So, this is my rewrite of Unknown. I hope it does a lot better because heck, I love the story and where it was going originally but hated that it kept getting slow even when it was on the more action filled parts. Too many details, not enough details, too much short paced dialoge...it just needed to be redone and with an outline this time. So, characters are the same, relationships are the same, and the plot is more or less the same with some subplots added in for the down times. I am going to change the timelines a little so that Eurydite has more buildup with Ares and she will have a bigger part with Perseus. I think I much prefer her just being a tag along for the ride than the main reason for everything. Anywho, some things will change, a lot actually, but most of the characters will stay the same.

Okay, here we go. I feel like this should be a rollercoaster. Please keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. In the event of a water landing your bra can be used as a lasso to catch a shark or dolphin to ride to safety on a nearby island where a crazy person lives. Please enjoy your ride on the Rewrite Express...

It had been years since she had returned to Greece. Eons perhaps, but all the things about where she had been born were still the same as they lead her down to the river. The village had placed stone after stone in her skirt pockets as a way to drown her. She had been burned already and despite her grusome appearance now, she was still very much alive. She knew that she was the last. Maybe not so, but there was one other that still lived and he was the last after her. He had raised her well enough to know that men were selfish pigs and fearful ones at that.

The waters of the Acheron looked cool and inviting on the hot day she had been sentenced to die yet again. She wanted to feel the water swallow her up as though it were her mother's embrace. It would make her raw skin feel so much better even if all of her nerve endings had been burnt off along with her raven hair. The only thing that survived was her her dark hazel eyes that she got from her grandfather and from her mother.

Her mother had been the last surviving child of an Olympian and she didn't understand why she had survived the fire herself when her mother had not. Perhaps the stories were true or maybe they were just stories, but in spite of it all she believed them.

"Any last words witch?"

She turned her hazel gaze to the man beside her who held ropes in his calloused hands. His tone was more out of annoyance than it was hatred and she could understand that very well. Perhaps she should say something, but she decided that her story and her family's story should remain unknown.

"No." She said no more than that as she turned her eyes to the river and slowly waded in as the small crowed of villagers watched from behind her.

The water gave her relief as she came to feel the coolness, but not so much the actual way it felt. Her skin was all numb from scarring and burns so the texture of water couldn't be felts. The sound of it was much better than the sound that fire made when it burned with violence. Water was gentle and careful, yet it was strong. The river itself was not deep and the current was slow, but every step she made with stones in her pockets brought on a new wave of tension. Her clothes became heavy as they became soaked with water and she found herself wanting to get on her knees.

The villagers were at her back and ahead of her was the flat lands that belonged to Ammoudia and its crops. The sky was a beautiful blue and the sound of birds bickering gave her a sense of peace as she sunk down into the water, letting it come up to her chest. She could see the trees down the bank hiding a figure draped in roman armor hidden under a cloak. He had come far to see her die. Perhaps he would be able to say that he witnessed the last of the Olympian blood die.

Perhaps she would see them all again in the Underworld. Her last thoughts brought her peace as she leaned back and let the water take her in its arms and rush into her lungs.

She thought she would be in the Underworld when she died, but instead, she returned to the Cosmos.

She returned to the beginning as a witness.

Eurydite

Looking out at the sea had become sort of a passtime to her as a child, but now she was looking at the multipul ships that had come into Ammoudia carying soldiers from Argos. Her mother had been sure that they would leave the temples alone and then there was the fact they had left the small shrine to Hades intact. No one dared mess with Hades.

The girl was only seven as she watched the ships come to take down the temple and leave the village without protection. They took every able boddied boy and man back to their ships at the command of the King. Her mother stood behind her a few feet with the wind whiping around them as the sun made its way down to meet the sea.

"Do you think they will come back?" She turned her steele gaze to her mother as the wind tossed her raven hair around.

"I don't know, Love. I don't know of anyone who can answer that for certain." Menthe walked closer to her daughter with worry in her green eyes as Eurydite turned her gaze back to the sea. "Maybe the Gods, but they are not answering anyone lately."

It was a shame really, because after the Gods gave them all life, the men of Argos were trying their best to spit in the faces of their creators. It was really nothing new as they had been doing it for years now. Menthe was just a mortal woman and a speck of dust to them, but she respected and loved them as she was taught to do as a child. She did her very best to teach Eurydite the same, but if her daughter did not want to worship them, then that was her choice.

"Come on, we must go say our prayers before we go home." She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and turned her in the direction down the slope to where the shrine was by the river.

"Do you think Grandfather would let me sleep outside tonight?" Eurydite asked taking a finger and twirling a lock of hair around it as she allowed her mother to stear her down the hill. "It will be a good night to see the stars."

"I'm sure he would if you ask him nicely." The woman told her daughter.

"I always ask him nicely." The girl said causing her mother to chuckle because the tone of her voice was contrary.

"You do, after you bribe him with his favorite fruit." Eurydite humphed and crossed her arms over her chest as her mother let go of her shoulders.

They came to the bottom of the hill where it met the river Acheron as it flowed out to the sea. Ammoudia was the village that accepted the Gods and even built a temple to worship all the Olympians, but Hades had his own place of worship away from that temple. This is what made Ammoudia special. Hades was openly praised here and no outsider, not even the Ionnian King would disturb. The Epirus region belonged to Hades and as long as the people here were left alone, peace would be had.

The shrine, or alter really, was only a stone. It was probably no more than five feet long and the depictions of Cerberus and Hades himself were all that were needed to clarify what it stood for. Around its base were offerings that had been placed there throughout the week. Some of it food, some of it coins, and mostly it was herbs. It was all the villagers could offer up in thanks for the protection and peace, however, Menthe had the distinct feeling that peace would end soon. The temple was still smoldering off in the distance and while she could see it still smoking from the other hill across the cove, it was mostly gone.

"I pray to you Hades, Lord of the Underworld and the Unseen to keep our village safe from harm in the coming days." Eurydite said before placing a small white flower down next to the stone alter. "Please accept my offering." She leaned over and kissed the stone where the epitath of the God was.

"I as well My Lord." Menthe took a sprig of a mint plant and placed it down next to her daughter's offering before kissing the stone as well. "Now, lets go home Love." She grabbed Eurydite's hand and lead her to the shallow crossing of the river where a bridge had been built out of timbers from upriver.

"Mother, do you think he heard us?" Eurydite asked her as they crossed.

"He did. He always hears us."

"Because he is Hades." For a child, Eurydite was very knowledgable about the Gods.

"That's one way of putting it." Menthe said as she stepped off of the bridge and into the village. "Go on home. I will get your Grandfather his fruits." Eurydite ran off towards the big house on the hill to the east of the village.

It was home to the village leader and he was wealthy of course. Eurythion had seen his fare share of battles throughout his life and the scars he had on his body was all the proof anyone needed to know. Not only that, but he was missing an eye. He was still very active in his old age and it was a very respectable thing. However, it seemed that today had taken its toll on him.

When the girl came running into the house she had found him sitting down at his desk with his head in his hands looking as worn out as ever. It worried Eurydite to no end as he had never looked so frail. When he heard her footsteps though, he looked up at her with his one green left eye and all the weariness had suddenly vanished from his face.

"Grandfather? Are you alright?" The dark haired girl asked him and he did nothing but smile at her.

"I'm alright my little nymph." He gestured for her to come to him and she happily did even allowing him to put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, I can take a little beating from Argos."

"Why did they come?" She asked him.

"They came to burn the temples down. Greece is getting fed up with the Olympians it seems." The old man said leaning back in the chair he sat in as Eurydite looked up at him in his weary state. "It looks like the Ionnian King is in agreement with Acrisius and that bodes ill for us in Epirus."

"The ships from Argos haven't left yet." Menthe said walking into the room where her father and daughter were.

"That's interesting." He put his hand to his chin in thought. "No matter, I think it is time for supper and I am very hungry." He smiled at his granddaughter and winked with his one eye.

"Yes, because an old man such as yourself can't possibly eat all the food that Tira makes for you." Menthe said sarcastically as he rose from his desk and allowed Eurydite to lead him to the table in the common room where they all sat to eat.

"I can and have before, My Dear." There was just a good nature to Eurythion that had all the villagers eating from the palm of his hands most days and they loved him for it.

There was not much to talk about over supper, but what was said about Argos was left for after and while Eurydite did get her Grandfather to agree to her sleeping out on the terrace, he did so with the condition that when she fell asleep she would be brought inside. She had protested at first because what was the use of sleeping outside when she would be brought into her room once she did fall asleep?

So after supper Eurydite gathered up as many furs as she could and spred them out on the floor of the terrace while Menthe gathered the linens from the store room for her daughter to cover herself with. Once everything was set up, Menthe tucked her little girl in for the time being and then laid down next to her.

"Tell me again how Grandfather lost his eye." Eurydite asked as she looked up at the dark sky.

"Well, when I was born, I was very sick and my mother died shortly after. Father made a deal with Hades to spare my life and the only thing that Hades would accept was something that Father needed. So, he cut out his own eye." The woman said sadly knowing that the God was cruel just as much as he was fair. It did not change how she felt about him though. "It turned out he needed me more than his eye."

"Who? Grandfather or Hades?" The complicated answer was 'both' but the short answer and the one Menthe knew her daughter would understand better was of course, the easy one.

"Grandfather of course." She smiled and turned on her side to tickle her daughter. "You silly thing." Eurydite's laughter rang out attracting the attention of a screech owl that had come to land in a tree nearby.

"Mother! Stop it!" The girl squirmed as her mother kept wiggling her fingers into the child's ribs. It was all stopped when the owl screeched catching their attention. "What was that?" Eurydite stopped laughing and sat up looking around with Menthe doing the same.

"That was a screech owl. No need to worry." The mother kissed her daughter on the forehead before getting up to leave. "Remember, when you fall asleep you have to come inside. I'll come check on you in a while."

"Alright." The girl yawned and laid down to watch the stars as Menthe took one last look at where the screech owl sat in the tree on the other side of the terrace before she went inside.

Menthe knew he was watching and because he was watching it meant that there was something wrong. Something that involved Argos and before dawn would come she knew that everything would change. He rarely left his dominion and even more so, he rarely involved himself in matters that had to do with the mortal world. However, he was cunning and he had the patience to execute the most thought out plans.

She sighed retreating into her room for the night unti it was time to check on her daughter. She laid in her bed and began to drift off when the sound of the front doors slamming open and the sounds of men yelling woke her up. She immediately found herself running out to where Eurydite slept on the terrace only to find her missing.

"Eurydite!" Menthe yelled in panic as she searched for her daughter until she ran into the Argosian soldiers and their commander. "What are you doing here?!" She tried to get passed them as they blocked the door to the house. "Get out of my way!" She pushed on them again but they did not budge. "This is my house and you are not invited!" She was pushed back and then grabbed from behind by another soldier.

"By order of King Acrisius we are seizing your home and lands for failed payment of debts." The dark eyed commander said as he pulled out a scroll with the King's mark on it. Menthe's eyes widened as she realized this was why they had not left.

"There is no unpaid debts. Epirus belongs to its own, not Acrisius." She protested as two more soldiers came onto the terrace holding Eurythion by his arms. "Father!" She ran over to her father as he was dropped in front of her. He was unresponsive and clearly had been beaten. She kneeled down and put a hand on his cheek as tears filled her eyes.

"There is an unpaid debt, My Lady. You were supposed to wed our King, but instead you laid with another man. Do you not remember this?" The commander said to her.

"I remember, but it was all forgiven." She looked up at him confused. "What does he want?"

"Ammoudia is now under control of Argos and all the Epirus region will be as well." Menthe heard the words and looked back down at her unresponsive father before nodding. Ammoudia would recover in time.

"Where is my daughter?"

"There was no sign of a child when we entered." One of the soldiers spoke up and Menthe sighed in relief as she realized Eurydite was hiding.

"Child or no, you will be going to Argos in chains as is the King's command." Menthe's eyes turned to the Commander as her mouth gaped open.

"What?!"

"You heard me, now get up." The soldier said as she was roughly lifted up and chains were placed around her wrists and ankles. Her father still laid on the terrace with no sign of life as she was lead away. "Don't drag your feet or I will have them carry you to the ships and by the King's orders I will burn Ammoudia to the ground if you resist."

"I will not resist." She knew that Eurydite was safer if she stayed hiding and she silently prayed that He was watching out for the little girl.

The Argosian's lead her past the quiet shops in the village and the darkness was touched by the light of the torches that the soldiers held as they brought Menthe to the beach in chains. The villagers didn't understand what was going on and when they all gathered on the beach to witness their beautiful princess lead away to the ships in chains. They all murmured to each other at how unjust it was or how Argos had taken everything away from them.

Menthe found herself looking back at all of them knowing that no matter what they would keep Ammoudia's secret safe from the outside world. As she turned her attention back to the ships ahead of her she heard her daughter's screams for her and whiped around to see Eurydite running down the beach with tears in her precious grey eyes.

"Eurydite!" Menthe wanted to take her daughter in her arms and hold her tight, never letting go but she was grabbed roughly by the arms and dragged away.

"Mama! No! Come back!" The raven haired girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her but she tripped over her own feet and fell into the sand with the surf coming in to cover her. "Mama!"

"Eurydite!" The woman pulled hard from the men as the Commander held his hand out to stop them and let her go to her child. "Eurydite!" She struggled with the chains as the girl got to her feet and started running again with tears streaking down her face.

"Mama!" The little girl plowed into her mother and held onto her tightly as Menthe landed on her knees. She kissed Eurydite on the head and cheeks.

"Listen to me, Eurydite." She made the girl look her in the eyes with the tone of her voice. "Go to the alter. Go to the alter and don't look back. Stay there until he comes for you."

"Mama?" Eurydite didn't understand what Menthe was speaking about.

"Please just do as I say. I love you and I promise we will see each other again." She kissed her daughter on the cheek again as the soldiers came to collect her again. "Go Eurydite! Run!"

"Mama! No! You can't take her!" The child screamed and ran up to the soldiers throwing her fists at their stomachs, but it was no use as one of them picked her up and tossed her aside. "Mama!"

"Go! I love you!" Menthe was now crying as she was being drug across the beach and into the surf by the soldiers.

"Burn it all to the ground!" The commander yelled as he motioned for the rest of the soldiers to burn Ammoudia down.

"No! You can't!" She heard he mother scream and the villagers start to yell out in protest.

Eurydite watched speechless and unmoving as the Argosian soldiers marched past the stunned villagers with torches in their hands and began to set each and every house alight. Her mind was blank as everything she knew was being ripped from her in grand fashion and now she had nobody left to turn to. All she could do was watch as her home burned down and the bottomless pit that had formed in her stomach held nothing but darkness and emptiness. The chaos that she was witnessing as the people she had known all her life were running to their homes in panic to retrieve thier children and belongings. It was all so vivid and she was sure she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.

She would remember the way the Argosian's dragged her mother away and the way they had beat her grandfather within a hairs breadth of his life and just left him there on the terrace. She would remember that no Olympian would come to save Ammoudia. Above all she would remember running to the alter and finding something there she had not expected to find.

Standing there infront of the stone alter was a God. In his hand was the mint her mother left there earlier that day along with the little white flower. He looked at her with his steele colored eyes with the fires of Ammoudia reflecting in them. His hair long and slightly greying along with the beard he wore on his face. She knew him. She knew him well as she had grown up hearing stories about him. There was no mistaking this man, or in this case, God.

Hades had come to Ammoudia's defense. His eyes turned red and he only watched as the village burned. It's people panicking but safe from harm while the ships left into the night taking Menthe with them. She stood there with him and watched with that sinking sensation of the word falling around her like a ton of stones.

"Come with me." He held out his hand to her and she took it without hesitation.

A little reminder of Bambi there I think. Anyway, I hope this is much better and much more interesting. I have a ways to go, but at least there will be no long pre-story to Clash like with the other one. Eurydite is approx about 8 years older than Perseus in this one, so she may be going with him on his journey. I can see her having a slight crush on Draco maybe...hehe.