Guest: hey, i love your books! I've started reading them a little while ago, maybe a couple weeks and haven't been able to go a couple hours without continuing! I wish a I started when you did, that way I could've given my input and name suggestions but I'm all caught up now! I wish you the best with the rest of your story! also I have a proposal on how you should continue! I was thinking since the twins know next to nothing about Theron, what if when he comes back he only reveals himself to them. while he either hides his identity from everyone else or pretends to be someone else like when he was Seth but this time with his memories. that way he can teach the twins like kronos taught Theron... in secret when he was young in a place no one else knew about without his mother's permission. I don't know, great story though it's turning out great! / Damn... that's a good idea. I'll try to fit that in, but I can't guarantee anything. I sort of have Theron's return planned out in my head. Only a select few immortals will know about him at first, that's definite because if you'd read the small preview at the end of last chapter, Theron has quite a fall. And he would have gained an actual body again, which means OUCH. It took a few weeks to finish my previous stories? Wow. I've written more than I thought. Maybe I should go back over them once this is done. Or I'll do a reading the fanfic story, I think that'll be quite interesting.
RowenaIsKween: If you leave Theron down there... You are a cruel, capricious writer. / Why, thank you.
I hate writer's block. That's my excuse for the lateness of this chapter. Well, and someone who was my grandfather in all but blood died on the 15th, so I didn't really feel like finishing this off until today.
Fortunately, I have the idea for the next one already planned out, and like my other story, I'm going to aim to get it out of my brain and onto my laptop for Christmas. Consider it a present from me!
Chapter 8 - Harbinger
The laestrygonian stood with its foot on his chest, and Krivon looked up, fear filling his whole body, so he had the prefect view of the sky above tearing itself apart above the battlefield.
The stars were shining brightly, gleaming even as the sky seemed to tear like wet paper above the laestrygonian, and a figure seemed to fall from the Gap, heading straight down towards Krivon. Two hunting knives were held out as the being shot down towards Krivon, landing on the laestrygonian and swiftly relieving it of its head.
"You alright, brother?" The stranger asked as he helped Krivon to his feet.
Krivon blinked. "Do I know you?" He asked nervously.
The man smiled beneath his hood, his golden eyes gleaming. "I should hope not." He let go of Krivon. "Now, let's go save your sister, shall we?" Krivon nodded, not trusting himself to speak to the stranger. "My name's Chase, in case you were wondering." And he took off through the monsters, carving a path out for Krivon to follow, his hunting knives a blur as they killed with every small movement.
Krivon frowned after the immortal before he was almost killed by a stray javelin thrown his direction. The Titanling quickly ducked as he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Krivon took a breath before diving after Chase, cutting down the monsters he'd left behind him. He kept a wary eye on the immortal in front of him as he fought, occasionally shouting for his sister. Chase momentarily paused, glancing up at the sky and seemingly speaking to it before spinning and running, zigzagging through the hoard of monsters. Krivon clenched his jaw before he barrelled after him, not trusting him but wanting to find his sister. A hellhound snarled as it leapt towards him, and Krivon sidestepped as he brought StormWraith up to smash into its lower jaw. Then there was a lull in the fighting around him, and he saw Calisto up ahead, fighting with Chase. He frowned as he noted that they fought like they'd been fighting together all their lives, and anger rose up in him. It should have been him fighting at his sister's side, not some random stranger who happened to drop out of the sky.
Krivon forced the grass beneath the feet of the monsters to rise up, wrapping around their legs and starting to pull them into the ground as he continued. "Glad you could catch up," Calisto panted as she blocked a spear from a dracaenae. "I was starting to think you weren't going to come."
Krivon scowled at her. "Of course I would," he bit out. "You're my sister," he said as he shot a small glare over to Chase.
Chase shook his head slightly in exasperation at Krivon's jealousy, spinning to hack the head off a laestrygonian and kick it away as it vaporised into golden dust. He lifted his two hunting knives as a Cyclopes with a black diamond buried in its chest ambled towards him. Chase spun to the side as it tried to flatten him with its club, feinting towards its groin before sweeping up and scything through the gem which released a blast of energy as it broke apart, and Chase used his knives as a ladder to climb the Cyclopes, swiftly relieving it of its head.
Then Kronos was hacking his way towards them, having sensed something had gone wrong. "Are you two alright?" He called, frowning at Chase as he felt that the being was different – he had a purer aura than other beings he'd come across.
"Just a scratch," Calisto said. "I'm fine."
"Krivon?" Kronos asked.
"I'm good," Krivon nodded as he dismembered an empousa. Kronos glanced at Chase, but didn't say anything because he was helping them.
As Krivon fought he found that the four of them worked seamlessly together, which confused him because he'd never even met Chase before, but it felt like he was meant to fight beside them. Only one thing was missing, and Krivon didn't know what it was.
They fought until the very last monster was killed and Krivon was covered from head to toe in golden dust. He pulled a face as he wiped his arm over his eyes in an attempt to clear some away, only succeeding in smearing it across his face even more. Calisto laughed as she watched, until Krivon gestured to a puddle on the floor, and Calisto blushed as she saw her own reflection.
"You're no better," Krivon observed. "You look like those mortals that cover themselves in the whatever-it-is."
"Make-up," Calisto corrected as she crossed her arms. "And that's rude."
"He's right though," Ares mused.
Calisto's glare swivelled to face him, her eyes shifting to a bright red in her irritation. "You big-"
Kronos cleared his throat, interrupting the impending conversation as he turned to Chase. "Who are you?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
Chase straightened up, his silver armour showing under the cloak he wore as his golden eyes bore into Kronos'. "I am Chase, Titan of the Void. And harbinger of Dyfarniad Ffawd yn."
Kronos frowned. "There has never been a Titan called Chase. You lie."
"Doesn't Chase mean 'to hunt'?" Iapetus asked, his thoughts immediately moving in the direction of his faded nephew.
Chase smiled slightly. "I was named by Chaos itself. You see, I was killed before I was born. The Creator decided to name me after my father."
Kronos tensed as the immortals crowding around started muttering amongst themselves, the same name being repeated, 'Theron'. "You're…"
Chase inclined his head slightly. "I am the first-born son of Theron, and my mother would have been Theia." He brushed the hood back to reveal his face, and Kronos immediately saw the resemblance to his sister and son.
Kronos' mouth twitched up into a small smile. "You are from the Realm of the Faded," he stated, and Chase nodded, knowing what Kronos was going to ask.
"Yes. And Theron has missed you all. It took him many days to even approach one of us and stop watching you twenty-four-seven. It took all of his cousins to knock some sense into him, and even now he still watches over all of you," Chase smiled slightly. "Ouranos and Chaos were starting to get rather annoyed with his constant requests to at least visit you in your sleep." Chase sighed, glancing up at the sky as the first ray of sun streaked across it. "I suspect he will beg to be allowed down tomorrow night. He'll be ordered to do his job, however if you happen to be in the same place to him as I was to you, then you may catch him and be able to speak."
"Thanks you," Kronos said, bowing his head in respect.
Chase just grinned as he stepped back closer to the nearest patch of sunlight. "It was an honour to finally meet you, My King," he said, bowing at the waist. "And you two," he said, turning to face his two half-siblings. "Remember that monsters have feelings and thoughts, just as much as you do. You must not act against them if you wish to exert your influence over them. It's like a river – fight against it and you'll drown, or fail in this case, but work with it and you may get somewhere."
Krivon slowly nodded. "Alright," he murmured, looking at Chase with complete awe in his eyes. "Thank you, brother," he said with a slight grin.
Chase smiled as the sun encompassed his body and he disappeared, leaving no trace behind of him ever being there.
I know, it's short. But it's an important chapter and I had to end it there. Guess who enters next chapter? Unfortunately, its not the scene from the end of last chapter yet, but it's close. Very close.
See you all on Christmas Day!
Goodbye from dragonswoe (and Theron, and Chase. And all the other immortals. Dead/faded or alive.)
