Ok I was still alive and in fact I think Hades would be the president of my fan club. That was a good thing, right? Ahh hell. Persephone gave met he evil eye as I followed her husband out of his throne room. Well throne room was a strong word. Fat kids jungle gym was more like it. I bet that will teach them to push me around again, but I did feel about that tantrum.
My mom had taught me better than that and she was be ashamed of how I had just behaved, even if I were justified. I felt a bit wobbly on my feet, but Nico was right at my elbow keeping me steady. I let him. I think we were both making up for our attitudes lately.
His father was leading us down a dark black granite corridor. The air was frosty. I could feel the ends of my hair crackling with ice crystals. I was literally a fudge pop. The floor started to slope down and I got the feeling we were walking to the center of the earth. Still Hades kept walking. He didn't turn back to see if we were still breathing. Even Nico's steps started to slow down. Which was not good as I was using him as support. My vision was starting to blur. My legs were on autopilot as my brain had went on a Fiji vacation about two hours ago.
I was on the verge of dropping and becoming a permanent part of the tour when we finally stumbled into a cavernous room. The ceiling rose up into the heavens. I swear my dad was floating around on a cloud up there, but that just could have been my body searching for my brain in Fiji. The room was big enough to fit China inside and have room left over for North America. It was chilling to stand in a room and not be able to see the sides or the roof. You knew they were there you just couldn't see them. Later I would sit and ponder this, but right now it was all I could do to keep standing and appearing to be functioning.
When my eyes focused I found that we were standing in front of a set of doors. Well doors doesn't do what I was seeing justice. The doors were massive and that was saying something since we were in the world's biggest room even imagined. They glowed not like they were backlight but like the actual material glowed. It was a soft warming light. I wanted to reach out and touch it. I could feel the magic in the doors. It felt like a B-12 shot laced with crack and speed. I shrugged off Nico whom I had to reach out and steady now.
I walked up to stand next to Hades. He turned to look me. His eyes grew wide. "Its only been a few hours since my shower." I snapped. Geez, I didn't look that bad.
"It's not that," He whispered. He shook his head. "Open the doors." He commanded stepping back.
I turned and looked at him like he was crazy. Those doors weighed more than the whole world. Yeah I wasn't tired anymore, but last I checked I wasn't Hercules. "Did you take a blow to the head or something?" I wasn't going to kill myself trying to move the world.
He chuckled, which made the hair all over my body stand on end. Must remember to shave my legs. "Just open the doors Dillon. Daughter of Zeus. After you trashed my throne room these doors should be light work for you." Well if you are going to blow my head up like that.
Sure I will try something insane and surely crazy enough to get me killed. Curiosity didn't kill the cat...flattery did. I shrugged returning my attention to the doors.
I took a deep breath, placed my hands on the doors...and pushed them open.
I was so surprised I nearly face planted with my butt hiked in the air. "Doesn't anyone knock anymore." Asked a musical voice.
After I recovered myself and saved face I looked for the voice. The room was blindingly bright. I was walking in Superman's shoes as I could see through everything it was so bright. It reminded me of one of those hospital rooms in the nuthouses. All white and padded. I couldn't see the other side of the room. Just like the room we had just walked through. Nico walked in behind us and simply collapsed on the floor. His face was serene like he was just sleeping off a drunken stupor so I left him alone.
"Don't just stand there. Come on in. You are letting the A/C out." I looked around for the voice again. A shadow flitted in front of my face, but vanished before I could train on it. Hades closed the doors. "So what is the special occasion Hades. You haven't been to see me since that little war with the Titans." Ok now I was getting frustrated.
"Hello mortal here. Could you please put in an appearance." The whole god powers was cool, but not when you couldn't see them.
Hades has an amused look on his face. The hair on the back on my neck screamed. I whirled around. She was just standing there cool as a summer breeze. If you took air and trapped it in a bottle, gave it a pouty mouth and eyebrow in serious need of a pluck you would have the woman smiling at me. In that way that only a deranged criminal could. I was sure she was naked and I wanted to blush, but the shift she wore moved and I held back my blush. Though I had blushed more in the few days I had been a demigod that I ever had in my old life. Her skin glowed softly and she wore a gold circlet on her brow. It was competition with her eyebrows violently, but I wasn't going to point that out to her. Her hair stood on in and rippled around her head like she was suspended in water in midair. She had delicate dragonfly wings sprouting from her back. The fluttered gently and kept her floating a few inches off the ground. All in all she was the spitting image of a crazed angle.
"Honestly Dillon one would think you would recognize your mother." The woman said. My mouth flopped open.
"What are you talking about?" I felt my chest tightening.
"Well not mother in the sense that I gave birth to you. What a horrible experience." A chair whirled out of thin air. The woman dropped dramatically onto it like she had just given birth in front of us. "Oh please sit. I haven't spoken this long in eons. Its terrible draining." Extra chairs spun into existence for us. Hades perched on his how I pictures a gargoyle lounged on top of Notre Dame. I relaxed into my chair. It was as soft as a cloud I was sure. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.
I stared at her trying to rack my brain. It was a futile attempt. I couldn't have come up any shorted if she asked me about quantum physics. "Er...nope." No use lying to her.
She waved away my answer. "Its fine. No one remembers me. I never had a shrine or priestesses like the others." Her eyes grew a little sad. "Well my dear I am Hemera, god of the day. I was one of the first beings to come out of creation. My mother Nxy was of course there at creation as she likes to remind me every few eons. Me and my brother Aether came after." She yawned and I swear I could see stars twinkling in her mouth. I shuddered.
I held up my hand. This was confusing as hell. "You're a god? But you're a girl. Aren't you supposed to be a goddess?" I figure that was a good question.
Hemera chuckled, "My dear. I breathed life into the universe. I believe that puts me a little higher up on the food chain than Here or that silly little Hestia and her fires." Hemera actually chucked at her lame joke. "Let me make it plain for you. The goddess can only give birth. Meaning they lack the ability to create. I can create. Therefor I am a god. Even the Olympians gods can only transform like Poseidon with his sea form projects. Why Hades here is my great-great-grandson." Hades inclined his head to his great-great-grandmother.
"Um ok I didn't travel all the way to the Underworld to then traspie to the center of the earth for a family tree demo. Why did you say you were my mother. Last I checked my mom's name was Kelis." And since I was black I didn't think some white chick in a see through gown was my mom.
Hemera chuckled again, "No my dear. I am not your physical mother. As I said I do not need to give birth to create. I created you then gave you to your mother to birth. If that makes any sense." She said that like that was going to clear up matters. She must have seen my face. "Ok let me try this. You have heard of the story of the virgin Mary?" I nodded. "Well it is the same thing. Thought I think I have a little more style than your Christian God." She started to pick at her fingernail as if the drive the point home.
"Wait, why did you create me?" Like that was really my first question.
"Because someone needs to the power to take on Gaia." Hemera's countenance darkened. Almost as fast as a bright day can change into steel grey for an oncoming storm. "She was almost such a brat, but she has really gone too far, and she forgets her place. This world is not her's to command and control. She is a created being. Not a creator." Hades and I both leaned back into our chairs. I was as far into the leather as a cow could have been. "However we old gods are apart of what we created so its not possible for us to manifest ourselves. So I needed a champion and that is you Dillon." She leaned back in her chair smiling like she just dropped the New Jersey Powerball into my lap.
"What do you mean. You are sitting right here in front of me." Maybe she was crazy. Especially if she has been locked in this room since the dawn of time. Wait, she was literally the dawn of time.
"This is not my true form Dillon my dear. I am the dawn and the light. I breath life in the earth and in every living thing upon it. If I were to manifest myself true self in one place the planet would wither and die. People would freeze. Basically it would a zombie invasion minus the zombies. Well I can't be 100% sure about the zombies, but you get my drift. It is the reason it is taking Gaia so long to rise." Hemera yawned again. I avoided looking this time.
"So am I like a superhero or something?" I asked. Hades rolled his eyes at me. I shrugged. Might as well see what I could do.
Hemer's head tilted this way and that as she considered my question. "You can be killed for instance. Being mortal puts a limit on what you can do. However the powers given to you by being a scion of Zeus gives you his powers and more."
I perked up, "I have Zeus' powers?" Now that was good to know.
"Of course. Though I would refrain for trying to take the throne. He is immortal and your are quite flammable." I had no interest in ruling over Olympus. I would have to put up with Hera. That was not my idea of a good time. Now matter if I could slap her into a mountain apparently. "Be warned Dillon. You were created with a purpose and I know Gaia has been to see you. You have the free will to choose a side in this war, but be warned you do not want to make an enemy of me." Even Hades shivered.
"Hey as far as I'm concerned you're my best friend." I held up my hands. "Wait. Who was the lady in the park then?" It had been a nagging question.
"She is order out of chaos." Hemera said. "Nyx. God of the night. Mother dearest however you want to call her. Now Dillon my child, our time is at an end. And I fear your mother is in grave danger. She has been taken to Lake Vostok. Far from my sight. Go now my daughter. Do my will. Make me proud." Hemera smiled at me once last time before she dissolved into tiny pinpricks of light.
Hades almost fell on his butt which cheered me immensely. Nico was still out like a light, but Hades picked him up gently. We started to make our trek back to the Underworld.
"So are you going to call me mama now?" I asked.