Acceptance
Author's note: Okay, this is my first story, so please be a little easy on me. There are no sexual implications and foreshadowing. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Artemis.
Acceptance
Prologue
It was night. On a cliff, there was a man clothed in purple with a sword at his side and untidy hair that stuck up in all directions, standing in front of a cozy, little, house.
"…Kratos…" came a voice from inside.
The door opened to reveal a woman with long, silky brown hair and warm brown eyes wearing a light green shirt and a long yellow skirt.
"Kratos, how long are you planning to stay out there?" she asked.
The man, Kratos turned around to face his wife, Anna.
"I just wanted to make sure that there aren't any enemies nearby." He replied.
Anna walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Well come inside soon, you know how hard it is to get our children to sleep without a bedtime story."
As soon as Anna said that two three year olds, one a boy named Lloyd, and the other a girl named Artemis, ran out of the house and immediately latched on to their father's leg saying, "Daddy can you tell us a story?" in unison.
Anna chuckled at the sight, "Do you need help?"
"No, I'll be fine." Kratos said and he gave Anna a gentle kiss on her soft lips and she went inside. Kratos looked down at the twins that were still hanging on to his legs.
"Alright, what kind of story do the both of you want to hear?" he asked.
The two immediately said, "A story about stars!"
"Didn't I tell you a story about stars yesterday?" their father questioned.
"Yeah, but we want to hear another one!" said Lloyd, his cherubic face shining with a smile.
"Please Daddy?" Artemis said, her eyes glittering with anticipation.
And then they both used an insanely adorable puppy-dog pout while saying, "Pretty please?"
If Kratos wasn't Kratos, he would've melted then and there. He sighed, "Ok, but promise that you'll go to sleep as the two of you are tucked in all right?"
"Oookaaay" they droned.
"Now, whose turn is it to ride on my shoulders?" Kratos asked.
"Mine!" exclaimed Lloyd, his expression turning bright. Kratos picked up Lloyd and placed the little tyke on his shoulders and carried Artemis in his arms.
Kratos began his story, "Hmmm, let's see, ah I remember now. Once upon a time, on a star-filled night, a young boy went outside and stared at the stars. He stared at them with such a sorrowful gaze, for when the boy's father was alive the two watched the stars together. The young child remembered what his father had told him, "When people die, their spirits send stars into the night sky. And when the spirits' loved ones have seen their star, then they turn into falling stars, so that they know the spirits have reached heaven." "Really Daddy?" the boy asked. "Yes, so when I die, go outside and look for the brightest star in the sky. That one will be mine." So the boy looked and looked for that brightest star he could find, but he couldn't find it. Suddenly, the boy saw a star that shined brighter than the rest. "That's Daddy's star!" the boy cried. And the star slowly fell and soared across the midnight sky. The End."
"Wow Daddy, that was a really good story!" Lloyd exclaimed.
"Yeah Daddy, it was great!" Artemis said.
Kratos smiled, "Well I'm glad the two of you liked it. Now it's time to go to sleep."
"Aww" the two groaned. And Kratos carried his two children to their room and gently tucked them in. "Goodnight Daddy." Lloyd and Artemis chimed.
"Goodnight, my cherished little angels." Kratos gave each of his children a kiss on their foreheads and went to the room that he shared with Anna.
"Kratos? Is that you?" Anna mumbled sleepily.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Kratos asked.
"No, but are the children asleep?" Anna said.
"Yes and they're tucked in as well." Kratos replied.
Anna smiled, "Well then go to sleep already! It's late!" "But Anna-," Kratos started.
"But nothing Kratos! Even if you are an angel, you will get some sleep!"
Kratos sighed, "Alright." And the two fell asleep in each others arms completely content.
The Next Day
The family was standing atop the cliff surrounded by a large group of desians, with Anna, Lloyd, Artemis, and Noishe standing behind Kratos who was glaring at the squinty eyed Desian Cardinal, Kvar.
"I've finally found you Kratos!" Kvar sneered, "And it seems that you have a family as well."
Kratos glared at Kvar with his wine-colored eyes. "Don't you dare harm them Kvar!"
"Who are you to insult me? You have betrayed Lord Yggdrasill, took away my Angelus Project and proceeded to have a family with that pathetic inferior being!"
"Mommy," Lloyd and Artemis whimpered, "what's going to happen to us?"
Anna tried to reassure her children, "Don't worry, your father will take care of it ok?"
Kratos and Noishe charged at the desians with only one thing on their minds, 'protect Anna and the twins.' The two managed to take down a little more than a third of the desians when Kratos heard a scream. He quickly turned around to find Anna being held hostage by Kvar, with one hand on the key crestless exsphere, and his other hand was holding his staff towards Lloyd, who was currently holding Artemis tightly.
"Hahahaha! What will you do now Kratos! You can either save this pathetic excuse for a life or you can save your two inferior children!" Kvar laughed.
Kratos headed toward Anna and Noishe ran swiftly to Lloyd and Artemis. But before Kratos could reach Anna, Kvar ripped off the exsphere. A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air. Kvar dropped Anna's form and stepped back, smirking at what had happened. Anna's trembling form was writhing on the ground. The skin on her arm turned green and burst into a large, three fingered claw. Her foot had turned into a large three talon foot. Her head had mutated into a rounded shape. Her once gentle face now just a jeweled sphere. Kratos stared at the exbelua in horror. Lloyd and Artemis began to cry harder. Anna had knocked Kratos aside and attacked the other desians.
"Anna!" Kratos cried out, "Anna, stop!"
She didn't listen; she only proceeded to attack more desians that were in her way. Kratos tried to stop her, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. Then, Anna turned towards Noishe who was shielding Lloyd and Artemis. Noishe growled, grabbed Lloyd to get him away, but accidently pushed Artemis somewhere off the battlefield, and leaped at Anna to distract her from attacking the kids, but Anna clawed at Noishe and he fell to the ground near the edge of the cliff. Then Anna froze, and she began to speak, or tried to, "…Kr…Krat...Kratos…"
"Anna?" Kratos asked.
"Please…kill me…" she replied.
"N…no! I-I can't!" Kratos said.
Anna gripped her head and replied in a pained voice, "Please Kratos, before I lose myself, please kill me before I hurt more people…!"
Anna faced the sky, and gave a loud yell, her human consciousness gone. She turned and went straight towards Lloyd. Kratos's eyes widened and he ran towards Anna, his mind focused on protecting Lloyd. His blade pierced Anna from her back through to her stomach. Kratos pulled it out, a sickening 'squelch' accompanied it. Anna fell with a loud but muffled 'thump'.
"Anna!" Kratos yelled.
"Kratos…thank…you" Anna said.
The cliff began to break, Kratos tried to run over to Anna, but with one last burst of strength, she pushed him away from the falling debris. Kratos sat there, unwilling to believe what had happened. Anna was gone, Lloyd was gone, Noishe was gone, and goddess knows what had happened to Artemis during the battle.
Sob
Kratos's head shot up, he could have sworn he heard someone crying. It was coming from behind some trees. Kratos looked through and found Artemis, partly covered in blood, surrounded by desian corpses, already half eaten by monsters.
"Artemis?" Kratos asked.
Said girl flinched and quickly looked up, a look of fear in her eyes.
"D-Daddy?" whimpered Artemis. Kratos slowly nodded and moved his arms so that he could embrace her. She began to cry, a thin river of tears coming down upon her blood splattered cheeks.
"Daddy…Mommy, Big Brother and Noishe…they…they're gone…" Kratos sighed. 'She must have seen everything that happened then'.
Artemis fell asleep soon after. Kratos flew to the bottom of the cliff and found nothing but corpses and limbs thrown all over the area.
Kratos said to himself, 'I should take her to Yuan, maybe he could help me.' And he flew to the Triet Renegade Base.
Author's Note: Thank you for choosing to read my story. If anything confuses you, then please, don't hesitate to ask me if you are reviewing. I apologize if my writing sounds weird, but with practice it will, hopefully, get better.