Grover

Music. Music filled the air throughout Hearthside in celebration of the Festival. The festival was a public holiday, so the hobbits can kick their feet up and enjoy the break. The area in the centre, vacated for the festival, was packed with hobbits. They all danced and were having the time of their lives. On the outskirts of the crowds, there were rows and rows of free service ale kegs lined up for anyone that wished for a refreshment. Food was on every table with a variety of vegetables, meats and fruits.

Right in the centre, was a massive bonfire with embers that looked like fireflies. People were dancing all around it, either by themselves or with a partner. But this wasn't even the best part. The wizard, Nikolan, was once again showing off his skill in shadow magic and lit the sky with beautiful images. Grover never knew that a shadow could have so many different colours. Grover also remembered that Nikolan told him that he had some practice in earth magic but explained that his sister was far better.

Throughout the night Grover talked with the various families and his friends. They exchanged stories, drinks and laughed about many things. Gleeson Hedge told him something about how he fended off a group of bandits near the Hattan ridge, though Grover highly doubted it was true. The children were pestering him to play with them, but he denied, instead he decided to play a little funny joke on Nikolan by telling the kids that he wanted to play. Grover watched with joy as they all tried to jump on the unsuspecting man, forcing him to play. After Nikolan shooed them away, he glared at Grover but Grover just laughed it off. A lot of people asked how grandma Hestia was doing and Grover tried his best to explain. To be completely honest, even he didn't really know how she was doing.

He looked back at Nikolan and as impressive as his Nightstones were or his famous Shadow flies, the wizard still stood alone, leaning on a tree and away from the large crowds.

"Enjoying yourself?" Grover asked as he walked up to him.

Nikolan smiled and set off another shadow spell, this time a firework that exploded into the night creating various animals that flew in the sky. The people looked in amazement.

"Oh you know me," Nikolan replied, "I'm not one for 'mingling'."

"Yes… but it is a festival," Grover told him.

The man chuckled slightly, muttering something under his breath, "Ah, hobbits, such precious little creatures."

"Oi, we're not that precious."

The wizard just grinned and nodded, "I have no doubt about that, but please... Grover, go and enjoy yourself."

All of a sudden something captured Nikolan's eye that Grover didn't catch.

"Wait…" the wizard said, "is that — oh it is..."

Grover felt confused to what the old man meant until he pointed his finger. Grover followed his arm and noticed exactly what he meant. A girl danced alone, in the middle of a crowd of others. Grover gulped.

"Oh — oh I can't, Niko."

"Oh come on, Grover. You know how much you like Juniper."

"I'm fine," he tried to reply, "I think I'll just have another ale."

But before he could walk away, Nikolan grabbed him and started pushing him into the crowd of dancers. Okay so now he wants to socialise, Grover thought to himself. He tried his best to escape from Nikolan's grasp but it was like a fly trying to break free from an enclosed hand. Nikolan pushed Grover through the tables, past the drunk hobbits, past the hungry people and had almost thrown him right into the dancers. Grover felt him let go. He look around to try and find Nikolan but saw that he was already gone. Just as Grover started to leave, he felt somebody tap his shoulder.

"Grover?"

He turned around and shuddered at the sound of the voice.

"Oh, hey Juniper…" Grover whimpered.

"Oh… stop being so nervous Grover," she laughed, which warmed Grover for some reason, "come on, you care for a dance?"

Grover sounded like he tried to say no but was dragged in by Juniper anyway. Juniper took the lead because she was a far better dancer than him while Grover tried to keep up. Grover stepped on her toes a few times but she just laughed, which only made him danced for what felt like forever but Grover didn't care, he wanted to cherish every moment… though he still wanted to stuff 60 acorns in Nikolans mouth later.

After they finished dancing, Juniper did a sort of playful curtsy and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. Grover, just stood there, paralyzed with a combination of confusion and joy. It was only when Nikolan nudged him, that snapped Grover back to reality

"Well, you surely looked like you enjoyed yourself," Nikolan said whilst trying to hold back a laugh.

"Why you, large, sack of..."

In the middle of saying this, Grover tried to wrestle with the wizard but Nikolan just continued laughing. You should see a hobbit trying to grapple a full grown man, even you would laugh. Grover finally gave up and just stood there looking at Nikolan. Grover was acting all serious until he couldn't help himself. A smile began to grow on his face which then turned into a chuckle.

"I hope this never changes, Nikolan."

"So do I, Grover," Nikolan sighed, "So do I…"

But, of course, it did.


Shortly after Grover had finished eating, the ground started to shake. The plates and glasses started to vibrate vigorously on the tables and some even fell off. Nobody seemed to notice until the music was drowned out by the rumbling. Then people started to panic. Tents fell over and kegs rolled off their tables, almost knocking into unsuspecting hobbits. People were running, tripping over each other and some were knocking into chairs. The large bonfire started to collapse, though luckily not burning anything to the ground. Grover looked around to see people trying to duck underneath tables and flee to their homes. The rumbling just got louder and more violent.

Grover tried to find Nikolan but he was nowhere to be seen. You'd think it'd be easy to find a tall man in a crowd of little hobbits but just like that, he had vanished. But forget about him for now, Grover told himself, I need to get back home.

It all began to click in his mind, and he realised that Hestia was still alone. He needed to make sure she's okay. Grover's body, though extremely shaken in fear, managed to start moving back towards the house. He pushed passed people and started running up the hill. With him, were a bunch of others trying to get back to their homes.

Then he saw it, the house under the hill. Grover slammed past the gates and struggled to run up the stairs. The world was still shaking. He burst through the door, not even caring if he threw it off its hinges. Grover ran into the living room and was greeted by a terrible sight. Grandma Hestia was on the floor and the fire was cold. She looked like she was shivering but she still held the little pouch in her hand. He slid to her side and shook her shoulder, calling out her name but she didn't respond. He could hear her muttering to herself, gripping the pouch even tighter. 'The earth is waking', she says, 'She will return', 'the seed must be protected'. Grover didn't know what to do. So he just sat there in shock. Tears began to leak from his eyes.

All of a sudden the door opened behind him.

"Grover!"

Nikolan stepped into the living room, sword in hand. His face completely distraught.

"What happened?" He asked, trying to tend to Hestia.

"I — I don't know," Grover sobbed, "I found her like this."

Suddenly they heard a loud crash. One of the pots on the shelves shattered on the ground. Tables were knocked over and books were falling off their cases. The shaking was getting worse.

Grover looked desperately at Nikolan, "Do something Niko!"

Grover could see the wizards eyes move side to side, trying to think. Nikolan then stood up and sheathed his sword. He closed his eyes and extended his hands.

"Αναπαύσου τη γη, πίσω στο ύπνο σου," he started chanting these words that Grover did not understand, "Αναπαύσου τη γη, πίσω στο ύπνο σου."

He kept repeating this language over and over. Again and again.

At first Grover didn't notice, but slowly, the shaking started to hobbit's vision began to steady and his bones no longer rattled. Soon enough, the rumbling stopped all together and the world became still. The silence came back and the only sound that could be heard was the distant chirping of crickets. Nikolan lowered his hands and took a deep breath.

Grover thought the worst had passed.

He looked back down at Hestia, who still lay there, but was no longer shaking. She just stayed there silent and breathing, as if she were sleeping. Grover then looked back at Nikolan, who leaned up against a wall. His breathing heavy, and his face, covered in sweat. But he quickly wiped it off and came walking towards Grover.

"How is she doing now?" the wizard asked.

"Fine," Grover replied, "she's no longer shaking, but… Niko. What is going on?"

There was a soft silence between the two. Grover thought that Nikolan was just regaining his strength but really, he was trying to find his words. Finally, Nikolan let out a deep sigh and met Grover's eyes. It strained Grover's neck to do the same. A hobbit looking directly up at a man is bad for the neck.

"Come. Let us put your Grandma Hestia to bed and then… all will be answered."


They both sat at the table in the kitchen. First, Grover had to pick everything back up after the earthquake. The room was silent. The only sound that could be heard was the distant flickering of the fireplace. They had only a few candles to light the kitchen at night. At the end of the table was a hot kettle of tea, if they ever needed any drinks, Grover though. In between Nikolan and Grover was the small pouch that Hestia held. But Grover dared not linger on it for too long. It would give him a headache.

"So…" Grover said, "explain."

Nikolan cleared his throat, took in a deep breath and began to speak. From the Wizard's story, Grover could see everything happen from Nikolan's perspective, as if the little hobbit had been there himself...

"The day was black. The air itself was hard to breathe. The world filled with shadow and free peoples of Olympus marched on the lands of Tartarus. Man, Elf and even the dwarves banded together, to fight Gaea. An evil presence on the world that terrorised the innocent. But it was no easy task, the dark lady had filled her lands with rank upon rank of orcs...

I watched in horror as the orcs come running down, like a black wave of pure corruption. We stood strong and steadfast, waiting for the inevitable doom. Then all of a sudden, arrows go flying straight past our heads and into the hordes of orcs. Line by line the orcs fell. Next, flying balls of fire flew overhead hitting the ground where the orcs stood, exploding on impact. But no matter how true an elf's shot may be or how precise a dwarf's mechanism is, the orcs keep coming. I stand in the frontlines, with the men, ready to lay there lives down.

"King Zeus," I called out, "nothing is stopping them."

"It matters not, the men of Skygorath will hold their ground."

I smiled, "I was hoping you'd say that."

We waited as the wave of orcs came charging towards, being constantly hit by arrows and ignited boulders. The closer they got, the more damage they suffered. Suddenly, shadow-balls were being hurled and jewels wrapped around their very bodies. I somehow managed to convince Hades to aid us. But still, they kept coming, closer and closer.

"Men of Skygorath!" Zeus shouted, "No matter how hard they hit, no matter how many come, no matter how evil they may be, we will hold this line! NO amount of orc, troll or goblin shall pierce it! This day, we will rid the land of this curse!"

All the men shared a warcry that could be heard all around the world. These men were ready, determined and willing to sacrifice themselves. That's what I always admired about them, they may not have the beauty of an elf or the intelligence of a dwarf or the spells of a wizard, but they were the most brave of all. They held their ground against any force.

"Shields!"

The first line of the battalion faced their shields forward, lining them up together to form a wall. Behind them were more soldiers, itching for a fight. The thundering steps of orcs got louder and louder. Suddenly, the shining of golden armor started to creep it's way into the ranks of men, standing by them, their graceful swords at their side.

"The elves, stand by you this day. May no evil corrupt our world," a voice said to my left.

I turned around to see two tall elves standing next to me. Their silver hair glistening, even though there was no sun.

"It's good to have you with us, my lord Chiron."

"I will always stand by you Nikolan, old friend."

The other elf, Lord Apollo, said the same thing, nodding in my direction.

Then CRASH, the hordes of evil had struck our line. The great clash of good and evil had begun. Neither, prepared to back down. All around me was the bloodshed of war

I struck down an orc with my blade and slay another. I shot out a beam of shadow fire from my hand, incinerating three orcs at a time. One managed to catch me by surprise from behind but I swiftly turned around and removed it's head from its body, probably doing it a favour. I summoned three skeletons to fight by my side, hopefully turning the odds in my favour. An orc charged at me but quickly step to the side and stab it in the back, I heard it let out a cry of pain and collapse on the ground.

Next to me, Zeus stood with his men, sword and shield in hand, striking down many an orc. On the other side, no opponent was matched for Chiron's skill with the blade. His style was like art, gracefully cutting down an enemy in a matter of seconds. Same with Apollo, his arrows never miss their mark.

Then, something bouldered it's way through a crowd of orcs. A troll bursted from a bunch of them, not even caring about his fellow orcs. He looked straight at me and roars like a beast. He swung his club overhead, bringing it down on me. I manages to roll out of the way, hearing a loud crack as the club hit the ground. I slid underneath it's leg, slicing it's thigh. I stabbed it's calf making it kneel slightly. In anger, the troll turns around and swipes me with his hand knocking me back 5 feet.

My sword flew out of my hand and I lied on the ground defenceless. The troll walked towards me. I tried to grab my weapon but it's just out of reach. As I waited for the giant force to strike me down, a jet of flame bursted from the side of my vision and the troll lit on fire. Then an axe comes out of nowhere, digging itself into the trolls head. The troll fell back onto a crowd of orcs and made a loud thud.

"Get up, wizard!" The dwarf king Hephaestus called, "There's still plenty of these bastards to kill."

He started running back into the horde of orcs, flamethrower in hand."

"We kept battling for hours, but things started to look dire. The orcs kept coming, killing more and more of us. It felt like all hope was lost...

"Zeus!" Apollo called whilst notching an arrow, "Where is your brother!?", the bow lets loose and the arrow strikes down an orc.

"I don't—", Zeus slashed at an orc, "—know. He's always late."

A towering man in bloodied robes spoke, "Maybe we have put false hope, in the kingdom of men."

"There is no need to start blaming others, Hades!" A woman with long, brown, curly hair shouted.

"Is there? You have gotten soft for the world of men, Hazella," Hades says, "They are all weak and easily corrupted."

"Is Hazella you're sister?"

Nikolan nodded his head.

"Well, sounds like Hades was a bit wicked."

Nikolan laughed, "Hades is a bit uptight and harsh, yes. But he is the leader of my council and he is wise. He sees the flaws in others. Now may I continue?"

"Yes, of course."

"How dare you speak of us like that!" Zeus exclaims.

"Enough! Both of you," Chiron cries out, "let's focus on the situation at hand."

The orcs were pushing us, slowly and slowly overcoming our soldiers. Men, Elf and Dwarves blood littered the battlefield. Their bodies all lying together. The orcs were relentless and cruel. The hordes were endless.

Then… the sound of a horn, blows in the distance. The clanging of swords lessened and thunder shook the earth. But this was no work of Gaea, no, this was the rumbling of hooves slamming against the ground. We all look in the distance, to our left, to see an ocean of horses, all ridden by men. They held their weapons high and their banner flew; The banner of Tydaris.

Zeus smiles, "Poseidon."

The cavalry crashes through the horde of orcs, the momentum so fast that they didn't even slow down. At the head of the charge was Poseidon himself. He swung his sword, Anaklusmos, on both sides, knocking off the heads of orcs. The sudden change of events made something snap in the hearts of our men and they pushed. Pushed forward against the evil."

"Wow… that sounds amazing," Grover said, "Are they real?"

"Oh yes, they are. Poseidon was a personal friend of mine and his son is a good man."

"Who's his son?" Grover asked.

"That's a story for another time... but you could always know when Poseidon and his Tide Riders were coming. The sound was like rolling thunder. If it weren't for him that day, we would have lost the battle."

"Wow…" Grover gasped, "that charge sounds legendary! It must have won the battle! Right Niko?"

Nikolan sighed.

"Poseidon won us the battle, but it wasn't because of the cavalry. We were winning the battle, yes… but our enemy still had one last trick up their sleeve… Gaea...

"HAHA!" Zeus exclaimed with glee, "I thought I'd never be so happy to see you, brother."

Poseidon turned to his younger brother, flicking his black hair to the side, "Come now, Zeus. You think I'd miss this glorious occasion?"

"You humans," Hephaestus scoffs, "what's so glorious about this?"

"Bah, have you no sense of pride dwarf king? The people of Olympus uniting? Fighting under one banner? You can't tell me that's not something to die for."

Before anybody could say a word, the ground started to shake again, but this was no cavalry force. This was more evil, maniacal even. The laughter of the dark lady Gaea echoed through the ground. The orcs stopped their attacks, leaving us to stop, confused. We all waited, standing our ground for whatever comes next. All of a sudden, the earth in front of us erupts, sending many of our soldiers flying. Standing before us, was a giant beast created from the earth, embodying the evil spirit of Gaea. Everything corrupt, cruel, ruthless was all molded into this beast. It stood many feet over us, its body made out of the ground, connected by little lines of water. Its fists were boulders and it's legs were trees. Its eyes were a poison green."

"This was Gaea?"

"No… it was the embodiment of her. She herself cannot leave the Earth, so her spirit creates this monster."

"How did you defeat it?"

"It was a long and gruesome battle, most of our forces had been slain. We tried to fight it but it easily overpowered all our strength...

We all lay on the ground, half-dead. Hades was unconscious and the elves lay paralysed. The beast stood over Zeus who couldn't move, blood poured from his face. His sword was shattered and his shield was split. The lightning bolt of his armor was torn apart. The beast looked at him, eyeing the king of Skygorath. Zeus knew what was to come. I couldn't do anything because my body was too weak. I tried to lift my hand but the pain just shocks through my whole body.

"Your attempt to stop me was weak," a voice grumbles in the ground. It was Gaea, "Now, look at you, all squirming on the ground. Your alliance was useless. The weakness of men is and always will be the downfall of this world. Now watch, as their King, perishes."

The boulder of a fist raises up into the sky, about to come down on the King. It's just about to connect until something strange happens. A flash of light, blinds me. When my vision clears, I see that Zeus had not been killed, he still lay there. Instead, Poseidon stood between him and the monster. I then suddenly notice that the monsters hand was gone, as if it had been cut off. The water connecting the hand to the body was spilling out. Anaklusmos was glowing in Poseidon's hand.

"WHAT!?" Gaea screams, "Impossible!"

Poseidon tries to strike again, but this time is snatched by the monster. The beast held Poseidon in its hand. Poseidon still held the glowing blade.

"You think you could stop me? It is futile! NOW, you shall suffer."

Poseidon screams in pain as the beast closes it's hand, completely crushing his entire body. The monsters hand started dripping blood, but not it's own. It was horrifying to watch. You could practically hear the bones cracking. The laughs of Gaea echoed through the air as we watched the king of Tydaris crumbling under the pressure.

"You. Are. Weak!"

All of a sudden a strange sound came from Poseidon, it was like he was trying to talk, but the damage done to him was too much. But then he manages to utter out one more scream. But this wasn't of pain, no, it was of anger and spite. It sounded like a warcry. With the last of his strength, he grips his sword and drives it into the monsters chest. The beast suddenly begins to crumble, the lines of water connecting it started to evaporate and the arms and legs began to fall off. The last thing heard were the screams of Gaea. The scream was so loud that it almost burst our ears. The rest of the orcs began to flee, back into their caves.

We all watched as Poseidon's limp body lay amongst the debris. Anaklusmos and his body, broken."

"And just like that?"

"Just like that."

Grover sat back in his chair, rubbing his forehead in pain. Everything Nikolan had just told him was a lot for a hobbit.

"And you were there?" Grover said, "through all of it?"

"All of it," Nikolan replied.

"But what does this have to do anything with Hestia?"

"Do you know what we found?" Nikolan asked, "Amidst the debris, within the fallen corpse of the beast was a seed. A small, delicate thing that radiated evil. At first we had no idea, but we soon found out. The power it held, if one were to unleash it, they would hold great strength and might but deep down it releases an evil that cannot be tamed. We thought it could be easily destroyed but no weapon could pierce it. So we did what we could. We kept it safe, in a place where no evil could touch it, no force would desire it, a place where Gaea could not linger, a place of warmth and peace."

"The Hearthside," Grover said softly.

Nikolan nodded, "Hades disagreed with the idea, he claimed that it should be kept with the wizards, but I knew how it could be craved for power. So I came to the Hearthside, entrusting it with a very old friend of mine. Your grandmother. She was the most purest person I've ever met. I knew she could resist it's temptations."

"So that's it, Gaea's defeated."

The wizard shook his head, "No… her spirit lives on. This seed, is the key to her revival."

Grover looked at the little pouch on the table. What was in this pouch, was the essence of evil itself. And it had been here, with granny Hestia all along. Grover suddenly heard something… coming from the pouch. Like… whispering, but not of a common tongue. Something he's never heard of.

"Ancient Greek," Nikolan answered, as if he heard the whispers too, "A language spoken only in Tartarus. We wizards sometimes use it, but very rarely."

"Like what you chanted before?"

"Yes."

Wind was blowing on the windows, like a hurricane. If it hadn't been closed, the wind would have blown the candles, taking the only source of light left in the room.

Grover shot up from the seat, grabbed the pouch and left the room. He couldn't believe what was happening… it was too much. How could this have been staying in the Hearth, all these years, he thought. Something so dangerous.

"Then let's keep it hidden," He said whilst holding the pouch, "We never speak of it again and lock it away."

He rummages through his things to find a safe place for this great evil.

"I mean, no one knows it's here," Grover suddenly stops, still holding the seed, "do they…"

He turns back at Nikolan

"... do they, Niko?"

Nikolan grimaced, "The seed has been in the Hearthside for too long, it's power seeped into the land, extending Gaea's reach. The seed is connected to her, it will always find its way back to her."

The realisation hit Grover like lightning, "But — that will lead them here…"

He started frantically moving around, nervously chattering his teeth. The wind began to strike the windows much louder and the cries of Hestia were heard from the bedroom. The firewood cracked like thunder, echoing its noise throughout the room.

"... take it Nico!" Grover yelled, shoving it towards Nikolan. "... take it!"

Nikolan stepped back, "No, Grover."

"You must take it!"

"You cannot offer me this burden," Nikolan's voice was louder now.

"I'm giving it to you!"

All of a sudden Nikolan snapped, "DON'T — tempt me, Grover!"

"But it's — it's your fault!" Grover shouted, overcome by fear, "You brought it here! So you must take it back!"

"Grover Underwood!"

Grover stepped back in surprise. Nikolans sudden deep voice boomed throughout the house. The wizard seemed to stand taller now and the room fell into darkness. Grover had never seen this side of Nikolan before.

"I dare not take it… not even to keep it safe," the wizard spoke, "you must understand Grover, I would use the seed for good, using it to protect others…"

The wizard's voice became softer and the light slowly returned. But Nikolans face turned into fear. He was afraid.

"... but through me, it would grow a power too great and powerful to imagine."

"But — but it cannot stay in the Hearth!" Grover pleaded.

"No… no it cannot."

He said nothing more but looked at Grover, and instantly, he knew what he meant. At first, Grover rejected the idea in his mind. He was too scared and had never left the Hearth. But he also knew he could not leave this — this monstrosity here, it would only bring pain and suffering. And If… if Juniper were to — No, Grover blocked the image out of his mind, I'm not going to let that happen.

He looked sternly at Nico, gripping the pouch tightly.

"What must I do?"


And that's chapter 2!

What did you guys think of the whole history flashback thing? Was it confusing when it cut to present time? Or did it flow nicely? Also, I recreated a scene from the movie at the end there, there's going to be a fair amount of that. NOT because I can't think of anything better but because of how much I love the movies and love to put them in my story.

This is probably going to be the only time I'll release two chapters on the same day (unless I have a lot of free time). I'll try my best to post one chapter a day. I already have some of the next chapters written.

Besides that, I hope you enjoyed reading my story so far! If you have any feedback, leave them in the reviews, thanks in advance!

:))))