Rukia stared in shock at the goddess. "You're working for Kronos? Why?"

"To gain recognition," Khione said calmly.

"Recognition?" Rukia asked. "What do you mean?"

Khione looked off to her left, remembering all those years ago. "Millennia ago, I was worshipped by the mortals of Ancient Greece and praised for the beauty that I send down from the heavens. Though there were those who hated me for my work, there were also those appreciated it. Now, the mortals of the world are slowly beginning to forget me."

"Even so, that's no reason to turn against your people," Rukia said with a slight amount of pity in her voice.

"Maybe," she said coldly. "But when mortals forget a divine being completely, that being completely fades out of existence." Rukia ley out a small gasp at that revelation. "Now, I am fading from mortal memory. And I shall not allow that to happen. And if I must destroy Olympus to ensure my survival, and to be recognized once again, then so be it." She raised her hand, summoning a wave of snow and ice. "Forgive me, Rukia Kuchiki. But you are my enemy. Therefore, I must kill you."

Rukia's eyes widened as the wave of frozen water surged towards her. She quickly used a Flash Step to evade the attack. When she was clear, she held her zanpakuto at the ready.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she yelled as her sword became snow-white, with a white ribbon coming off of the end of the hilt. Khione eyed the weapon with curiosity.

"That blade," she said analytically. "I can sense it now. You hold a power similar to my own, Rukia Kuchiki. A power over the tranquil and deadly beauty of ice and snow. Though you do not seem to be as coldhearted as I am."

"Just because your powers are cold doesn't mean you have to be," Rukia said complete assurance in it.

Khione was silent. She looked as though she were considering something. When she finally spoke, she said, "What if I told you that I wasn't always like this? So stonehearted void of emotion?" Rukia gave the goddess a questioning look. "You seem like an intelligent young woman, Miss Kuchiki. And you do share the same power as me. Perhaps you of all people will understand my story."

Flashback

Khione was sitting outside, watching as the clouds floated by. She loved the outdoors. The open world held so much color and freedom. More than she ever had. Even though she was allowed outside, her father, Boreas, the Spirit of the North Wind, never let her go much farther than one hundred yards beyond his small palace.

"I wish I could be as free as those clouds," she thought aloud. "Then maybe Father wouldn't be able to control me." She sighed dreamily, wishing she could leave, with or without Boreas's permission.

"You do realize that the clouds are subject to the winds as well, don't?" a man's voice said behind her. She looked back and saw a man of great masculine beauty.

He had short, dark hair and sea-green eyes that were filled with strength and energy. His face was flawless, with no signs of blemishes of any kind ever having formed. He was shirtless, revealing a chiseled body that put even the most devoted athletes and warriors to shame. Khione blushed at the man that she and every other Olympian should be able to recognize.

"Poseidon!" she shouted excitedly. She immediately rushed over to him and tackled him with a hug. He laughed and returned the show of affection. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through, and thought 'Hey, I should visit the most beautiful woman in the world!'" he said with the warm smile that he always had on when he was with her. "You don't mind that I'm here, do you?"

"What woman wouldn't be happy to see the man they love?" Khione replied as she buried her head in his welcoming chest. "You're so warm." She felt his hand on her chin, raising her head. She looked into his beautiful green eyes, becoming lost in them. They pulled each other into a warm, passionate kiss.

-o-

The next morning, Khione awoke in her bed, naked. She remembered what had happened last night with perfect clarity. Not many people knew this, but just as Poseidon was fierce in battle, he was equally as great a lover.

She looked to the other side of her bed, hoping to see her love lying with her. Instead, she found a note with Poseidon's handwriting on it. She picked it up and read:

Khione,

I'm very sorry, but Zeus sent out telepathic summons to all members of the Council. I'm sorry to have to leave you alone like this, but I promise, I will return to you as soon as possible. Wait for me.

With the greatest love,

Poseidon

She frowned when she read the note. She had been hoping to spend the whole day with him, but she knew that he had no choice in the matter. Whenever Zeus called a meeting of the Council of Twelve, all members were required to show up in person, circumstances be damned. Worse still, at least to her, whenever Poseidon was called to those meetings, he usually ended up totally swamped with work, and she wouldn't be able to see for several weeks.

Despite this, she forgave him every time. He always kept his promises to return, and she was certain that he would keep this one as well.

-o-

Three weeks later, Khione still had not heard from Poseidon. Regardless, she was still certain that he would return to her. She was especially certain that they would be reunited today.

Zeus had sent out a message to all Olympians that there was to be an announcement of marriage between a Sea Nymph-turned-goddess and a member of the Council of Twelve. A Council member being getting married was a rare occurrence, one that was always celebrated by all. Naturally, as a woman, Khione couldn't wait to congratulate the happy couple, whoever they were.

As she stood in the large, but orderly crowd of her fellow gods and goddesses, she kept an eye out for Poseidon. He shouldn't have been too hard to find, considering he was literally always shirtless, showing off his perfect abs and pectorals (not that she minded it of course). But she couldn't see him anywhere in the crowd. She was about to leave her spot to go and find him, but didn't get the chance to as Zeus appeared at the balcony above them all.

"Fellow Olympians!" he called out to his brethren proudly. "We are gathered here today to recognize the union of two of our people! The bride, the beautiful Goddess of the Sea, Amphitrite!" A woman stepped out onto the balcony, and stood at Zeus's left. Khione had to admit, Amphitrite didn't look half bad. She had long, glossy hair that was blue, like the far-off ocean, and wore a ceremonial wedding dress that she walked in with a certain grace that not many could pull off.

When Amphitrite stood at his side, Zeus continued. "And the groom, the Lord of the Sea, Poseidon!"

Khione suddenly felt her heart stop. She watched in emotional agony as Poseidon-her Poseidon-stepped onto the balcony, shirtless as usual, and stood at his brother's right side. She felt her hands trembling as Zeus began the ceremony. She didn't hear the words. All she could do was watch as Poseidon and Amphitrite proclaimed love for one another, both looking sincere and honest.

As the ceremony finally ended, having lasted what seemed like an eternity to her, Khione covered herself in ice and shattered, teleporting herself to her bedchamber in her father's palace. She then lay into her bed and slowly cried herself to sleep.

-o-

A month later, she had realized something that made her panic. She was late. The last time she had slept with Poseidon must have been when it happened. She wanted to keep the child that she was inevitably going to bring into the world, but was terrified for a number of reasons.

First, she was afraid that seeing the child on a daily basis would only bring painful memories of the fleeting love she had once shared with the child's father. Second, her father would go into a blind rage when he found out. He was always the type to react first and think about the consequences later. This only left her with one option.

-o-

Seven-and-a-half months later, she stood at a rocky edge overlooking the sea. The ocean crashed violently against the rocks, creating white foam on the jagged stones. Those rocks looked just as deadly as the ocean itself.

She looked down at the bundle in her arms. Her father had reacted just as she suspected he would. He had ordered her "take care" of the newborn boy, or face his wrath. Terrified of her own father's rage, she obeyed him. So here she was, at the edge of a cliff, holding her newborn son in her arms, dreading what she was about to do.

Her son was sleeping peacefully, lightly snoring as he was within the realm of dreams. She smiled sadly at the child. "My son, Eumolpus. Forgive your mother for her weakness." She turned her vision toward the open sea. "Poseidon. If you can hear me, then hear this. This boy is your son. I beg of you to watch over him, and protect him as he grows. Help him become the great man that I wish for him to be." With that, she tossed baby Eumolpus into the churning sea.

She covered herself with ice and shattered away, reappearing in her bedchamber. In her one haven from her pain, fell to her knees as fresh tears streamed from her eyes, releasing the pain in her heart. It was then that she realized something: her heart. More specifically, her emotions, her attachments.

Those feelings were the source of the pain she now felt. It was because of these feelings that her heart had been shattered to countless, irreparable fragments. She knew what she had to do now.

End Flashback

"My heart became as my ice," Khione said in a dispassionate voice. "My soul became void of passion, my mind empty of emotion. I have not felt any emotion since that day. I have long since forgotten how to even so much as smile."

Rukia looked at Khione with shock sorrow in her eyes. "That's… so sad."

The Goddess of Snow couldn't help but nod. "Now that you know of the pain that I felt, you be able to rest easy once I have taken your life." She raised her hand, summoning another wave of snow, which reshaped itself into an icy blade. "Forgive me, Rukia Kuchiki."

Rukia immediately went into a fighting stance. "I'm going to have to ask for forgiveness as well, for when I defeat you, Goddess of Snow."

The two female masters of ice eyed each other carefully, neither wanting to make the wrong move. After several tense seconds, they charged toward each other, their swords ready for bloodshed.