Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus. Neither do I own mythology in general. All rights go to Rick Riordan who owns both series. Except Mythology, of course.
Now, start!
Peaceful.
That was the term usually associated with the Himalayan Mountains. It was quiet, and cold. Snow fell from the sky, dancing gracefully as they descended to the earth. Animals creeped over the ground, looking for sustenance. The mountains towered over everything else, like gentle giants from the days of old. The place truly held a relaxing atmosphere, wherein one could not help but find peace in the solitude. But this time, it was not to be.
At the base of Mt. Everest, space itself seemed to bend. Ripples formed, similar to a pebble being dropped in a pond. Red lightning seemed to crackle, and the smell of ozone filled the area as the ripples worsened. When the unnatural event reached its apex, a huge explosion shook the entire area.
And for the first time in eons, Evil opened its many eyes.
It was raining. The sound of raindrops hitting the pavement were drowned out by the deafening sound of cars zipping across the streets of New York. The lights of the city seemed to reflect that of the late-night stars. At this time of night, the city itself always seemed like it was on the rush. Adults were either running home from work, or calling for the nearest cab, while the teenagers were carpooling with their friends to the nearest party venue.
From the top of the Empire State Building, the sight was almost surreal. The flashing lights, the rhythmic sounds, and the rushing populace, all this seemed to calm the man who was observing. He was tall, unusually so, and he possessed a strong and muscular build. He sported long shoulder-length black hair, along with a long beard of the same color. He wore a dark blue pinstriped suit that didn't seem to be unaffected by the rain, and he exuded a serious and imposing aura. He seemed to be completely immersed in gazing at the city spread out below him.
However, his eyes were immediately drawn to the elevator as another man emerged from it. He was almost as tall as the other man, and he sported a build similar to the other man. He had a very pale complexion that contrasted well with his shoulder-length dark hair, as opposed to the other man's tan skin. He wore a dark leather jacket and a white undershirt, along with ripped jeans and black rubber shoes. His long bangs almost covered the crimson eyes that complimented the dark and menacing aura he exuded. He gazed at the other man's blue eyes, and his eyes narrowed.
"Zeus.", the man said blankly. He walked forward until he was only two meters away from the god whose name he just called out.
"Hades.", Zeus greeted back as he turned his body to face his older brother. He looked at him closely, and he noticed that the God of the Dead seemed even more moody than usual.
"I can count in one hand the number of times you have come to me for help, and most of the time those meetings result in dire circumstances.", Zeus stated as he gazed right at his brother's eyes. They stared at each other for a while before Zeus finally asked." What happened?".
Hades' mood darkened even further, and he looked up at the night sky. He seemed almost distressed. He looked at his younger brother and said, "You're familiar with the realm Tartarus, right?".
Zeus looked at him incredulously and replied, "Everyone even remotely involved with the Supernatural knows about Tartarus.". It is a dimension wherein the most powerful and malevolent beings were imprisoned. It's said that Tartarus once looked similar to Earth's universe, but the sheer evil its prisoners exuded warped the dimension, turning it into the hell it was now. Zeus looked at Hades with a questioning gaze, and Hades sighed.
"A few weeks ago, on August 4, the Furies sensed a distortion near the Himalayas. I asked them to investigate, and they reported feeling a malicious presence that seemed to get stronger the closer they approached the Himalayas. Eventually, they discovered the source of the unsettling presence at the base of Mt. Everest.", Hades told Zeus. Zeus was starting to feel dread bubbling up in his stomach. When it comes to matters that require his attention, it's usually Artemis or Athena that report to him. But for Hades himself to call his attention, the situation must be very serious.
"What did they find?", Zeus finally asked. Hades looked at him, his expression as grim as it can possibly be.
"A portal. It connects this planet to the deepest part of Tartarus itself.", Hades stated gravely. Zeus eyes widened in disbelief, then they narrowed.
"That's impossible! The volatile nature of that dimension makes it next to impossible to manipulate space to such a degree. Only Head Gods me, Odin, Amaterasu, and the other leaders of their respective pantheons can do that, but even than it would be taxing.", Zeus denied. He refused to believe that such a feat was possible for any being other than a truly powerful God. Hades just continued to stare at Zeus, his face contorting into a frown as he listened to Zeus's ramblings.
"There are many factors you aren't considering, Zeus", Hades told him, his tone of voice managing to direct Zeus's attention to him. "For one, this entity may possess enough power to actually stabilize space enough to actually create a portal to this world, even if it's only temporary. Another is that this may be the work of not one, but multiple entities collaborating in order to escape from Tartarus. As of right now, we aren't even sure how many entities actually managed to get out of that wretched realm, since the Furies only discovered that portal recently. We are fortunate that the Furies actually managed to close it, otherwise who knows what sort of abomination could have crawled out of it.", Hades said, his unease palpable despite his stoic demeanor. Zeus frowned as thunder and lightning started flashing in the sky, a reflection of the turmoil within him. He was powerful, no doubt. One could not become the King of Olympus without being strong. He was also very, VERY confident in his abilities. In fact, some members of his family would even go as far as to say his confidence borders on arrogance. Despite all this, however, he could say with absolute certainty that the entities within Tartarus terrify him to the core. Only the truly revolting monsters can be found in Tartarus. Behemoth, the Man Eater, Lamashtu, the Bane of Children, Aka Manah, the Puppeteer, and many others. So, the fact that beings such as those are now in this world is enough to ruin his mood for the next decade.
"We need to mobilize our forces. I will hold a council meeting tonight. I will order the other Olympians to send their servants all over the world to investigate. I will also inform the other Head Gods of this matter, regardless of whether they already know or not.", Zeus said. He looked at Hades and asked, "Have you ordered your servants to look for possible clues as to where these creatures might be?". Hades just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Way ahead of you, brother.", Hades remarked snidely, and Zeus grunted in response. They stared at the night sky as the storm finally cleared away. After a while, Hades broke the silence once again.
"They're going to get caught up in all this. Our children.", Hades stated, his tone giving nothing away.
"I know", Zeus replied, his posture stiff as his mind brought up his two children, Jason and Thalia.
"You know for a fact that we can't use them as foot soldiers. Not this time. Not with enemies like these.", Hades continued as he turned his gaze to his brother.
"I know", Zeus said once more, his hands curled up into tight fists. His frustration at the situation was starting to become apparent. Hades' expression softened a tad, but he asked the dreaded question anyway.
"Will we be fighting this time, or will we just sit back as these monsters tear our world asunder?", asked Hades, his gaze sharpened once more. Zeus gritted his teeth as lightning started sparkling around him. Then, his posture slackened as the lightning dispersed. His face expressed exhaustion as he considered Hades' question. Then he sighed tiredly.
"I…don't know."
"Gabe, we're home!", Sally Jackson called out as she and her son, Percy Jackson came home from shopping.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't talk too much. My head is killing me!", Gabe shouted back as he held his head in his hands. Percy just jumped into the couch next to him as he handed Gabe a bag of chips.
"That's because you drink all the time. You probably bleed alcohol by now.", the 7-year old remarked snidely. Gabe proceeded to mess up his hair as Sally giggled behind them.
"Shut up, kid!", grunted Gabe as both mother and son laughed. The three then proceeded to enjoy the rest of the night together, unaware of their spectator.
Just outside the window, a peculiar fly observed the family.
Author's Note: So, this is my first story. As you can see its very much centered around Mythology. I borrowed characters from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, which I am a big fan of. So, feel free to continue reading. You can send reviews, be they praises or criticisms. Either way, I will learn from them.
P.S: If you noticed, I made Gabe more humane and nice. Why? Because I wanted to do something kind of new. I also wanted to make Zeus a little less of an asshole. I don't know if I managed to do that correctly.
P.P.S: Kudos to you if you know who/what that thing was at the end.
Anyway, see you next time!