. Even more than that, she knew their past.
In the beginning, when Chaos had created the universe, forming a small area of calm in the maelstrom that was the void, he had created several planets. On these he had bestowed life as he saw fit.
On some, he created organisms to grow and evolve as they would, allowing the destiny of the planet to form by itself with no hand of the sublime or any outside influence to change its course. On others, he had created powerful beings to watch over the land, and look over it as gods. But in doing so he had drained his powers, forcing him back into a deep sleep, leaving this new creation in the hands of his children in his absence. However, things had not gone according to plan.
As the primordials watched over the realms, some grew disquieted in their roles of protectors. They felt that it was their right to rule these lands, to guide them with an iron fist instead of gentle nudges, and many of them had rebelled. Over the millenia they had waged war with those who remained loyal to their father and it was this that Chaos had awoken to find.
For many years he had then tried to make peace between his children, and had tried many ways to placate those who had rebelled, yet it had all been for naught. The leaders of the rebels had been blinded by greed and their own power to the extent that they would no longer listen to him and so, it was with a heavy heart that he had turned to his eldest daughter, seeking her assistance in the war.
Although Nyx had kept away from the fighting, refusing to join either side, she had agreed to help her father and it was this agreement that had led to their presence in the void this day.
When he had gone to the goddess of the night, Chaos had requested that she find him soldiers, fighters that would answer only to them, who would aid them in the fight and who would be able to stand against his wayward children, and Nyx had complied.
Carefully, the goddess had watched the many lives of those in the universe, searching for those who would be able to withstand the temptation of power that would be offered to them in the war, for heroes who would fight for the cause because it was something they believed in and not because they had been forced into service. She found the heroes of the few remaining free realms and she offered them a choice. She would aid them, and they would become her champions, her children, or they could carry on with their lives and she would not interfere.
Of the small few she had reached out to, only 5 had accepted, and from there they had trained with unrivalled devotion until now. And, when joined by Chaos' youngest child as they were today, they made up the team of fighters that the creator had requested, the Fatal Flaws of Nyx. As all of them knew, it was an honour to be chosen.
"Rise children. You may have pledged yourselves to my service, but that does not mean that you are servants to cower and grovel before me. That is not something I would ever ask of you."
Layla did not know what she had been expecting when she had heard that they would be meeting the creator, and, in hindsight, it was probably this unknown factor that had made her so leery of this encounter. Still, the warm tones that greeted them were unexpected enough that her head snapped up and she found herself staring at the man before her. Although there was a definite aura of power that surrounded him, thickening the air a little until it was impossible to breath without noticing its presence, the picture he presented was far from intimidating.
A crisp silver shirt could be seen underneath the slate grey suit of the man before her, a sharp contrast to the relaxed expression on his aged face, though it was this last feature that drew her attention. She had never before seen an immortal who looked old, and it was a rather disquieting thought. Chaos seemed to present himself as the 'doting grandfather' figure with pure affection swimming in his eyes as he looked each of them over. It was not what she had been expecting, but she found herself relaxing all the same.
Despite her devotion to her training and her mother, Layla had always had a silent doubt about the man they really served. Some part of her had feared that she had signed herself into the service of a tyrant and that, despite her mothers assurances to the opposite, they would be treated as little more than tools. But, upon observing the actions of the deity before them, that niggling fear in the back of her mind faded away and she was satisfied in the knowledge that, at least in this instance, she had made the right choice.
2296 – Mt Olympus, Greece
Moving silently through the scree slopes of the mountain, the goddess slowly made her way towards her goal. For many years she had walked this earth alone, and in this time she had learned many things about its working which, in turn, explained her presence here.
Although, for the first few years of her travels, there had been many uprisings, or similar upsets in nature, they had always been put to rights and forgotten about soon after. No one wanted to dwell on the past, especially one with such painful aspects, but with each new occurrence, she felt her unease deepen.
Not many would have seen it, but then, not many would have been looking for it either and she was sure that not even her mother had put the pieces together yet. But then, she had always had a keen mind, and, once she had started her journey, it had been looking for something to engage with. Then, bit by bit she had taken note of all the changes around her, traced the path of all the upsets in the time of her wandering and had followed the trail they had created. For many years it had seemed like a wild goose chase, taking her back and forth around the globe, but now it had brought her here and a feeling of dread began to settle over her shoulders.
With careful steps the goddess approached the small cave, it was nothing more than a crack in the mountainside if she was to be honest, but all the same, she felt as though she was walking towards the edge of the very pit itself.
For a long moment she lingered at the entrance, trying to build up the courage to enter.
One moment passed.
Then another.
With a final fortifying breath, she took the last step into the waiting darkness of the cave, ready to face what she both feared and hoped would be there, but as soon as her eyes focused on the entirety of the crevice, she froze and her heart stopped.
It was empty.
Panic raced through her veins as she began to frantically search the small space, eyes, hands, even ears tracing every surface they could until a crystalline clatter drew her gaze downwards. There against her feet rested a deceptively thin chain of pure starlight, its innate glow chasing away the shadows that lingered on the floor.
Hardy daring to breath, she bent down to retrieve the chain, her keen eyes fixing on the link that had clearly been sliced in two. This was not a good sign.
An empty jail and a broken chain... it could only mean one thing, and despite her own reluctance, Aileen knew that she would have to return. Olympus had to be warned.
A/N: Okay, so here is the new chapter for the rewrite, and it is one that wasn't actually in the original, but I felt like it was necessary to add it in just to clarify a few things. I do realise that some people find filler chapters annoying, and I do apologise for that, but I just couldn't think of any other way to put all of the necessary details in without taking too many chapters on background plot.
I also changed the names into actual Names this time cause it sounds better, here are the translations and characters, just in case you were interested:
Nasir (nah-SEER ): Supporter - Nico
Tam (TAHM) : Heart - Thalia
Aileen (ay-LEEN) : Torch of Light - Annabeth
Celina (tse-LEE-nah ): Young warrior, rendered to Mars - Clarisse
Layla (lie-lah): Moonless Night/ Dark Beauty – Piper
Andras (And‧rás): Raven Haired Fallen Angel – Percy (Yes, Nyx has a sense of humour)
Translations: (From Latin)
Matrem – Mother
Fili Mi – My son
Patrem – Father
Thanks for reading, and please tell me what you think of the re-write. I'm trying to improve the original story, so any suggestions would also be appreciated!
Back by request, Author's question time so... here we go!
According to the myths, who turned Madusa into a Gorgon?
