My second Dark-hunter fic. I decided to make it have connections to my other DH fic The Heartless Nymph as a prequel because there were scenes I wanted to write out. Instead of just using them in the dialogue. And I love how Sherrilyn Kenyon does it.
I hope you enjoy it.
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As of late, Zeus had had an aching head ache. At first it was tolerable and he could treat the pain with his powers, but after a while it progressed, causing Zeus to howl and moan from the throbbing pain. His bouts of pain were so loud it could be heard throughout the earth, creating disasters around the world. All of the other gods and goddess tried their best to cure him of his ailment but to no avail. Zeus realized what needed to be done and ordered the blacksmith god, Hephaestus, to use his axe and split open his skull, hoping it was rid him of the pain.
"Do it!" ordered Zeus, "Quick!"
Hephaestus firmly gripped the handle of his double-headed axe as Zeus held his head up for him. In one swift strike Hephaestus split Zeus's skull and out sprung a maiden and Zeus' split head closed up. Hephaestus was stunned by the sight of the maiden. He was in love. But it was not because of the maiden's shining dark hair or her intellectual gray eyes that took his heart away, it was by the armor she wore. He marveled at the full set of armor encasing her form. It was the most magnificent armor he had ever seen and could ever create. Slowly and ever so cautious, he stepped toward the maiden to question her of the origins of her armor. He was so enamored with the item that he did not pay the occupants in the room his attention.
Meanwhile, Zeus cupped his head in his hands, sighing in relief of the dissolving ache. But his relief was short lived as it was replaced by annoyance when his wife, Hera, began screeching in his ear.
"Zeus!" howled Hera, "You actually hid one of your whores in your head?" The goddess was disgusted and angry. She was supposed to be the goddess of marriage, but how could anyone worship her when she couldn't keep her own husband at bay. He constantly escaped her watchful eyes, taking lovers left and right. But she could not do anything to stop him, for Zeus decreed that it was not a crime against a wife if a husband were to have encounters with maidens if they were unmarried, which was to his advantage as Zeus only pursued unwed maidens.
"Why have I never thought of that?" Ares, god of war, mused from a fair distant from his screaming mother and annoyed father.
Apollo, god of the sun and plagues, knitted his brows and said to no one in particular, "How covenant."
Artemis, goddess of the hunt and childbirth, looked from her father to her brothers, "You're such…men." She said the term like it was disgusting to have ever graced her lips.
"What is this nonsense, woman?" Zeus groaned in protest, having not noticed the maiden yet because the ache had returned, but this time it was not in his head. Growling in frustration, he grabbed Hephaestus' axe and swung it at his chest. He ripped his beating heart out of his chest and threw it aside with such force that it hit Hephaestus and broke his leg. Hephaestus howled in pain as he fell from Mount Olympian, the home of the gods, and soared through the air.
When he finally landed, he found his leg was useless and tried to heal it, but his godly powers did not work. Thinking he must have lost his powers during the fall, Hephaestus called to his mother for help, but she would not answer him. When she finally answered his pleas to see her, Hera reject him because of his new grotesque appearance. Not only was he lame from the fall but his handsome features were gone. "My children are not what I desire them to be, but never had I birth a lame and hideous child!" Hera proclaimed and left him in to wallow in his despair. He, now a mortal man, was left on his own.
Fortunately for Hephaestus, he was discovered by a sympathetic master craftsman who was kind enough to take him in and nurse him back to health. Although his powers were lost, Hephaestus still retained his skills as a smith and that was how he earned his living. While he was mortal, he received further knowledge of his craft and attained skilled of the natives he apprentice under. During the time he began crafting a gold throne from the money he collected to achieve his revenge on Hera for her rejection.
When Hera saw the glorious golden throne in her temple, she was compelled by its beauty and sat on it. But when she tried to stand up, Hera realized that she could not. She was stuck on the throne. Hephaestus appeared in her temple and mockingly laughed at the goddess and taunted her before he limply exited the temple. The other gods descended, for Hera declared that she would grant a wish to whoever could make Hephaestus release her, and begged Hephaestus to return to Mount Olympus to let Hera go but he refused, declaring, "I have no mother".
At last, Dionysus was sent to fetch him. He shared his wine with mortal Hephaestus, intoxicating him, and took him back to Olympus on the back of a mule accompanied by revelers. Thus, Hera granted Dionysus wish to become a god. Hephaestus was outraged at Dionysus' trickery and though he was trapped in Mount Olympus he continued to refuse to release Hera from her confinement. Hephaestus declared he would only release her if Zeus were to give him the maiden that had enchanted him before his fall.
Zeus bluntly refused, seeing as the maiden was Athena, the daughter who was conceived by his first wife Metis, the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom. An oracle of Gaea prophesied that Metis would bear children more powerful than the sire, even Zeus himself. Metis' first child would be a girl, but her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus as had happened to his father, Cronus, and his grandfather, Uranus. Although Zeus feared the consequences of their union, he never regretted laying with her. With the intention not to harm Metis for he still had affection for her, Zeus swallowed her down and kept her inside his belly. It was so she would remain with him always and disabled her from taking lovers. Zeus thought his plan was successful until his daughters sprung out his him and the same oracle, who prophesied of Metis and his children, warned him that even if he were to swallow Metis, the powerful boy could still be conceive by those carrying his and Metis' blood.
As precaution to his throne Zeus gave Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and lust to Hephaestus as an alternative to Athena. To safeguard Athena from Hephaestus, Zeus ordered Aphrodite to use her powers to ensnare Hephaestus's heart and make him fall in love her. Hephaestus was overjoyed at being married to the goddess of beauty due to her powers and forged her beautiful jewelry, including the cestus, a girdle that made her even more irresistible to men. But Aphrodite was unhappy with her marriage, being as her husband was unattractive, she frequently sought out companionship from others, both gods' alike and human men.
The blinded love Hephaestus had for Aphrodite began to waver as time went by. When the spell broke, he saw his unfaithful wife for what she was and was livid by her deceit and infidelity. Hephaestus found out from Helios, the all-seeing sun, that his wife was having an affair with Ares and planned a trap for them during one of their trysts. While Aphrodite and Ares lay together in bed, Hephaestus ensnared them in an unbreakable chain-link net so small as to be invisible and dragged them to Mount Olympus to shame them in front of the other gods for retribution of humiliating him. However, the gods laughed at the sight of these naked lovers and praised Aphrodite for her beauty and remarked of their wishes to be in Ares position. Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to free them in return guaranteed that Ares would pay the adulterer's fine. Hephaestus returned the disgraced Aphrodite to Zeus and demanded the original bride he had asked for. Zeus refused him once again, claiming his demand was already met. Aphrodite was a maiden and she had enchanted him before his fall. Hephaestus was infuriated by Zeus' injustice and of misusing his own words against him that he stopped fashioning Zeus his thunderbolts. Zeus did not care as he already found another smith, Hephaestus suspect it to be Athena, to replace him. It had to be her. She did live inside Zeus' belly into adulthood and created the great armor she wore.
Hephaestus did not let Zeus or anything stop him in his desire to have Athena as his wife. It's been over thousands of years but his feeling for her has not weaver. He plotted and he schemed, even though he failed countless times, he would not give up. Athena and he were meant to be together. He knew it the day he first laid eyes on her in her brilliant, flashing armor.
Hephaestus chuckled as he looked at the animal in the golden cage. His plan would work this time for he had captured the most precious thing Athena held dear, her owl. He knew from observation that she cares for the little creature very much and would probably give anything to have it back.
"You will me mine, Athena," he vowed to himself. "MINE!"
The masked owl lazily yawned in respond to Hephaestus' words and closed its eyes.
Good luck bro... It thought before falling asleep.
"Hephaestus!"
Hephaestus jumped when he heard his name. Quickly he pulled a sheet over the cage and went out to greet Apollo at the entrance of his temple.
"Are you finished with those arrows you promised me?" asked Apollo.
"Yes," replied Hephaestus, "just…give me a moment." He glanced around his workshop forgetting where he placed the arrows. He was distracted by the capturing of Athena's owl that he forgot to organize his metals and tools.
Apollo crossed his arms over his chest and sighed in boredom as he waited for Hephaestus to return. Glancing around, he spotted a black sheet over something on the far side of the room. Curiosity getting the better of him, Apollo went to it and pulled the sheet off. Hephaestus came back, arrows in hand, to see Apollo staring at the masked owl sleeping inside the cage.
Apollo turned his head when he realized Hephaestus had returned. "Well…Someone's going to get their balls chopped off." He said it without sarcasm, because they both knew his words to be true.
Apollo could laugh at Hephaestus' stupidity. If he were found out, Hephaestus would not only have Athena to answer to but Zeus and Hera as well. Only the older gods knew that the owl was indeed Athena's twin sister, Pallas. As Athena was the maiden who sprung of Zeus' head, Pallas appeared from Zeus' heart. Hephaestus did not know of Pallas because when Zeus cut his heart out and threw it away, it hit Hephaestus causing him to fall. While he was falling, Pallas appeared from Zeus' heart and skipped to her sister's side. They introduce themselves as Zeus' daughters and he warmly welcomed them in his arms. Surprising everyone, Hera took a quick liking to Pallas and kept her beside her, while Athena stayed with their father. Pallas developed a fondness for owls and often transformed into one. She usually sits on her sister's shoulder during meetings and stays in that form for a long while, rarely turning back.
Hephaestus dropped the arrows and quickly put the sheet back over the cage. "What do you want?" he inquired, going straight to bribery to keep Apollo's mouth shut.
"The owl –"
"NO! Do you know hard it was to finally capture this thing! I will not let you ruin my plans!"
"Calm down, you didn't let me finish. I just want to borrow the owl for a short while. I'll give it back. I swear."
Hephaestus snorted, "As if you keep your word!"
"Fine, if won't give me the owl. I'll just have to go tell Athena and –"
"FINE!"
Apollo smirked as he picked the cage up.
"Two days," said Hephaestus, "I want it back in two days."
"Of course," Apollo said before he disappeared to his temple.
Apollo placed the cage in his room. "Hello there, my pretty little owl." He said, leaning over the cage.
Having awaked from the feeling of the cage moving the owl stared up at Apollo with its large round eyes.
"Apollo," the owl greeted him.
"You know I've always dreamed of this moment," Apollo began, "having you in my hands, helplessly at my mercy."
"So have I, my handsome sun god," replied the owl transforming into the lovely maiden he so desired.
"Pallas," Apollo breathed, "you're as beautiful as I remembered."
"You do flatter me, Apollo."
"It's been far too long…."
"I wonder how you could be so stunned to see, me. You see me all the time in father's hall."
"Yes, but you were always in owl form."
"Be that it may, my sister is there."
"But Athena's a cold bic – bird." Apollo corrected himself in time before he accidently insults her twin sister. He knew she would not like it and would give him the cold shoulder, "Unlike you, you're so warm and inviting. I prefer your company over Athena any day." He smiled seductively down at her.
Pallas inclined her head at Apollo, "You were about to call my sister a bitch weren't you?"
The smile fell from his face, "What? No! I was not." He protested. Pallas didn't even hear him complimenting her but only heard his near insult of Athena.
"Yes you did! You said, 'Athena's a cold bic,'" she pointed at him accusingly, "You were about to say Athena was a cold bitch, but thought better of it and said bird instead."
"I was not."
"Bic! That was what you said. If you were going to say bird, then why is the letter 'c' in it?"
"Sweet Pallas, you are thinking too hard and making assumptions out of nothing." Apollo coaxed her to forget her argument. "Tell me how did you get capture by Hephaestus and put into this cage?"
Pallas crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back on him. "I will not speak to you until you apologize."
"Apologize for what?" he was irritated that she would not let this go, but was aroused at how lovely she looked when angered.
"For insulting my sister!"
"I. Did. Not!"
"Yes you did!" Pallas declared, before she transformed back into an owl. "Athena and I may not get along, but I will not stand for anyone insulting her!"
"Pallas," Apollo whined, "you are being unreasonable."
"HOOT!"
"Pallas –"
"HOOT!"
"Can't we just –"
"HOOT!"
"Fine! Be that way!" Apollo shouted in frustration, and pulled the sheet over the cage. He conjured a goblet of wine and drank it. He hadn't spoken to her in a few thousand years, but how could he have forgotten how bratty Pallas was?
Apollo let Pallas be for a few hours before attempting to speak to her again. She stayed in her owl form and spread her wings out in an aggressive manner and flapped her wings at him when he asked her to stop. Tired of her behavior and hooting, Apollo left his rooms to find one of his many consorts to vent his frustrations out on.
Pallas was a few hundred years older than him, but she's a spoiled little brat, who never grew up. Hera and Zeus were to blame for this. They spoil her rotten. Pallas was not even her real child, but Hera kept her close and forbid any male from approaching her. Hera only favored Pallas just because she sprung from Zeus' heart. The rest of Zeus' offspring were just dirt beneath her feet. Heck, she even treats her own children with distain.
Apollo swears, if Pallas was not so beautiful and forbidden, he would not have desired her and her blood so. His affection for her and her sister began when he first saw them, but it disappeared over time. His interest for Pallas returned hundreds of years later on the day he entered Zeus' hall and found her sitting next to Athena. Athena was sharpening her spear as usual, while Pallas was embroidery. Pallas pricked her finger on the needle, her blood oozing from the cut on her delicate skin. Apollo's body stiffened as he close his eyes and took a deep breath of air, his fangs extending. Her blood smelled delicious and it aroused him. Apollo sniffed the air once again to smell her blood, but Athena already licked the blood from her sister's finger, healing her tiny wound in a fashion that caused erotic scenes to form in his mind.
Apollo tried to approach the two of them many times but Athena wouldn't give him the time of day. Pallas, on the other hand, seemed quite taken with him. But alas, Hera and Athena interfered and kept her away from him. Hera…not only did the bitch curse him to crave blood, but she tortured him even more by dangling Pallas in front of him and not letting him touch her. When Apollo returned to his room, he found Artemis staring down at Pallas in the cage.
"You're going be drag to Tartarus for this." Said Artemis.
"Not if anyone finds out!" Apollo bellowed, waving his hand, the sheet appeared over the cage.
"What? You think Pallas isn't going to tattle once she escapes?"
"That's if she gets out!"
"You think Athena's not going to notice that her sister's missi–"
"PAAALLLLLAAAASSSS!" Athena's voice thundered throughout Olympus.
Artemis and Apollo stiffened at the sound of Athena's voice. Artemis tried to flash out of there but Apollo held her by the throat, preventing her from leaving.
"We are in this together!" spat Apollo.
"We? You're the one who captured her!"
Hephaestus appeared in Apollo's temple and stormed into his rooms. "I need it back! Now!"
"PAAALLLLLAAAASSSS!" Athena's voice sound louder and closer, causing the other gods to panic.
"I'M IN APOLLO'S TEMPLE!" Pallas shouted to her sister from the cage.
Panicking, Apollo took the cage and threw it at Hephaestus. The cage slipped through his fingers and fell on the floor.
"OW!" cried Pallas, "HURRY! THEY'RE PLAYING HOT POTATO WITH ME!"
Hephaestus picked up the cage and then a sudden realization struck him. Athena was going to kill him. With that thought in mind, he threw the cage at Artemis and flashed out of there.
Athena appeared inside Apollo's temple in a clap of thunder, her eyes flashing red and a thunderbolt hovering in her hand, ready to strike. Being twins, Athens could sense when Pallas was in danger and she quickly called out to her. She was furious that Apollo would dare harm her sister. She wanted blood, Apollo's blood.
Artemis panicked and threw the cage out the window to get rid of the evidence, but Athena already saw what she had done. Screaming in rage, Athena flew out of the window after her sister.
"Help! Help!" Pallas shouted, clinging onto the cage bars as she soared across the sky. Hephaestus took in account that the owl might have some powers. He the enchanted so that it would drain the powers of anything trapped inside it.
Athena could hear her sister's cries for help, but could not find her. Athena returned to Apollo's temple to confront him with the thunderbolt, but the coward was nowhere to be found. She went to Artemis' temple but she was gone as well. Zeus' temple was where she found them gathering and informing their father that it was all Hephaestus' fault.
"I found her in a cage!" said Apollo, "I was worried so I stole it from Hephaestus. I was trying to find a way to get her out, with Artemis' help but it would not budge."
"LAIR!" protested Athena, "Pallas told me you were throwing her around like a hot potato. Why would she say that? Unless you knew that you were caught and were panicking and trying to pin it on each other."
"We were trying to free her." said Artemis, going along with Apollo's story. She was upset with Apollo for pulling her into this, but knew what she had to do and say to avoid Zeus' wrath.
Athena glared at Artemis, "I saw you throw her out the window." She said coldly.
Artemis gasped at this and turned to Zeus, "The cage slipped out of my hands!"
Athena showed everyone in court her memories of the last few hours and that was when everyone knew what really happened. Zeus and Hera were furious Apollo, Artemis, and Hephaestus.
"See what your bastard children have done!" Hera bellowed, pointing at them.
Apollo, Artemis, and Hephaestus cringed at this. With the way Hera was reacting, one would think Pallas really belonged to her. Athena ignored Hera's outburst. She knew the real reason why Hera was always so concerned when Pallas was involved. Zeus was about ready to declare his punishment on the treacherous three gods when Athena intervened.
"Pallas was the one wronged," said Athena, "I suggest they put their efforts into finding her and we let her decide which punishment they shall receive."
Artemis, Apollo, and Hephaestus quickly agreed to this, thinking they got off easy, until they saw the devious look in Athena's gray eyes did they realized something was not right.
"And I suggest a deadline." Said Athena, "If they can't find her within a year, then their powers must be drained. They must live as mortals in the human realm for as many years Pallas choses."
"Yes," Hera agreed, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "let's keep them immortals but with no other powers. I'm certain the Fates would take good care of them."
Artemis shrieked. Having her powers taken away and forced to live in the mortal realm was her worse fear. Hera was letting them stay immortals with no power so that they could have no form of escaping from the hell that was the human life.
"But that's unfair!" protested Apollo and Artemis.
Hephaestus was the only of the three to not protest. He had lived as a mortal before. He did not have a problem with the punishment.
"Oh," said Athena, looked directly at Hephaestus, "as an alternative, would you three like to be shrunken and trapped inside a bird cage with no powers? I think it seems fit since you were all so helpful when you found Pallas that way." She smiled when she saw Hephaestus cringed.
After Zeus agreed to the sentence without any objections, he dismissed everyone and all returned to their temples.
When Artemis returned to her temple she screamed for Acheron, her love slave, to come to her temple. He would not answer her call. She kept screaming his name until he arrived with an irritated look on his face.
"What do you want?" asked Acheron.
"I need your help, Ash!"
"No," he flat out told her.
"But, this depends on your survival -"
"It does not."
"They're going to kill me -"
"They are not."
"I'll be dead -"
"Quit giving me false hope."
"ASH!" screamed Artemis. "You need to find Pallas!"
"Me? You're the one who threw her out window." Ash knew of the incident already, since his powers allow him to see into the future, past, and present. He already knew where the bird cage containing the goddess landed, but was not about to tell Artemis that.
"What else could I have done?"
"Well…I don't know. Not throw her out the window?" Ash shrugged, "Hand the cage back to her sister instead."
"I was in a stressful situation! I couldn't think straight!"
"Yes…of course," Ash nodded, "You never were the thinking type, mostly scheming..."
"Are you going to help me or not?"
Ash remained silent.
"FINE!" Artemis screamed, stomping her foot, "I'll just get the Dark-Hunters to do it!"
Dark-Hunters were humans who have died. Their souls cry out to Artemis for vengeance. She appears to the humans and if they give up their soul to her, they get an act of vengeance against whoever killed them. Now they protect mankind from the Daimons who want to claim human souls through drinking their blood. Ash was their leader and the first Dark-Hunters ever made.