"Don't you have any more questions?" Poseidon asked. I thought for a second, but my stomach rumbled, interrupting my thoughts. He laughed.

"Perhaps we should eat first?" I said. Adon moved to his feet.

"This will be fun," he commented dryly. I glared at him, able to meet his eyes almost without a flicker of emotion.

Cyrene fluttered beside me, offering me the tray. I took a piece of the bred, which was studded with fruit and took a bite.

I gasped. The flavour of this bread was unlike anything I'd ever tasted before. It filled my mouth with all flavours. Bitter, sweet, savoury…it was all here. I choked, unable to eat even a bite of this strange bred. I grabbed a cup from the tray, not noticing what it was in my haste to wash all traces of the bread from my mouth. I took a sip, and mentally sighed in relief. The drink seemed opposite of the bread. It did not have any flavour that I recognised, but it was simpler. Cool and sweet, it washed all traces of the bread from my mouth.

"Are you alright?" Amphitrite was hovering over me, attempting – and failing – to fight back a smile. I heard a snigger behind me and turned – only to find that Adon was fighting to hide not a smile, but a hearty, booming laugh which escaped him a moment later. I glowered at him, before glancing over to Poseidon to check that he wasn't laughing to. Surprisingly, however, he looked more thoughtful than anything.

"I'm surprised," he said above the laughter echoing around us – which stopped as he started talking.

"What, that I couldn't eat that…" I struggled to find a word, before settling on, "Stuff."

"No, not at all," he replied thoughtfully. "More so that you could drink the nectar. You didn't go so well on your first time, did you, Adon?" That stopped his muffled guffaws. I smiled gently to myself.

"What was that, anyway? I asked curiously.

"Ambrosia and nectar, the food of the gods." The reply was not from Poseidon, but Adon. "Only the strong can eat and drink it."

"You will too, once you start your training," Amphitrite said kindly. I shrugged.

"Well, I've quite lost my appetite," I said. "So might I be able to ask my questions now?"

"Which one? Your head is so full of them." Poseidon laughed. I began to realize that these people where surprisingly optimistic with the coming danger. Whatever it was.

"Oh, that question." Poseidon was suddenly tense. "Our enemy is the Dark Child."

"We don't know who he is, where he comes from, or even if 'he' is a he. We didn't even know who he works for. The only thing that we do know is that he is coming.

"Adon saw a disaster coming to the gods…"

"Hold on," I interrupted, "Adon saw?"

"Adon is our psychic. As a son of Apollo, god of truth and foresight, he has the gift of second sight. As a son of Aphrodite, goddess of love, he also possesses charm. The two together make nearly anything possible for him," he explained. "And because he is barely older than you are, his gift is stronger than it ever will be. That is why I requested him to leave his parent's side before his century of training was up.

"Anyway, he saw that the Dark Child would attack the gods and…"

"So you called me so that I could protect the gods?" I asked. "I thought that the danger was coming to the mortals."

"Think, Rhi," Poseidon said impatiently. "If the gods fall, who will care for the mortals? Who will turn summer to fall, fall to winter, and so on? Who will provide fresh water for them? The gods are here to protect and provide for humans. If the gods are destroyed, so are mortals.

"As I was saying, the Dark child is intent on destroying the gods, and you are the only hope for the weaklings on land who must be protected."

"Why me?" I asked. "Why not the gods themselves, or someone with more experience?"

"We gods cannot involve ourselves directly with issues of mortals or godlings, like yourself. The Dark Child is clearly a god-child, or perhaps a Halfling – part god, part mortal – so we can do nothing to intervene with his goings-on. Adon is the best foreteller the gods have ever seen, including Apollo himself, but he has no fight in him. You two are the only children among the gods, with the exception of the Dark Child, and so you must defeat him or be defeated by him. No-one else can fight him."

I looked away from the immortals in the room, all of whom apparently depended on me and me alone. What would happen if I refused? Could I live with myself, knowing that my blood family was destined for disaster? Could I doom those mortals – friends, family and strangers – because I was afraid? For I was afraid, more so than I had ever been in my life. I so wanted to do the selfish thing and just walk away. I was desperate for some escape from this fate, but there was none. I was destined to walk a path of violence. I sighed.

"I have no choice, when you put it like that," I said, refusing to look up and meet any eyes. Poseidon cleared his throat, and propriety demanded that I look into his eyes as he spoke.

"You had best begin at once, then," he said, his voice full of sympathy. "Adon will take you to a private room and begin training you at once."


A/N Hi everyone!

Actually, I have no authors note for this chapter, except for the usual demand for reviews! Really, it is not that hard!

Until next time,

Maddy