Since there's some parallels with the actual Hades chapter and I, without realising, might be omitting some things of relevance assuming you all know what's going on, I'll put a little summary of where the HC is in correspondence to my story. Check that out at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy!

THE 'G' IN GOD

CHAPTER SEVEN

LOYALTY AND TREASON

Their plan was working. Humanity was willing and able to kneel before them. They even had cities and temples built in their name. It was too good to be true.

Some of the half demons saw it unfit to live amongst humans, the 'god' title going to their inflated heads. The wisest among them though, saw in Olympus too much danger. It was too much of a transgression and it was way too close to heaven for comfort.

They had secured themselves property over humanity through a human flaw. As the demons were half humans, they discovered that they too, could come back after passing. The name they'd done for themselves- the structures society had built to honor them- would do the rest of the work.

So they, in favor of the Olympians, lived on earth. Some in populated, growing towns, some secluded in their own sanctuaries; all of them indulging in perversions and belligerent acts. All dragging confused and battered human souls with them. All but one.

As it happens in every family, there was a black sheep. While they conquered and fought, while they schemed and corrupted, one of them stood aside. He was as luminous as the brightest of angels and innocent as the smallest child. He cared not for wars and manipulation, preferring to contemplate the wonders of creation.

Yes, this was a creature of God, in spite his torrid origins. His brothers and sisters- Olympians most of them, and of the first generation- saw in him a purity that was dangerous. He'd inherited all the characteristics of an angel, as they were before the fall. His humanity made him even purer, for as tainted by flesh as he was, his heart remained clean.

He was contented with a simple, peaceful life. His days he spent alone, for his siblings had made sure he had no place amongst humans; but he'd forgiven them. His solitude was a welcome one and, in his innocence, even they he loved.

Zeus, his brother of all people, decided he was a weak link in the plan they'd forged. It was probably the truth, too. But he couldn't simply rid of his younger brother. Hades might have been pure, but he was far from stupid.

No; Zeus needed to win him over to his side. There had to be a way to lure him to his ways and then, just then, dispose of him in the cruelest of ways. And Zeus might have been many things, but he was far from being resourceless. He knew very well how to seduce and he knew his brother's Achilles' heel.

It was love, of course. The same love that had been his salvation, would be Hades' perdition.


She knew he would come, no matter what. For a moment she'd even regretted asking him to meet her in the first place, but she knew there hadn't been a way for her to anticipate the events that had followed, even if the Sanctuary had felt strange.

Marin had seen a lot in all her years in Greece. She could smell trouble a mile away, but she'd never expected Athena to ban the bronze saints altogether.

Now all she could do was watch with mild concern and quite a bit of pride as Seiya climbed up a very high risk. That boy should be afraid of heights by now; yet here he was, climbing his way to her, just so he could find Seika.

That boy didn't have the brightest of minds, but he had a will of iron and that, more often than not, had been all they had needed. Someone who'd fight with all his heart and the best of intentions.

How many times Marin had wanted to tell him that Seika was- always had been- just next door? But she hadn't. She'd always known Seika was the only reason Seiya was fighting. Sure, with time, Seiya himself had forgotten that that was his reason. And he sure cared about Athena. But if he'd found his sister, then he would have had something to lose; then he wouldn't have been so selfless in battle, so mindless of his own life.

So she kept quiet. There was even a time when she'd let him believe she was his sister, just to keep him fighting. It was low, disloyal, but she was ready to do it. They couldn't afford to lose him. He was the soul of that group. If he stepped aside, then it was just a matter of time before the others did as well. Hell, maybe she would have.

Marin suddenly gasped, her attention diverted from her former student. There was the darkest of energies coming from the temples. Shaina had mentioned something about her suspicions of Hades coming back, but they hadn't even talked that long and Marin hadn't seen or heard anything to confirm it. Until now.

Apparently, Seiya felt it too, because he turned his head towards the direction of the cosmo with a deep frown and started speeding up his climbing.

So she wished; she wished in her heart she could go back in time and tell Seiya the truth. She wished she'd spared him the pain and the suffering of the life he now had. Because she knew this battle would be different from all the others, and maybe this time there wouldn't be an after, so she could tell him the truth.

Marin considered it for two seconds before starting to run, as fast as she could, towards Rodorio. Maybe there was still time to stop him. Perhaps there was still time to give him something to lose.


"Diamond Dust!"

Crystal threw yet another blow at the Cygnus saint, but again, the blond didn't retaliate. He just took everything that was thrown at him and tried, the best he could, to remain standing.

More than throwing punches at him, Crystal felt like slapping him. What was wrong with that boy? Here he was, pointedly threatening his life, and all Hyoga did was stand there?

"Aren't you going to defend yourself?" he asked, angered by the boy's passiveness. But Hyoga just lowered his gaze; he didn't even bothered to answer. "Are you so intent on dying, you stupid boy!"

Crystal had been observing Hyoga for long enough to know that his 'son' had lost the will to live. Could he blame him? Probably not; but he still would knock some sense into him if he could.

Hades had commanded the resuscitated saints to hunt down their former comrades and friends, and he hadn't even had the guts to ask it to their faces. But that woman, Pandora, hadn't seemed to enjoy asking that of them.

Crystal had almost felt like she was testing them. And he, himself, had been surprised at how many of the former Athena's saints hadn't even doubted to ally themselves to the enemy in exchange for new life. He guessed whatever Pandora, and Hades, had wanted to prove had turned out just the way they'd expected it to.

But he'd seen in that command, the chance to go back and warn Hyoga of what was happening. That would certainly ensure him a punishment worse than the lowest pits of hell, but he hadn't cared. Hyoga had meant more to him than that.

Now though, he felt angry. It was getting easier and easier to beat the crap out of that boy that would do nothing to defend himself. This was not a time to be feeling sorry for oneself. If Hyoga let himself die, then he'd have an eternity to regret it. There had to be a way to wake him up of his self pity.

"C'mon! Fight!" He struck again, slamming Hyoga against a wall of ice formed with his last attack.

Hyoga fell limply on his face, making Crystal fear he'd put too much strength into the blow. But almost immediately the blond was pushing himself up, albeit with a little effort. He sighed in frustration. This was getting tiresome.

Time was running out. Twelve hours and it wouldn't matter if he'd managed to keep the pretense up. Crystal seriously hoped Hyoga knew how to teleport, else it would be a fat chance of him getting to the Sanctuary in time.

"Master..." Hyoga choked out; the Crystal saint had to strain his ears to make out the words. "Why...why are you doing this?"

Now, maybe it would have been a lot simpler just to come out and tell him the truth. But it wasn't the way Saints worked. If he had to cajole Hyoga into doing what he knew he had to, then he'd failed as a master. Hyoga had to realize for himself that his attitude was wrong. So Crystal smirked, ready to keep on acting.

"Why? Is it that you can't feel it? Even from this faraway part of the world I can feel the darkness enveloping the Sanctuary." The blond boy winced visibly at this. "Because Athena's going down. You and all your friends will die. At this moment there's other silver saints making sure it is so. I asked to deal with you personally, though; I just thought I owed you as much."

Hyoga stood up, his eyes downcast. It tore Crystal's heart, but there wasn't any other way. 'So, now that you know, what are you going to do?' he thought, hopeful at seeing some kind of reaction.

"Why you?" the boy asked again, voice filled with puzzlement and hurt. "After everything that's happened, why...?"

"You are asking me?" he said sarcastically. "After all your friends have done for you, here you are, letting yourself die; making it easier on the enemy. Who are you to judge me? I have my reasons for changing sides. What are yours?"

The blond looked down and winced again. He clenched his hands into fists, tensing every single muscle. Soon, his shoulders had slumped again; but Crystal had seen it, he was getting through to him.

"I don't... I can't keep on fighting." the Cygnus saint stated, sounding awfully defeated.

"Perhaps you can't..." Crystal sighed, his stand changing from one of fight to one of resignation. "Perhaps all I thought you to be was a delusion on my part." Hyoga did look up at this, eyes pained and confused. "You don't care that your friends will die; you don't even care that all you've fought for in the past, that has you so tired, will crumble. All you care about is yourself."

"No!" the boy gasped, horrified. "That's not..."

"If I kill you here and now," Crystal interrupted, "You know it'll cost your friends a lot more to win. Hell, in every past battle, you lot barely made it to the end as it was! With one of you dead before it starts, it's no wonder how it's going to turn out!"

Hyoga hesitated, standing a little straighter. Crystal knew then, he was succeeding. Not everything was lost.

"But... I can't fight you! Not again!" the blond declared, this time passionately, while his eyes filled with tears.

"So you're letting me kill you?" Crystal reasoned, "I consciously came here to do it, you know? No one washed my brain this time. Is it that none of your friends is worth more to you than someone who's trying to end your life? Don't you care about them, any of them, at all?"

Bull's-eye, he thought, as he saw Hyoga gathering his cosmo. He wouldn't let it go far; he would not cause his son more pain after all he'd gone through. But he'd reacted.

He had a strange feeling Hyoga would be more important to this battle than the rest. Call it a hunch, he just knew it.


The bodies of Dante, Argol and Capella lay still around them, making a gory sight.

Shiryu shuddered, feeling the rush of adrenaline subsiding now that the danger was gone. He wanted to laugh, to cry. A moment ago, his heart had been pounding hard, and not with fear. A moment ago, he'd fought three silver saints, in serious disadvantage, and come up as the winer. He'd felt so alive!

He could feel Shunrei's presence right behind him. She was silent, but she didn't have to say the words for him to know what she was asking. Shiryu couldn't bring himself to face her. What would he say? 'I'm sorry, but you don't make me feel half as alive as when I'm killing baddies'?

But it was the truth. Even now, just her presence was enough to make him feel tied to a life he didn't want. Ever fiber of his being screamed for the battle. He wanted, desperately, to go after his master. Who wanted a normal life? Most people spent their entire lifetimes moaning about how boring, inconsequential their lives were. He was lucky, really, to be able to make a difference. Why change that?

He turned to face the waterfall, that so often had been witness to his meditations. He was going to fight again; he knew it, Shunrei knew it, there was no need for words. But he did feel a pang of guilt when she placed a hand to his heart in silent pleading.

He really wanted to love her more; it would have been wonderful if she'd been enough. He almost decides against leaving when he placed a hand on top of hers. She was warm, she was alive. Why was fighting, killing, more appealing than that? Oh, he so wanted to find life more appealing!

Eventually he pushed her hand away, already stretching his cosmo to find his friends. He mumbled an apology, trying his best not to let her sobs affect him, and he was gone. Gone to the life he knew, whether it was the one for him or not.


Shion's breath caught on his throat at the sight of his former apprentice. The young man had been taking a peaceful stroll around the gallery of his temple when he'd obviously sensed their presence. Now he was walking with sharp eyes and tense muscles, making a powerful image of himself.

'You've grown so much.' The former pope thought with a small smile.

The image of a young boy, with striking lilac hair and a soul far more beautiful, invaded Shion's mind. Mu'd been only seven when he'd died, and had already had the burden of being a gold saint over his shoulders. But not once he'd lost his smile.

Mu was such a peaceful spirit. During his learning, he'd often asked why they couldn't resort to other means of persuasion. Shion, being a man who loved peace himself, would try his best to explain that, sometimes, in order to maintain peace, you had to play by the violents' rules.

Shion shook the memories away; they would do him no good. Fate had put him in the position of having to choose between peace, or the respect and affection- maybe even the life- of his most beloved pupil.

He stepped forward, intentionally making his presence known. Mu didn't recognize him, of course, but with the kindest of tones, he spoke.

"Stop right where you are." It was a command, yet Shion wondered how he managed to be so polite and intimidating at the same time. "Take another step, and you'll loose your life."

And then Shion saw it. Mu's eyes, they were downcast, saddened; as if he'd been expecting a battle and was sad to find his expectations fulfilled. 'You were never one to enjoy war, were you?' The former pope smiled, knowing that his cloak would conceal it.

"Mu, there's no way you could lay a finger on me." He tried his best to keep all emotion from his voice, even after seeing his pupil's startled expression.

"What?" Mu breathed, taken aback by the familiar voice.

"Don't you recognize my face?"

Mu did a double take. Thirteen years before, just the sound of Shion's voice would have been enough for the lilac haired boy to recognize him; but Shion was supposed to be dead; Mu would have never expected to hear his voice again and that was evident by the utter shock his face was showing at that moment.

"No..." Mu breathed, "That's impossible...you..."

But even with the shock, the confusion, Shion could see hope, even happiness in Mu's face. The beginning of a smile that broke Shion's heart, for it would be short lived.

It was better to kill any hope rising in his beloved pupil's heart fast; this would be painful for them both, there was no need to make it worse.

"How very disrespectful of you..." Shion said in his coldest tone, "Kneel down before your master!"

If Mu had been in full use of his senses, if Mu hadn't been so shocked, just the uttering of those words would have been enough of a hint for him to know something wasn't quite alright. He was taken aback by the request, and for a moment, Shion hoped he'd see through the act.

The Shion he'd known would have never made him feel inferior; the Shion he'd known was more like a father than a master. But the Shion he'd known also had something to do.

"What?" Shion spoke again, seeing Mu frozen in place. "Didn't you hear my command?"

Mu knelt down, his face showing he was ashamed, scared, and Shion felt his resolve faltering. 'After all this time; you're still loyal to me?'

The question here was how loyal. The last thing Shion wanted was Mu getting the wrong idea and suddenly deciding to rise against the Sanctuary, as he, himself, had supposedly had. He had to know for sure that Mu, as loyal as he might have been, was still sound enough to realize when it was ok to disobey; to confront the one you're loyal to.

And so it begun. Shion tried, he really gave Mu enough clues to figure out what was happening, but the moment the current Aries saint realized it had been Hades the one to give him new life, the moment Shion asked Mu to bring him Athena's head, he lost his son. And he couldn't have been more proud of him because of it.

He wondered then, how many of them would have to fight their loved ones. Since this would be a battle to be fought between fathers and sons, siblings, friends, and lovers.


Milo couldn't believe his eyes, so he resorted to his other senses, but they too seemed to be deceiving him.

After talking with Mu, he'd decided to do as his friend had suggested and stripped his mind of his suspicions. He'd trust Mu to keep an eye open and wouldn't let his thoughts get in the way of his healing. It was the sensible thing to do, considering what he'd been going through.

But just as he was returning to his temple with this new resolve, he'd felt the change in the air. It was as if the Sanctuary itself was screaming at him. Something was happening.

So he'd done the only thing he could think of; ignored the cosmos he was feeling, suppress the urge to go find his deceased friends, and ran as fast as he could up to Athena's chambers. He was the one closest to her; he should have been the one to have gotten there first. But he wasn't. Just as if it was the most natural thing in the world, there he was, talking to Athena. The Gemini saint-cum-Sea Dragon. Kanon.

He did the sensible thing, of course, and charged at the man without asking any questions. He ignored Saori's startled yelp, Kanon's eyes wide with surprise; he even ignored his better judgment, that told him the blue haired man had been peacefully sitting before the goddess.

And he would have struck too, his Scarlet Needle half the way towards the man's heart, if it hadn't been for Athena's strong cosmo getting in the way, or Saori's stern voice.

"Stop, Milo. Don't attack him, I beg you."

Her voice was kind, her demeanor the image of delicacy and concern; yet Milo knew, he knew it wasn't a request, nor a plead. It was an order; one he would regret to ignore. So he gritted his teeth, throwing daggers at the other man, just because he couldn't stare at the goddess in such a way.

Milo felt his blood boil. So this is how things work? His best friend gets frozen to bits and dies, while this traitor gets invited over for tea?

"Athena, this man..." he growled. "He's a traitor and a murderer. You should not trust him with whatever lies he's fed you! Let me take care of him, please."

Silently he was pleading her to let him unload his frustration on the man. Kanon didn't even blink. He stared at Milo; not in defiance, per se. He was sizing the situation; weighing his chances now that he'd been caught, most likely.

The young woman's voice again interrupted his thoughts.

"He's here to help, Milo. I can see in his heart, he means well."

'Oh, you can see, can't you?' Milo thought sarcastically. Those words alone would have been enough of an excuse for him to turn Kanon into a strainer. He lifted his hand, ready to strike.

"If he's good, as you say, then he shouldn't fear death." He raised his arm, fingers already aiming at the other man's vital points. "Scarlet Needle!" he roared, more enraged that he'd ought to be.

If she wanted him to stop, she'd have to do a lot better than that. He purposely ignored his conscience as he descended upon his passive opponent; ignored the feeling that he was taking his pain and frustration out on an innocent.


Green eyes opened wide, showing just the tiniest bit of surprise. It was only natural, considering that since he'd last been awake, every piece of the puzzle that had been bugging his brain for the past few weeks seemed to have found its place. Everything was clear now.

Shun smiled and sat up. Everything made sense. There were no more doubts or blanks in his memory. He had to fight real hard not to burst out laughing on the spot, deeming it necessary to keep the other three people around him unaware of his waking.

It wouldn't be hard, he noted. His brother and the other boy were making out like high school students, while the other... his blood brother, gaped at them. Oh, he'd let them know he was awake soon enough, but watching them now was priceless.

It seemed that Poseidon really cared about this one; this boy. It made him giddy to think of the possibilities that enticed. The boy he did not care for. He would not harm him if it wasn't necessary, and experience had taught him that Poseidon had probably manipulated him into his bed.

Ikki was amusing to watch, too. The Phoenix saint always carried himself with such an air of being on top of everything; a man of the world, was he? And yet here he was, doing a very good impression of a gold fish just at the sight of two men kissing.

It was embarrassing, really. They had exposed themselves- all of them- in a way that it would have made it tremendously easy for him to kill them without them even knowing what had hit them. But he didn't want them dead... Not yet, anyway; though death was inevitable. How did the saying go? Death and taxes...

But their carelessness had provided the opportunity to gather his surroundings. He had to reevaluate his situation, now that he understood what it entailed completely. Oh, he'd been such a fool! Peace, compassion; he'd honestly believed it would be possible to deal with his problem in that manner. Now he knew better, now he remembered.

TBC

CANON: Shion, DeathMask, Aphrodite, Camus, Shura and Saga rise from the dead and attack the Sanctuary with the apparent intention of cutting Athena's head and taking it back to Hades. They have twelve hours to do so, but they have other things in mind.

Several formerly deceased Silver Saints attack the bronze boys around the globe.

Dohko goes to the Sanctuary to join in the battle. Shiryu follows shortly after.

Radamanthys sends some of Hades's specters to the Sanctuary disobeying explicit orders from Pandora.

I think that's about it. Anything else I've explained. Feel free to ask though, if it's not vital to keep the suspense coming, I'll gladly answer you.