Book One.
DARREN
To my Emily Walker, Bethany Garters, James Myhill and Charley Brand- Without you guys I wouldn't have done this, or half the things I have and am going to do.
Also to all of the class of Soham Village College 2013 (especially Amy, Jemi, Ellie, Cathy, Meghan, Fran, Sophie, Destiny, Niamh, anyone who was in any of my forms (so many different names!)) - Without whom I would not be the same person.
To Emily Brighty, Maddy Stewart, Charlotte Grass, Megan Hey, Katelyn Williams, Joseph Hall and all the stars from NOMADS. I wouldn't be as mad if it wasn't for you!
And finally to my family, who I will always hold closest to my heart.
Thank you all.
Contents.
Preface- 3
Rituals- 4
Rome-
Xavier-
Misplacement-
Fire in the rain-
Passions-
Open Book-
Principals-
Taylor-
Memories-
Darren-
Complications-
Family-
Swords-
Madness-
Blood-
Epilogue- Strange
Preface-
This was awful.
All of it... it was all so disgustingly gruesome.
But something seemed weird, right even.
Right in a wrong sense;
in a sickly, unsettling and scary sense.
Either way- this was wrong.
It shouldn't have happened.
It just wasn't natural, but then again most of this didn't seem natural anymore.
Nothing did.
So if it wasn't natural what was it?
Destiny?
Chapter One, Rituals.
Hades was pacing.
Up and down the long white corridor in this...place.
One, twice, three times he passed past the door to THAT room.
It wasn't so much this place that made him slightly on edge, it was that room...
or not so much that room, as the happenings that where going on right now inside that room.
Pilea was in there, with that THING.
It wasn't going to be good, anyway.
He could do everything right, it wouldn't change it.
Zeus would condemn them, and blame him for forcing him to punish them.
And Pilea would cry if the baby went.
But she would she'd also cry if the baby stayed!
Because if it stayed, it would be damned forever... a small voice in the back of Hades mind whispered, Hades merely patted it away.
But if it went then she would be giving something up that she had wanted for nearly ever.
And that simply wasn't logical.
She was the Goddess of night, Hades right hand lady, the heiress to death and darkness and fire if anything should ever happen to him!
But there it was.
Goddess,
Lady,
Heiress,
Female.
Weak.
And she had been carrying that...parasite inside of her for the last twelve months.
It was different for a God; the birthing process wasn't as simple as it was with humans.
With humans it was a simple nine months, you popped the thing out and it was over.
With humans you gave the baby your blood and food, and in return it gave you its extras... but not for Gods.
Gods shared their blood to produce the child, they cried they hated-Pilea had even killed for this child.
And then there was the LINK.
The stupid thing, it was all Athena's' idea, it was supposed to make them more compassionate and caring for the new born God or Goddess.
All it meant was there was a telepathic link between both the parents and the unborn thing.
It meant that Pilea was even more attached to this thing then a human to their baby.
It was also supposed to mean that Hades would feel something if he ever fathered a child.
But it didn't affect Hades.
And that pleased him.
It meant he wouldn't have to show emotion when the child went, as he knew it soon would.
And in a way, it scared him.
NO.
Hades didn't get scared!
He was the God of night, The Lord of darkness, the creator of the underworld!
No.
Hades didn't get scared.
He couldn't afford to.
It could only be worse if he felt anything for this thing that had sucked the life force out of Pilea, the thing that had made her a different and terrifying Goddess, the beast that had hurt her so badly in so many ways.
But it was his beast. It showed initiative and instinct.
And he couldn't let go.
Not to the first chance at redemption he had had in thousands of years.
It had all been a huge mistake.
The fact that Pilea had ever wanted to have a child was stupid, let alone Hades even thinking there was a chance this could be a good thing...
The door in front of him creped open a tiny way, and a young Helper put their head out.
"Mr..mmmmm...Mr HHH Hades?" The Helper trembled
Hades looked at the Helper, his eyes wide and burning.
Helpers usually didn't speak.
Their only function was to be silent slaves to the Gods.
But this one had the nerve, the audacity to speak to HIM of all Gods.
This one was brave.
A Helper to keep beside you then.
But that wasn't important now, the door had been left open, the Helper had run inside the room.
This was it.
This was it.
But what was it?
The parasite from Hades imagintation?
Another usless girl?
A powerfull heir?
A boy?
Hades smiled a little to himself.
Either way this went, he shouldn't be happy.
He shouldn't be connected.
Because this was just the beginning of the end.
Pilea stood, quivering in front of the hall of light Gods.
In her arms the tiny golden bundle that was her daughter breathed lightly.
Above her head, Zeus stood grandly, his arms crossed, his face angry.
Of course he would blame Hades. Pilea knew he would.
And Peresphone.
All because she was unable to give him an heir and Pilea could.
Her sister always was the jealous type.