Hey there guys! The FINAL chapter of WIS is finally here!
Since I'm so very sentimental, I'm gonna celebrate by mentioning all the wonderful people who has ever reviewed this story. They are: Ranta, UltramarinePhoenix, Nuuoa, RosylaGypsy, tinianiatt, photo41, dazzelingdiamond, elegos-sirinial-shamtul, .Invisible-Nobody., 4evacrazy, candy, gingerbreadbear, no nagging and Wings of Corrugated Irony. You guys are AWESOME, AWESOME and... AWESOME!!!
A huge word of thanks goes to tinianiatt who has been betaing for me. Girl, you are amazing!
As always: I do not own 'Class of the Titans'. Wish I did, cause then you'd see this on TV, but I don't...so you won't. *sniff*
PLEASE REVIEW! This is the end of WIS, so make this salty old dog's day and send him a review. Hey! This is the perfect opportunity for you to click the 'new and improved' reviewers button! Go ahead! You know you want to...
Hell was every bit as bad as he had imagined it. Yet the pain did not lie in the way the flames seared his flesh or in the darkness that pressed against his eyes. The most horrible part of this place was the fact that he was the only one there. Gareth opened his eyes to see what his surroundings looked like. The blue and white glare of the burning flames had a distinct aura of horror about them. Mostly because they were all he could see.
The heat stung his eyes, forcing him to squeeze them shut again.
Gareth had always theorised that eternal punishment was handed out according to what you feared most. What he was experiencing definitely proved it. For, just as he had come into this world as a lonely stranger, so did he leave it. And now he was trapped in the flames and raging winds; all alone for eternity.
It was nothing more than he deserved! For Gareth knew that he had led his friends into terrible danger. They might even be dead for all he knew. If only they could live! He would trade anything in the world just to know that they were safe.
A garbled sound in the distance caught his ear and pulled him from his confused thoughts. It sounded like someone was calling out to him. The words, however, were a complete mystery to him as the flames crackled at an unbelievable volume.
Then the voice came closer; became more distinct. It was a woman. He could tell. He tried to move towards the voice, but his body was suspended in mid-air and he still could not open his eyes.
Suddenly he felt something change. The crackle of the fire wasn't as loud anymore. The intense heat had also died down somewhat. Gareth dared to open his eyes again. It looked as if he was in a bubble. All around him the flames were being repelled by a force that formed a circular dent in the deadly heat.
Finally, he could see her. The angel- for there was no other way to describe her- who was calling out to him had become visible. Her flaming hair flew about her head as if in a stormy wind and her gentle lips moved rhythmically, as if she was chanting. The most striking thing about her appearance, however, was the purple glow that emanated from her eyes, like there was a phantom looking out from behind them…
Behind her was another angel. His chocolate brown eyes shone with awe as he looked at her and one of his hands was firmly clasped in hers.
There was something strangely familiar about them. Gareth shook his head to try and get rid of the confusion, but still he couldn't quite recall who they were.
The male held out his hand and beckoned to him. Gareth stretched forward and grabbed hold. Slowly, but surely he was being pulled out of the flame, leaving the fiery depths of hell; for he wasn't alone anymore.
The sky was becoming visible again. Droplets of icy rain were starting to sooth his screaming flesh. Below him, in the streets, he could see a group of five young ones. Gareth recognized them. The fog in his mind was clearing. They were his friends and they were calling out to him. And the hand he was holding wasn't that of an angel either. No, it was better than an angel. It was that of a friend.
However, the heat of the flames wouldn't relinquish him that easily. A tug on his ankle pulled Gareth's eyes back to the stormy fire. He could see her in a whirl of blond hair. Her black eyes pierced him through the fire and her brutal hands were pulling him back towards her.
He could hear his friends yelling in the streets below as the bottom half of his body edged back into the fiery depths, but somehow he wasn't afraid. A gentle hand had taken hold of his and was directing it at Lilith. The intense surge of power that he had come to associate with using his powers was shooting through Gareth's body once more. He could see a bright light forming at the very tips of his fingers. For one small moment Gareth locked eyes with Lilith. Her mouth opened to speak; but nothing more than a shocked 'oh' escaped her lips as a powerful ball of light blasted from Gareth's hand and sent her flailing into the fire.
The darkness smothered his eyes so unexpectedly that, for a moment, he thought he had lost consciousness. Yet, he could still feel everything. He felt the hardness of the road as he was placed down. Their voices were also very clear. He clung to each sound they made, as if they were the lasts gasps of breath that kept him from the suffocating darkness.
"Is he alive?" a worried voice asked. "I thought he was- when I let go..."
"It's impossible!" a softer male voice said. "The human body isn't supposed to stand that much heat."
Then there was another male voice, one which boomed over all the rest.
"Is he okay? Theresa, will he be-"
A female voice gasped. "Theresa! Your eyes!"
"It's nothing," Theresa said quickly. "We have to get out of here before-"
For a moment he lost consciousness, but only for a very small moment. For when next he woke, two muscular arms were gently lifting him from the cold earth.
"Be careful Herry. We don't know how bad his injuries are."
"Don't worry buddy," Herry said. "You're gonna be all right."
Gareth spoke to Herry, but only in his mind. For his body wasn't under his control. I don't think so, Herry. I can't see anything.
"Yeah Gareth," a stronger female voice said. "Hang in there."
Gareth fought against the gradual numbing of his mind, but inch by inch he felt himself losing the fight.
"Stay awake…stay awake…" Theresa said over and over again.
I can't, Gareth thought. The darkness of unconsciousness had never pressed so hard.
3 DAYS LATER
I'm reporting live from the epicentre of the Herculean plaza where authorities are still uncovering human remains. The reporter said. A statement has yet to be released as to what could have caused this tragedy and why the bodies all show signs of-
"Herry! Turn off that television and bring your friend another pillow," the old lady ordered. "Do you want him to be uncomfortable?"
"Okay, Granny," Herry said as he hastened to obey the old lady's every command.
Gareth sighed slightly as he watched this exchange. It was so deliciously sweet. Especially since it helped to take his mind off what had happed only a few days ago. He still couldn't believe how lucky they all were to have survived that ordeal. Neil's luck was definitely becoming more potent...
He slowly turned in his seat to face the grey haired woman. "Thank you for coming to visit us- uh…"
"You can call me Granny, dear," she said her accent as thick as ever. Gareth still wasn't quite able to place it, "and I thought it was time I came to see where my Herry-poo lives!"
There was a muffled outburst of snickers around the room at this statement. Herry blushed a little at the use of his Granny's favourite pet name for him and became very preoccupied with the box of cookies she had brought with her. A painful rap of wood on his fingers, however, stopped him before he could even get one cookie to his mouth.
"Herry! Those cookies are for your friend," she said brandishing her cane.
Another murmur of barely stifled laughter swept across the room.
"That's okay, Granny. He can have some," Gareth said, choosing to ignore Jay's arching eyebrow and Theresa's knowing smile.
Herry grinned happily and stuffed a cookie in his mouth. A loud rap on the front door caught their attention. A moment later the door opened and the two most unlikely people imaginable entered the building: Hera and, to Gareth's delight, Zeus. This was Gareth's first encounter with the god of thunder and he was definitely a little more than just excited.
"Why, hello there my dear lady!" Zeus exclaimed when he saw Granny. He bowed deeply and placed a single flower in her lap. Granny smiled happily and greeted the pair.
Gareth marvelled at how positively…British Zeus sounded for a Greek god. He, however, marvelled even more at Zeus's flirtatious behaviour in front of Hera. Gareth turned to Hera who looked surprisingly calm for a goddess whose husband had just been flirting with another woman. Gareth guessed that she had become accustomed to it by now. This was something he was extremely thankful for, because from what he had read in the mythology books Jay had lent him, Hera could become very creative when angered…
"You must be Gareth," Zeus said delightedly as he turned in his direction. "At last we meet. I must say I was quite curious about the young man whose excellent writing has been causing so much trouble!"
Gareth beamed. He was sure that he had turned a shade of red that had, as of yet, not been properly named. Zeus was curious about him. What's more, Zeus said he was an excellent writer!
"H-hi," Gareth stammered.
"I trust that you are feeling much better?" Zeus inquired.
Gareth's face darkened momentarily. Up to that moment he had been able to block that horrible night from his mind, but now he was forced to think about it once again. If it hadn't been for Theresa…
"I'm fine thanks," he said, even though the stinging wound above his heart said otherwise. That reminded him of something though… "Ms Hera, did Persephone ever find out why Lilith burnt this particular shape into my chest? Why it was a-"
"Phoenix?" Hera finished, her brow furrowing more than usual. "Unfortunately no. Only you can and will tell us whether it's significant when you finally remember everything."
There was a brief moment of silence in which no one knew what to say. They had all been puzzled by the fact that Lilith had branded Gareth with the mark of a phoenix.
"Well I think it's safe to say that we all learnt at least one thing from all this," Hera said suddenly. She surveyed the confused looking teens. "We've learnt that you all, especially Gareth, need to train harder than ever." A barely suppressed groan escaped everybody's lips. Hera stared them down sternly. "You still have to defeat Cronus and we have no idea what he might have learnt from Lilith before she had betrayed him. It's more important than ever that you all hone your powers and become as skilled at fighting as you possibly can. We know next to nothing about what Lilith did in the times she wasn't under Cronus' watch. She might very well have had a second plan in motion!"
Hera didn't have to say any more. They all knew how much trouble they were in.
"That, of course, doesn't mean that I'm not proud of you. You all did very well under the circumstances; especially you Theresa," Hera said, turning to the red haired fighter. "You could easily have lost control of your aura and caused even more chaos, but instead you rose above the situation and managed to gain full control of it. You may very well have saved Gareth's life."
Theresa blushed furiously as all her friends' eyes fell on her. Jay had his arm around her and pressed her to him as a proud smile overwhelmed his features. For a few moments the room was swathed in a serene silence.
In all this quiet, there was only one tiny bit of movement that caught Gareth's eye. It was Neil, who had raised his hand as if he was in class and was eager to answer a question. This was something that really made him resemble Odie…
Hera cast him a weary look. "Yes Neil?"
"Um… I have a question," Neil said.
Hera sighed. "Well of course you do. What is it?"
Neil crumpled his brow for a second. But only a very small second since his face went smooth again almost instantly. He was probably worried about getting wrinkles…
"Gareth… You created Lilith, right?"
"I do believe we've established that Neil," Hera snapped irritably.
"I know… I know…" Neil whined. "It's just that I was wondering… why was she kissing you all the time? Doesn't that, like, scream cougar to you?
"Cougar?" Atlanta asked in confusion.
"You know," Neil said, getting into the swing of his argument now, "cradle-snatcher, an old lady kissing younger guys!"
Most of the males in the room cringed while Theresa, Atlanta and Gareth shared a look.
"Like I said earlier, Neil," Gareth replied, "it was to regain all of her powers from me. She was very weak when she came into this world. She didn't have all her powers because she was the first part of my writing which had come to life. Kind of like the first pancake always being a flop." Herry's eyes glazed over instantly. "She wanted all her powers back. That's why she was hunting me all that time."
"Oh," Neil said softly. A second later, however he had put up his hand again. "I have another question! Why did Lilith wear such slu-?"
"I'm sorry, Neil!" Hera interrupted. "We are all sure that that was the beginning of a very interesting question, but we have more pressing matters to discuss." Neil folded his arms crossly and fell back into the cushions of his armchair from which he scowled at the entire room. "Gareth, like I said, Zeus and I have decided that it's time to intensify your training and as a result…"
"We've decided it's time you got a mentor! Now you can become a proper part of the team," Zeus said jovially as he gave Gareth a playful wink.
Gareth's face lit up like Times Square at the start of a new year. "Really? I get a mentor?" He was about to clap his hands excitedly, but stopped short when he remembered that that was something that Lilith also loved to do. "Who is it? Do I know him or her?"
"Perhaps…" Hera said evasively.
"Is it Hephaestus?"
"No, it isn't," Hera said. "We wanted to get someone who could cater to your… unique personality, talents and powers; someone with whom you would share a connection."
"Hermes?"
"No, he's already Odie's mentor," Zeus said.
"Dionysus?"
"No."
"Zeus?"
"Gareth!" Hera said sternly, although there was a slight smile on her face. "You are going to have to be patient. You'll find out soon enough."
"Okay," Gareth sighed. His eyes still twinkled, though, and he gave Hera a mischievous glance. "But it will be real soon, right?"
Hera answered him with a very stern glare. "I think you children should all go outside," Hera said suddenly. "It's too lovely a day to spend indoors."
Nobody needed to be told twice. Within seconds most of the inhabitants of the room had run off to their own exploits. Jay and Theresa had disappeared up the stairs and Neil had walked out the front door while mumbling angrily about not being appreciated and needing to visit Aphrodite's spa. Meanwhile Atlanta and Archie had conjured up a pair of skateboards from behind the couch.
"Hey Gareth, d'you want come skating with us?" Archie asked.
Gareth smiled. Archie had definitely become much friendlier since everything that happened in the plaza. "Not today. I'm still feeling a bit out of it. Besides, I'm not that good with the whole 'balance' thing. I'll be falling over more than anything else."
"You sure?" Atlanta asked. "If your balance is that off, you can see it as your first bit of training!"
"Yeah right!" Gareth said rolling his eyes. "'Cause I'm sure knowing how to skate will help me save the world someday."
"Your loss," Atlanta yelled as she and Archie sped out the front door.
Athena suddenly came charging out of the kitchen, her apron flapping wildly as she ran. "How many times have I told you two not to skate until you're outside the building?! You're ruining the rug!" Her screams were quite futile, though, as Archie and Atlanta had already disappeared around a corner.
At last only Herry and Odie remained.
"Do you want me to help you to the guest room Granny?" Herry asked "Are you tired?"
Granny extended her hand to Herry, but before he could take it, Zeus cut in. "Allow me," he said suavely, bowing. Granny chuckled slightly and took his hand.
Hera cleared her throat slightly and fixed Zeus with her eyes.
"I will be right back Hera-dear," he said before allowing Granny to hook her arm through his.
"Wanna play Zombie Panic 5 on my computer?" Odie asked Herry as Zeus and Granny left the room.
Herry looked slightly queasy at the mention of the word 'zombie'. He rubbed his shoulder, which was still in bandages and covered with magical creams from Chiron. "I'll play anything that doesn't have zombies in it."
Thus, they too exited the room and left Hera and Gareth in each other's company. Suddenly he was all too aware of the loud way in which the clock on the wall ticked. He turned his eyes to Hera and wasn't at all surprised to see that she was looking directly at him.
"Why do I get the feeling you haven't told us everything?" Gareth asked.
"How very perceptive of you, young Gareth," Hera said. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. You said that Lilith told you your story ends with the death of a hero. Am I right?" Gareth nodded. "And you believe that this death was supposed to happen at the plaza?"
"We all do," Gareth said. "The others and I talked about it, and we all think that it was supposed to happen at the plaza. Luckily for Archie, I was able to change that," he added smiling.
"Do you really think so?" Hera asked.
Gareth's smile faded slightly. "What do you mean, Miss Hera?"
"Well… you young ones were obviously not the only ones who discussed the prophesied death…" Hera's eyes flitted between Gareth and the front door. "Persephone has been consulting the Oracle about death prophecies, and he had quite a few interesting things to say."
"Like?" Gareth asked his curiosity now aroused.
"He said that what you 'did' has not broken the prophecy… You simply postponed it." She sighed heavily. "It would seem that some things are still very much written in stone."
Gareth felt as if the earth's gravity had suddenly been reversed. He clung to the sides of the chair he was sitting in and stared into Hera's worried eyes. He had gone through all that pain and suffering… for nothing.
"But then how do we stop it?" he asked his breath quickening.
Hera leaned forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. Gareth felt the strange compulsion to shake her hand off. Her intense gaze was making him uncomfortable.
"Calm yourself Gareth," she ordered. "Chiron will be furious if you have a relapse after all the care he has given you. Rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep any of you from dying."
Gareth took a deep breath to calm himself and sat back in the chair. There was still something that bothered him though.
"Miss Hera, what exactly did you mean when you said that some things are still written in stone?"
Hera's serious gaze met his. "There is a theory among the gods that the story you wrote can only come to an end when someone has died or if you manage to alter the future completely. It's only a theory of course…"
"But how can I do that if I can't remember what happens next?"
"Unfortunately I can't tell you that," Hera said turning her gaze to the open window. "It's all up to you. Until then, you are all marked for death."
The two teens raced through the park at break-neck speed. The landscape was nothing more than a green and grey blur as they sped through it. All around them people were ducking and diving as the duo competed for the lead. The red headed girl gave an irritated growl and looked over her shoulder.
"Hey Arch!" she yelled. "Want a real challenge?"
"Bring it!" Archie replied.
Almost instantaneously, Atlanta jumped off her board and ran off the path. Her speedy feet were blurring over the lush, green grass.
"Hey! No fair! This isn't a foot race!"
"You afraid I'll beat you?" Atlanta asked as she disappeared between the trees.
Not one to pass on a challenge, Archie jumped off the path and raced after her. He didn't take long to find her. She was darting between the trees like a gazelle on the run. Archie, taking full advantage of all the training he got on Ares' numerous obstacle courses, sped up and raced between the blur of tree trunks. He would not be beaten that easily.
Atlanta, however, was still far ahead of him and she was slightly faster than he was. She looked back at Archie without slowing her pace. There was a wicked smile on her face.
Archie's eyes widened. He saw the large expanse of water ahead of her before she did.
"Atlanta!" he yelled
It was too late. A moment later, she crashed into the icy water like a particularly graceless duck. All around the pond curious tourists were staring at the crazy red head that had dived into the water. It was the middle of November. Was she nuts?!
It was a particularly angry Atlanta who emerged from the icy depths. With her uncharacteristic scowl and wet hair, she looked a lot like an exceptionally water logged cat. Archie was doubled over from laughter. He was literally gasping for breath as he sank to the ground.
"You could have warned me sooner, you know," she said while punching his shoulder playfully. Okay. Maybe it was a bit more than just a playful punch.
"It's not my fault you didn't look where you were going!" Archie exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah…" Atlanta said as she poured the water from her severely soggy shoes.
Archie got a pensive expression on his face and looked at his girlfriend. He was usually the moody one.
"What's wrong?" Archie asked, cutting to the chase.
"Nothing," Atlanta said quickly.
"Atlanta, you know I'm not comfortable with this emotional stuff, so just tell me already. Or should I tickle it out of you?" he threatened.
Atlanta looked fervently annoyed by the fact that he knew about her ticklishness. She sighed heavily and sat down next to Archie.
"It's just… so unreal. It just doesn't feel over to me yet. Everything that has happened… it couldn't just have been for nothing, could it?"
"Um… Atlanta… Theresa is the hyper-perceptive one," Archie said in annoyance. "The rest of us don't really understand when you talk like that. Can you repeat that in non-girl talk?"
Atlanta glared daggers. "I'm just saying that it ended too easily. Gareth keeps going on and on about how powerful he made Lilith, but in the end, he managed to destroy her with just one blast of his powers? That doesn't make sense to me."
"Um… so you're worried that she's still out there?"
Atlanta looked away from Archie, but the answer was clear enough. He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Atlanta let herself be pulled closer to his chest.
"Stop worrying," he said. "Whatever happens, I'll- we'll all be there with you. Lilith can come and face us if she's still out there. I can beat her any day of the week."
Atlanta snorted and leaned closer to Archie. He held her tightly and looked at the ripples in the pond water. He would beat Lilith any day of the week. Heck, he'd fought werewolves and river gods for Atlanta. He'd even faced his fear of water for her. What were Lilith and her zombies compared to all that? Archie wasn't afraid. He knew that if another fight were to come he wouldn't hesitate. He didn't have Jay's misgivings about killing the recently dead. The choice between someone he cared about and a decaying corpse was a no-brainer for Archie.
A thrill of movement against his chest interrupted his thoughts. Atlanta had however involuntarily, shivered.
"You cold?" Archie asked.
"No," Atlanta replied stubbornly.
"Well I know a way we can get warmer…" Archie said, ignoring her answer.
"Yeah?" Atlanta asked wryly.
Archie jumped to his feet and raced into the trees.
"Last one to the dorm does the dishes tonight!" he yelled over his shoulder.
His cocky laugh echoed over her protestations of not playing fair.
A fair haired girl darted across the floors of the palatial building. She could easily get lost in the heavy darkness, but her feet seemed to magically know the way. Her bare feet hardly seemed to touch the ground. Thus making it look like she was floating. In her hands was a rounded copper basin, filled to the brim with crystal clear water. Despite her speed, she didn't spill a drop.
She ascended many flights of stairs until she reached the top of the very highest tower. She easily shifted the basin into her left hand and rapped softly on the heavy oak door in front of her. It opened ever so slightly, allowing her to float into the room beyond.
The room was extravagantly decorated with expensive Persian rugs, heavy oak furniture and on one of its walls, a human sized mirror. The only light in the room came from the burning embers in the fireplace. The girl floated over to a throne-like chair that stood on a dais and bowed deeply. She extended the copper basin high above her head.
"Only the purest mountain water, as you asked Mistress," she said in a beautifully melodious voice.
An artistically beautiful hand extended from the shadows that encased the throne and hovered above the water-filled basin, as if testing its purity. The hand shot up and pointed at the mirror.
"As you wish Mistress," the girl said, bowing even lower before floating to the mirror.
"Move me!" a commanding voice ordered from the depths of the throne.
Immediately two other girls appeared out of the shadows and ran to the throne. They grabbed hold of two ornately decorated handles at the side of the throne and slowly lifted it from the ground. They moved over to the mirror with incredible grace, in spite of the heaviness of the throne and its occupant.
The occupant of the throne extended its hand again and pressed it against the icy surface of the mirror.
"Now!" the authoritarian voice directed.
The girl quickly tipped the basin towards the mirror and let the water flow onto the translucent surface. The water, however, didn't move in a normal manner. Instead of instantly falling to the ground, it moved down slowly against the cold glass, as if fighting gravity. The pure water washed over the gorgeous hand which began to rhythmically move in a circle. Immediately the water mimicked the circular movement until its swirling ripples covered the entire surface of the looking-glass.
"Leave me!" the voice commanded.
Without a moment's hesitation the three girls floated from the room and shut the oak door tightly behind them.
A few moments passed in which the hand pressed firmly against the water-covered glass. Then another hand extended from the shadows, it held a strange object with a golden dial on it. The watery surface of the mirror shimmered brightly as soon as it was touched by the golden object.
In the place of normal reflections, there was now a new image on the surface of the mirror. It was a large Brownstone building. Two teenagers, a girl with red hair and a boy with purple, were standing by the front door. They were locked in a passionate embrace.
The two hands left the surface of the mirror and retreated into the shadows.
"How very interesting…" Lilith said as she twirled Gareth's pendant key in front of her.
At last we've reached the end of WIS! I hope I have you all salivating for the sequel 'Rising in the Dark!'
This is a reminder to all my stellar readers and reviewers: Please review. This is the end(of WIS), so for old times' sake, make me a happy chappy and send me what you thought. All reviewers will get to spend a week with the Heroes in the Brownstone! : )
Have a wonderful day/night!