Part Two: Indulgence

Chapter Six

Mount Olympus

Eros

Eros frowned at the congregation in the Throne room; he was in no ready to deal with so many clashing egos. Zeus was seated on the throne at the head of the room and when he and Eros made eye contact, the younger god quickly flew away. Did Zeus suspect something?

"I must say, this party is not an absolute bore." Hephaestus said as Eros passed him.

He and his step-father (although the term was used very loosely as marriage was of much important for the gods) had a very turbulent relationship, it was not often that one would seek the other out but Eros had found that often Hephaestus offered better advice then either of this parents.

"I will pass on the compliment to Harmonia, she will be pleased." Eros replied, even though it had not been a compliment.

"See that you do, although the mortal notion is missed on me. Apparently I am to present you with a gift. Here boy," Hephaestus said roughly pushing a box at Eros and walking off to drink more wine.

He rattled the box, unsure of what it must be, then shrugged and continued on his way to find Macaria.

"When someone plans a party for you the least you could try to accomplish is smile." A voice said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Father," Eros said turning to face the War God, "I had not known you would be here."

"I was not doing much and Harmonia mentioned she had persuaded Dionysus to provide us with free liquor. I could hardly deny her."

"Of course." Eros agreed, Harmonia was the favourite child of Ares that Eros knew without being the God of Love. Although the large amounts of time she spent at Ares's temple might have been for the human boy that served him. Eros was on good terms with his father, he had no need to be sneaky or snarky although both attribute came naturally to him.

"Walk with me," Ares demanded and Eros had no choice but follow, "Aphrodite tells me you avenged her last night."

Eros stopped. He had not expected his father to bring that up. He had not even known that his father knew of the matter. What else had his father known? When Ares shot him a confused look Eros began to walk beside his father once again. "The mortal fools locked her temple, she wished for recompense."

"You are not her whipping boy. There is no reason for you to bend your arrows to her whims."

"It was nothing father, I did not mind." There was no lie in the statement, had it not been for his mother had would not have met the Princess. And he would not have fallen to admire her. But then it was also his mother's fault he was in love with the human he could not be with. The irony was not lost upon him.

"You are my son as much as hers. War bends to no one. Love is a compromise; War is survival of the strongest."

"I hardly believe that to be true," Eros began as he took a glass of a wine of the nymph passing them around, "and I am not a whipping boy."

"Did you have fun in the mortal plain then?" Ares asked as they neared a large crowd of people.

"It was, insightful." He answered trying to find the right word without lying.

Eros caught sight out Macaria dancing among some tree nymphs, a little too suggestively, as a few people watched the entertainment. Most of the crowds were talking among each other paying no attention to the dancing girls yet there were a few people watching them. His brothers were talking to each other, but they both were taking quick looks at the underworld goddess. Phobos watched in fascination while Deimos watched to see what had his twin so unravelled.

"Insightful is not the word I'd use, little love god." Helios agreed walking up to him. There was little love between the eternal nineteen year old sun god and Eros's own father. Helios had spied on Ares and Aphrodite in the earlier years of their affairs and told Hephaestus and the rest of the Olympians. Since then his parents resented the boy and Helios never missed an opportunity to rile them further. "Has the boy not told you of what happened in Kopkos? I was mighty shocked by the revelation." Helios taunted sipping his wine all the while never losing eye contact with Ares.

"What are you talking about?" Eros spoke through gritted teeth. How could be have been so insane?

"I see he hasn't told you. Scandalous." Helios smiled like a mad man.

Suddenly he was pushed up against one of pillars, his feet several centimetres of the ground with Ares's hand around his throat, "Speak or lose the ability."

"Well I hardly think choking me is the answer." Helios spoke in a deadly calm voice which only infuriated Ares further. Eros watched in silence wondering about what he should do. If Helios did know about Psyche (however he managed it) then he should probably get him away from Ares before the sun god told his secret. Yet if he didn't and was only causing trouble then why should his father choke him. A God could not be killed so it was only terrify the boy. Yet he was awful accurate with the city name.

Eros smirked when Ares tightened his hold; Helios just looked down at Eros mischievously. "Would you like my present?"

Present?

"Father!" Harmonia cried running up to them, "This is a party. Leave the guest alone." She pleaded pulling at his arm. Ares, however, paid no heed to his daughter's cries and only stared at the Sun God.

"Why was he even invited?"

"I was not. I gate crashed."

What sort of word was gate crashed? Eros thought but then decided he didn't care.

"I will not have bloodshed at this celebration. Eros, help your sister." Harmonia pleaded, her eyes imploring. Eros only rolled his eyes and walked away. He had not asked for a party in the first place and now everything was falling apart. He drank the rest of the wine in a single go then picked up another glass.

"Harmonia requires your help." Eros said to Cadmus and watched as the human scurried off to aid his sister. Saps, the both of them.

He looked down at the gift Hephaestus had given to him and opened the velvet box to reveal leather bound book. While scoffing at the oddness of the gift he opened it pages to find the box did not possess pages, it only opened to the centre page.

He thought of Psyche reading to the orphans and the middle pages changed in a screen showing the love of his life crying in a room that was not her own. An older girl was comforting her, telling her it would be alright. Eros wanted to flee to Kopkos and soothe the girl himself but knew that would never be allowed to happen. He quickly shut the book and glanced up to see Hephaestus looking at him curiously. Eros did nothing to reply to the man only walked to where Helios was drinking as if nothing had happened moments before.

"How do you know?" Eros said through gritted teeth as he ran a hundred scenarios through his.

head.

Helios smiled as he took another sip, "I'm Helios. I see everything that happens that happens on Olympus and the mortal world."

"But it happened at night, you only hold domain over the day."

"You believe a simple matter as the time of day will save secrets from me. Boy you are delusional."

"Stop calling me boy."

"Oh yes, you have turned of age know. Do you feel as if you are older? Wiser? Bolder?"

"You tell me. You've been nineteen for two centuries now."

"The age does suit me well, so many girls turn of age every day upon the mortal plain."

"But you cannot consummate with any of them." Eros quipped.

"Either can you. And there lies the problem." Helios replied clinking his one wine glass with Eros's nearly empty one. "It was all well and good when Zeus made the law those eighteen years ago but cracks are beginning to show and the biggest crack in the wall seems to be you."

"Maybe we should discuss this somewhere more private."

"If I did not know better I would have thought this was a sordid love entanglement." Macaria said wrapping her hands around Helios's neck, her lips incredibly close to his own.

"Perchance you could begin one," Helios replied turning around so he pushed Macaria up against the pillar. Eros smirked as he saw Phobos glaring daggers at the Sun God.

"That does sound awfully inviting." Macaria replied, wrapping her hand in Helios's hair.

Deciding it was better to not push his oldest brother beyond his limits; Eros spoke, "Actually me and Helios have important matter to discuss. Go and annoy Phobos."

Macaria instantly perked up, smiled and began to walk away. That was until Helios opened his mouth, "Does the matter not include Macaria. I mean you were about to tell her all about it an hour ago." Eros wanted nothing more than to punch Helios into the floor. Sure he'd wanted Macaria's help but that was before. Before he realised that Helios knew. They were not friends of any sort but it made Eros anxious as to who else could have known.

"Is it about you destroying a girl's life?" Macaria asked. Eros now wanted to punch her into the floor. She was a goddess, she would handle to pain.

"That is what you opened with. Boy learn some tact if you ever want to be with a women." Helios quipped, "She counts for little." He said nodding to Macaria, who huffed at his words.

The three of them soon found themselves back in Eros's Chambers. Macaria had jumped onto the bed and sat at the end her legs crossed. Helios sat on the window ledge, leaving Eros to sit next to Macaria on the bed.

"So, who will include me into this secret?" Macaria asked her usually odd self evaporated.

"Would you like to say?" Eros asked Helios, it would tell him how much the other god knew. The two gods stared at each other for a few minutes, which sent Macaria into a fit of giggles, before Helios gave up and recaps the events of the entire day.

About the closure of Aphrodite's temple (he did not sound sorry about it), Aphrodite's rage and the plan that Eros developed to appease her. How Eros and Psyche had met (he had not replayed the conversation the two shared but the twinkle in Helios's eye said he knew), how Eros went later in the night and accidently pricked Psyche and himself making the two fall in love.

"Have you nothing better to do then peer into the life of my best friend." Was the first thing Macaria said when Helios finished?

Helios did not seem scandalized by the comment, "Well I could look into yours but I do not think I would see much apart from sex with ghosts. Tell me, does the term nymphomaniac still apply when both member are deceased? "

"So what do we do now?" Eros asked, ashamed he had to ask for help. But there was nothing he could do alone and having Helios on your side gives him at least a fighting chance.

"We get you two love birds married." Helios replied as he frowned into his empty glass.

"We do not even know if he loves her, or she him." Macaria reasoned.

"How dare you think I don't?" Eros hissed but it went unnoticed.

"Oh I'm sure they love each other. Even without the arrow I feel they would have fallen for each other with time." Helios answered, grabbing the wine bottle Eros had hidden behind his book.

"You seem awfully confident so someone who knows little of love." Eros replied not answering the comment. Would he have fallen for Psyche? Yes, given time he knew that he would fall in love with her. And were it not the silly law he would have taken her for a wife. "Why are you helping?"

"Rhodes says that he needs you and Psyche together to aid himself, he spoke of the underworld. I do not argue with my best friend when he talks of the future. I only assist." Helios replied.

"Rhodes," Macaria laughed, "You mean that demi-god child of Hekate. He hardly poses a threat to the future. And how would he even know of the future?"

Eros wanted to smirk at her words, demigods often acted as if they were more powerful than they should be. Often thought they were as powerful as the gods yet only two had become of godly status, Herakles and Dionysus, the others died with their egos shattered. Yet his mother, after one of her spats with Persephone, had told him a little about the demigod Rhodes. Rhodes was a child of Hekate who died at Persephone's command only to be brought back to life by her husband, thus unlocking all his powers. His powers were the level with his mother Hekate's and while Hekate showed restraint, Rhodes knew not the meaning of such a word. Aphrodite had thought it funny that Persephone had been bested by a boy of sixteen.

"Of course your mother would pretend he wasn't as powerful as he was, they are mortal enemies. No wait, the both of them are immortal so they're immortal enemies." Helios explained. "I hear Rhodes currently resides in Kopkos as a guest."

"Why is he there?" Eros growled unable to keep the jealously out of his voice. Why was the bastard in Kopkos, what exactly was he planning? Eros doubted he went there on an entirely innocent reason, no one ever did.

Helios smirked, "Ruffled your wings did it? Worry not boy, he only wishes to complete his master plan. For that he needs the trust of both you and Psyche."

"I don't trust him."

"And that's where I enter." Helios laughed taking a large sip, "Let me explain the plan."

Kopkos Palace

Psyche's Chambers

Psyche

Psyche walked to the window of Alexis's room and unfurled the note from the dove's leg. Her eyes were still red and teary but she tears had long stopped running. While Alexis had been a long part of her early life, and will continue to be, she had to be strong for the people within the kingdom. They would be saddened by the news and she would have to be the one to comfort them. Of course they would attend the funeral games and the visit the court to offer condolences. Were they to see her start crying, they too would begin and soon the whole court room would be filled with tears.

Alexis was loved within the city, people would grieve and they will fight. She had to continue her resolve to stay strong.

She looked down at the note and a little sob lodged itself into her throat:

Please meet me at the Hills at 12.

Damos

The official news of Alexis's death had not been released so Damos had no way of knowing about Alexis. She could either pretend the letter hadn't arrived, and then when the news came out he'd know like everyone else. But that seemed unfair.

Damos was Alexis's friend, her only friend, and he deserved to know what happened before it became public news. She would have to somehow get word to him before the tomorrow morning.

She could ask Rhodes, he was a frequent visitor to the brothels and had no doubt seen Damos working in them. He would be able to get word to Damos before the day was up, since he no doubt was going to go to the brothel tonight anyway. Having a woman visit the Kopkian Brothels would be demeaning, it would be better for a man to go.

She took a last look at her sister's lying body and walked to the guest wing of the palace. She knocked on the Rhode's Chamber door, but he didn't answer. She knocked again and when there was no reply she opened the door.

The room looked very much like the first time she had entered it days ago, messy and unkept. The only feature that stuck out was the floral feature upon the wall. It was not part of the original decor of the room, but it was something that other people could have missed. Since it gave little indication to where Rhodes was she dismissed it and walked around the palace and the gardens trying to find him. When she was unsuccessful she asked Teodor and even Nikandre, both of whom were unaware where their brother was, and also cared little.

She checked the time using the sundial, realizing there was only minutes until the time Damos had asked for. She could send a servant but that impersonal and she was not someone who would let such news be delivered through the mouth of a stranger.

Although she was no less a stranger to the man, she was Alexis's sister and therefore a safer way to deliver such grave tidings.

She wrapped a shawl around her head, to shield herself from prying eyes, and made her way to the northern hills of Kopkos. They were the only hills within the city, the eastern hills were outside city bounds but it was easily visible from the palace. Alexis and Damos would be fools to see each there.

When she reached the middle of the leftist hill she was a figure resting against the tree. Gathering her courage she forced her feet to move towards him but they revolted and moved not an inch. How can she tell someone that their companion had died? While she knew they were friends, Psyche often thought that Alexis regarded it as something more, if Damos felt the same how could she break his heart?

It would be hypocritical if she did so. She would hate for her own heart to be shattered so how would she be able to do it to someone else. She sighed and looked up and the clear sky, there was not a single cloud up above. The Gods were said to reside upon the heavens, Gods such as Hera who Alexis prayed too. Why did Hera not save her sister from Hades? Why would be Queen of Gods punish one of her own to suffering? Her thoughts only strengthened the dislike she held for the gods.

"M'Lady?" Damos asked walking towards her, when he saw it was indeed her he bowed low.

"You are Damos correct?" She asked in reply and when he nodded she smiled and removed the shawl from her head. "Perhaps you would like to be seated?"

"I do not understand. Where is Alexis?"

"Please have seat."

"Tell me." He replied in a raised voice, he had already noticed something was amiss and that agitated him. Psyche frowned as she sat down on her shawl. Damos copied her and soon they were sitting beside each other. Psyche noticed not many people came to that particular hill, the sun created no shadow and the positioning of the greenery meant they were shielded from visitors to the other hills.

"It regards my sister. I am terribly sorry Damos but she passed over last night, her soul now resides in Hades." She tried to keep her tone steady for she'd have to repeat the same line when the city was told. But it still shook. She imagined the green eyed boy being there, him smiling encouragingly from a distance, while it was a sheer fantasy it made her a little happy. Mostly it made her guilty, here a person was losing their love and all she could do was think of her own.

Damos was quiet for a very long time. So long in fact Psyche had begun tearing off the grass and creating a small bracelet from it. When Damos spoke she barely heard him, not only was his voice a whisper, it was also very short, "How?"

"She was brought into the palace unconscious on the night of the Eclipse; we thought she was just ill as per usual. No one noticed she had never been sleeping for that long and all the staff were preoccupied with Zoe's wedding. I went to feed her in case she had awoken but she had no pulse and I could not feel her breath on my hand."

Damos sat very still before releasing a loud cry and punch the tree behind him. Then again and then again. When she finally had him sitting again his right hand was bloodier then anything she had ever seen. She tore the hem of her dress and used it to wipe away most of the blood. She then tore off some more and tied it around his hand.

"It is my entire fault." He said playing with the end of his bandage. She slapped his hand away lightly to which his eyes flashed in anger but he didn't touch it again. When she asked what he meant he ran a hand through his curls, "She was with me that night, I was taking her home when we stopped passing Aphrodite's temple. Rather Alexis stopped, I pleaded with her to walk away but she resisted and I left her. I should not have left her; I should have taken her to the palace gates and waited until she went inside. I shouldn't have walked off. I was so jealous. Damn Hades. I should have curb my anger, I should have depleted my ego and waited with her. If I had just said maybe I could have been of help."

Psyche wanted to say that he leaving was the best thing he could have done. That walking Alexis to the palace gates would have been an insult to the king. That standing next to her in a crowd would mean something that she shuddered to think about. "What happened that night?"

"Nothing special. We sat upon this hill and watched Selene overshadow Helios. Although I could not understand why it was so important. Though, Alexis and Macaria seemed very interested."

"Macaria?"

"She was just a girl that came to the watch with her friend. Her and Alexis seemed get along and Macaria asked if she could visit Alexis within the palace another time. I told her it was a foolish idea but Alexis was jubilant and the idea of a friend that was not related to herself."

Psyche frowned to herself, could this girl have wished ill upon her sister? The name Macaria seemed familiar but she could remember where from. "Had Alexis and Macaria shared a meal?"

"No, Alexis had finished the food she brought before they arrived."

"What about the friend, who were they."

"Just a boy, I would guess your own age or a little older. He was rude and left shortly after arriving."

Psyche perked up when she heard it was a boy, could it be possible? Not many new faces had arrived in Kopkos in the last few days, if it were true it was as if destiny wanted them to be together. If Rhodes and remaining Cretan family had not come to Kopkos that day she would have seen the eclipse with Alexis and possibly meant the green eyed boy earlier.

"Did he have green eyes? And straw coloured hair? Look as if he had been crafted by the gods himself?" She blushed as she spoke but Damos did not seem to care. He was obviously grieving or else he would not have been so forthcoming with information. Also as a whore, people's appearance lost interest to him. Alexis had told her once that Damos cared more for the inside than the outside.

"Yes. Said is name was Eris? Kros? No, it was Eros. Yes Eros it was."

Eros. She smiled, now she had a name to give that prefect face.

Eros, yes it suited him well.

"Would you be okay to return to the city alone? My absence from the palace will soon raise suspicion." She said reluctant to leave him alone but at the same time she needed to get back.

"I will stay here a few moments longer."

She nodded, wrapped the shawl around herself and began to walk away. She had only made it a few step before Damos ran up beside her and silently walked beside her. She guessed he didn't want to let her walk around the city alone, the last time it had been Alexis who was now no longer here. Perhaps walking her helped him make peace with himself, although it was no one's fault. She hesitantly gave his hand a light squeeze, grateful that he didn't look at her once until they reached the gates. She waited for the guards to open the gates and when she turned back, Damos was gone.

Eros Chambers

Eros

"Surely you are not serious." Macaria said in disdain, Eros had to agree the plan Helios spoke of was simply outrageous.

"It is fairly simple. We have Apollo provide a false prophecy to the girl and her family saying that she will not be married to a mortal. They will want to know what they can do to help and Apollo tells them to leave her upon Mount Ossa. When we have Zephyrus carrying her to the grove and there she will find the mansion. The two of you are happy forever."

"It will never work." Eros said suspiciously.

"As long as she does not see you or know you are a god, you have not violated the law." Helios replied simply drinking from the bottle.

"Why would Apollo and Zephyrus help?" Macaria asked.

"I do not know about Apollo but Zephyr owes me a favour and now I'm collecting. He will do what I tell him."

"He is your nephew; of course he will do as you say."

"He is also only five." Eros noted.

"Therefore the best age to be manipulated. Lose the qualms you have against the use of children." Helios replied. Eros was fairly sure he was drunk.

"Is it just me or is the plan starting to look good."

"Make Apollo help you and it would be well." Eros had a fairly good idea how that would go. Not well.

"You are not serious, it is foolish." Macaria cried.

"I've had enough of this, Neaera looked most ravishing today." Helios said and walked out.

"I should go and catch Phobos in his room before the night is through. Ask Apollo for assistance, the worst is that he refuses."

Eros sighed as he watched Macaria leave the room. Where would Apollo be?

Underworld

Hades Throne Room

Rhodes

Rhodes glared up at Persephone from his place on the floor. She was seated upon her devil throne while she had made him sit on the cold dank floor, because according to her that is where he should be. Well actually according to Persephone, he should be in the fields of punishment or Tartarus and not be allowed to roam the surface free as a bird. But she couldn't do nothing as her husband, Hades himself, had given him is life back. And he never let her forget it.

"What is happening?" Someone called from behind them. Great, so the girl had not even the vaguest clue about who she was. Someone give Persephone a medal at being the lousiest mother ever. At least his mother didn't leave him half confused his entire life.

"I am sure your mother will explain to you, just come through here." His mother spoke; it was awfully odd how she appeared when he was thinking about her. What was the saying again, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Melione." Persephone cried happily running down from her throne to hug the awfully awkward girl.

"Hello?" The girl replied very confused, Rhodes smiled and tucked his legs under him as he watched in amusement.

"My darling child. I have missed you so very much, I am glad you have made your way back to us." Persephone said pulling her daughter along to where Rhodes sat.

"I hope I am not being rude, but who are you." Persephone's face fell into something that Rhodes would cherish forever. She looked as if someone had run over puppy.

"I'm Persephone, your mother. Surely you know who I am." Persephone asked.

"Sorry My Lady I cannot. My mother was Kaia of Kopkos but she died when I was three. I've never known any other mother; therefore I do not understand how you can be my mother." Rhodes groaned out load which got him a glare from his mother in her old woman guise. Now that Rhodes studied the girl better he could see it was Alexis. She looked different to when he had seen her lying on her bed. Her hair was a much lighter brown now, brightened by the dark flames of the underworld. Her eyes were brighter as well, the green and blue much more visible than before. Her skin wasn't as pale either, but held a small tan. She wasn't holding onto anything either, like Psyche had told him she did, she was walking with her back straight as if she'd been doing it for years. It seemed the underworld was doing her well.

"You are my daughter, my oldest daughter. My sweet Melione. I am your mother, I have birth to you twenty odd years ago."

"I mean no disrespect my lady, but I believe you are mistaken. For one my name is Alexis not Melione, although that is a lovely name. And secondly I think you have me confused with someone else."

"Rhodes." Persephone barked which made him look up at her; not bothering to hide is annoyance. "Explain to her, this is why I brought you here."

"How can I explain to her what I don't know? I have no clue what happened when she was born as I wasn't born yet. You will have to explain it yourself. Although how Alexis ended up on the mortal surface I don't know, she is clearly a goddess of the underworld."

"Who are you?" Alexis asked, looking at him like she recognised him but couldn't place him.

"Rhodes of Crete at your service," he bowed with flourish, "although that title stands for nothing now. I am a guest a Kopkos, I do believe your sister is to marry with my brother, I wish him luck with that. I am friends with your sister Psyche. But you don't care about my mortal self, do you? I'm the son of Hekate, with full access to all her powers which have become mine by default."

"How is Psyche? The last time I saw her I was getting ready to see the eclipse."

"Of course you were. That was three days ago, maybe four. I'm not very good with time, or responsibility. Actually I'm not very good at much."

"Correct you are." Persephone put in snidely but he ignored her.

"Where are we Rhodes?" Alexis asked, coming to sit by him. Confused, he looked up at the two adults, but they just stared back at him so he was left to his own devices.

"The underworld. And don't worry you have not died, well technically you can't die you're a goddess so immortal, but you aren't dead."

"Are you dead then? Because you aren't a god?"

That's where things got tricky. Technically he wasn't died, he had been brought back to life, but he had died for a short while.

"No I'm not dead either. I can't die, isn't that great."

"No." Persephone said like a small child.

"Am I really a goddess? Melione, as that lady called me."

"That Lady, although a very good name for her, is your mother. She is not lying about that."

"You are odd." Alexis smiled running a hand through her hair. "Has anyone told you that?"

"Oh, multiple people, especially my family, it has become their way to greet me in the morning."

"Do people on the surface believe I am dead?" She asked, why was she asking that? He'd already told her she wasn't dead.

"I don't know."

"Because the last time I saw Zoe I slammed the door in her face, and I told Psyche to trust me with Damos. Oh Damos, I left him angry with me. He will hate me forever. I have to go and apologise to him. But first, please explain to me how I am your daughter?"

"Why doesn't Rhodes go first?" Persephone said.

"I'm sorry Lady Persephone; I do not have a long lost daughter to explain these things to." He mocked.

"You probably impregnated a few whores in your years I am sure."

"Keeping tabs on where I stray to, My Lady?"

Persephone glared, "Tell her your story and then I will tell her my own."

"Why?" His past wasn't something he wished to revisit himself, let alone tell other people about. Even though his mother and Persephone knew all about it. Persephone only continued to glare at him. When he looked for his mother, to ask her to make Persephone stop he noticed she was gone. She had left without caring to say a goodbye. Well that parents for you.

"Fine," he relented. "It all started on Crete about twenty years ago, Teodor was about a year, year and a half at time. My Father, Lyon, went on a trip to Naxos and my mother just happened to think 'hey that's a good looking guy' and enticed him into sleeping with her. Expect my father is a highly monogamous person, so Hekate had to pretend to look like she was my step mother Kristina. Then the night was over and she left him. When she found out she was pregnant a few days later, she pretended that Kristina was pregnant too. Gave a fake belly that grew but without anything inside. Grim I know, but it got the job done. Then when I was ready pop out, she had Artemis deliver me and place me in Kristina bed, as she had also gone in labour, fake of course."

Rhodes stopped hoping that would be enough, he didn't want to go into what it was like after he was born, but Alexis seen entranced in the story of his life and Persephone was smirking in triumph. Looking back at the story he was oddly touched that Hekate cared enough to make him look like a legitimate child instead of the bastard son.

Why did Persephone want Alexis/Melione to know about his past life? What possible good could that bring? Did she hope that Alexis would sympathise with him? Did she want Alexis to fall for him then trap him to be with her forever? If Alexis went to Hades then her father would probably make it happen, Rhodes's life was forever in Hades's hand, he was just lucky the God hadn't made him to anything yet. If he had to marry Melione then Persephone would trap him, make him stay in the dank, dreary place that was the afterlife. He would be powerless as his power diminished in the presence of a god. He'd be her puppet. No fricking way. He wasn't going to make that happen. Although he was probably over thinking as Persephone wasn't very good at thinking long term about things.

"Then what happened?" Alexis asked breaking his thoughts.

"Have some patience women, all you goddesses need to calm the Hades down and relax." He vaguely remembered saying a similar thing to Psyche when he first talked to her thinking she was already a goddess. Except he had got the timing of the vision completely wrong and arrived at Kopkos too early. Oh well. Now he'd see Psyche become a goddess and apparently Alexis too.

A vine made its way up his left leg, circling around his leg then tensing slightly, "Seriously?" He said looking towards Persephone who was smiling with glee. For someone who had threatened him thorns a simple vine was a letdown.

"Rhodes." Alexis called bringing his attention back to the girl.

"Very well. The first fourteen years of my life went uneventful. I was a trouble maker but the King and Queen didn't seem to mind, then my fifteenth birthday came and I got a limited version of my powers. Obviously at the time I did not know what was happening, but I pride myself in being an adaptable person and I quickly understood what was happening. Then Hekate appeared and confirmed what I had thought."

"What powers did you have?" Alexis asked before Persephone could stop her.

Rhodes smiled, time to shine, "Before I had a limited version of the power of crossroad, entrances, fire, light, the moon, magic and sorcery, witchcraft, necromancy, earth, sea, sky and I could see the future." Alexis only stared at him, seemingly unimpressed. "I would give you a demonstration but my powers deplete in the presence of gods and goddess, and there are two here."

"Stop saying that!" Alexis screamed, then composed herself quickly, "My apologises, please continue."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow at her outburst but said nothing, "Then approximately a year later my brother, Teodor, died." He wasn't going to say it was Persephone that killed him after spending a year of unsuccessful trying to hunt him down. She had believed that Rhodes would try to bargain for his brother's life but she had overestimated their bond. While Rhodes loved Teodor he wasn't going to trade lives with him. It was Rhodes first, rest of the world second. Persephone would roast him alive if he said that, not caring about Hades and Hekate's opinions. "My family grieved as was expected but then a year later he returned to Crete, without a starch on him. Your mother had been empathic enough to grant him is life back, something that does not happen often, but she was kind like that. Because he had died at eighteen he does not age for that, Teodor will be forever eighteen." Actually when Persephone realised that Rhodes wasn't going to bargain for his brother, she sent Teodor to the surface to kill him. And he did.

"The boy was young and killed unjustly, I thought it best to let him live a little longer." Persephone reasoned and Rhodes rolled his eyes when the two women weren't watching.

"However my brother returned with an agenda and proceeded to kill me on my nineteenth birthday, sending me to the underworld, here." And Persephone had gotten what she wanted. He had never worked out why the Queen of the Underworld had such an obsession with killing him. Persephone had sent him into Tartarus when he'd been here, because she hated the Titans and hated him; she thought to place them both together.

"But you're alive."

"Evidently," He commented dryly, was she stupid? "Soon after Hekate and Hades, your father, reached a stalemate, I do not know how and I was allowed to return to the human world, again forever aged nineteen as that was when I died. Because I had died, travelled into the underworld and left it, I was granted full use of my powers, rivalling that of my mothers. Similar to how Herakles died and was made a god by having all his powers unlocked. I'm a god without a godly name."

"Fickle." Alexis said but then looked to her mother, "I think I get it know. Being a goddess of the underworld doesn't mean death. I can come and go as I please; it just means I have power. That I am not the sickly small girl that needs everyone to look after her, I can look after myself. I'm more powerful now, I can feel that the underworld is good for me however fickle that may sound to you."

Rhodes chose to stop his story there; it had obviously done what it was meant to. But he had started it at couldn't leave the ending untold. After he returned to Crete, his family began treating him differently, they had changed or maybe he was the one that had changed. He didn't understand terms like fear and powerlessness anymore because he was a god walking among mortal shells. Then came summer and Teodor disappeared. Hekate came to him then and he felt his power going away, she then explained what was happening. That his powers would decrease in the presence of the gods because nature wouldn't allow a person that powerful to walk the world. And that as punishment for him leaving the underworld indefinitely, he had damned his brother to it. Persephone was angered at his brother, his job was to kill Rhodes and he had failed completely, Rhodes was made immortal instead of rotting in Tartarus. Instead Persephone decreed that she never wanted to see Teodor's face again. Hades agreed and Teodor was damned. Now the six months Persephone spends on earth, Teodor spend in Tartarus with Kronos and the gang, the six months Persephone spends in the underworld, Teodor spends on the earth.

"Was that all you needed?" Rhodes asked only to be met by a glare from Persephone; she sure loved to glare at him.

With a very low mock bow he walked towards the arch in the wall, waved his hand to create a portal and stepped through into his room at the Kopkos palace.

Now to deal with a whole new set of drama.

End of chapter.

This chapter marks the start of the next arc of the story which I have named Indulgence.

So I explained Rhodes (and Teodor's) back story, I promised I would in the first chapter and you have it now in chapter six. I was going to do the Underworld part in Alexis's point of view but chose against it for dramatic effect. She'll be coming up later anyway; we'll know how she feels then.

Damos made another appearance, his third since he was first introduced in the first chapter. I didn't have anywhere to put him before; it would work with any of the storylines so I left him out for the rest of the Discovery Arc.

This Chapter also has the first appearance of Helios who is Rhodes's best friend, although their friendship may change with the chapters to come and what Rhodes ultimately ends up doing.

Next chapter will have Apollo, for all the people that wanted the Apollo and Daphne myth to be put in, it's coming.

Any questions, let me know and I'll answer A.S.A.P

Rememeber to review.