Though three years have passed, the glass coffin sitting in the courtyard of the castle remained unchanged.
Poseidon and Apollo had raged for days after everything that happened. It had taken the combined strength of the entire Olympian council to keep them from wiping Sparta off the map. Even then, Artemis and Hermes eventually swept Apollo away to Delphi to let go of his grief and fury.
The entire country of Lacedaemon was left to feel Poseidon's wrath.
King Lacedaemon had been so spooked by the events that he immediately declared for the line of succession to move forward. King Amyclas hadn't necessarily agreed, but it had been a better choice to make once the godlings from Castellan arrived.
The look in their eyes had screamed murder.
A wide berth had been given to them as they gathered around the princess of the sea. It may have seemed rude, but they didn't even spare the Spartan prince a glance. The kids didn't have even do anything to garner attention. Even now the gods watched from various locations across Greece to focus on them.
They were dressed once again in their strange cloths a gothic greenish color adoring their features. It was hard to not tell that they were children of gods. Their features a little too ethereal to be human.
And even though Apollon had done everything that he could. The group of them still insisted on trying to treat her with sea water. Apollon's own son [who was the reason that the sun god calmed enough for Artemis and Hermes to take him away] had kept trying to heal her. He would've burn her and himself up if it weren't for the breaks the son of Hades enforced.
But nothing compared to the wails her twin let out. It shook them to their core as the weather bent to his will. Not even the arrival of a newly discovered brother or the return of Zeus' daughter could distract him. Sparta hadn't known any peace with some many forces of nature focusing in on it.
Her twin had begged and pleaded and screamed to intertwine their life strings again. He begged for forgiveness of not being closer to his twin. He didn't want to know how life would be without the one person that had always been a constant in his life. He couldn't imagine living without his sister.
His pleas gain the attention of Ananke. She gave her word that not all hope was lost. That Ariadne had been pushing herself well over her limit since the day she learned to crawl. That the demigoddess would life. The twelve of them still had roles to play.
And if that wasn't something that caught the Olympians attention. For all their arguing, if these godlings had managed to catch the attention of not only the Morai but the personification of inedibility herself… well it would be in their best interest to not kill them.
And as such, though the prince himself was lying unconscious in the medical ward of his own kingdom. His soul still sung with happiness when Apollon visited and whispered the news to his still body.
The god knew that if his beloved was awaking, the prince would be moved to tears. Despite both their love for Apollon, he had come to see the younger as a reluctant friend. Apollo knew how Hyacinth watched with keen eyes the way she battled with words against the nation's advisors. The way her eyes lit up in happiness as she trained and explored the kingdom.
Apollo recalled an old conversation with the prince. He had stated that he could see the god falling in love with her. And though it was presumptuous to assume he had any right to the god's affection and who he shared it with, he had been relieved to find out that Apollon only cared for him
And maybe that conversation was why it confused Apollon down to his core when she taken the hit for Hyacinth. The panic and grief in her half brother's voice as she crumbled to the ground. As both of their powers burst through the air bringing attention to Zephyrus' spiteful actions even as the strength of them nearly killed Hyacinth in collateral. Apollon hadn't been able to do anything but cradle them in his arms.
It made the sun god furious to know that Zephyrus would face no repercussions protected by the power of Eros and Aphrodite.
Though Ares' fury had been a sight to behold once he witnessed his daughter crying over her best friend when she thought no one was watching. Even sweet, little Hermes had been ready to lay waste to the south wind god once it became clear that his dearest friend was not waking up.
The godlings had originally been hesitant to let her body lay out so publicly. But t was with a reluctant heart that the only pureblood mortal spoke of how it would bring in tourism. There was also the fact that she would hate to wake up in the medical center. And taking her back to their "home" would only aggravate the gods due to their blocked sight.
Thus, they worked tirelessly to build her the most comfortable coffin to exist. Apollo thought he heard them mentioned something about a snow white and the seven dwarves. Whatever that may be.
Then again coffin wasn't exactly the right word. A six-foot-long pool with connecting decorative pipes that let the comatose girl float aimlessly in the war. Her tailed glistened as her upper body was covered sensually in a tantalizing ocean blue fabric. It worked well with brining in tourists and the kingdom continued to flourish.
As such, the gods had been quite content with turning their attention elsewhere.
The mind traveling Hermes had been conducting on Ariadne for one.
If the tension brewing under the surface wasn't enough now that Menelaus was the king, it became even worse that the Morai forced fate to stop.
Not slow down. To just stop. They had been tracking the actions for the Trojan War for years. Careful planning had gone into the details. They had only known that the Greeks would win and that Thetis' son Akhilleus would die by the guided hand of the divine.
But the Morai didn't let it happen. They knew it wasn't the right time. All the key players weren't even of age yet except now things were slightly different.
Hermes could tell just from the scenes decorating Ariadne's mind. It was almost as the girl was simply asleep and not in a coma. It wasn't like Thanatos was willing to reap her soul. Hades wouldn't allow it nor would the godlings.
But being inside of her head and watching as the bubble of dreams swarmed around her. It was nothing short of beautiful. There were some that he couldn't reach with scenes he had not borne witness to.
The twins of the sea fighting back to back next to a golden pile of rocks. A hand plunging itself into Ariadne' chest with her eyes popping open glowing as golden as the sun. Ariadne furiously banging her shield on top of Arachne's forcing her to drop Athena's daughter. The demigoddess smiling mockingly as she clenched her fist and the gorgon sisters began to choke on their blood. He saw himself ruffling the godling's hair as she practiced learning to fight with his caduceus. But as soon he drew closer to the images, they would abruptly disappear with the Morai whispering that it wasn't time for answers.
Hermes didn't understand why he felt such a connection the godling. It was as if he was watching a younger sibling and his child all in one. It was a familiar yet foreign feeling.
It was because of this that Hermes knew that she was to soon awaken. It was the way the bubbles just seemed to fly towards her and burst. It was in the way that some just seemed to sink into her. Her mind seemed to vibrate with power before the scene changed.
At first it was nothing, but darkness surrounded by bubbles of memories.
Now the girl laid on the banks of a river as waves upon waves crashed upon her. Her eyes were closed as she rested. Hermes moved forward before sitting beside her and grasping her hand in his.
He gasped aloud at what he was seeing.
You can have my golden apple if you're the fairest of them all.
The fruit was so alluring sitting in front of her. Ariadne wanted it for herself. She nearly snarled when she saw the hands of others reaching out for what was rightfully hers.
They forget about my love of war and how I look at bloodshed with glee. They should know what happens when you let discord run free.
Ariadne wanted to join in. Her blood screamed to rain down storms and shake the very earth. But she was held back by eyes as dark as the night sky peered at the chaos surrounding them. There was mix of cruelty and amusement in that gaze. Ariadne felt as if she should know who this was.
You wanted to tame the beautiful Helen, but you could never tame something so wild.
The girl was beautiful to put it simply. Her hair was alluring honey blonde falling down hair back. Her eyes crackled with power that she hid behind a smile. Ariadne remembered that she was the daughter of Zeus. She was far more dangerous than just being a pretty face.
And Paris you stole me away like an alluring prize you get to keep and every night I prayed for the end of troy while you laid beside me fast asleep.
Ariadne gasped as it was like looking at her own body being pinned by the man's body. Who did he think he was having his hands on her like that? From the scowl on her face, it would seem that dream version of her thought the same.
You all forget that my true father is the mighty king golden ichor runs through my veins.
Ariadne could feel phantom fingers running through her hair. The smell of ozone was strong in the air as the two children of the Kronides looked at each other through the mirror. Two pairs of blue eyes met each other promising revenge on those that forsaken them.
I am Ariadne of no one but myself and you cannot keep a goddess chained.
Troy may have been the one Apollo sided with, but Ariadne had always been her father's child. As the soldiers emerged from the wooden horse, Ariadne and Helen raised their arms to the heavens and called for destruction of this godforsaken kingdom.
Hermes stumbled up and away from her as he exited her mind. He needed to tell his family of this and soon. Without a second thought, he flew into the air and sped off to Olympus.
In his haste, he didn't see the blue eyes fluttering open.
