Hello, dears and darlings! I've decided to give Greek mythology a shot, as I've been fascinated with it for as long as I can remember. I especially adore the more minor Greek gods and goddesses, so you'll be seeing a lot of them throughout the story. Don't let those unfamiliar names worry you, as I'll be including who they are at the end of each chapter ^^ Reviews are really appreciated - they make my day and tend to make me write a bit faster, if I'm being completely honest. I hope you enjoy!

my dear, i am the speed of sound

i left them motherless, fatherless

their souls dangling inside-out from their mouths

but it's never enough

There are few who still remember, and even fewer who still believe.

(What did you see?)

(There was fire. People were screaming. The rain burned their skin. They were dying.)

The Earth had come alive, livid, shifting and heating and trembling. The heavens roared their discontent, the seas boiling and crashing against fragile shores. They, the humans, were still very new. They did not understand.

There were others who did.

My name is Nike, and I remember the day the Earth died.

{ erebus }

I am there when they mourn their dead.

The mortal humans are as emotional as they are impulsive. They wail over the silent corpses of their loved ones, crying out for the souls freshly delivered to Hades. Fools. From my crevice I sneer at their pointless sorrow. The bodies they weep for are nothing more than borrowed bones. Their lives were crafted by the gods and therefor must eventually be returned. It is a process designed and dictated by the gods, and while the mortals claim to worship us a wonder if perhaps they hate us, too, for stealing such things out of their control.

I feel her presence before I see her, taking sanctuary in my shadows. She learned when she was very young the consequences of defying her nature; her skin is seared by the sunlight, her blood boiled by the heat of daytime. She is Nyx, nighttime, and Apollo punishes her for it whether he realizes it or not. I hate him regardless for causing her such pain.

"You shouldn't be here," I murmur, drawing away from my view of the mortals and frowning at her. Upon her skin she wears the heavens, entire galaxies spiraling over her limbs and the angles of her face, and her eyes glow like Artemis herself. The sky darkens at her arrival and the humans glance up, confused by the premature dusk. While Nyx is night she is not death, and she does not belong at such ceremonies, as I do.

Her onyx lips tilt up into a smile. "Neither should you, brother. Or have you forgotten the summoning?"

I scoff. "The Brothers do not dictate me. I owe them nothing."

"They may not have fathered us, but they saved our kind," she says softly. "No one else refuses their invitation."

"Invitation." My voice drips with sarcasm. "Is that what they call it now?"

"Erebus," her fingers capture my wrist, demanding my attention. She frowns. "This is not a matter to be taken lightly. I've come to fetch you."

"On whose orders?" I narrow my eyes.

"Mine," she replies firmly. "I would not have bothered you otherwise."

"So you say," I mutter stubbornly.

"Please, Erebus," she tugs at my arm lightly, but I detect an unnatural tension beneath the movement. "You have nothing to gain by staying. The Brothers will not take your absence lightly."

"I am nothing to the Brothers," I roll my eyes but follow her anyway.

It takes us mere moments to bridge the distance between the mortal world and our own, crossing from the Earth to the heavens in a single bound. The home of the gods is a sight to behold, alive with the presence of a thousand deities. Among them I sense my own kind - those who prefer to lurk under the veil of mystery and darkness rather than embracing life and interaction with the mortals. The grand hall of Zeus's home is crowded with more than just dark spirits, though. Just to my left Artemis confers urgently with Apollo, leaning in closely so her words are not overheard. Her silver bow rests dangerously on one shoulder, a silent threat to any man who dares try to defy her. To my right, Zelus seems to be trying to convince Harmonia of something, though she blatantly ignores him in favor of Antheia. It has been many years since such a mighty gathering of the gods, and my skin tingles in discomfort at the proximity to such power.

"Children of Chaos." The voice is far too close for my liking but I show no signs of my distaste. I recognize it immediately. Only one dares to call us as we are.

"Joining us at such an important hour, are you, Hades?" Nyx was always the more polite of the two of us, turning to address him with a tight smile on her face. I am not nearly as kind, addressing him without expression.

"I come when I am summoned," he responds smoothly.

He's hoping for a reaction. I give him none, instead following my sister's example. "This new plague causes the mortals to drop by the hundreds. Is it your doing?"

Hades smiles, a flash of wicked white teeth. "You know I do not control the health of the humans. It would seem luck is on my side in this hour."

"Let us hope it stays that way," I comment with a wintry smile.

Nyx is quick to draw me away, her eyes darkening. "Watch your tongue," she hisses, her sharp tone surprising me.

"I will watch mine as soon as I cut his out for saying such things," I reply indignantly.

"You cannot say such things, Erebus," her voice is hushed but stern. "Not now."

I pull away from her slightly and glance around. Across the room my eyes suddenly meet a pair of gold ones. In an instant they are gone, their source slipping between those in the crowd, and I swear under my breath. Turning back to Nyx, my frown deepens. "You did not tell me this was a matter of war."

Nyx looks suddenly worried. "Who did you see?"

"Vίκη," I mutter, careful no one hears me. Nyx's worry turns to alarm.

"Stupid girl," she hisses. "She should know better than to be here now."

I consider making a smart remark about how all gods and goddesses should come when they are summoned, but the fresh fear in Nyx's eyes stop me. She is not one to be scared easily. She's holding something back, keeping secrets from me.

"Nyx," I grab her by the arm, perhaps more roughly than I should. "Tell me what has happened. Why are we here?"

She yanks herself away, hiding her anxiety with aggravation. "You should know better than to demand such things of me, brother. There are others who would have your head for such abuse."

"You are no Artemis, sister," I retort. "And if you were I would disown you. Tell me."

Moonlight eyes dart around. "I cannot. There are too many ears."

"Whatever is happening is a matter of obvious urgency. All here know of it but I. You cannot lead me into this blind, sister, or I will fall."

After another heartbeat of indecision she grabs me by the hand and tugs me to the side of the great hall, into the shadows (where we both rightfully belong). Her every movement radiates a kind of worry that contrasts her usual behavior so greatly that it alarms me more than I'd care to admit. Nyx is usually so calm, just as proud and dark as I am. We are as similar in personality as we are in nature, and it unnerves me to see her so afraid. When she turns to face me her eyes are wide, pleading for me to listen.

"The Brothers are angry," she whispers.

I shake my head. The Brothers have been arguing between themselves since their beginnings. "Are they not always?"

"Not with each other."

"Who with, then?"

She hesitates, eyes scanning over the deities. None glance in our direction, but she seems worried that they will and something horrible will become of it. "With us."

"Us?" Thoroughly confused, I place my hand on my shoulder, trying to force her to meet my gaze. "You mean to say the Brothers are angry with you and I?"

"Others, too," she murmurs. "Hypnos, Dionysus, Bia. Ares and Athena defend us, but - "

"Nyx, I do not understand. What have we done to anger them?"

"Silence!"

The voice cuts through the air like thunder, causing the hall to tremble slightly. Nyx cringes away from me as if I've slapped her, her eyes growing impossibly wider. The entire hall grows hushed. I hear the sound of heavy footsteps and cautiously disconnect myself from my shadows, coming forward to stand near Aether. While we contrast each other strongly he is a good friend regardless, one of the daylight gods who I don't mind quite as much as the others. He doesn't spare me a glance, but I notice his shoulders grow suddenly tense.

Zeus is the first to emerge from the crowd. Whispers of lightning crackle over his skin, storm cloud eyes bright with a fury he doesn't bother attempting to hide. Why should he? He is king of the gods, savior of our kind, and many here have convinced themselves that they would be nothing without him. A step behind is Poseidon, a far more terrifying man to me. While Zeus has always ruled with an iron fist, he is shallow and at times short sighted. Poseidon can be as dark as the depths of the seas which he dictates, every word and movement carefully calculated. While Nyx insists he is good at heart (it is her duty - the sea and the moon are bound by nature), I know very well that he can be as cold and harsh as a frigid wave. Hades lurks behind the two of them, eyes practically glowing scarlet. He is the personification of death, ghosts stolen from the Underworld clinging to his feet and shoulders, trailing silver in his wake. The three of them come to a halt in the center of the room and Zeus raises his hand.

Many scramble back as the Great Table rises from the floor. It is an ancient symbol of greatness, sculpted of gold with the our legends carved into its sides. Long ago, before even my own time, the division of the Earth between the Brothers was decided upon its circular surface. It is large enough for us gather around it even in our great number, and we all have our appointed positions at its edge. We barely have enough time to take our place, Nyx stiff at my right and Isis shooting me uncertain glances from my left, before Zeus's voice booms out again.

"Many years ago," he begins, his gaze sweeping over each of us, "it was decided upon this very table that I was to take control of the heavens, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the land of the dead. This has been law, and while all are allotted their areas of dictation, none have dared to try and strip us three of our earned right." A pause, and the tension in the room is practically tactile. "Until now."

My eyes dart away from him for a single instant and I find her, seated between Artemis and Dionysus. Her golden eyes are narrow, every muscle in her body tense. As if sensing my weighted gaze she glances in my direction, and the rage I see behind her expression startles me. When I return my gaze to Zeus, I find him staring directly at me.

"Erebus," he says, his voice terrifyingly soft. "Perhaps you would like to explain why you have declared a war of the gods."

i carved your name across three counties

and ground it in with bloody hides

broken necks will line the ditch

'til you "stop it! stop it! stop this madness!"

Erebus - god of darkness

Nyx - goddess of night

Apollo - god of the sun and music

Artemis - one of my favorites! she's the virgin goddess of the hunt, twin sister to Apollo

Hades - god of the dead, ruler of the Underworld

Zeus - god of the skies (king of the gods)

Poseidon - god of the seas

Zelus - god of rivalry

Harmonia - goddess of harmony and concord

Antheia - goddess of flowers

Aether - this one's also somewhat difficult to explain. basically, Aether was the god of this "upper air" that was light's medium and breathed in by the gods

I think that covers it! Lemme know if I missed anything and I'll be sure to include it in the next chapter ^^