author's notes: I picture the characters in my head while I'm writing and
so I often cast in my imagination the actors I'd like to see play the parts
just for fun. I'm picturing Jill Henessy as Athena, Gwynth Paltrow as
Hestia, and Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite and Morrigan as Tamara Gorsky
the same actress who played her in HTLJ. Hercules is of course the one
true Hercules, Kevin Sorbo. Also I've never heard Grams first name being
used in Charmed, although I confess I haven't seen all the episodes, I've
taken author's liberty here and made it Penelope but if its wrong I will
correct it.
The Hidden Page
Chapter 11
A Heart Felt Answer
Meanwhile Back at the Manor
Sprinkles of dust fell from above onto Cole Turner's head. He sneezed slightly and then before he knew it he was fast asleep. A group of seven women surrounded him. If he had been conscious, he would have recognized three of them.
" I have to hand it to Narcolepsies his dust never fails," Athena the goddess of wisdom, said to her companions. "Do you think this is wise, us being here?" Hestia asked. "I mean if the elders find out about this we could all be in deep trouble." "Oh please," Aphrodite said waving her hand as if to dismiss the very notion. "The elders are too busy trying to defend their own butts to know what ours are doing?"
"That's exactly why I say we should just quit this pussy footing around and take matters into our own hands," Morrigan added. "It's our descendant's lives they're playing with after all. I can't stand sitting on my behind when they're in trouble, you know that."
"Morrigan, I do know that, and I understand," Athena replied. "It's just that I promised father we wouldn't do anything to endanger the negotiations. That's why this mission has to remain covert. Hopefully our side will win and none of this will be necessary any more."
"Ahh, ladies excuse me," Patty Halliwell said raising her hand. "I hate to break this up but what exactly are you talking about and why did you bring us here to our family's attic?"
"The cutie patootie called us that's why," Aphrodite said pointing to Cole. "Cole called you?" Prue Halliwell asked joining the conversation the shock clearly evident on her face. "Why would Cole call you, unless... Are my sisters in trouble?"
"You could say that," Athena confirmed. "What demon is the Source sending after them now?" Penelope Halliwell , the matriarch of the current Halliwell clan asked worriedly.
"To our knowledge the Source has nothing to do with it. They're being attacked from within," Hestia offered quietly. "From him?" Prue said pointing to Cole. "I knew his conversion seemed to good to be true. I should have trusted my gut instincts and forced Phoebe to break it off with him before I died."
"Prudence, calm down!" Aphrodite demanded shocking everyone with her forcefulness and her use of the full name that Prue hated. "Cole has done nothing but protect your sisters. He has been legitimately changed. Love is the most powerful force on earth and the bond between Cole and Phoebe is one of the strongest I've ever seen. You couldn't have broken it even if you tried. Others will in time lean the same lesson."
"Then if Cole's not endangering them, then who is?" Prue asked. The goddesses all looked terribly sad. Athena walked over to the "Book of Shadows" trunk. She slowly began to lift the lid. "Watch out for the nail," Aphrodite cautioned her sister. Athena turned around to stare at Aphrodite. "What nail and how would you know about such a thing?"
"Because I sort of was here before and planted it . I was hoping either Phoebe or Piper might notice it and find the hidden compartment." "Aphrodite what were you thinking? What if the wrong party had discovered the hidden page in that compartment instead. That's the whole reason why it was concealed in the first place," Hestia scolded. I know I just thought if I could send them a warning, they could head of trouble before it hit," Aphrodite admitted.
"The hidden page?" Penelope queried. "I never knew about any hidden page and I swore I'd been over things top to bottom." "Us too," Prue and Patty agreed. "Well not as closely as you think," Athena said. "But don't feel too badly. One of your ancestors hid it very well." "Ahh, here it is," she replied. She carefully lifted the page from where it had been resting for decade upon decade. It is time now for you to see it. I warn you though its contents will not be easy to accept or bare."
Athena handed it to Prue as Hestia moved closer to Patty and took her hand comfortingly. Prue began reading aloud: "She comes as bright as the break of day, as beautiful and blinding as a sun ray, yet the darkness of night will insist on its say, so beware sisters three, the fourth shall ye betray."
"Oh my God, the traitor is Paige," Penelope said on a gasp. "No, no this can't be," Patty cried. "You're lying," she said pointing at the goddesses. Why are you lying?" "They are not lying, dearest Patty. They speak the truth," Hestia assured her. Patty still seemed unable to accept it. "But why would the page be hidden? Maybe it isn't in the "Book of Shadows, because it is not the truth. Maybe it was an enemy who planted it," Patty said clearly grasping at straws.
"It was not an enemy who planted it my dear. It was one of your own ancestors," Athena acknowledged. "We watched on Zeus's monitors as she concealed it in the trunk with her own hands and the page originally was in the Book of Shadows. Note it's torn edge. Prue examined it and nodded at her Grams and mother with sympathy.
"Why did she tear it out?" Prue questioned. "Because you were not the first set of four sisters from your ancestry. There were others. Initially when the fourth sister is welcomed into the line she is a good witch with full access to the "Book of Shadows" and all of its contents. So there was the potential that the fourth sister could read this warning right along with her siblings. Now this happened in several instances. Sometimes it led to good results. In one case the fourth sister took it as a warning. She took steps to protect herself against the evil that would try to overcome her soul and managed to save herself. In another case one brought it to the attention of her sisters who were warned in time to save her and themselves."
"In most cases, however, it led to tragedy. One of the cursed fourth ones took her own life when she saw it, and yet another figuring she was damned anyway took a pre-emptive strike and murdered her sisters in their sleep after she saw it. It was one of the murdered sister's daughters who then decided it was better off being hidden."
"If you knew about this then the Elders must have known as well, why then did they grant Paige her powers and give her full status as a 'Charmed One?" Penelope asked. "Not to mention why couldn't they have found a way to warn Phoebe and Piper, and for that matter why couldn't you have warned us before this?," Prue questioned.
"Well not that I want to defend the Elders or anything, but Patty and Sam did go to great lengths to hide their relationship from everybody including the elders and us as well. None of us even knew about Paige until Piper cast her lost sister spell trying to contact you," Aphrodite reminded Prue.
Patty closed her eyes and began crying harder. Hestia stepped aside and let Penelope envelop her daughter in a maternal hug. "And when we did find out, we tried to talk the Elders out of granting Paige her powers but they wouldn't hear of it. They reminded us that Phoebe and Piper needed the power of three to defeat the Source. The Elders also wouldn't listen to our suggestion of letting you return to earth Prue. They said you were too reckless." Prue bowed her head. Athena came and placed an arm around her shoulder. "None of this is your fault," she assured the young woman. Then Athena continued explaining:
"The Elders also reminded us of the few sisters who were able to beat the odds on this tragic prophecy. That's also why they didn't want Piper or Phoebe to be warned. They said Paige needed to be given a chance to prove herself one way or the other without prejudice which is fair to Paige I suppose but not so to Piper and Phoebe."
"Plus I think those arguments are a bunch of Aegean manure," Aphrodite chimed in. "I think the real reason they didn't warn your family is because those uptight moralistic little twerps look at this as just payback. They don't like the fact that Patty and her white lighter friend Sam had a forbidden affair and Paige is just a living reminder of that. What better revenge than to see your family brought down by her hand?" Aphrodite commented.
"Are you saying there setting us up,?" Prue asked. "We don't know for a fact whether they are or they aren't but one thing is for sure? They're not going to lift a hand to stop what ever is about to happen," Morrighan informed her.
"Then how do we save my daughters?" Patty demanded. A golden beam appeared in the middle of the room. A man dressed in gray pants and a shining white vest stepped out of it. His hair was long and golden and his muscles strong. "You come back to Olympus and await the end of the hearing with the rest of us," he said in reply to Patty's question.
"Hercules, how can I do that?" she asked. "You of all people should know that I just can't sit idly by and do nothing while my daughters are in such jeopardy." "Patty he said taking a hold of her shoulders: "I do understand how you feel it's just there is no way we will be able to fight what ever it is we are fighting without our gifts. Believe me the last thing I want to do is just sit on my hands either but the only way we are going to stand a chance at combating whatever evil we are up against is if we can help Zeus convince the Light that the gods and goddesses deserve a second chance. We can't give the elders any ammunition to use against us. We need to go back now."
The Halliwells looked like they were going to argue but Hercules gently wrapped his arms around all three of them and orbed them out of the attic. Athena said to the remaining goddesses: "well ladies you heard our brother, we better get out of here before we get caught." "But we have to at least warn them about Paige," Morrigan protested. "That's too risky," Athena shot back. We are not allowed to reveal ourselves to them until the Light makes his decision. "Well we have to do something. I can't just leave a son of Ere thinking that such a down deep and honest plea for aide has gone unheard. If he is to regain his faith, he needs an answer of some sort," Morrigan replied.
"Oh don't worry, we will give him one," Aphrodite assured her. "Hestia, did you bring the spell I asked you to?" "Yes, here it is," Hestia said handing it to her sister. Aphrodite quickly removed the "Book of Shadows" from the trunk and waved one hand over it to bind the newly written spell page into it with a marker as well. "There it is not as much help as I'm sure we'd all like to provide right now but at least it's a start and it might give them a fighting chance in the meantime."
Just as Aphrodite finished her task of returning the book to the trunk they heard the front door shut and the sound of feminine voices below. "The girls are back, we have to get out of here now," Athena urgently whispered..
Morrigan turned to look at the still sleeping Cole! The gods and goddesses of Ere will not abandon ye again son. This I vow," with that she, Hestia, and Athena all vanished. Aphrodite lingered for just a moment. "The Olympians won't abandon you either. You are our family too now. Just keep believing and trusting in the power of love. You are under my protection," she whispered. She then gently ruffled his hair and kissed him softly on the forehead before disappearing.
The Hidden Page
Chapter 11
A Heart Felt Answer
Meanwhile Back at the Manor
Sprinkles of dust fell from above onto Cole Turner's head. He sneezed slightly and then before he knew it he was fast asleep. A group of seven women surrounded him. If he had been conscious, he would have recognized three of them.
" I have to hand it to Narcolepsies his dust never fails," Athena the goddess of wisdom, said to her companions. "Do you think this is wise, us being here?" Hestia asked. "I mean if the elders find out about this we could all be in deep trouble." "Oh please," Aphrodite said waving her hand as if to dismiss the very notion. "The elders are too busy trying to defend their own butts to know what ours are doing?"
"That's exactly why I say we should just quit this pussy footing around and take matters into our own hands," Morrigan added. "It's our descendant's lives they're playing with after all. I can't stand sitting on my behind when they're in trouble, you know that."
"Morrigan, I do know that, and I understand," Athena replied. "It's just that I promised father we wouldn't do anything to endanger the negotiations. That's why this mission has to remain covert. Hopefully our side will win and none of this will be necessary any more."
"Ahh, ladies excuse me," Patty Halliwell said raising her hand. "I hate to break this up but what exactly are you talking about and why did you bring us here to our family's attic?"
"The cutie patootie called us that's why," Aphrodite said pointing to Cole. "Cole called you?" Prue Halliwell asked joining the conversation the shock clearly evident on her face. "Why would Cole call you, unless... Are my sisters in trouble?"
"You could say that," Athena confirmed. "What demon is the Source sending after them now?" Penelope Halliwell , the matriarch of the current Halliwell clan asked worriedly.
"To our knowledge the Source has nothing to do with it. They're being attacked from within," Hestia offered quietly. "From him?" Prue said pointing to Cole. "I knew his conversion seemed to good to be true. I should have trusted my gut instincts and forced Phoebe to break it off with him before I died."
"Prudence, calm down!" Aphrodite demanded shocking everyone with her forcefulness and her use of the full name that Prue hated. "Cole has done nothing but protect your sisters. He has been legitimately changed. Love is the most powerful force on earth and the bond between Cole and Phoebe is one of the strongest I've ever seen. You couldn't have broken it even if you tried. Others will in time lean the same lesson."
"Then if Cole's not endangering them, then who is?" Prue asked. The goddesses all looked terribly sad. Athena walked over to the "Book of Shadows" trunk. She slowly began to lift the lid. "Watch out for the nail," Aphrodite cautioned her sister. Athena turned around to stare at Aphrodite. "What nail and how would you know about such a thing?"
"Because I sort of was here before and planted it . I was hoping either Phoebe or Piper might notice it and find the hidden compartment." "Aphrodite what were you thinking? What if the wrong party had discovered the hidden page in that compartment instead. That's the whole reason why it was concealed in the first place," Hestia scolded. I know I just thought if I could send them a warning, they could head of trouble before it hit," Aphrodite admitted.
"The hidden page?" Penelope queried. "I never knew about any hidden page and I swore I'd been over things top to bottom." "Us too," Prue and Patty agreed. "Well not as closely as you think," Athena said. "But don't feel too badly. One of your ancestors hid it very well." "Ahh, here it is," she replied. She carefully lifted the page from where it had been resting for decade upon decade. It is time now for you to see it. I warn you though its contents will not be easy to accept or bare."
Athena handed it to Prue as Hestia moved closer to Patty and took her hand comfortingly. Prue began reading aloud: "She comes as bright as the break of day, as beautiful and blinding as a sun ray, yet the darkness of night will insist on its say, so beware sisters three, the fourth shall ye betray."
"Oh my God, the traitor is Paige," Penelope said on a gasp. "No, no this can't be," Patty cried. "You're lying," she said pointing at the goddesses. Why are you lying?" "They are not lying, dearest Patty. They speak the truth," Hestia assured her. Patty still seemed unable to accept it. "But why would the page be hidden? Maybe it isn't in the "Book of Shadows, because it is not the truth. Maybe it was an enemy who planted it," Patty said clearly grasping at straws.
"It was not an enemy who planted it my dear. It was one of your own ancestors," Athena acknowledged. "We watched on Zeus's monitors as she concealed it in the trunk with her own hands and the page originally was in the Book of Shadows. Note it's torn edge. Prue examined it and nodded at her Grams and mother with sympathy.
"Why did she tear it out?" Prue questioned. "Because you were not the first set of four sisters from your ancestry. There were others. Initially when the fourth sister is welcomed into the line she is a good witch with full access to the "Book of Shadows" and all of its contents. So there was the potential that the fourth sister could read this warning right along with her siblings. Now this happened in several instances. Sometimes it led to good results. In one case the fourth sister took it as a warning. She took steps to protect herself against the evil that would try to overcome her soul and managed to save herself. In another case one brought it to the attention of her sisters who were warned in time to save her and themselves."
"In most cases, however, it led to tragedy. One of the cursed fourth ones took her own life when she saw it, and yet another figuring she was damned anyway took a pre-emptive strike and murdered her sisters in their sleep after she saw it. It was one of the murdered sister's daughters who then decided it was better off being hidden."
"If you knew about this then the Elders must have known as well, why then did they grant Paige her powers and give her full status as a 'Charmed One?" Penelope asked. "Not to mention why couldn't they have found a way to warn Phoebe and Piper, and for that matter why couldn't you have warned us before this?," Prue questioned.
"Well not that I want to defend the Elders or anything, but Patty and Sam did go to great lengths to hide their relationship from everybody including the elders and us as well. None of us even knew about Paige until Piper cast her lost sister spell trying to contact you," Aphrodite reminded Prue.
Patty closed her eyes and began crying harder. Hestia stepped aside and let Penelope envelop her daughter in a maternal hug. "And when we did find out, we tried to talk the Elders out of granting Paige her powers but they wouldn't hear of it. They reminded us that Phoebe and Piper needed the power of three to defeat the Source. The Elders also wouldn't listen to our suggestion of letting you return to earth Prue. They said you were too reckless." Prue bowed her head. Athena came and placed an arm around her shoulder. "None of this is your fault," she assured the young woman. Then Athena continued explaining:
"The Elders also reminded us of the few sisters who were able to beat the odds on this tragic prophecy. That's also why they didn't want Piper or Phoebe to be warned. They said Paige needed to be given a chance to prove herself one way or the other without prejudice which is fair to Paige I suppose but not so to Piper and Phoebe."
"Plus I think those arguments are a bunch of Aegean manure," Aphrodite chimed in. "I think the real reason they didn't warn your family is because those uptight moralistic little twerps look at this as just payback. They don't like the fact that Patty and her white lighter friend Sam had a forbidden affair and Paige is just a living reminder of that. What better revenge than to see your family brought down by her hand?" Aphrodite commented.
"Are you saying there setting us up,?" Prue asked. "We don't know for a fact whether they are or they aren't but one thing is for sure? They're not going to lift a hand to stop what ever is about to happen," Morrighan informed her.
"Then how do we save my daughters?" Patty demanded. A golden beam appeared in the middle of the room. A man dressed in gray pants and a shining white vest stepped out of it. His hair was long and golden and his muscles strong. "You come back to Olympus and await the end of the hearing with the rest of us," he said in reply to Patty's question.
"Hercules, how can I do that?" she asked. "You of all people should know that I just can't sit idly by and do nothing while my daughters are in such jeopardy." "Patty he said taking a hold of her shoulders: "I do understand how you feel it's just there is no way we will be able to fight what ever it is we are fighting without our gifts. Believe me the last thing I want to do is just sit on my hands either but the only way we are going to stand a chance at combating whatever evil we are up against is if we can help Zeus convince the Light that the gods and goddesses deserve a second chance. We can't give the elders any ammunition to use against us. We need to go back now."
The Halliwells looked like they were going to argue but Hercules gently wrapped his arms around all three of them and orbed them out of the attic. Athena said to the remaining goddesses: "well ladies you heard our brother, we better get out of here before we get caught." "But we have to at least warn them about Paige," Morrigan protested. "That's too risky," Athena shot back. We are not allowed to reveal ourselves to them until the Light makes his decision. "Well we have to do something. I can't just leave a son of Ere thinking that such a down deep and honest plea for aide has gone unheard. If he is to regain his faith, he needs an answer of some sort," Morrigan replied.
"Oh don't worry, we will give him one," Aphrodite assured her. "Hestia, did you bring the spell I asked you to?" "Yes, here it is," Hestia said handing it to her sister. Aphrodite quickly removed the "Book of Shadows" from the trunk and waved one hand over it to bind the newly written spell page into it with a marker as well. "There it is not as much help as I'm sure we'd all like to provide right now but at least it's a start and it might give them a fighting chance in the meantime."
Just as Aphrodite finished her task of returning the book to the trunk they heard the front door shut and the sound of feminine voices below. "The girls are back, we have to get out of here now," Athena urgently whispered..
Morrigan turned to look at the still sleeping Cole! The gods and goddesses of Ere will not abandon ye again son. This I vow," with that she, Hestia, and Athena all vanished. Aphrodite lingered for just a moment. "The Olympians won't abandon you either. You are our family too now. Just keep believing and trusting in the power of love. You are under my protection," she whispered. She then gently ruffled his hair and kissed him softly on the forehead before disappearing.