A/N: Thank you all for coming back! I'm going to do my best to keep up a regular schedule with this story. Once I sat down and went over it, I found I have a few more things to add and I hope you all like.
Now, the aftermath.
Chapter 12
The Aftermath
Over a few thousand of years ago…
Zeus paced back and forth in front of his throne. His wife, Hera, had just left after giving him some grave news about their son. He didn't find anything wrong with it, but she acts like it was the end of the world. She discovered that he had been visiting an estranged Titan family for years and never told them.
He knew there were deities that refused to enter the war and refused to take a side. Zeus felt no animosity toward them because it was a long time ago. He was the king and that wasn't going to change.
His wife, however, considered anyone who wasn't an Olympian to be dangerous and a threat to their pantheon. Knowing her as well as he did, it wouldn't be long before she hurt or did something to that family.
A family his son respected enough to defy his mother and spend most of his time with.
Zeus knew he was weak when it came to Hera and was powerless when it came to her evil schemes and antics. She manipulated and connived to get her way. Considering all the shit he did to her, the cheating, killing her lovers, making sure that no other male garnered her favor, he had no call to stop her.
Ares was the only one to stand up to her and tell her no.
His son was a better god than him.
For that reason, he would keep an eye on this mysterious family. He may not be able to stop her, but he could send them someone to help and keep him informed. He looked around, "Who can I send to watch over them?" He couldn't choose any of Hera's children, he needed someone who was loyal to him and only him.
Alonzonikos, his golden eagle familiar, gave out a soft high-pitched whistle, catching Zeus's attention. He walked up to the dais where Lonzo sat next to his throne, "Hmm… maybe..."
He snapped his fingers and the one-hundred-pound bird of prey began to morph. His golden plumes began to float down to the marble flooring as his body began to elongate and take the form of a naked man. His skin was of medium complexion with dark hair.
"Alonzonikos, I have an assignment for you. You cannot tell anyone who you are, or where you come from. If you ever see my son, you don't know him."
The bird-of-prey turned man examined his new limbs and muscled thin body, "I won't let you down, my liege. I remember everything mother Hera spoke of and I know who you want to protect. I will learn these new people and will keep you well informed."
Zeus scratched his beard, "Good. I have to warn you. This is the first you've been changed into a man. You will feel things you were incapable of as a feathered creature. So, I don't want you to get attached to these immortals. Just perform the task I am assigning you. My son likes them, and I don't want you standing in his way. Once I make sure Hera poses no danger to these people, you will be well rewarded. You might even be able to keep that body if you want."
Alonzonikos bowed to his king, "I will do as commanded. Ares will not recognize me in this form, and I shall call myself Lexos. I've always wanted to know what it's like to have a human body and I got several ideas on how to dress. Can I be the god of something and have powers to create my own wardrobe? You know to make it look more authentic when I go to befriend these Titans."
Zeus thought for a few moments, "Ok. I will grant you to power to transport between locations and to create your own clothing. I can't in good conscience give you full abilities just yet. Enough to get by and you shall be the god of Capriciousness."
He clapped his hands making it so.
Lonzo, happy he could create magic, waved his new hand down his body. A fancy tunic made out of red silk and gold filigree piping covered his form. He conjured up calf-length sandals made of golden leather. Once dressed he asked his king, "Sire, what does capriciousness mean?"
Zeus slapped a hand on his shoulder and directed him toward the double doors of the throne room, "Oh, it means you will reside over wit, changeableness, and volatility."
"Are those good things?" He asked as they stood by the entrance.
"For a bird turned into a man? Very good things. Now, when you leave here. You cannot come back until it's all over. Can't have anyone suspecting who you are. I have a palace where you can stay. It has servants who will fulfill your every need. Here's the map…" He tapped Alonzonikos' forehead, "Go there now, then make your acquaintance with the Titans in the morning. Make something up, just become their friend and remember, stay away from Ares. He won't recognize you as long as you can keep your animosity in check."
The red flush of anger spread across his face, "I still don't understand why he always punched me, my liege. It wasn't my fault that I was created from superior stock and have higher intelligence. I never held that against him. He was just no match for my exceptional genius."
Zeus gave him a subtle double-take before smacking him on the shoulder a little bit harshly, "Well, alright then. Off you go. I will summon you when I want an update."
Zeus thought as Alonzonikos left, 'No wonder he hit you, asshole.'
Present
Rick unlocked and opened the front door, allowing Michonne to walk through before him. Seemingly innocent, Shane happened to be walking past the house. He stopped when he heard the door close and peered at his sister and Rick, who finally came out of their cave and his home, with astonishment.
He yelled, "Four fucking days? Really?" His tirade came to a halt when he got a good look at his sister, "Michonne! Your hair. It's purple!"
She ran down the front steps and hugged her brother. Rick not far behind, "Yes!" She grabbed a lavender colored loc and held it up in front of her face, "Can you believe it?" Now that she was closer to him, Shane could see that her irises had returned to their bright violet from all those years ago.
"I see your eyes have gone back, too."
Rick finally caught up with his wife and placed an arm around her shoulders. He checked their surroundings first before leaning closer to Shane and telling him, "That's not all. We both got our wings back."
Shane's mouth dropped open in shock. He blurted, "Just cause y'all fucked?"
Michonne slapped a hand to his mouth, hissing, "Do you mind? You don't need to be shouting out our business."
Her brother pulled her hand off his face, "Well how else do you explain getting your powers back?" He rubbed his head, trying to figure out this mystery. He lowered his voice and deduced, "Okay, since y'all bumped booties, and got your powers, all I have to do is find another Olympian. We do it, I get my wings back. Then we can get the hell out of this place." He clapped his hands enthusiastically for his plan.
He snapped his finger with an idea, "You know what? That Sasha would be perfect. She's hot! Come on, pack up the kids. We gotta get back to Alexandria, so I can go do it with Sasha."
Shane totally forgot he was talking to Rick and Michonne, so excited at the prospect of getting with Sasha and getting his wings back. He wandered off into the house, mumbling to himself, "Kicked out of my own house for four days. Got to get my best clothes so I can impress her. I might need to cut my hair."
Richonne stared off after him in wonderment.
Rick spoke first, "He's your brother."
Shane stuck his head back out the door and shouted, "Oh, by the way, Dominic is your dad's familiar. Alonzodipshit or something. Said Zeus turned him into a god and sent him to keep an eye out on all of us because he suspected Hera would do something. He was supposed to report back if anything went wrong." He went back into the house, slamming the door before they could say anything.
It finally took hold what he just said when Shane opened the door again, "And, yeah, Michonne, you went out with a bird."
He slammed the door again.
Rick, eyes wide gave her a questioning look.
She shrugged her shoulders, "What? How was I know who Dominic was, or should I say Lexos, or whatever his true name is. He had a palace over on the next mountain. He had servants. He said he was the god of Capriciousness." She stopped, "You know, I always thought that was dumb. He was always so proud to claim it." She rubbed her forehead, "Maybe we were the dumb ones to have believed him."
"Hey, you might not have known Lexos was your father's familiar, but you did meet him before at my parent's home. Why didn't you recognize him when we got back from Oceanside? Your memories had been restored by then."
Rick thought about when they first walked through the gates with the kids, "I never looked at him. After helping Shane get his memories back, I was too busy thinking about getting reacquainted with my wife. Now I know he's Alonzonikos, I get his animosity towards me. He was a pompous ass in bird form, I should have recognized that trait when I met him on your mountain. We all missed it."
"Your father sent him to watch us and report back."
"He failed as far as I know. That's somethin' else I'm gonna handle later."
Chuckling, Michonne shook her head. "How are we gonna explain this?" She ran her fingers through her locs and then pointed to her eyes. "They'll all want to know and it's going to be a mess… a sex frenzy. Jerry is married to Nabila, a human. What's he gonna do?"
Rick shrugged.
She continued, "We'll know for sure if sex is the cure. Glenn should have it figured out by now that he's back with Maggie."
Her significant other looked around, squinting, "Well, if it is, they'll have to decide what they're gonna do with it. Shane had a good idea. We'll tell the kang and then take the trip to Alexandria. I can call a meeting of the immortals and let 'em know. They can figure it out from there if they want their powers back."
They were heading toward the building where the king resided to tell them the news when Michonne asked, "How much does Cyndie know about you?"
Matching his steps to stay by Michonne's side, he used his hand to steady the swing of his Colt, "She doesn't know my immortal side and I wasn't ever going to tell her. It didn't matter since I thought I would never get them back or ever go back to Olympus. I'm pretty sure she's already suspicious of some of the thangs that happened around her. Hopefully, it won't be that big of a shock when I tell her. I'd appreciate it if you would be there when I do."
Michonne agreed, "I think it would be better if all three of us were there. I also suspect she's not very comfortable with you calling them brother and sister."
"Why's that?"
Michonne responded thoughtfully, "I think they have a crush on one another."
Rick's eyebrows rose, "I don't know what to say about that."
Inside the king's auditorium, Rick and Michonne stood impatiently between the seats, each rolling their eyes as King Ezekiel argued with Carol and Jerry, "Jerry, thou shan't avail your bodice to the closest deity if you so choose not to partake. For it is something you must discuss between yourself and Nabila. I cannot make that decision for you. One way or the other.
"As for me… rest assured, if I partake in such liberties, it shall be with a woman who possesses my heart." He turned toward Carol with an adoring glint in his eye.
Not recognizing the look pointed her way, Carol protested, "What does it matter? Whether you find a woman to love, or just have sex. You would have an entirely new arsenal to fight the enemy and you could go home. Don't you want that?"
Ezekiel just gave her a pat on her hand, "Yes, it would give me an advantage. With powers or under human frailties, I have made a vow to the River Styx that I shall endeavor the proclivities of correcting the wrongs of this world. I will not be returning to Olympus anytime soon." He stood up from his wooden throne and made his way over to where Jerry stood, "Brother, I cannot ask you to stay by my side if perchance you have the opportunity to go back to our homeland."
He turned back to Carol, who stood there with a wary look of suspicion, "My lady. You have been aware of my feelings for you for centuries. Although I ask you this boon, it is not what the mortals would call a 'trap'. All I ask is for you to release the power of the gods within me and I will not obligate you to stay by my side." He held up his hand, "Even though it would mean the world to me if you stayed."
Michonne whispered to Rick as the three continued to discuss what they were going to do, "Ezekiel told me about a woman he loved for centuries but never pursued, because she was a Titan. He thought his brother wouldn't approve. Do you think Carol's the one?"
Rick nodded, "From the look on his face and by the way he's stuttering… we can safely assume she's the one." He grabbed Michonne's hand and began pulling her out of the auditorium. "Come on, we need to go find the kids and have a long talk about who we really are and I wanna know about this crush."
Before they could leave, Carol stopped them, "Rick, I'm going to be staying here for a while. We need to figure this out. Daryl is going to stay with me. When you get back to Alexandria, you'll need to take my place."
Rick shook his head, "Uhm no. I will not. I do have the perfect candidates."
He started pulling Michonne out the room again, "Rick, what are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.
He responded with a shrug, "The former king and queen of the ocean to rule Alexandria. Glenn and Maggie have experience and know politics. I don't want it. Never did. Now that they're back together, they'd make the perfect team."
"That's a perfect idea, Rick." She raised up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
On their way to find Carl and Cyndie, they ran into Jesus. Rick pulled his brother into his arms for a crushing hug. "Sorry, we didn't have time to talk earlier. It's so good to see you."
Jesus hugged him back, "Likewise. I'm glad to see you safe and sound. I told Ezekiel when you found out what happened here, you wouldn't hesitate to come. It took a few years to find each other, but I was right. I guess congratulations are in order. I didn't know that you knew Michonne."
Rick gave her a loving gaze, "No one knew and that was a mistake on my part. I was just about to introduce Michonne and Shane to you all before our memories got wiped. If I had done it sooner, Hera wouldn't have been able to get away with taking her from me."
Michonne gave him a chaste look, "Rick. I need you to stop taking the blame for Hera's actions. We are here, together and we're alive and we have two kids that need us. She'll get hers in due time. Right now," she turned her attention to Jesus, "Rick, the kids and I will be leaving for Alexandria soon and Shane will most like accompany us if he hasn't left already."
Rick broke out with a snort while Jesus looked confused.
"Glenn probably won't be back because Rick is going to ask him and his wife to take charge while Carol stays here with Ezekiel. I want you to take command of the Vanguard."
Jesus balled his fists and stepped back, "I don't know if I can do that, Michonne. I'm not the leader type."
Rick put a hand on his brother's shoulders, "Brother, you can do this. I've seen you manage and organize some of the greatest thefts in history, I've seen you protect travelers and you are the king of thieves. Making sure everyone here stays safe and protecting the king and queen should be small potatoes for you. Besides, you heard the news. There may be a way for everyone to get their powers back. All you have to do is pick someone from back home, do the do and bam… you can go back to flying around wearing your baby booties with wings."
His brother punched him in the arm, "They are not baby booties, they're called slippers and they were very comfortable."
Michonne enjoyed the joking between the brothers. She did wonder how everything would have turned out if they had met a long time ago. She cut off the thought. It didn't matter. Things were the way they were now. Dwelling on the past won't help anything.
Rick shook Jesus, "You got this bro."
His brother blushed as he pushed Rick's hand off, "Get out of here, you two. Michonne, I will take good care and protect the king and I guess we'll be protecting a queen, as well. I won't let you down."
A/N: Thanks again for reading and I truly appreciated all of your encouraging words. Next chapter, Cyndie's reaction and some messiness at Alexandria. Who's gonna cause trouble this time?
Have a great weekend and please leave a comment, you are my fuel :)
Please don't hesitate to ask questions. I know it's a lot of names ;)
Key:
Michonne-Nike-Goddess of Victory.
Rick-Ares-God of War.
Daryl-Atlas-Titan god that led the war against the Olympians. God of Endurance.
Carol-Theia-Titanide goddess and Mother of the Sun, Moon and the dawn.
Maggie-Tethys-Titanide goddess of nursing of all life and Oceanus' wife.
Glenn-Oceanus-Titan of the sea.
Tyrese-Helios-Titan god of the sun and light.
Sasha-Selene-Titanide goddess of the moon.
Jesus-Hermes-God of athletes, thieves, and adventures. Messenger and trickster of the gods.
Shane-Kratos-God of strength and power
Negan-Zeus-Lord of the Sky.
Mary/Terminus-Hera-Wife of Zeus.
Jerry-Dionysius-God of Wine and Theatre.
King Ezekiel-Poseidon-Olympian God of the Sea.
Dominic-Lexos/Alonzonikos-Zeus' familiar and spy
