A/N: Dream: ...this was my idea? Different: Yeah, yours. Its great though. :) Though, as a note for everyone who suffers from depression, self-harm, rape, and/or child abuse, this may be a trigger for you, and we would advise you to stop reading now. Dream: Yeah, my mind can be dark when creating a whole depressing family. :-/ But, if you do suffer from this, but want to read this, we won't stop you. It might help when you realize that you aren't alone, even if this family is made by my mind and Different's ideas. You're not alone. We don't want this to be a trigger. Different: I second that. Now, disclaimer. Dream owns the Anagnos family and most of Jaz's personality, but I own a few traits they possess, and Rick Riordan owns the rest. Dream: You have been warned.
PROLOGUE
One of the most important, noble families in Thebes, Greece, was the Anagnos family. The father, a man with dark hair and green eyes who was named after the Greek god of death, Thanatos, was one of the richest men in Greece, and a very important part in Thebes. His word was practically law. His image was a perfect politician, always reasonable and knowing what he was doing, very sure of every single move he made. He was the image of a fearless, inspiring leader - and not only in Thebes. He was head of the one of the three-hundred-sixty Nomes that make up the House of Life - Thanatos Anagnos is head of the Fourth Nome, also known as Greece.
Thanatos had a wife, Eleni. She was the image of a perfect wife - taking great care of the house, nice to everyone she came to meet, making helpful donations to good causes. Their own mansion was a summer school sometimes. She knew her way with words and was a beautiful Greek woman, with her brown curls that tumbled down her back and soft brown eyes that could comfort any small child - which they often in fact did.
And then came Thanatos and Eleni's children, a pair of twins, Selenia and Alexandros (who insisted on being called Alex, despite how unprofessional it sounded to his parents). Both had inherited their mother's curly brown hair, their father's olive skin, but a combination of both parents' eye colors, not exactly hazel, but a mixture of the green and brown.
Selenia was an artist. She often gave away some of her paintings, drawings, and sculptures to Greek orphanages or, if the owners begged hard enough, to museums. She was a tutor, helping little kids with their art skills. She was a natural with children, just like her mother. It wasn't uncommon to see her in the summer and even some days not in the summer, with paint coating her hands and a small child in her lap, both of them doing a finger-painting together.
Alex was a guitar player. He would have mini-concerts during summer school and was a teacher to the younger kids in the subject of music. He, like his sister, was good with children. He could always be seen treating a child with gentleness, being patient, and teaching said-child how to play the kid guitar, or - much less often - piano, flute, harp, and lyre. He would smile and feel so unbelievably happy for just making this one kid learn something and do it right. They were both the perfect image of a son and daughter.
And yet...they were far from the perfect family, as so many others had come to believe. If any, they were all deeply scarred, each for their own reason. But no one knew. Because no one wanted anyone - not the family, not their admirers - to see what was underneath the perfection. Dream: Next up is chapter one, Thanatos. You're not going to like him...till the end... Different: I still don't like him. Dream: At least he regrets it. But yeah, he's not the best person to have as a dad. Review! And remember, for those who suffer everything that's coming up next in the next four chapters: we don't mean this as a trigger. But you're not alone, I promise. Different: Second that. Different & Dream: Please review and tell us what you think!