Hi there, I have six new characters, one of whom is only mentioned in passing, but I still need to explain, or you'll get lost again. Anyway, I hope this helps you a bit more 'just a reader', and I would like to give a shout-out to LA2 and 'Budding Authoress', for the first, I don't mind if your review shows up four times, and for Budding Authoress, thanks for checking this story out, maybe you can help me out with it at school.
Hypnos and Thanatos- Both of these characters are featured in 'Hercules', and are winged. A slight reference is made to the movie just because I liked the part where they're always saying that Hades won't like something when he finds out about it, and one of them, I forget which one, says something along the lines of "Not when, if." Hypnos translates as Sleep and Thanatos as Death, and they are the henchmen of Hades.
Persephone- Hades' wife, he kidnapped her, and when Demeter made him let her go, he gave her a pomegranate that bound her to the underworld for as many months as seeds that she ate during the year... check out pantheon.org if you're interested, it is rather long and confusing. Basically, Persephone, like Hera, became very jealous when her husband favored another woman, and got rid of the other woman.
Pegasus- He will be in the story later on. Pegasus often spends his time with Hercules, and when he is not with said hero, he is in the stables of Helios. The way I mention him though is in context with his character in Sailor Moon. That is another twist in the story that you will understand later, and if you're very curious, you can e-mail me to find out what I mean, but it would give away part of the story.
Hera- Zeus' wife, she is the Goddess of Marriage. Hera is a very vengeful woman, and if one were to look up all of Zeus' affairs, they would find that Hera had them all punished, even if Zeus raped or bullied them.
Athena- The daughter of Zeus and only Zeus, when Hera found out about her and the fact that Zeus had swallowed Metis to keep Athena's future son from dethroning him, she had her own son, Hepheastus, who then split open Zeus' head and let her out.
~446 B.C.~
The Underworld
Hades paced around, knowing that if he did not act soon, his plans would fail quite miserably. Hypnos and Thanatos had done a fine job of bringing the girl to Greece, they had only failed in the fact that they had dropped her after receiving quite a scare from Helios, who had suddenly shone quite brightly and scorched them. "Hypnos, Thanatos! I have a job for you!" The two ran into the throne room and stood at attention. "I want you to watch Princess Serenity very closely. Once Elios has gotten close to her, you will bring her back here." Both brothers nodded mutely and left Hades immediately. If he didn't succeed, Helios would crush him, and it could also mean dire consequences from Zeus, who would be thoroughly miffed at him for bringing a mortal from the future into the present. She was beautiful, the princess that is, and he would not argue that point with Helios. Of course, he was presently tied at the hip to Persephone, but a few more days' time would mean that she was gone to visit her mother, and when the time came for him to meet Princess Serenity, he would allow himself to ignore the fact that he had a wife, since that was what most of the other gods did anyway.
The Temple of Zeus
Elios fell to his knees as he uncovered his eyes. After all those years of the gods being gone from the world, he was back in a place where they were revered. The statue of Zeus was directly in front of him, and he allowed himself to bow momentarily in gratitude. Then, he stood and walked outside. Helios shone brightly that day, and when he turned away from the sun, he heard a voice. "Elios, do not let your old self see you, and do not let your family see you." It came from the back of his mind, and he knew at once that it was the Helios of his time. "Of course I will not." Noticing his clothes for the first time, he saw that he wore a one-sleeved chiton with a golden hem that revealed his chest while it swept to the floor. Not bad, except for the part where he felt like he was wearing a dress. With a sigh, he began his descent down the mountainside.
Mount Olympus
Serenity and Athene had grown close in the past week, and Serenity had come to know Elios fairly well also. He raced chariots for drachmas, and went through girls like there was no tomorrow. For her, this was a stunning fact. Her sweet Pegasus had obviously changed in the few thousand years before she met him. Now, though, she was out alone, without any supervision. Worry and fear took over, how was she to get home? Serenity's brow furrowed with worry, and she vacantly sat down at the base of a tree, her fingers twisting through the flowers of ancient Greece. Soon, sleep came over her, and she dreamt of home, her family, and Elios.
Not long after Serenity lay to rest, Elios, the priest, found her and went down his knee beside her. "My maiden, it has been far too long." He ran the backs of two fingers down her cheek reverently. She sighed softly and he, unable to hold back any longer, placed a gentle kiss on her lips and pulled a white rose of the Elysian Fields from his pocket to place on her breast, which her hand quickly snaked up to. Just as he was about to wake her, he heard a noise and knew that his past self was there. Even if he had woken her, he would not have been able to take her back to the future, nor would they have been able to survive. It was best that she stay with his past self. "Until then, my love." Her eyes fluttered open as he was leaving. "Elios?" The Elios of the past would be there quickly enough, so he had very little time to spare. "My maiden, I will be back for you, you have my word, but first I must find a way to get back to the future." He quickly pulled her to her feet and brushed his lips against her fingers. "At least I know that I am not alone." Elios smiled and began to say something more, but then he heard a noise and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before leaving her. "Meet me here when Selene is out!" He whispered in her ear.
Serenity blushed crimson and glanced down at the rose white rose in her hand and noticed that gold was spreading down it from the tips, though it stopped after a minute or two. "Strange." She glanced upward finally and noticed Elios coming through the undergrowth. It was not the Elios whom she had just seen, but the noble youth whom she had come to know of late. "Serenity? What are you doing out here alone?" Taking his outstretched hand, she again marveled at how time could change someone so much. "I came out to... think for awhile, that is all."
Nearby, Hypnos and Thanatos were exchanging confused glances. "Uh oh." Hypnos murmured, and Thanatos glanced at him. "I am a bit confused." Thanatos admitted. "He's from the future, Thanatos, and if he figures out how to get back there... Hades is not going to like this when he finds out." His brother thought for a moment. "Don't you mean if he finds out?" Hypnos groaned. "No way am I falling for that again, we have to tell him." The twins both groaned at that and flew back to the underworld.
Heaven
Selene stormed into the room and asked him; "Why do I sense two of the same person?" Helios rubbed his temple. "I didn't bring him here, I promise you that, but he's here to save her, so you should really be happy about that. The strange thing is, he isn't... divine, and I would have thought that he would be, but this does tell me that Hades' threat is larger than I thought." She nodded. "That is all fine and well, but Hades is going to notice him, and when he does, he will stop and nothing to destroy him." A slight smile appeared on his lips. "He may not be divine, but he is immortal, with that and my own protection, he should be fine, now I must be going." Helios took his job very seriously, and if he neglected his duty, he would grumble about it for days afterward.
The Underworld
"And who was stupid enough to let him through to this time in the first place? Why didn't you just kill him! Go now, and don't come back until the future Elios is dead! Actually, I have a better idea, bring him to me, and I will squeeze the information about the future from him." Thanatos and Hypnos dashed off to find the future Elios and dispose of him. Hades groaned; so the future Elios was not divine, perhaps this meant that he had succeeded, but what year had this Elios come from? Then he thought, what a stupid question, he's probably from the same year as Lady Serenity, and he's probably come to rescue her. Persephone entered the throne room. "Hades, what was all the yelling about?" She could never know of his plans, or she would tell Demeter, and then where would he be? "Nothing, Persephone, I'm just a little upset with Hypnos and Thanatos." Though she obviously didn't believe him, Persephone accepted this and left to resume whatever task she had been hard at work doing.
The Base of Mount Olympus
Serenity had been able to escape narrowly, her path being blocked by the past Elios as he asked her where she was going, but a diversion had been caused in the kitchen, and she had ducked out. The past Elios seemed to be very protective of her, perhaps even in the same way as the future Elios. Finally, she spotted him amongst the undergrowth, looking around thoughtfully. "Elios?" She whispered, and his gaze flicked toward her, a small smile flickering on his face. "Maiden." He acknowledged her, but something seemed a bit... wrong with him. "Are you quite all right?" Elios nodded, but he was on edge. "Of course." Taking her hand, he bestowed a lavish kiss upon the back of it, and she temporarily forgot her suspicions.
Elios rounded the corner and heard whispering. He was supposed to be meeting Serenity about now, and he was wondering where she could possibly be. Once the view from around the rock formation was completely open to him, he just stood and gaped for a moment. Serenity was speaking with... him, but it wasn't him! The Elios she was sitting next to couldn't be the Elios of the past either, because the Elios of the past never dressed so lavishly. So this Elios must be an impersonator! He ran out and narrowed his eyes. "Maiden get away from him!" Serenity turned toward him with wide eyes and leapt away from the impersonator. "What... wait, what is going on here? Which one of you is the real Elios?" The impersonator jumped to his feet. "I am, of course." As if that were not enough of a giveaway already! "My maiden... you know me, I am simple, not so pompous as whomever that is over there." Serenity hesitated. "How am I to know which one of you is the real...you?" Before Elios could say anything, the impostor placed a kiss on her lips, from which she pulled away, then broke apart from him and lurched toward Elios. "Oh nice job Thanatos!" Strangely, the other Elios started arguing with himself. "Shut up Hypnos!" Suddenly, the impersonator lurched forward and clasped Serenity's wrist. "Fine, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You come with us future boy, and we let the princess here go, but if you refuse, she goes to Styx, and Charon can deal with her." He knew that voice! "You're Hypnos and Thanatos! Let her go, or I'll see Hades about this!" His maiden looked extremely confused, then fearful as Thanatos and Hypnos pulled a dagger from out of nowhere and placed it at her throat. "How do you know Hades? He does not deal with simple mortals such as yourself." Blue and red lights danced around the two twins as they separated with Thanatos holding the dagger against Serenity's throat. "I am no more mortal than you are. It has been so for over three thousand years, thanks to Hades. Now let Lady Serenity go, or I will resort to a certain form of magic which you will find most unpleasant."
Then, Hypnos was behind him, and he felt the blue flame of the henchman's whip against his skin. "We can go now, Thanatos." Elios struggled to work his hands free, and one did, so he spun around and pointed at Hypnos, causing a beam of light to wrap around the creature and make him howl in pain. Next, he pointed at the ground beneath Thanatos' feet, and a serpent slithered around his ankles. The henchman released Serenity, and he rushed over to her, the blue fire still curled around his wrist. "Are you all right?" Elios asked as he gathered her in his arms. "What is going on here? What does your immortality have to do with Hades?" Hating himself for not telling her sooner, he explained. "I doubt that we have time for the whole thing right now, but I made an awful mistake that landed me in Tartarus when I died, and Hades let me be the priest of the Elysian Fields instead." She opened her mouth to speak, but then a look of wild fear passed over her face as she looked past him, and he knew what was coming, so he pulled her to her knees with him and shut his eyes as purple energy swirled struck him in the back, scorching his chiton. "I can't transform here, Elios, the pink crystal won't respond and neither will the silver one." Serenity whispered, and he ran his fingers down her hair. "Being under Nehelenia's control greatly weakened my power, I can protect us both well enough for a little while." When she looked up, their eyes locked, and he felt an overwhelming tenderness wash over him, but it was coupled with a fierce protectiveness. "Elios, behind you!" She whispered, and he turned around, his arm coming up reflexively to protect Serenity. Both red and blue whips of flame encircled his arm, and the twins yanked him to his feet. "Any last words before we take you to Hades?" Elios nodded and glanced back at Serenity, suddenly remembering everything up to his death. "Make sure that my past self participates in the Olympian games, be careful, and remember that... I love you, no matter what. And please, don't cry when..." And then he was in the underworld, and the words died on his lips.
Serenity felt tears come to her eyes, and then she dug her nails into her palms. "Elios!" His name tore from her throat, and she collapsed on the ground as sobs wracked her. "Damn you gods! Damn you for taking him away before I could tell him that I loved him!"
Mount Olympus
Unfortunately for the Princess of the Moon, a few of the gods heard her and wondered at her blasphemy. Athena and Hera were some of the few that heard her, and they most definitely were not pleased. "What have we done to warrant such a foul statement?" Hera wondered, and Athena shrugged. "I know not what we have done, but her blasphemy is punishable by death." As Athena prepared to dispose of the princess, Helios appeared near the two women. "You know not what you have done to warrant such harsh words, so I beg that you hear me out before you strike the princess." The Goddess of Wisdom nodded. "Go on." Serenity's life was on the line, and if she died, he would suffer as much as Elios. "Hades ordered the capture of the man that she loves, so she was within her rights to blame the Gods." Hera narrowed her eyes. "Why do you defend the unfortunate creature, what is she to you?" His mouth went dry, but he quickly responded. "Princess Serenity is not from this time, Hades brought her from the future, so she knows not of what she speaks." Unfortunately, the Goddess of Marriage was not about to give up so easily. "If that is your answer, I do not see why ignorance should keep me from striking the little wench." She brought up the image of the weeping princess and prepared to send a henchman to murder her. "Hera, please!" A cruel smile appeared on her lips. "You love her." Athena sighed and left the room. "Be nice, Hera." Helios groaned: this was the last thing he needed. "No, I do not." The goddess snapped, and a monster appeared behind Serenity. "Helios?"
" Please, Hera, don't!" Then, the monster made a growling noise and Serenity turned around and shrieked. Terror for her seeped into his blood and he clenched his fists. "And you say that you don't love her." The creature lashed out at Serenity and caught her arm, drawing blood. "Hera, I don't love her, that, at least, is the truth, but I am linked to the man who does." Again the monster drew blood, this time across her stomach. "Really? How interesting, and what happens when I do this?" Her monster raked its claws down Serenity's leg. "Dammit, Hera!" Suddenly, white light washed over Princess Serenity, and the monster vanished. Immediately recognizing his sister, the slightly pale Helios took a seat, breathing heavily. Elios had seen it somehow, that is, the future Elios had seen it, and he was terrified for his maiden, or so he liked to call her. Hera narrowed her eyes. "Your sister?" He nodded. "Watch, and learn."
Serenity gazed up at the moon, which was shining brightly at the moment, and distinctly saw a woman, or rather, a teenager like herself appear next to her. The woman smiled, and in the long gone memories of her mother's pictures from the Silver Millennium, she recognized her. "I... I know you, you look just like my mother!" The woman chuckled, and it sounded like a million sweet bells were ringing around her. "But of course you do, Serenity, I am your grandmother."
Hypnos and Thanatos- Both of these characters are featured in 'Hercules', and are winged. A slight reference is made to the movie just because I liked the part where they're always saying that Hades won't like something when he finds out about it, and one of them, I forget which one, says something along the lines of "Not when, if." Hypnos translates as Sleep and Thanatos as Death, and they are the henchmen of Hades.
Persephone- Hades' wife, he kidnapped her, and when Demeter made him let her go, he gave her a pomegranate that bound her to the underworld for as many months as seeds that she ate during the year... check out pantheon.org if you're interested, it is rather long and confusing. Basically, Persephone, like Hera, became very jealous when her husband favored another woman, and got rid of the other woman.
Pegasus- He will be in the story later on. Pegasus often spends his time with Hercules, and when he is not with said hero, he is in the stables of Helios. The way I mention him though is in context with his character in Sailor Moon. That is another twist in the story that you will understand later, and if you're very curious, you can e-mail me to find out what I mean, but it would give away part of the story.
Hera- Zeus' wife, she is the Goddess of Marriage. Hera is a very vengeful woman, and if one were to look up all of Zeus' affairs, they would find that Hera had them all punished, even if Zeus raped or bullied them.
Athena- The daughter of Zeus and only Zeus, when Hera found out about her and the fact that Zeus had swallowed Metis to keep Athena's future son from dethroning him, she had her own son, Hepheastus, who then split open Zeus' head and let her out.
~446 B.C.~
The Underworld
Hades paced around, knowing that if he did not act soon, his plans would fail quite miserably. Hypnos and Thanatos had done a fine job of bringing the girl to Greece, they had only failed in the fact that they had dropped her after receiving quite a scare from Helios, who had suddenly shone quite brightly and scorched them. "Hypnos, Thanatos! I have a job for you!" The two ran into the throne room and stood at attention. "I want you to watch Princess Serenity very closely. Once Elios has gotten close to her, you will bring her back here." Both brothers nodded mutely and left Hades immediately. If he didn't succeed, Helios would crush him, and it could also mean dire consequences from Zeus, who would be thoroughly miffed at him for bringing a mortal from the future into the present. She was beautiful, the princess that is, and he would not argue that point with Helios. Of course, he was presently tied at the hip to Persephone, but a few more days' time would mean that she was gone to visit her mother, and when the time came for him to meet Princess Serenity, he would allow himself to ignore the fact that he had a wife, since that was what most of the other gods did anyway.
The Temple of Zeus
Elios fell to his knees as he uncovered his eyes. After all those years of the gods being gone from the world, he was back in a place where they were revered. The statue of Zeus was directly in front of him, and he allowed himself to bow momentarily in gratitude. Then, he stood and walked outside. Helios shone brightly that day, and when he turned away from the sun, he heard a voice. "Elios, do not let your old self see you, and do not let your family see you." It came from the back of his mind, and he knew at once that it was the Helios of his time. "Of course I will not." Noticing his clothes for the first time, he saw that he wore a one-sleeved chiton with a golden hem that revealed his chest while it swept to the floor. Not bad, except for the part where he felt like he was wearing a dress. With a sigh, he began his descent down the mountainside.
Mount Olympus
Serenity and Athene had grown close in the past week, and Serenity had come to know Elios fairly well also. He raced chariots for drachmas, and went through girls like there was no tomorrow. For her, this was a stunning fact. Her sweet Pegasus had obviously changed in the few thousand years before she met him. Now, though, she was out alone, without any supervision. Worry and fear took over, how was she to get home? Serenity's brow furrowed with worry, and she vacantly sat down at the base of a tree, her fingers twisting through the flowers of ancient Greece. Soon, sleep came over her, and she dreamt of home, her family, and Elios.
Not long after Serenity lay to rest, Elios, the priest, found her and went down his knee beside her. "My maiden, it has been far too long." He ran the backs of two fingers down her cheek reverently. She sighed softly and he, unable to hold back any longer, placed a gentle kiss on her lips and pulled a white rose of the Elysian Fields from his pocket to place on her breast, which her hand quickly snaked up to. Just as he was about to wake her, he heard a noise and knew that his past self was there. Even if he had woken her, he would not have been able to take her back to the future, nor would they have been able to survive. It was best that she stay with his past self. "Until then, my love." Her eyes fluttered open as he was leaving. "Elios?" The Elios of the past would be there quickly enough, so he had very little time to spare. "My maiden, I will be back for you, you have my word, but first I must find a way to get back to the future." He quickly pulled her to her feet and brushed his lips against her fingers. "At least I know that I am not alone." Elios smiled and began to say something more, but then he heard a noise and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before leaving her. "Meet me here when Selene is out!" He whispered in her ear.
Serenity blushed crimson and glanced down at the rose white rose in her hand and noticed that gold was spreading down it from the tips, though it stopped after a minute or two. "Strange." She glanced upward finally and noticed Elios coming through the undergrowth. It was not the Elios whom she had just seen, but the noble youth whom she had come to know of late. "Serenity? What are you doing out here alone?" Taking his outstretched hand, she again marveled at how time could change someone so much. "I came out to... think for awhile, that is all."
Nearby, Hypnos and Thanatos were exchanging confused glances. "Uh oh." Hypnos murmured, and Thanatos glanced at him. "I am a bit confused." Thanatos admitted. "He's from the future, Thanatos, and if he figures out how to get back there... Hades is not going to like this when he finds out." His brother thought for a moment. "Don't you mean if he finds out?" Hypnos groaned. "No way am I falling for that again, we have to tell him." The twins both groaned at that and flew back to the underworld.
Heaven
Selene stormed into the room and asked him; "Why do I sense two of the same person?" Helios rubbed his temple. "I didn't bring him here, I promise you that, but he's here to save her, so you should really be happy about that. The strange thing is, he isn't... divine, and I would have thought that he would be, but this does tell me that Hades' threat is larger than I thought." She nodded. "That is all fine and well, but Hades is going to notice him, and when he does, he will stop and nothing to destroy him." A slight smile appeared on his lips. "He may not be divine, but he is immortal, with that and my own protection, he should be fine, now I must be going." Helios took his job very seriously, and if he neglected his duty, he would grumble about it for days afterward.
The Underworld
"And who was stupid enough to let him through to this time in the first place? Why didn't you just kill him! Go now, and don't come back until the future Elios is dead! Actually, I have a better idea, bring him to me, and I will squeeze the information about the future from him." Thanatos and Hypnos dashed off to find the future Elios and dispose of him. Hades groaned; so the future Elios was not divine, perhaps this meant that he had succeeded, but what year had this Elios come from? Then he thought, what a stupid question, he's probably from the same year as Lady Serenity, and he's probably come to rescue her. Persephone entered the throne room. "Hades, what was all the yelling about?" She could never know of his plans, or she would tell Demeter, and then where would he be? "Nothing, Persephone, I'm just a little upset with Hypnos and Thanatos." Though she obviously didn't believe him, Persephone accepted this and left to resume whatever task she had been hard at work doing.
The Base of Mount Olympus
Serenity had been able to escape narrowly, her path being blocked by the past Elios as he asked her where she was going, but a diversion had been caused in the kitchen, and she had ducked out. The past Elios seemed to be very protective of her, perhaps even in the same way as the future Elios. Finally, she spotted him amongst the undergrowth, looking around thoughtfully. "Elios?" She whispered, and his gaze flicked toward her, a small smile flickering on his face. "Maiden." He acknowledged her, but something seemed a bit... wrong with him. "Are you quite all right?" Elios nodded, but he was on edge. "Of course." Taking her hand, he bestowed a lavish kiss upon the back of it, and she temporarily forgot her suspicions.
Elios rounded the corner and heard whispering. He was supposed to be meeting Serenity about now, and he was wondering where she could possibly be. Once the view from around the rock formation was completely open to him, he just stood and gaped for a moment. Serenity was speaking with... him, but it wasn't him! The Elios she was sitting next to couldn't be the Elios of the past either, because the Elios of the past never dressed so lavishly. So this Elios must be an impersonator! He ran out and narrowed his eyes. "Maiden get away from him!" Serenity turned toward him with wide eyes and leapt away from the impersonator. "What... wait, what is going on here? Which one of you is the real Elios?" The impersonator jumped to his feet. "I am, of course." As if that were not enough of a giveaway already! "My maiden... you know me, I am simple, not so pompous as whomever that is over there." Serenity hesitated. "How am I to know which one of you is the real...you?" Before Elios could say anything, the impostor placed a kiss on her lips, from which she pulled away, then broke apart from him and lurched toward Elios. "Oh nice job Thanatos!" Strangely, the other Elios started arguing with himself. "Shut up Hypnos!" Suddenly, the impersonator lurched forward and clasped Serenity's wrist. "Fine, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You come with us future boy, and we let the princess here go, but if you refuse, she goes to Styx, and Charon can deal with her." He knew that voice! "You're Hypnos and Thanatos! Let her go, or I'll see Hades about this!" His maiden looked extremely confused, then fearful as Thanatos and Hypnos pulled a dagger from out of nowhere and placed it at her throat. "How do you know Hades? He does not deal with simple mortals such as yourself." Blue and red lights danced around the two twins as they separated with Thanatos holding the dagger against Serenity's throat. "I am no more mortal than you are. It has been so for over three thousand years, thanks to Hades. Now let Lady Serenity go, or I will resort to a certain form of magic which you will find most unpleasant."
Then, Hypnos was behind him, and he felt the blue flame of the henchman's whip against his skin. "We can go now, Thanatos." Elios struggled to work his hands free, and one did, so he spun around and pointed at Hypnos, causing a beam of light to wrap around the creature and make him howl in pain. Next, he pointed at the ground beneath Thanatos' feet, and a serpent slithered around his ankles. The henchman released Serenity, and he rushed over to her, the blue fire still curled around his wrist. "Are you all right?" Elios asked as he gathered her in his arms. "What is going on here? What does your immortality have to do with Hades?" Hating himself for not telling her sooner, he explained. "I doubt that we have time for the whole thing right now, but I made an awful mistake that landed me in Tartarus when I died, and Hades let me be the priest of the Elysian Fields instead." She opened her mouth to speak, but then a look of wild fear passed over her face as she looked past him, and he knew what was coming, so he pulled her to her knees with him and shut his eyes as purple energy swirled struck him in the back, scorching his chiton. "I can't transform here, Elios, the pink crystal won't respond and neither will the silver one." Serenity whispered, and he ran his fingers down her hair. "Being under Nehelenia's control greatly weakened my power, I can protect us both well enough for a little while." When she looked up, their eyes locked, and he felt an overwhelming tenderness wash over him, but it was coupled with a fierce protectiveness. "Elios, behind you!" She whispered, and he turned around, his arm coming up reflexively to protect Serenity. Both red and blue whips of flame encircled his arm, and the twins yanked him to his feet. "Any last words before we take you to Hades?" Elios nodded and glanced back at Serenity, suddenly remembering everything up to his death. "Make sure that my past self participates in the Olympian games, be careful, and remember that... I love you, no matter what. And please, don't cry when..." And then he was in the underworld, and the words died on his lips.
Serenity felt tears come to her eyes, and then she dug her nails into her palms. "Elios!" His name tore from her throat, and she collapsed on the ground as sobs wracked her. "Damn you gods! Damn you for taking him away before I could tell him that I loved him!"
Mount Olympus
Unfortunately for the Princess of the Moon, a few of the gods heard her and wondered at her blasphemy. Athena and Hera were some of the few that heard her, and they most definitely were not pleased. "What have we done to warrant such a foul statement?" Hera wondered, and Athena shrugged. "I know not what we have done, but her blasphemy is punishable by death." As Athena prepared to dispose of the princess, Helios appeared near the two women. "You know not what you have done to warrant such harsh words, so I beg that you hear me out before you strike the princess." The Goddess of Wisdom nodded. "Go on." Serenity's life was on the line, and if she died, he would suffer as much as Elios. "Hades ordered the capture of the man that she loves, so she was within her rights to blame the Gods." Hera narrowed her eyes. "Why do you defend the unfortunate creature, what is she to you?" His mouth went dry, but he quickly responded. "Princess Serenity is not from this time, Hades brought her from the future, so she knows not of what she speaks." Unfortunately, the Goddess of Marriage was not about to give up so easily. "If that is your answer, I do not see why ignorance should keep me from striking the little wench." She brought up the image of the weeping princess and prepared to send a henchman to murder her. "Hera, please!" A cruel smile appeared on her lips. "You love her." Athena sighed and left the room. "Be nice, Hera." Helios groaned: this was the last thing he needed. "No, I do not." The goddess snapped, and a monster appeared behind Serenity. "Helios?"
" Please, Hera, don't!" Then, the monster made a growling noise and Serenity turned around and shrieked. Terror for her seeped into his blood and he clenched his fists. "And you say that you don't love her." The creature lashed out at Serenity and caught her arm, drawing blood. "Hera, I don't love her, that, at least, is the truth, but I am linked to the man who does." Again the monster drew blood, this time across her stomach. "Really? How interesting, and what happens when I do this?" Her monster raked its claws down Serenity's leg. "Dammit, Hera!" Suddenly, white light washed over Princess Serenity, and the monster vanished. Immediately recognizing his sister, the slightly pale Helios took a seat, breathing heavily. Elios had seen it somehow, that is, the future Elios had seen it, and he was terrified for his maiden, or so he liked to call her. Hera narrowed her eyes. "Your sister?" He nodded. "Watch, and learn."
Serenity gazed up at the moon, which was shining brightly at the moment, and distinctly saw a woman, or rather, a teenager like herself appear next to her. The woman smiled, and in the long gone memories of her mother's pictures from the Silver Millennium, she recognized her. "I... I know you, you look just like my mother!" The woman chuckled, and it sounded like a million sweet bells were ringing around her. "But of course you do, Serenity, I am your grandmother."