Here is chapter XIV. I regret to say that this tale is soon going to meet its end. :'( I know, for me too it is very hard to admit. I put so much in this story! There should still be six or seven chapters though so there is still a lot of things for you to discover ^^ I think I will have finished this story by Christmas and plan on writing a short story in the same universe as this one as a special tale for Christmas. If you have wishes/ideas of what should be in this Christmas time story, I will be more than happy to receive your ideas and wishes! ^^

I still have many stories for Saint Seiya to write, in the same universe as this tale, with the same characters, etc… So I still plan on enjoying your mind with many tales in the upcoming months! (And yeha, I'm going ot have free time.. :( I'm on the brink of having 4 months sick leave because of a slipped disk in my vertebrae. Just hope I can avoid surgery! Wish me luck!)

Anyways, now, on with the story!

Oh yes, and please, review!!!! ^^

CHAPTER XIV

MEMORIES

All was dark and unbearably cold, things which the young goddess had never truly been confronted with during all her years spent upon the surface of earth. The Wyvern was walking before her, showing the way, head down low in shame, guilt and fear. Discretely, she risked an eye above her shoulder but all she managed to see was darkness and fear. She shivered slightly, trying to gather what memories she had of the underworld as best she could, but no matter how far she went in her memories, she could not recall wandering amongst such dark and sinister alleyways where all smelled decay and death itself. In her memories, there had been flowers, flowing rivers of dark water and singing springs far beyond the borders of Elysium itself. It had not been as beautiful as the fields of Elysium of course, but there had been light and hope for those whose souls needed amending before crossing the gates which led to the Blessed Realm. Of course, these halls and prisons had been sad and desolated upon her first arrival but it soon had changed. Still, even then, there had been no such sufferings and pain, perspiring from the walls themselves.

Judging by what she could make out of her surroundings, and from the faint memories she recalled, they seemed to be standing outside of the second prison, facing towards the third. A vast empty valley of dust and ashes laid before them when suddenly a glint amidst the darkness caught her attention. What was this? She thought; now that was definitely not familiar. Without even addressing a word to the specter accompanying her, she made her way across the barren wasteland and what she saw made her slightly scream in shock.

It was a woman. Or rather, what was left of it. All her body had been turned into a monolith of stone; only her shoulders, head and long golden hair remained.

"My Queen," came Rhadamanthys' voice from the main walkway, "you should not be wandering out in the prison's waste land. It is not a place suitable for your kind."

The goddess slowly turned her head towards the judge barely concealing her annoyance and shot him a long glare which only allowed him to gulp in discomfort.

"Were you saying something, Wyvern?" she asked, coldly.

"I.. No… Nothing your Highness… I was simply talking to myself."

She smiled in contentment, and finally turned her attention back upon the statue as the Wyvern let out a small sigh of relief. Things were definitely going to be less easy for him now that Lady Persephone had returned. Things, he knew, were definitely not going to be the same in this new Holy War and he was beginning to wonder if the changes would be for the better or the worst.

Meanwhile, the goddess had not taken her eyes off the stone woman when suddenly her head began to move, taking the goddess by surprise. How was it possible for this girl to be still alive in such a state, she wondered?

The head seemed just as surprised as she was and let out a small cry of fright before confounding herself in excuses amidst her tears.

Recovering from her shock, the goddess slowly came closer and silently brough up the girl's tearful face with one of her white hands.

"Please, do not cry child. You have surprised me is all," she said trying to sooth the girl in the process.

"I am sorry, my lady," the girl struggled to say, her voice still quavering because of her tears, "it is just that I have never seen you here before. Who are you? What is someone as beautiful as you doing in such a horrible place?"

The goddess almost smiled at such a babbling of questions but chose to keep her smile to herself.

"Hush child, I will do you no harm. As for who I am, I will tell you once you will have told me what has happened to you in the first place. Surely you have not turned your body into stone all by yourself!"

At this, the girl started crying again which left the goddess unsure of what to do in order to have her cease this behavior. Finally, the girl managed to calm herself down and accepted to answer.

"I… I died once upon earth. The man I loved came down into Hell and played the lyre to lord Hades so that he would allow him to bring me back from the dead. Our love was very special and my beloved was a very talented player. His majesty Hades accepted to let me go, touched as he was by my beloved's playing on the only condition that he would not try to look back at me until we would be finally out under sunlight. But my beloved thought he saw the sun before we had left lord Hades' domain and thus I was turned into stone: neither living, nor dead."

At this, the goddess felt the urge to sit. So love was after all still strong even amongst mortals. Perhaps had she been wrong… But then again… Here she was alone… This mortal man had been too impatient and had not chosen to wait and make for certain that he was out in the open before turning around. His heart had been too weak.

"Tell me…" she asked, after a small moment of silence, "This man, how could he have left you here in such a state?"

"Oh but he hasn't left me!" the half woman fervently answered, her eyes suddenly filling with tenderness. "He chose to remain in Hell for my sake alone. Every day he comes and remains by my side, playing his music for me when he is not playing for his majesty Hades."

At this, the goddess was stricken with surprise. Perhaps had she been too quick upon delivering her judgement on mortals' feelings.

"But it also makes me suffer."

At this, the goddess felt totally at loss. How could such a true behavior from her beloved bring her any sufferings?

"I do not understand," she carefully stated, quietly probing for the other to reveal the true reason of her pain.

"He… He is Orpheus, a Saint of Athena. And because of me, he has betrayed his vow to serve the Goddess in her war against Hades, serving the dark emperor instead."

The goddess silently sighed, almost relieved to hear such words from the woman. In this at least she could bring some comfort to this poor soul.

"Listen…," she begun, "I have known saints of the Goddess in my life upon earth and their deeds were not what I would claim as good. Some of them were even utterly evil."

Flashes of Arianne's words came to her mind and she remembered the two bodies being left to decay at the city gates; the deeds of a God, Arianne had said; what if it had been Athena's deeds?

She shivered at the thought but chose not to share her wonderings with the girl in front of her. After all, she was not certain these were the deeds of the Goddess in any way, it was only the fruit of her speculations.

"It is not because Hades rules over the underworld that his will is utterly evil. Look! He had given you and your beloved a chance to begin life anew upon earth!"

The girl shook her head, tears beginning to form upon her long dark eye lashes.

"It was only once. The Emperor never shows mercy. He wishes only to see earth destroyed!"

Flashes of her past life came to the goddess's mind and she saw herself running across fields of barley under a summer sun, gathering poppies as a figure in the distance, with long raven hair waved his hand in her direction, a smile grazing his lips. If this was the world Hades wanted, then she could see nothing ill in it. Perhaps was it better to let the fate of earth in the hands of the Emperor of Hell rather than in the hands of the would be Goddess of Wisdom, goddess which, she reminded herself, was her sister never the less. The feeling itself was discomforting and she chose to dismiss it from her mind altogether.

Raising her head once more to face the condemned young mortal, she added:

"I once saw a world where barley grew, birds sang amongst the trees in bloom and afar, farmers were gathering the crops before the midsummer rains. And in this world, the lord Hades was smiling and walking amidst the fields, the wind playing across his raven hair. If this is the world the Lord of this kingdom wants, I see no harm in it."

The girl simply averted her eyes and gazed at the barren waste land in which she stood.

"I cannot believe you," she whispered bitterly. "I need only look around me to know that it is not true. All here is but pain, fear, darkness and destruction. Every day I hear the cries of my fellow mortals who have died screaming in agony as they endlessly suffer for crimes they have never committed. It seems as though Hades' only wish is to see men suffer and never be at peace."

At this, the goddess could only bite her lips in confusion. What the young woman had just said was all but too true. She had felt it upon her arrival in the underworld. All had been but pain, suffering, darkness and desolation. But, she thought, things would change now that she was here. Perhaps had she been chosen as the Queen of this world but she remained none the less a goddess of earth.

Silently, she gathered her cosmo and her warm energy came to wrap around her fair body like a veil of soft evening light. Setting her two hands upon the cold ground, she set her eyes upon the broken woman once more:

"Things will change," she declared, confidently. "For now, all I can offer is this. But one day, I wish for you to be relieved of this prison which chains you to this world."

And as she uttered these words, grass began to spread across the desolated landscape, flowers began to bloom and small trees raised their proud heads towards a depressing black heaven as in a sign of warning. The vegetation continued to spread until it had completely recovered the barren wasteland under the bewildered stare of the stone woman and that of the specter. So this was Persephone's power, he thought in fear. Well, this power at least had better be sealed before all of hell turned into a garden, he continued to think, sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Suddenly he passed a raging hand over his forehead, wiping the sweat away in the process. What was he thinking? She was his Queen. He was not allowed to place any judgement on any of her actions; Only the Lord Hades was in some measure allowed to restrain his wife and yet… They were equals… He was not to go against her. What Persephone did, was as rightful as any of Lord Hades' doings or decisions. He bowed his head in frustration. But this, he wondered, was not something he would have thought the Goddess of Hell capable of doing.

He suddenly felt a bright aura pass him by and cursed himself for not being swift enough. Ah, to hell with it, he told himself, after finally deciding not to chase after the newly arrived. Let the man be greeted directly by the goddess herself. He would learn soon enough to keep his place, he had no need to tell the boy about it before hand. It would be a pleasure to see him being humiliated by the Goddess of Hell herself, he thought with pleasure. That boy had taken too many liberties since his arrival in the Kingdom of the Emperor Hades. Playing nice music was something he truly deemed worthless and useless. He sometimes really wondered what the Emperor had found in this traitor. Yes, Orpheus…, he thought again, gritting his teeth. His place was not here. He was not wanted and not welcome! One who has betrayed once, can betray again, that was what he thought. And surely enough, the Saint would turn against them one day or another.

"Who are you, and what are you doing beside Eurydice?"

The voice had been harsh and cold albeit tainted with awe, but if it surprised the goddess, she showed nothing of it.

"Orpheus!" The said Eurydice cried out in shock; "Please! Do not be so rude! This woman did nothing to me. You can see it by yourself! Look! We are going to be in a garden now!" she added, with a slight thrill in her voice.

The man answered nothing, jumping from the cliff where he had been standing into the thick grass which now covered the entire valley.

"And for what reason are we granted such an honor?" he demanded coolly, as the goddess finally chose to turn around and face him. "Hell, as far as I know, is not meant to be a garden of any sorts. It is a place where mortals come to pay for their crimes. Elysium alone is a garden of paradise, they say, the only place where trees and flowers are allowed to grow in the underworld. Surely you know of this, do you not?"

"Then perhaps you would like to have it taken away?" The wyvern yelled, clearly not appreciating the lack of respect the former Saint was showing his Empress.

"Silence wyvern! I did not ask you to intervene."

Rhadamanthys quickly backed away, albeit reluctantly. If his goddess wanted to take care of things herself, then he was fine with it. Still… He was beginning to feel slightly useless in all of this; something which was not really to his liking.

"Things change, saint of Athena," the Goddess replied, emotionlessly, turning her gaze back upon the mortal man once more. "You will learn Hell is not always what it seems. As to why," she continued, spreading her arms over the green fields, "know it is because your beloved has shown me that mortals can still love. It has given me the right to hope still in human nature."

She bowed her head in his direction, making it clear that she was now dismissing him and made way to rejoin the Wyvern.

"Farewell, Eurydice," she called back, as she continued her way up the hill towards the specter, "to our first and perhaps final meeting."

In one last movement of cosmo, the goddess lat a bush of roses grow just in front of the girl's transformed feet, bringing her on the brink of tears. These flowers.. so real, so fresh, so full of souvenirs from the world above.

"Hope… "Orpheus murmured as he watched her leave, " not in the love of mortals… but in that of one man…I saw it in your eyes, Goddess. But which man? That is not for me to answer."

As though she had heard him, the goddess turned around one last time and looked into his direction. For a moment, both held the stare of the other, until she finally chose to turn around, a sad smile grazing her lips as she turned around, regal as always.

Rhadamanthys too could not help but gaze back one last time at the newly grown garden and found himself smiling. He wondered what Pharao's face would be like when he would see the garden in front of the prison her guarded. No doubt the Sphinx would spend a whole week cursing about hell not being a playground. He was beginning to think he really liked his Goddess after all.

"Who was she?" Eurydice asked, eagerly, as Orpheus smiled at her innocent question. She was so sweet, so pure, so gentle… His Eurydice…

"Someone who can grow a garden even in the most desolated of places," he answered, still gazing in the distance to where the Goddess and the specter had disappeared from view.

"I do not understand," she answered, clearly confused by his answer.

"Ah Eurydice," he answered, warmly. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all."

He sat beside what remained of his beloved and hugged her deeply against his chest, thinking of all that had occurred in such a small instant, a small instant which might change this world and their lives forever. Persephone… He thought… May you find what you came for in these forsaken halls. I wish for you to be able to do what I could not…

But what it was he could not do, he did not bother to bring back to his mind; all that mattered was Eurydice…. And Eurydice alone… And for once, they would be able to forget their tragedy in a field of flowers and soft spring grass, in a world where outside the valley, only fear and cries of pain filled the air of a barren wasteland.

The air was strangely cold, sending a chill up the young woman's spine. Slowly, Arianne opened her eyes and found herself gazing at a high ceiling of white marble. Carefully, she tried to get up, suddenly feeling a great pain pass through her chest as though someone had plunged a dagger in the very center of her heart.

" You should be careful if you try to get up," a harsh female voice came to her ears. "That's quite an attack you went through. You were lucky not to die in the process. Guess there's more to you than what it seems. That is, apart from your evident good looks."

The woman was already beginning to annoy her and she chose to stop listening to her altogether. So she had survived Rhadamanthys' attack after all. She sighed with relief and wondered where the others could be. She silently wished Deneb had been quick enough as to retrieve Cora from the specter's claws and bring the two of them in a safer place.

"Are you listening to me?"

The other woman's voice surprised her in the middle of her thoughts, making her jerk slightly in surprise.

"Yes, yes of course. Pardon me, I am still a little dizzy," she managed to say, her voice slightly hoarse from the lack of water.

The other woman huffed and Arianne finally managed to turn her head enough to discern her features: quite tall, blue eyes, long blond hair and an evident look of superiority.

" I really wonder why my Master has taken the pain to bring you here… anyways," she continued, gesturing towards a chair in front of her bed, "clothes have been prepared for you. Once you will be ready, my Master will receive you in his hall. One of his generals will come to fetch you. You had better be ready once he arrives."

"General?" she asked afraid to understand.

"I have nothing else to add," the other answered harshly as she made way to leave the room. Suddenly, she seemed to reconsider and turned around bringing herself to the aquamarine haired woman's level. Arianne, who had just risen from the bed, looked at her in surprise as the other gripped her arm firmly in a menacing gesture.

"I do not know who you are but I find it strange that my beloved finds interest in you. He came here twice to watch over you without any reason while you were recovering."

"Let go off me," she commended, surprising the other woman with her tone of voice.

"Just to make it clear between us" she hissed, her voice slightly softer as she let go off the other woman's arm, "the Sea Dragon is mine and I will not let some filth like you come in my way."

Sea Dragon? This was not good, Arianne thought rapidly; if she was in Atlantis, it meant that… No! How could Poseidon possibly have been at Cape Sunion at the same time as she, Deneb, Rhadamanthys and most of all... She blanched at the thought. If Cora had met Poseidon, then surely a disaster had occurred.

Seeing her pale, the girl smiled triumphantly believing to have frightened her with her threats.

" As long as you keep away from him, all will be fine," she added, smiling confidently.

"And what, pray tell, has this... Sea Dragon truly promised you?" Arianne asked suddenly, regaining her composure, not liking the way the other woman was acting towards her.

The question seemed to take the other girl aback.

"Nothing", she finally said, less confident suddenly. "He has promised me nothing. But," she continued, straitening herself, "I know he is the one I want and I will have him, even if it takes time. He will acknowledge me and choose me in the end, once this war is over. So do not interfere. Our Lord's protégée or not, I will have your head if you don't, believe me."

To her utter surprise, the woman only laughed at her declaration, a sheer laugh from the heart which managed in the end to truly annoy her. This woman was but a mere mortal after all!

"What is so funny?" she snapped.

"And what if fate chooses otherwise?" the other answered, a smile still grazing her lips. "You do not know what, nor who you are fighting against."

"Hmf! I don't care about fates, I make my own path. Only fools believe in fate, and I certainly won't let a mere mortal tell me what to think or do. You can't stand against me. Be warned! And not even your...Fate can counter me. Be sure of this!"

Arianne simply smiled sadly back at the blond before averting her eyes to another direction.

"If only you were right…" she whispered, "if only fate did not exist."

If the blond heard, she made no sign of answering and taking it as a sign of victory, she made way towards the door.

"Ah, just to let you know" she declared, as she crossed the threshold of the door, " I am mermaid Thetis. Be sure to remember the name."

The door slammed and Arianne was once again alone, alone with all her souvenirs, good and bad. Slowly, she laid back on her bed, resting her tired hands upon her eyes. What a mess they had done! If only she had not placed those silver coins upon Camus' eyes… But she would not have accepted to let him go like this… Not this time. She had promised to honor his body according to the ancient rites, she had made that vow ages ago. Even if it meant perhaps nothing to the man he had been then, even if he did not even know who she was, all that mattered was that she had been at least true to herself. How much it had hurt in Siberia, to be face to face with him again: the same features, the same cold countenance, the same voice… But he had rejected her like a mere stranger and after all, it was not a surprise. She had been nothing to him in this life. It had already been too much for Degel, discovering all these hidden memories of his past; she had not chosen to lay the same burden upon Camus' shoulders. Not this time. Even if this time, would be the last.

She felt hot tears trickle down her cheeks. No, nothing had prepared her to this. They had been supposed to be all gathered for the final battle, such had been the words of the pithy, on Persephone's return. But it had been a lie. He was dead, without any chances of return. She had known, with Degel, that the time was not ripe, that they had come too soon; and she had vowed to rebuild their bounds on his return once the last Holy War was over. She had sworn to wait until then before revealing his past memories and hidden souvenirs and he had promised to remember her as well; to cherish the moments they had shared along with those of his past life. They had both made this vow before his departure to Blue Grad, all because she had believed in the words of a withered old woman speaking in the name of Apollo, all because she had believed their time would come again... In vain.

The tears continued to spill from her amethyst eyes, like rivers flowing down a pale white valley. She was tired… Tired of this life that did not want to end. It had been Hermes' gift in exchange of their services yet, still now, the taste of the ambrosia felt bitter in her mouth. She knew, though, why she had done it: all for the Goddess's sake. And the curse of horrible long life would only be broken with Hades' utter defeat, thus had been the words of the Messenger.

She had to gather herself up, not everything was lost for yet. She still possessed the power to change the course of things, upon the earth as well as in the oceans. She had had that skill, and she still possessed it. Brushing the tears away as best she could, she managed to rise from her bed and went to pick up the clothes which had been laid out for her. Upon seeing them, she felt the dizziness take a hold of her again. These were the exact same clothes as those she had worn ages ago in the hall of the same city, when she had still been a member of Swan House. Yes, these were the official garb of the statute she had held in those remote times. It felt so strange to wear these whites, silver and blues of a time long forgotten.

Fixing the golden pin in her hair, she heard a soft knock upon her door and guessed the said general was here to escort her to Poseidon's apartments. Fine, she thought. The sooner the better.

She made way to open the door but found it already opening, her escort probably finding she was taking too much time, but nothing had prepared her to such a sight.

A ghost, she thought, struggling not quiver in fear as he approached her, it was a ghost!

Seemingly unaware of her discomfort, the man walked towards her, a casual smile upon his face. His long blue hair moved slightly with the small breeze coming from the open door as he came forward, posting himself in front of her, their features almost touching.

"Well well," he mused, "Arianne of the lone Island. It seems our paths meet again!"

Arianne swallowed albeit with difficulty, trying not to betray her previous fit of panic.

"Kanon…" she let out, under her breath, loudly enough to catch his attention, though unwillingly.

He was not sure to have heard correctly, but the fact that the woman apparently knew his exact name had caught him off guard.

"It seems are paths will always lead us to meet again!" she said, brightly, and this time with more conviction, almost in provocation.

"Truly?" he asked, this time less laid back then he usually was.

"You would be surprised," she continued, a faint smile drawing its way upon her lips. "Nokan." She finished.

"That is not my true name," he countered.

"I know," she answered, drawing slightly away from him in the process. "You lied to me. Just like you are now lying to yourself. Your life is made of lies, isn't it, general?"

"I would be happy if you might enlighten me on the subject, lady Arianne," he shot back, his eyes glinting menacingly.

"Oh… Lady Arianne? Where does that come from?" she asked, surprised.

"I do not know," he answered, quite taken aback himself by the question.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the general offered her his arm and motioned towards the open door.

"Lord Poseidon is waiting," he declared, his nonchalance having returned once more and Arianne chose to obey without a word.

It felt strange to walk at the arm of a man in traditional Atlantean clothes in the now deserted streets of the city. The walls and streets still kept the marks of the attack which had led to its destruction, hundreds of years ago, but of Degel and Seraphina's ice Coffin, nothing was left; It seemed as if time had swept them away, like puppets turned to dust in the immense desert which was the sea.

Meanwhile, General Kanon kept to her side, casually glancing from time to time at his companion, a slight grin upon his face, until they finally arrived at the feet of Poseidon's temple.

"Well, what a pleasant sight," came a voice from up the stairs, bringing them to lift their heads in its direction. "I must say, it has been some time, I was curious to see it again."

Poseidon… She felt her fists clench slightly as her blood boiled in anger.

"Sea Dragon, I thank you for escorting my guest, you may go."

Kanon rapidly bowed his head in obedience.

"Yes, my Liege. My lady," he added, bowing his head in her direction, and turned around, leaving the young woman alone by the steps.

So Kanon was the Sea Dragon, she mused. She had guessed he was in Poseidon' service, just not exactly which rank and scale he had claimed as his own. Poor Thetis, she thought. She was not at the end of her disillusions.

"Well, Arianne, will you not come up?"

Always this casual tone; it still exasperated her. The sea God had not changed after all these years. He was still the same self sufficient oaf she had known in the past. Still something in his voice seemed to have changed and she began to feel the urge to see his face again, as he had seen fit to remain in the darkness until now.

"Ah, Arianne," Poseidon exclaimed, as she reached the top of the stairs, turning around so to face his guest. "You have not changed. Ambrosia seems to have this miracle, doesn't it?" he mused.

Still gazing at him in shock, she accepted the cup he offered her and forced herself to smile.

"Indeed it has," she answered, " And I see that you have not changed of appearance, although your body of course, is that of another host."

The god chuckled slightly.

"That is because this war is to be the last, isn't it? You know it as well as me. It was normal that I chose the body of one who resembled me the most, wasn't it?"

"I suppose."

Gesturing for her to take a seat, Arianne silently settled herself in a large armchair, as her host chose to sit in front of her.

"So," he begun finally choosing to break the silence, "how was it to meet with Kanon again, Priestess?"

"I will choose not to answer that question," she answered harshly, clearly not wanting to speak any further on the subject.

"Really… You disappoint me; I would have expected a bit of thanks…"

The crystalline clash of Arianne's glass on the table reduced him to silence, though a satisfied grin was grazing his lips.

"I said," she declared coolly, "I do not wish to speak of this in your company."

The Sea God simply shrugged, settling himself more comfortably, his glass of wine still in hand.

"What were you expecting?" she finally asked, his silence bringing her to the limits of her patience.

" He knows nothing."

"What? Are you trying to tell me you have told him nothing of his past?"

Poseidon shook his head slowly in denial, his smile still upon his face, his elegant blue hair almost hiding his eyes from view.

"He thinks he is manipulating me in order to achieve full control over earth and the oceans. Let him believe what he wants, I find him quite amusing for the time being."

"Of course!" she scoffed. "It amuses you to see him betray his ideals all by the power of your curse, doesn't it?"

"Yes and no," the God declared, evasively. "I am not stupid enough as to believe I am in any ways capable of winning a war against Athena but I also know it is the only way to bring Athena's knights at a superior level than what they are at for the moment. It is not with an army as lame as this that she can hope to defeat Hades once the time has come. Some of her best saints have died in this idiotic intestinal war of Sanctuary..."

"A war in which you had your share, do not forget," she accused him, her voice heavy with reproach. "If it were not for you, he would have never brought up a plan such as this."

"Perhaps not," the god admitted, "but perhaps all this was meant to happen. Hades will not rule this world, of this at least, I am sure. And this final war in Atlantis will help it be so. I am ready to sacrifice my generals for it. Athena and her young little soldiers are so easy to manipulate!" He smirked. "The only ones I wish to be kept alive are Siren Sorento and Sea Dragon Kanon and I am quite sure they will succeed in remaining alive throughout this war."

"And why this?"

"Hmf, do not expect of me to reveal my full plans to you, priestess."

"I am not your priestess anymore," she loathed.

"Perhaps not anymore, but you have been the last one to hold that title. And though you have betrayed your allegiance to me in order to become Sagittarius Arianne, you still remain the High Priestess of Atlantis, no matter what you will chose to do. Just as Aquarius Deneb will remain the Sea Dragon deep inside is soul."

"hmf! The Sea Dragon… the scale of traitors it seems…"

"Indeed," Poseidon observed, a shadow suddenly passing before his brow. "Deneb… Unity… And Kanon…"he finally concluded, playing absentmindedly with his trident.

"And pray tell, what is my part in all this?" she asked, tearing him away from his brooding.

"Aaah… You, Arianne, are my master key…hahahaha!"

The god's uncontrollable laughter began to frighten her and she wondered just what exactly had Poseidon planned for her in all his dark schemes. A war was waging, he had revealed this to her. Now, all she could hope for was to commit the right actions for Athena's cause. Even if these choices would request from her a deadly sacrifice.

She closed her eyes and prayed Poseidon would not see the tears pearling upon the edge of her lashes as his laughter continued to echo across the royal halls of stone.

"Milo? Milo!"

The young Scorpio Saint woke up suddenly, sweating and pale as a worried young man with lilac hair tried to bring him into a sitting position. The young scorpio felt suddenly dizzy and his companion finally chose to have him lay down again until the dizziness had passed.

"My, he doesn't look too well," another young man with short golden locks murmured upon seeing his comrade's face.

"Aiolia," the purple haired answered, calmly, "If you have nothing else better to say, I suggest you go fetch me a towel and a bowl of cold water."

"As you wish, your highness," the said Aiolia sighed as he feigned bowing before his friend.

At this, the other simply rolled his eyes and waved the other man away, throwing a towel which he no longer needed in the said young man's face in the process. The other simply chuckled sheepishly and ran away, the forsaken towel now lying on the floor in the middle of a mud puddle. The young lilac haired saint sighed in frustration. Truly, there were times when Aries Mu wondered what he had done to deserve serving alongside such totally immature young men. But, he wondered, perhaps it was because his karma had not been pure enough in his previous lives and he was forced now to endure the follies which he himself had brought upon others in his other life.

A soft sound of fabrics rubbing against each other brought him out of his reverie and a relieved smile settle upon his fair face upon seeing the newly arrived.

" Shaka," he said warmly. "I am glad to see you. What brings you here my friend?"

The said Shaka only smiled, passing a hand over his golden bangs, revealing his closed eyes in the process, as he seated himself beside the Aries Saint.

" I have come to bring you company is all," he answered, smiling. "How is he faring?"

"Not well, I deem. He awoke twice already but the only things I managed to understand amidst his babblings did not make any sense. He kept crying about forgiveness. I suppose he is still haunted by the memories of Andromeda Island."

His friend kept silent, his eyes still closed yet facing in the direction of his sleeping comrade. Mu chose not to add anything else and continued tending to his patient, shoving his long hair out of the way as he did so. Rubbing his hands against his tired cheeks, he finally sighed and let his wet towel fall in a flopping sound in the basin beside him. This motion caught the other's attention, making his eyebrows twitch slightly in concern.

"You need rest Mu. You tend too much after others. Perhaps it would be time for you to take a little bit of rest, don't you think?" he suggested.

Mu brushed his hand over his forehead, looking worriedly in Milo's direction before turning his weary eyes towards his friend.

"I know, Shaka. But there is still so much that I must do."

" So? Take a few days rest; they have managed here before without you. Why wouldn't you come with me to India for my annual pilgrimage? I plan on leaving after Athena's return from Hasgard."

Mu bowed thankfully in his friend's direction.

"I thank you for the offer, Shaka. I shall think about it."

"Please, do!" the other commended, giving a friendly clap on the other's forearm. A comfortable silence settled between the two men, each of them lost in his own thoughts.

"Where am I?"

The two young Saints suddenly switched their attention towards the bed, startled to see the Scorpio Saint sitting in his bed, apparently bewildered to be in the company of two of his fellow saints.

"You are in Sanctuary, Milo," Mu answered reassuringly, gesturing for his friend to remain seated. " Aldebaran found you a week ago on the steps of my temple. You had lost consciousness and we feared for the worst. What exactly happened to you?"

"I…. I don't know.. I .. I can't seem to remember!" Milo clasped his hands in despair over his eyes clearly on the brink of tears.

"Hey Mu, brought the stuff you asked for. Next time, ask Kik…." But Aiolia did not get the chance to finish his sentence, seeing as Shaka threateningly opened his eyes to slits, making him understand that silence was his best option for the time being. Milo had not even heard him come in, so engulfed as he was in his own thoughts.

"I .. Have no memory of what happened that night… I do not even remember the funeral of our comrades."

Tears began to trickle down the young man's face, as Mu patted his back in a vain attempt to sooth him.

"Why couldn't I have been rid of the memories of Andromeda Island instead?" he spat.

And his three friends could only watch, helplessly, as their comrade wept ragingly before their eyes.

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