Okay, this chapter has a lot to do with Serenity (Rini) and her personal growth. Yes, this is the chapter where she finally falls for the Elios of the past, or rather, the chapter where she allows herself to love him. I mention a lot of gods in this chapter, and I will explain them well later, but for now, it will be generic. Keep in mind that most of the gods are somewhat related to each other.
Ares- God of war, his helpers are Phobos and Demos
Aphrodite- Goddess of Beauty, she despises her husband, Hepheastus
Hermes- The messenger god, he is recognized for his speed
Zeus- The god of the weather, he is the leader of all the Greek gods
Gaia- The Earth
Uranus- The sky
Poseidon- God of the sea
Chronos- Zeus' father
Morpheus- God of dreams
Demeter- Goddess of the Seasons, she is the mother of Persephone
Hestia- Goddess of the hearth (home)
Note: For 'just a reader', I have next to no information about Hypnos and Thanatos, she I modeled their characters after the ones in 'Hercules', and Hades is not going to be like 'that' Hades, so you shouldn't have too many nightmares.
***
Nothing could have prepared the Princess of the Earth and Moon for that. "Wh... what?" Selene smiled, and offered her hand to help Serenity to her feet. "Serenity was the first of several of my daughters, and that makes you my granddaughter. You are a demi-goddess, dear, and where would any goddess be without the man that she loves?" Serenity flushed and glanced downward, realizing that Elios could be down beneath her feet, and tears formed in her eyes. "But I don't understand, why are you here? What am I to you? I have studied the texts, most gods have no care for their descendants." The Goddess of the Moon sighed. "Serenity, you are in grave danger without your crystals, but I am afraid that only the God of Dreams could restore them to you now. They are lost, and Elios holds the last of the three. I wish that I could offer you my own, but unfortunately, it could kill me. Then again, you might find what you seek in the Elios of the past. Do not be afraid to fall, love is blind, and one cannot expect you to keep your feelings separated when they are in essence the same person." She blushed more deeply. "This really complicates things, are all of the scouts related to gods?"
"But of course, Mars is the descendant of Ares, Venus is of Aphrodite, Mercury is of Hermes, Jupiter is of Zeus, your father is of Gaia quite naturally, Uranus is of Uranus quite naturally, Neptune is of Poseidon, Saturn is of Chronos, and Pluto is of Hades. All of your friends are related either directly or indirectly, and your father is distantly related to your mother." Once again, the princess' blush deepened. "And Elios and the Asteroids? Am I related to Elios, he's not my cousin or anything, is he?" Selene shook her head. "Oh goodness, no. Elios is a descendant of Morpheus, but that really makes him a very distant cousin, his divine heritage goes back too far it to influence you. As for your question, Juno is related to Hera, Ceres to Demeter, and actually Hades and Persephone, Pallas to Athena, and Vesta to Hestia." That, at least, made her feel better. "But Elios is named after the Sun God, why is he not named after Morpheus?" Selene smiled. "There is a reason for everything, my dear, but I cannot tell you the answer to your question, you will see in time. Beware of Hera, she holds no good will toward you, and I suspect that my brother will eventually see you, but I must go now. If you need me, I will be here." And she was gone.
The Underworld
Hades turned to see Thanatos and Hypnos dragging the reluctant future Elios behind them. Thanatos struck him in the back of the knees. "You will bow to Lord Hades, or suffer the consequences." Hypnos commanded, and Elios went down on his knees. "Lord Hades, I beseech you, leave Lady Serenity alone, she is only sixteen!" He laughed maniacally and Elios' look of distraught helplessness furthered his laughter. "Leave her alone? Why do you think I brought her here in the first place? But wait, you're from the future, so tell me, what happens?" The young man snarled. "I'll never tell you, not after you threatened Serenity! All those years... and I just remembered everything." Clearly he had been cleverer than he thought. "I erased your memories hmm...?" At which point, he paled. "Yes, after you had me murdered. I can remember Serenity's grief, you coward! Look what you did to her, you monster!" Letting out a low whistle, Hades smiled a little and glanced over at Hypnos. "Your turn, I have yet a few more questions for him before I dispose of him." Elios struggled to his feet and landed a kick at the back of Hypnos' neck, rendering him unconscious. Thanatos, outraged by this turn of events, tightened his whip around Elios' arm, but Elios managed to plant his foot in Thanatos' face, and the whip disappeared. "Impressive, who taught you that?" Elios shrugged. "I needed to learn for my own protection, when I was kidnapped. The scouts taught me." The who? "Whom are you referring to?"
"The daughters and granddaughters of the gods, sometimes even great granddaughters or later. The cataclysmic event that causes their rise has not happened yet, but rest assured that the Lunarian world will be destroyed. The princesses will be reincarnated, of course, and then there will be hell to pay." The implied pun seemed to unsettle Hades. "Well, priest, what say you to this?" An image of one of Hera's beasts appeared, and when the view moved out, he could see Serenity, crying, completely unaware of the monster, which sprung into action. "Maiden! Do something, please!" Hades shrugged. "I don't have to, Selene will take care of that." Elios watched as the Goddess of the Moon materialized near the now safe Serenity. Suddenly, a sharp pain ignited in the back of his head and pushed forward, blotting out his vision with white and then making him sink to the floor.
Elios' Home
Elios knew that Serenity had slipped out while the commotion in the kitchen was dealt with, he just didn't know where she'd gone. Something stronger than brotherly protection was governing him when it came to Serenity. "Elios, if you're so worried about her, then go after her." Athene told him gently. "I think I will... but how is it that I can feel like this when I have only known her a week?" His sister smiled. "It was fate, my brother, something tells me that you two were meant for each other." He could not be so easily swayed by his sister's romantic ideals. "Maybe Athene, maybe, but how can I be sure that she feels that way as well?" With a sigh, Athene motioned toward the window, and across the field, near a lake, Serenity sat on a rock, running her fingers through the pristine waters, and he felt himself smile. "Elios, I have to tell you, I don't think she is of this time, she's too... she seems to believe that she can do what she pleases while the women of this world are very aware of their place. She also has a beauty that is unmatched except for maybe by a goddess in this time. One of the gods must have brought her from the future, which shows that perhaps there is hope for equality between men and women." Not likely, or so he thought. "I shall go and fetch her in awhile, she should be safe for now."
The Base of Mount Olympus
Serenity let herself fall on her side on the rock and stared up at the moon. Somewhere up there were her parents and the scouts; completely unaware of the dangers they would face in half a century. Closing her eyes, she thought of Elios and tears once again flowed down her cheeks as she slid into a restless sleep. In her dreams, she saw the event of only an hour ago unfold in front of her. The curiosity, the surprise, the terror, the loss... all of it was there. Those two monsters had actually had the nerve to kiss her! And last of all was Elios being torn away from her, and she reached outward, sending off an enormous amount of energy at a leaf that was drifting off of a tree, and it became a liquid substance that dripped onto the rock right next to her fingers. She tossed over onto her side, and her tears rolled down into the liquid, causing it to come together and move in all different directions. Inside her dream, she remembered vividly the attack of the monster, and recoiled in fear, teetering dangerously close to the edge of her haven.
The monster swiped at her, and she fell backward into the lake, still in her deep sleep. Then, her dream shattered into a million pieces, and she felt herself suffocating, but she could not wake up. "Maiden, wake up!" It was Elios' voice, and she looked around for him. "Help me." Serenity whispered, and saw the familiar white Pegasus that suddenly turned into Elios running toward her. "Wake up, before it is too late!" He said, suddenly going down on his knees and sliding the rest of the way over to her as she felt herself falling. "I can't." She managed, and worry became etched into his brow as he supported her. "He wouldn't... Hades, show yourself!" A dark figure appeared. "All in good time, she's too valuable to my plans, I won't let her die, yet." Elios sneered at the figure, and it disappeared. Then, he leaned over her and placed his mouth over her's as he plugged her nose, and suddenly, air filled her lungs and instinctively, she tilted her head over to the side, propping herself up on her elbows, and coughed up water while someone patted her on the back. Her eyes opened slowly, and she let herself fall to the ground as she gazed up into the amber depths that she knew so well. "Elios?" Serenity finally managed, and saw silver light refracting light onto his face. They both glanced over at the rock that she had fallen from, and there was a crystal sitting there, with gold, blue, pink, and silver swirling in its depths. Then, it began to glow brightly, and her body was enveloped in the same kind of unearthly light. When it was gone, she was in a dress similar to her princess garb, but with short, flower petal sleeves and transparent wings much like that of her mother's. Her hair was now to her knees, and she could feel the power of the new crystal within her. "Who are you?" Elios asked in shock, and she answered him truthfully. "I am Princess Serenity of the Moon, granddaughter of the goddess, Selene." He smiled softly. "That explains a lot." She also smiled just slightly, and pulled his mouth down to meet her's.
The Underworld
Elios woke with a headache and abruptly vomited. "Ugh, why do they always do that?" Thanatos complained, and pointed a finger at the mess, which disappeared. "You'll be happy to know that your 'maiden' is safe, and in somewhat higher spirits." Of course, he already knew that; no wonder he had been so attracted to her during his captivity, and yet again, no wonder the same was happening now during his youth. "I know, I can remember."
Ares- God of war, his helpers are Phobos and Demos
Aphrodite- Goddess of Beauty, she despises her husband, Hepheastus
Hermes- The messenger god, he is recognized for his speed
Zeus- The god of the weather, he is the leader of all the Greek gods
Gaia- The Earth
Uranus- The sky
Poseidon- God of the sea
Chronos- Zeus' father
Morpheus- God of dreams
Demeter- Goddess of the Seasons, she is the mother of Persephone
Hestia- Goddess of the hearth (home)
Note: For 'just a reader', I have next to no information about Hypnos and Thanatos, she I modeled their characters after the ones in 'Hercules', and Hades is not going to be like 'that' Hades, so you shouldn't have too many nightmares.
***
Nothing could have prepared the Princess of the Earth and Moon for that. "Wh... what?" Selene smiled, and offered her hand to help Serenity to her feet. "Serenity was the first of several of my daughters, and that makes you my granddaughter. You are a demi-goddess, dear, and where would any goddess be without the man that she loves?" Serenity flushed and glanced downward, realizing that Elios could be down beneath her feet, and tears formed in her eyes. "But I don't understand, why are you here? What am I to you? I have studied the texts, most gods have no care for their descendants." The Goddess of the Moon sighed. "Serenity, you are in grave danger without your crystals, but I am afraid that only the God of Dreams could restore them to you now. They are lost, and Elios holds the last of the three. I wish that I could offer you my own, but unfortunately, it could kill me. Then again, you might find what you seek in the Elios of the past. Do not be afraid to fall, love is blind, and one cannot expect you to keep your feelings separated when they are in essence the same person." She blushed more deeply. "This really complicates things, are all of the scouts related to gods?"
"But of course, Mars is the descendant of Ares, Venus is of Aphrodite, Mercury is of Hermes, Jupiter is of Zeus, your father is of Gaia quite naturally, Uranus is of Uranus quite naturally, Neptune is of Poseidon, Saturn is of Chronos, and Pluto is of Hades. All of your friends are related either directly or indirectly, and your father is distantly related to your mother." Once again, the princess' blush deepened. "And Elios and the Asteroids? Am I related to Elios, he's not my cousin or anything, is he?" Selene shook her head. "Oh goodness, no. Elios is a descendant of Morpheus, but that really makes him a very distant cousin, his divine heritage goes back too far it to influence you. As for your question, Juno is related to Hera, Ceres to Demeter, and actually Hades and Persephone, Pallas to Athena, and Vesta to Hestia." That, at least, made her feel better. "But Elios is named after the Sun God, why is he not named after Morpheus?" Selene smiled. "There is a reason for everything, my dear, but I cannot tell you the answer to your question, you will see in time. Beware of Hera, she holds no good will toward you, and I suspect that my brother will eventually see you, but I must go now. If you need me, I will be here." And she was gone.
The Underworld
Hades turned to see Thanatos and Hypnos dragging the reluctant future Elios behind them. Thanatos struck him in the back of the knees. "You will bow to Lord Hades, or suffer the consequences." Hypnos commanded, and Elios went down on his knees. "Lord Hades, I beseech you, leave Lady Serenity alone, she is only sixteen!" He laughed maniacally and Elios' look of distraught helplessness furthered his laughter. "Leave her alone? Why do you think I brought her here in the first place? But wait, you're from the future, so tell me, what happens?" The young man snarled. "I'll never tell you, not after you threatened Serenity! All those years... and I just remembered everything." Clearly he had been cleverer than he thought. "I erased your memories hmm...?" At which point, he paled. "Yes, after you had me murdered. I can remember Serenity's grief, you coward! Look what you did to her, you monster!" Letting out a low whistle, Hades smiled a little and glanced over at Hypnos. "Your turn, I have yet a few more questions for him before I dispose of him." Elios struggled to his feet and landed a kick at the back of Hypnos' neck, rendering him unconscious. Thanatos, outraged by this turn of events, tightened his whip around Elios' arm, but Elios managed to plant his foot in Thanatos' face, and the whip disappeared. "Impressive, who taught you that?" Elios shrugged. "I needed to learn for my own protection, when I was kidnapped. The scouts taught me." The who? "Whom are you referring to?"
"The daughters and granddaughters of the gods, sometimes even great granddaughters or later. The cataclysmic event that causes their rise has not happened yet, but rest assured that the Lunarian world will be destroyed. The princesses will be reincarnated, of course, and then there will be hell to pay." The implied pun seemed to unsettle Hades. "Well, priest, what say you to this?" An image of one of Hera's beasts appeared, and when the view moved out, he could see Serenity, crying, completely unaware of the monster, which sprung into action. "Maiden! Do something, please!" Hades shrugged. "I don't have to, Selene will take care of that." Elios watched as the Goddess of the Moon materialized near the now safe Serenity. Suddenly, a sharp pain ignited in the back of his head and pushed forward, blotting out his vision with white and then making him sink to the floor.
Elios' Home
Elios knew that Serenity had slipped out while the commotion in the kitchen was dealt with, he just didn't know where she'd gone. Something stronger than brotherly protection was governing him when it came to Serenity. "Elios, if you're so worried about her, then go after her." Athene told him gently. "I think I will... but how is it that I can feel like this when I have only known her a week?" His sister smiled. "It was fate, my brother, something tells me that you two were meant for each other." He could not be so easily swayed by his sister's romantic ideals. "Maybe Athene, maybe, but how can I be sure that she feels that way as well?" With a sigh, Athene motioned toward the window, and across the field, near a lake, Serenity sat on a rock, running her fingers through the pristine waters, and he felt himself smile. "Elios, I have to tell you, I don't think she is of this time, she's too... she seems to believe that she can do what she pleases while the women of this world are very aware of their place. She also has a beauty that is unmatched except for maybe by a goddess in this time. One of the gods must have brought her from the future, which shows that perhaps there is hope for equality between men and women." Not likely, or so he thought. "I shall go and fetch her in awhile, she should be safe for now."
The Base of Mount Olympus
Serenity let herself fall on her side on the rock and stared up at the moon. Somewhere up there were her parents and the scouts; completely unaware of the dangers they would face in half a century. Closing her eyes, she thought of Elios and tears once again flowed down her cheeks as she slid into a restless sleep. In her dreams, she saw the event of only an hour ago unfold in front of her. The curiosity, the surprise, the terror, the loss... all of it was there. Those two monsters had actually had the nerve to kiss her! And last of all was Elios being torn away from her, and she reached outward, sending off an enormous amount of energy at a leaf that was drifting off of a tree, and it became a liquid substance that dripped onto the rock right next to her fingers. She tossed over onto her side, and her tears rolled down into the liquid, causing it to come together and move in all different directions. Inside her dream, she remembered vividly the attack of the monster, and recoiled in fear, teetering dangerously close to the edge of her haven.
The monster swiped at her, and she fell backward into the lake, still in her deep sleep. Then, her dream shattered into a million pieces, and she felt herself suffocating, but she could not wake up. "Maiden, wake up!" It was Elios' voice, and she looked around for him. "Help me." Serenity whispered, and saw the familiar white Pegasus that suddenly turned into Elios running toward her. "Wake up, before it is too late!" He said, suddenly going down on his knees and sliding the rest of the way over to her as she felt herself falling. "I can't." She managed, and worry became etched into his brow as he supported her. "He wouldn't... Hades, show yourself!" A dark figure appeared. "All in good time, she's too valuable to my plans, I won't let her die, yet." Elios sneered at the figure, and it disappeared. Then, he leaned over her and placed his mouth over her's as he plugged her nose, and suddenly, air filled her lungs and instinctively, she tilted her head over to the side, propping herself up on her elbows, and coughed up water while someone patted her on the back. Her eyes opened slowly, and she let herself fall to the ground as she gazed up into the amber depths that she knew so well. "Elios?" Serenity finally managed, and saw silver light refracting light onto his face. They both glanced over at the rock that she had fallen from, and there was a crystal sitting there, with gold, blue, pink, and silver swirling in its depths. Then, it began to glow brightly, and her body was enveloped in the same kind of unearthly light. When it was gone, she was in a dress similar to her princess garb, but with short, flower petal sleeves and transparent wings much like that of her mother's. Her hair was now to her knees, and she could feel the power of the new crystal within her. "Who are you?" Elios asked in shock, and she answered him truthfully. "I am Princess Serenity of the Moon, granddaughter of the goddess, Selene." He smiled softly. "That explains a lot." She also smiled just slightly, and pulled his mouth down to meet her's.
The Underworld
Elios woke with a headache and abruptly vomited. "Ugh, why do they always do that?" Thanatos complained, and pointed a finger at the mess, which disappeared. "You'll be happy to know that your 'maiden' is safe, and in somewhat higher spirits." Of course, he already knew that; no wonder he had been so attracted to her during his captivity, and yet again, no wonder the same was happening now during his youth. "I know, I can remember."