The beginning of the End

Chapter 1

?'s POV

She didn't know where she was.

She didn't know who she was.

In short she really didn't know much about herself or indeed anything. It all seemed fuzzy and it seemed like her memory was stubbornly sitting at the back of her mind. Her last memory was of jumping into water in a dark place.

She didn't think that she had liked it. She didn't think that she should have but she had and as her mother used to say "È inutile, piangere sul latte versato". There's no use crying over spilt milk.

Wait a minute. Her mother… A brother…. The Hunters…

It all came back in a flood and she would have wept for joy if not for the huge heart wrenching pain that came with her memories. She had left her brother for that eternal girl guides group. Her brother, a boy who she would probably never see again.

Well she couldn't say that because she didn't know where she was. Hesitantly she opened her eyes. Then she closed them again. Not because she was scared but because she couldn't believe what she saw.

She was in a case made of …. glass and above that there was a room with white columns under a black ceiling with swirling glittering patterns that looked like stars.

A girl who looked about seventeen smiled at her and said something. Almost immediately, she was joined by five more girls of roughly the same age and a man who looked sixty.

This was surprising to her because she had jumped into the Lethe to be reborn and she was fairly sure that new-born babies were not born in glass. Apart from that of course was the fact that she remembered her past life but she didn't think she had done this before so she decided to let it go for the moment.

She suddenly realized that she remembered everything, even things like her third grade math test answers and all those other things that were so boring that she should have forgotten them.

She was brought out of her reverie (nice word) by the seven people lifting up the pane of the glass like thing and helping her up. Instantly she was met by a host of sensations including the smell of antibacterial and a dull humming sound that reverberated through the floor up the columns and walls into the ceiling and for some reason she was aware of the exact time.

"Hello young godling! I am Panacea the goddess of the Universal cure and I would like to welcome you to the halls of the Faded Ones and now-"

The girl who was there first started but she was interrupted by the man who had a look of amusement on his face "Panacea! Stop your blathering. You know what our orders are."

She sighed and one of the other girls took over, "I am Hygeia ,goddess of hygiene, and it is my duty to escort you to the throne room where we will welcome you properly."

After she had finished they all joined hands to make a circle around her and they were engulfed in a bright flash of light. After the glow had faded she found herself in a huge room with fifteen thrones so big that they could fit fifty normal people on them each. That made her wonder who sat on them. The seven who had brought her there ,who she now suspected were all gods and goddesses of healing, walked to the middle and pushed a button made of a blue metal inlaid with gold spots. Instantly the seven disappeared.

Slowly each of the thrones were occupied, three by shadows, three by water one by fog two by pure light ,one by earth, one by plants, one by a pink mist , three by a gold light and one by pure darkness. After what seemed like an age thirteen people materialized on the thrones nine men and four women. The one who had materialized from pure darkness examined her for a while until she could not take it. "Right! Now we all seem to be here can you please tell me what in father's name is going on! I am meant to be a baby, or does this happen to everyone who is reborn-"

She was cut off by one of the men from shadows who had dark purple skin and red eyes under a military style haircut. He was wearing armour made of stone with the terrified faces of monsters carved on it and he looked like he was contemplating torture methods. "This one is definitely a daughter of the underworld"

The pure darkness woman looked at him with something akin to embarrassment on her face although she couldn't exactly tell because her face was eternal, nothing, big yet small, imposing but forgettable, beautiful yet ugly and it had similarities to everything.

"Hello great great granddaughter! It is nice to meet you and I suppose introductions are in order. I am Chaos, the physical form of the void beneath Tartarus, who just stated your parentage, andthis is the council of the Protogenoi or the first family. Next to me is my husband Eros the elder, not the son of Aphrodite, physical form of the urge to reproduce and with me the father of birds, Nyx and her husband-brother Erebus.

Over there are your great grandparents, Gaia personification of the earth and my daughter through parthogenesis so she does not have a father and Ouranos the personification of the sky and Gaia's husband and son through parthogenesis. Next we have Gaia's other protogenos son-lover through the same method, Pontusthe personification of the sea father of Nereus, Thaumas, Ceto, Phorcys, Aigaios and Eurybia by Gaia and the fish by his official wife Thalassa. Speaking of Thalassa, there she is, the other personification of the sea daughter of Aether and Hemera.

The last water based protogenos is Hydros the personification of all liquids who is currently dating Physis, the personification of all living things and the forces of nature. Nyx and Erebus, night and shadows, are over there and in the opposite corner of the room you can see their primordial children Aether and Hemera who are light and day. Our last three members are Chronos, the primordial of time not the titan so please don't confuse them, Ananke the primordial of fate wife of Chronos and mother of the Fates and the Hours. Finally, we have Thesis, primordial of creation.

Eros, honey I'm a bit tired so could you finish her intro."

With that Chaos promptly fell asleep. Eros gave a soft sigh and then chuckled. "Ah, Chaos! Charming as ever! Anyway, young demigodess, I assume you actually remember your past?" he asked upon which she nodded. Satisfied, he continued "Good. Well, Bianca di Angelo, Daughter of Maria di Angelo and Hades the fourth generation lord of the Underworld, Sister of Nico di Angelo, ex-huntress of Artemis, Heir of Nyx primordial of the night and Aura titaness of hunting, breezes and the fresh, cool air of early morning. Oh, no outburst, that's surprising!"

She looked at him for a second before suddenly saying "Well of course not. This place must be a dream so I've decided to just go along with it. I'll wake up eventually back in the underworld-". At this Nyx started laughing "A dream is it then? How could it be a dream when we are in it? I personally regulate all dreams concerning us that my grandson Morpheus makes. But if you want it to be then it is a dream and you will never again see those who you care for most".