Prologue
The year is 1861, and times are changing.
There is a certain tension that hangs in the air, one so potent even the mortals can sense it. Tempers rise during even the slightest of arguments, political stances are crucial, and there are often orange or purple shirted teenagers seen looking around suspiciously, resting their hands on weapons that do not exist to the common mortal. A war has begun, a battle raging between both mortals and demigods. Amongst a crowded Maine sidewalk, a young mother leads two small girls along with her, a fearful look on her face. Her paces are quick, her glances fleeting. She and the girls seem to exist in a world all their own.
To the public, she is a woman in her late twenties walking with her children. To the purple shirted man watching from the corner, they are so much more.
The man knows what he must do. For his camp, he must destroy these mutations. They should not exist. He follows them tactfully, weaving through crowds and taking different streets, knowing they will end up in the same place eventually. His heartbeat quickens as he ponders the way he will rid the world of the abominations and their whore mother. He is a child of Mars, and he was born to cruelty.
Eventually, he reaches his destination: the family's apartment, right next to the harbor. Night is falling, and with night will come death. He approaches cautiously. The mother will have known he was coming, she will be prepared. As if a lowly mortal could fight off a roman demigod.
He knows exactly when she realizes he is there, outside her door, because he hears the deadbolt slam shut.
Inside, the mother, Adelina Rivers, shoves two backpacks at the girls-who, if inspected closely enough, could be recognized as twins. She drapes a fine silver wing shaped locket over one girl-she is tall for a five year old, with beautiful shoulder length brunette hair and warm, trusting eyes. Her eyes, which match her twin's so peculiarly, are filled with tears. Her sister, standing next to her looks almost inhuman, with icy pale skin and long shimmering black hair. Her eyes are intense and focused unlike her sisters, yet they match almost perfectly. Adelina clasps a golden bracelet around her thin wrist.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Their mother asks tearfully. The girls nod their heads in unison. "Good. Listen very carefully. I don't know when, or how, but some day a man and woman will come for you. Go with them, they will take you somewhere safe. Okay?"
"Mama, what will happen to you?" The brunette asks, her wide eyes resting on the beautiful woman's face.
"I'm sorry, Meg, but I won't see you again. I wish we could have had more time." She turns to the pale girl. "Madora, look after your sister. I love you both so much." She kisses their heads and tears fill her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. Behind her, the lock in the door clicks as the roman picks it. Adelina shrieks, shoving both girls towards the fire escape. "We're out of time! Run!"
They are able to get to the fire escape just as the roman bursts in. His cruel smile shines at the mortal before him.
"Where are your little whelps, mortal? Surely you don't think they can run away from me," His voice is calm, but his eyes blaze with fury. This infuriating woman has managed to get them out already. "Don't worry, you won't take long. Then the spawn will be all mine." Adelina whimpers more in sadness than fear, eyeing the long wicked knife her attacker holds.
"Born of a rivalry from ancient times? We know, mortal. They can't decide if they're dead." He continues on, not knowing how much precious time he has already bought the twins. His fatal flaw has always been his pride, his need for his victims to know what he is going to do to them.
"You'll never get to them," She whispers, then spits in his face. He rears back, furious, as Adelina sprints away, grabbing a small pistol from a kitchen drawer. "Celestial bronze bullets. Enjoy the Underworld." Her voice quivers, the only hint to her terror. The son of Mars eyes her calmly, as if enjoying their exchange, like it is all a game to him.
"You think those will kill me? I will find your graceus spawn, and I will cut them, watch the tainted blood snake across their skin." He tells her. With one smooth motion, he flicks his knife at the pistol and knocks it out of her hands. In another instant she is on the floor, the same knife poised on her chest, right above her heart. He leans down close enough she can smell his foul breath, see the perspiration beading on his forehead.
"You really thought you could kill me. How cute." His tone is carefully controlled. Amusement dances behind his eyes.
"No," Adelina whispers back, "I was only buying more time." For an instant, his face morphs into fury. The next instant the knife is sliding through her heart, hitting the floor beneath her with a sickening muffled thud.
Blocks away, two children weep as the dying scream of Adelina Rivers echoes through an unforgiving night. For years to come, this night will haunt their dreams and ring in their ears. But tonight, the only sound they hear is the wind whistling through a heavy fog, while stars glimmer harshly in the inky night sky.
For tonight they are alone.
For the better part of the next four years, the twins reside in a dull orphanage miles from their childhood home. They are found in the freezing cold a week after their mother's death, clutching each other with tears frozen on their dirt-streaked cheeks. Being in public causes people to call them "witches" or "devils", an effect of their aforementioned peculiar eyes. But we will not dwell on that, for their lives are just beginning.
Reprieve comes on a grey sunday afternoon, while the nuns of the orphanage pray and encourage the children to do the same. Madora sits with a book in her lap, softly humming a strangely familiar tune. Meg gazes longingly at the ocean in the distance, watching the waves roll over one another, water shooting into the air. They do not yet know it, but their days of despair will soon be over.
A man and a woman walk leisurely down a paved path. The man, wearing a light blue fishing shirt and brown Hawaiian board shorts, argues with the woman. He has slick black hair and wrinkles around his eyes indicating that he smiles often. His eyes reflect the sea and the color perfectly. He looks happy, laid back but he is tensed with the argument he is having.
The woman wearing a white silk dress, looking at the man with an annoyed glance, argues back to prove her point. She had long blond hair and her face is beautiful, she is tall, elegant and her eyes are stormy and grey. Instead of laid back and and happy she seems more stressed and worried.
The orphanage comes into view, its molding roof and cracking bricks gave it a haunted look. Together they walk up to the doubled doors still bickering while the man knocks lightly on one of the wooden doors. They keep arguing until the door creaks open and a scrawny, wrinkled, meek-looking woman pokes her head out.
"Who are you? What do you want?" She asks quickly.
"We are here…" he glances at the blond woman, looking for support.
"We're here to pick up two girls, twins." She bluntly stated, her tone portraying her mood quite well.
"I'm Poseidon, and this is Athena." The man introduces, making a face at the word "Athena". The wrinkled woman opens the door a little wider and invites them in cautiously.
"I will go get them" she smiles and joyfully walks up the stairs. "You know, I'm not sure why you want those girls. Strange things happen around them."
The inside wasn't much better than the outside. It was cold and dull, the grey walls lined with bricks and the open spaces have very few pieces of furniture. It reminds Poseidon of a church that was once built in his name. The coldness reflecting the sea and windows allowing you to see the ocean nicely. Athena looks a little disgusted, she isn't used to the damp air and cold temperature sweeping through the room, she hates it even more because it was so close to the ocean.
Two girls bound down the stairs, pushing and excitingly whispering to each in hushed tones. When they got to the bottom, they both stop simultaneously and stare at the two adults before them.
"This is Meg," the nun gestures at a tall girl with brown shoulder length hair and had a warm smile across her face. She beams up at the two adults.
"And this is Madora" she gestures to a shorter girl with long, jet black hair and icy skin tone. She seems more in charge and cold then her sister does, reserved and cautious.
"Hi." they both say a out of sync from each other.
Meg sticks out her hand and says "Nice to meet you, who are you?"
"I'm Poseidon and this is Athena" Poseidon says with confidence.
"Come, we will bring you to your new home" Athena says smoothly, catching sight of their eyes. Unlike most adults, she seems not afraid but rather a bit unhappy with them. "Πήρε αηδιαστικό μάτια σας πάρα πολύ. Αυτό δεν έπρεπε να συμβεί, θάλασσα εραστής." She murmurs out of the corner of her mouth. Poseidon answers without missing a beat.
"Παρακαλούμε, νομίζετε ότι θέλω η κόρη μου έχει ένα γκρίζο μάτι, καθώς;" He snarls back at her. Athena rolls her eyes and holds a hand out to Madora. Poseidon does the same with Meg.
"Come, children. We will take you somewhere safe." Athena says calmly, but her tense expression betrays her emotions. Meg readily accepts Poseidon's hand while Madora eyes Athena's cooly.
"No, thank you." Her voice is smooth and melodic. Meg glances at her twin, somewhat exasperatedly.
"Mo, remember what Mama said!" She exclaims, grabbing Madora's hand. She seems like the only person in the world who would be able to do so without getting a vicious reprimand.
"Come with us." The adults say at the same time, glaring at one another with barely disguised hatred.
They walk out of the orphanage that has caused the girls so much pain, down the cracked sidewalks, and suddenly they are in a bright, colorful city filled with fashionable (albeit drunk) men and women and exciting casinos. The girls do not bother asking how they had gotten there, for they knew from the start that these two adults were anything but normal. They are lead to a particularly inviting building. Large block letter read Lotus Hotel and Casino on the front of the building.
"We're here, children." Poseidon says glumly, staring at Meg. Athena pulls Madora off to the side.
"Madora Leandra Rivers," She whispers, "I know this is confusing and difficult, but I need you to listen to me, understand?" Madora nods once. "Good. I am your mother, Madora."
"Mama's dead. They found her body-."
"I know, dear, but I am also your mother. Poseidon and I both loved Adelina. Neither of us knew about the other, but we both… well, Poseidon is Meg's father and I'm your other mother. Your grandfather was a son of Apollo, so you are related to him as well.
"Who is Apollo?" Madora asks quietly.
"You will find out in the future…just not now, there isn't enough time." Athena said as she glanced back at Poseidon, hoping he was almost done explaining to Meg.
Poseidon leans down to level with Meg. His face is grim and serious.
"Meg Althea Rivers, it's nice to meet you after so long. I'm sorry I wasn't there when your mother died, but I'm here now. And I'm going to keep you safe for a long time. I am your father, Meg. I fell in love with your mother as did Athena. Athena is your sisters mom, well other, mom. She blessed your mother with Madora after I already "blessed" her with you" Poseidon explains.
"Whoa, whoa. I do not understand" Meg says, confused.
"But you will understand when the time is right." he says in hushed tone.
"It's time to go. Go with your sister into the hotel and you won't need to worry about anything." Poseidon says gingerly.
Poseidon ambles toward Athena, hand and hand with Meg, and Athena hand and hand with Madora.
And there they stay, for years, locked away and withering, their minds stuck in a hazy fog, their memories confusing and incomplete. As the world changes, as demigods' minds are wiped, as the civil war ends, as the slaves go free. As automobiles and telephones are invented, and as man discovers how to fly. These changes are inconsequential to the twins, for their world does not change at all. At least until, more than half a century later, when a few unsuspecting demigods happen to stumble upon the Lotus Hotel and Casino…