Title: Darkness's Own
Author: Anti-social Lemming
Date Written: 4.27-5.27 (no, it doesn't really take a month for me to write two pages. I just get lazy. -_-;;;)
Date Posted: 5.28.02
Warning: Violence, later on (I'm planning on it at least). Possible m/m relationships. Warning to those who respect Greek mythology, I've stolen the general gods and goddesses, but they are now subject to my own whims! Muahahaha! alright.
Notes: I'm not quite satisfied with the chapter, but I'm posting it nevertheless. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter Two
Black around red. Black around red. Thanatos was black around red.
The hapless servant of Olympus cowered as Thanatos began to calmly, ever so calmly, circle around him. He quivered, eyes following Thanatos's body, but never moving any other muscle.
Thanatos's black around red eyes filled his vision, piercing his mind and body.
"Did I not tell you to keep track of Shinigami?" asked Thanatos, voice low and casual.
The servant, terrified, didn't want to move, as though that would make him even more conspicuous.
"Didn't I?" The voice dropped in volume, yet increased threefold in intensity, making the very air seem to tremble.
The head bobbed a tiny fraction of an inch, hardly visible.
"Did I not tell you to keep track of Shinigami?" shouted Thanatos, his voice echoing through his mind and seeming to magnify its disgust.
The servant threw himself on the floor, body prostate, as he began to babble apologies and telling him he would always do as he said.
The knock on the heavy wooden door of the room made no difference to the servant lying on the floor. Thanatos slowly turned his head to pierce the interrupter with his gaze, only to find it his sister, Nemesis, the goddess of Retribution.
She casually waved an arm, saying lazily, "Shinigami's on his way." Then turned to exit once again.
Thanatos's eyes widened imperceptibly, then he was a blur of motion as he held his sister's neck to the stone wall.
"What?" he queried, voice low and controlled.
She grinned, cupids bow lips stretching to reveal white, even teeth, then removed his hands and walked away.
Pausing midstep, she glanced backwards and said carelessly, "I'll probably benefit from it, too."
When her figure turned the corner, Thanatos faced the servant and with a dismissive gesture told him to get lost.
After the servant scrabbled for the door, he began to pace.
Nemesis had said that she would benefit, meaning there would be some sort of dealing with retribution or vengeance.
It really made no difference to Thanatos that she would become stronger from their energy. He had been born with his immense power and still, every day, received more. Death was a power source, much stronger and more potent than retaliation ever would be.
But then again, vengeance was, in its own way, intoxicating.
Thanatos grinned, thinking of his brother Shinigami.
Yes, revenge was sweet.
Heero sat in his room, staring out the window. The bright flashes of lightning illuminated the dark room occasionally, casting sharp shadows across the floor.
Is he ready? The question echoed through his mind. Is he ready? Heero's unblinking steel blue eyes seemed to be looking at some far off land that only he could see. Can he face Thanatos alone? Is he capable of using his dormant power? The very power that he thrust behind him to escape it all? Will he be able to accept the responsibilities if he wins? Blue eyes appeared to haze over, looking within himself. What if he— No. He won't. He won't lose. He can't. He will not lose. Heero thought savagely. He is too strong for that. He cannot lose.
The sharp rapping on the door did not faze the teenager. Serenely, he stood and opened the door. A rectangle of light was thrown onto the floor, with the silhouettes of two people talking. Their voices were soft and muffled. Had anyone even heard them, the words were in some unknown tongue, the language dead to all but the rare few.
After a few minutes, the door shut, and Heero retreated back to his window seat, mouth set in a grim line.
Duo.
As a stark contrast to the heavy silence in Heero's dormitory, it seemed as though Mt. Olympus had been overcome by a tornado of excitement. Gods and goddesses alike gossiped together in corners of the Great Hall.
The name on everyone's tongue: Shinigami.
Shinigami: to some, it was a curse, the foretelling of their weakening blood and doom. "He is the Repeat Child," hissed Momos*. "There is a reason he is the god of Death. It is what he will bring upon all of us!"
To that, Infatuation replied airily, "You always say that about everyone. I think he's rather dreamy. Look at those beautiful violet eyes of his. And that hair— magnificent." She tilted the Skrying Glass towards her for better access to the viewing of said person. "Oh, and that build! He's so slender and handsome. Why, if he wasn't my half-brother, I would pursue him immediately. Even if he was my brother, I would have such thoughts... Mmm..." She continued to stare at the image, eyelashes fluttering at him.
"You forget, dear sister," Horkos reminded, grabbing the Glass so he could see, "he had an oath to serve among us. As the Repeat Child, he had an obligation to battle our Thanatos. There would be no way for both of them to survive as gods of the same position. He shirked his responsibilities by running away."
"You and your continuous babble of obligations and responsibilities, brother." Infatuation sighed dramatically. "One would imagine you being the god of the Oath."
Lethe, god of Forgetfulness, ambled up, saying, "Wait a minute. Horkos, weren't you the god of the Oath? Doesn't 'horkos' literally translate to 'oath'? No, wait. Hold on." He paused, deep in thought. "What were we talking about again?"
"Yes, Lethe. I am Oath." explained Horkos, as he had those many times before.
"Oh. Didn't you just say you weren't?"
The gods ignored him from then on, leaving him confused and bewildered.
"What?" The diminutive god looked around. "Did I say something? No I didn't. Wait, did I?" He walked away, mumbling to himself.**
*In my Handbook of Greek Mythology (by H.J. Rose), it says "Momos [is a] personification of fault-finding, who occurs in fables and the like as a sort of licensed grumbler, objecting to everything that the gods do, in a manner reminiscent of the Accuser in the Book of Job"... I thought it fit rather well. But this is just a small note. I'm not sure if Momos will appear again. Maybe ::shrug::
General notes for Chapter Two: Lethe reminds me a lot of this guy I know, Andrew E. He also reminds me of me. -_-;;;... And about Infatuation and Shinigami, I'm assuming that incest really isn't that big a deal to these gods/esses. Fear not for most of you, I don't plan on writing sibling/sibling relationships, that's just kinda squicky. X.X. That section was there to [hopefully] get a feel of Mt. Olympus and the habitants of. Greek gods and goddesses are really like humans, scandals and affairs being the least of their concerns. Not to mention, I found it kind of fun. ^______^