I'm only writing the disclaimer on this page, but it applies to the whole story. (Duh)
Disclaimer: This story was written just for fun and is not an attempt to make money or infringe on any copyrights or trademarks. Feel free to quote from this or print it for personal use, but please don't steal it publish it without my permission. The characters of Young Herc, Iolaus, and the rest of the crew belong to USA studios and rennasance pictures, whereas Holly, Bryn, and Tish belong exclusivly to me.
Author's note: I do not profess to be an expert on the ancient religions, faiths, or cultures depicted in this story. This is my own personal work of fiction based on some creative rewriting of history and myth. Any myths and heroes that may be mentioned later in the story exist however though they have been adapted for this story. I mean no disrespect to any faith or culture and advise readers not to take the political and religious allusions in this story as fact but rather research yourself before coming to conclusions. I have no idea if Mnemosyne even had priestesses or how they were trained, so that part is all from my imagination.
The New Cadet Series #4:
Two Sides of the Same Coin
by Bryn Sirel
"The night is my companion, solitude my guide..."
- Sarah McLachlan
Thunder shouted and rain pelted the earth as a small, lone figure walked quickly through the woods in search for shelter. Lucky for the mysterious being, there was a cave opening nearby. A small cat, raven-black fur flattened to it's skin, crept into the cave, alert for any previous owners. But the cave was empty. With a small sigh, the cat disappeared and a young maiden appeared in it's place. The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen summers old, with long black hair streaming down to her waist. She quickly peeled off her drenched cloak and laid it on some dry rocks nearby. Deftly retrieving an item from the cloak before discarding it, she took the item and set it in the floor at her feet. The girl started murmuring, gazing intently at the object.
It was a clear white crystal sphere, slightly smaller than a handspan in diameter, which started glowing fiercely at the girl's first words, and growing brighter as she continued chanting. Finally the girl judged it to be bright enough, and she turned to look around the cave. It was a large cave, probably man-made to provide travelers like herself with shelter when they are caught outside during bad weather. There were some cheap but warm blankets folded along the wall, and a waterproof leather sack that might hold some dried berries for the hungry traveler seeking shelter during a storm. She noticed a hole in the wall at the back of the cave and, scooping up the glowing orb, she explored. The hole was a crude doorway that entered into another large room. This one, though, had a hot springs in it, and the girl smiled in anticipation of a warm bath. She walked over to the water's edge and peered in. There was steam floating off of the spring, but the water was as still as a mouse in a serpent's line of sight. The girl frowned slightly as the surface clouded up briefly, but then smiled as two glowing eyes appeared.
"Hello Mother." The girl said, sitting cross_legged beside the water, "I haven't heard from you in a long while."
"Hello daughter." the queen of the gods replied. "How is your process?"
The girl said, "I am doing well. Mnemosyne has accepted me as a priestess, and has released me from my vows to learn the secrets of the crystal sphere." she gestured to the glowing orb. "So far I've gotten it to glow and ignite, but I don't know how I will learn more about it." she looked at the eyes in the water appraisingly, "Do you have something you want of me, Mother?"
Hera ignored the question, "Where are you headed to next?"
The girl replied, "To Cheiron's Academy, in hopes that learning how to control my body will help me control--"
"NO." the voice cut her off.
"What?" the girl asked.
"No. You will not go to that academy. Choose another." Hera commanded sternly.
"But mother! Cheiron's is the best academy around. You want me to go to a second-best school?"
"No, dear." the queen of the gods spoke, "I just will not have you going to the same school Hercules goes to."
"Mother." no one command her, especially her mother who was rarely there whan she needed her. The girl did not share her mother's hatred of the demigod, and she would not even consider going to the second-best school. "I'm afraid that I must disagree with you. Cheiron's Academy is the best, and I will not settle for going anywhere lesser just because my stepfather's half-mortal son is also there." she kept talking, knowing her mother's next idea, "Nor will I kill Hercules for you, or participate in bringing harm to him while I'm there." she could feel her mother's anger condensing, but there was no more for the girl to say so she remained silent.
"All right." Hera said at last, in a cool tone doing little to hide the boiling fury the goddess was feeling. "I will give you one last chance to redeem yourself. For if you do not, I will lift my protection order from you, and leave you vulnerable. And I know for a fact that my husband has been bent on making you mischief since he found out you were my daughter. Without my protection he will be free to strike at you in any way he desires." the queen of the gods paused, wanting to sweeten the deal. "And if he does not kill you, I will send Ares to finish the job. Do you still wish to defy me?
The girl shook her head. "I do not wish to defy you. I wish to go to the best academy, and if doing so causes you to lift you protection and turn away from me, then so be it." then a fire lit in the girl's eyes, giving a hint to a fury that could be just as dangerous as her mother's, "And you sending Ares to assasinate me is an insult. He can't even defeat Hercules. If he is the best weapon you have, maybe I'm better off without your protection."
"Very well." the queen of the gods whispered, and the eyes on the pool disappeared. The girl sighed once again at the troubles of her life, before shedding her clothes and disrupting the stillness of the spring to bathe and think.
~~~~~
Far above the clouds and inside the temple of Zeus, the king of the gods turned off his scrying pool. So... his wife's daughter was now without protection... it was the perfect time to strike, to get the girl out of the way in a quick, expedient fashion. He though for a moment. This girl was a strange one. Born half-mortal, she was raised with Mnemosyne in the hope of becoming a priestess. Then she had been caught learning about the egyptian deities with her best friend, and his wife had punished her by giving the girl her friend's godhood and immortality. For most people this punishment would seem like a reward, but this girl actually *wanted* to be a mortal, so it was a punishment.
He could not strike at her while she was a child, for she was under two protection orders: Mnemosyne's and Hera's. But now was the time that all priestess'_in_training had to brave the world without the protection of their benefactor. Zeus had been looking for loopholes in Hera's protection, when the idiotic girl got it lifted herself. He wasn't sure if the girl was really brave or just really suicidal, but it didn't matter. Now was the time to act. He looked back in on his stepdaughter, and saw that she was asleep. He quickly transported her and her belongings (which wasn't much, just a dry cloak, a crystal ball, some blankets and a leather bag of dry food) into the Labyrinth, willing to let the minotaur do the dirty work for him. Smiling slightly, the king of the gods leaned back and closed his eyes, happy with a revenge carried out.
Disclaimer: This story was written just for fun and is not an attempt to make money or infringe on any copyrights or trademarks. Feel free to quote from this or print it for personal use, but please don't steal it publish it without my permission. The characters of Young Herc, Iolaus, and the rest of the crew belong to USA studios and rennasance pictures, whereas Holly, Bryn, and Tish belong exclusivly to me.
Author's note: I do not profess to be an expert on the ancient religions, faiths, or cultures depicted in this story. This is my own personal work of fiction based on some creative rewriting of history and myth. Any myths and heroes that may be mentioned later in the story exist however though they have been adapted for this story. I mean no disrespect to any faith or culture and advise readers not to take the political and religious allusions in this story as fact but rather research yourself before coming to conclusions. I have no idea if Mnemosyne even had priestesses or how they were trained, so that part is all from my imagination.
The New Cadet Series #4:
Two Sides of the Same Coin
by Bryn Sirel
"The night is my companion, solitude my guide..."
- Sarah McLachlan
Thunder shouted and rain pelted the earth as a small, lone figure walked quickly through the woods in search for shelter. Lucky for the mysterious being, there was a cave opening nearby. A small cat, raven-black fur flattened to it's skin, crept into the cave, alert for any previous owners. But the cave was empty. With a small sigh, the cat disappeared and a young maiden appeared in it's place. The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen summers old, with long black hair streaming down to her waist. She quickly peeled off her drenched cloak and laid it on some dry rocks nearby. Deftly retrieving an item from the cloak before discarding it, she took the item and set it in the floor at her feet. The girl started murmuring, gazing intently at the object.
It was a clear white crystal sphere, slightly smaller than a handspan in diameter, which started glowing fiercely at the girl's first words, and growing brighter as she continued chanting. Finally the girl judged it to be bright enough, and she turned to look around the cave. It was a large cave, probably man-made to provide travelers like herself with shelter when they are caught outside during bad weather. There were some cheap but warm blankets folded along the wall, and a waterproof leather sack that might hold some dried berries for the hungry traveler seeking shelter during a storm. She noticed a hole in the wall at the back of the cave and, scooping up the glowing orb, she explored. The hole was a crude doorway that entered into another large room. This one, though, had a hot springs in it, and the girl smiled in anticipation of a warm bath. She walked over to the water's edge and peered in. There was steam floating off of the spring, but the water was as still as a mouse in a serpent's line of sight. The girl frowned slightly as the surface clouded up briefly, but then smiled as two glowing eyes appeared.
"Hello Mother." The girl said, sitting cross_legged beside the water, "I haven't heard from you in a long while."
"Hello daughter." the queen of the gods replied. "How is your process?"
The girl said, "I am doing well. Mnemosyne has accepted me as a priestess, and has released me from my vows to learn the secrets of the crystal sphere." she gestured to the glowing orb. "So far I've gotten it to glow and ignite, but I don't know how I will learn more about it." she looked at the eyes in the water appraisingly, "Do you have something you want of me, Mother?"
Hera ignored the question, "Where are you headed to next?"
The girl replied, "To Cheiron's Academy, in hopes that learning how to control my body will help me control--"
"NO." the voice cut her off.
"What?" the girl asked.
"No. You will not go to that academy. Choose another." Hera commanded sternly.
"But mother! Cheiron's is the best academy around. You want me to go to a second-best school?"
"No, dear." the queen of the gods spoke, "I just will not have you going to the same school Hercules goes to."
"Mother." no one command her, especially her mother who was rarely there whan she needed her. The girl did not share her mother's hatred of the demigod, and she would not even consider going to the second-best school. "I'm afraid that I must disagree with you. Cheiron's Academy is the best, and I will not settle for going anywhere lesser just because my stepfather's half-mortal son is also there." she kept talking, knowing her mother's next idea, "Nor will I kill Hercules for you, or participate in bringing harm to him while I'm there." she could feel her mother's anger condensing, but there was no more for the girl to say so she remained silent.
"All right." Hera said at last, in a cool tone doing little to hide the boiling fury the goddess was feeling. "I will give you one last chance to redeem yourself. For if you do not, I will lift my protection order from you, and leave you vulnerable. And I know for a fact that my husband has been bent on making you mischief since he found out you were my daughter. Without my protection he will be free to strike at you in any way he desires." the queen of the gods paused, wanting to sweeten the deal. "And if he does not kill you, I will send Ares to finish the job. Do you still wish to defy me?
The girl shook her head. "I do not wish to defy you. I wish to go to the best academy, and if doing so causes you to lift you protection and turn away from me, then so be it." then a fire lit in the girl's eyes, giving a hint to a fury that could be just as dangerous as her mother's, "And you sending Ares to assasinate me is an insult. He can't even defeat Hercules. If he is the best weapon you have, maybe I'm better off without your protection."
"Very well." the queen of the gods whispered, and the eyes on the pool disappeared. The girl sighed once again at the troubles of her life, before shedding her clothes and disrupting the stillness of the spring to bathe and think.
~~~~~
Far above the clouds and inside the temple of Zeus, the king of the gods turned off his scrying pool. So... his wife's daughter was now without protection... it was the perfect time to strike, to get the girl out of the way in a quick, expedient fashion. He though for a moment. This girl was a strange one. Born half-mortal, she was raised with Mnemosyne in the hope of becoming a priestess. Then she had been caught learning about the egyptian deities with her best friend, and his wife had punished her by giving the girl her friend's godhood and immortality. For most people this punishment would seem like a reward, but this girl actually *wanted* to be a mortal, so it was a punishment.
He could not strike at her while she was a child, for she was under two protection orders: Mnemosyne's and Hera's. But now was the time that all priestess'_in_training had to brave the world without the protection of their benefactor. Zeus had been looking for loopholes in Hera's protection, when the idiotic girl got it lifted herself. He wasn't sure if the girl was really brave or just really suicidal, but it didn't matter. Now was the time to act. He looked back in on his stepdaughter, and saw that she was asleep. He quickly transported her and her belongings (which wasn't much, just a dry cloak, a crystal ball, some blankets and a leather bag of dry food) into the Labyrinth, willing to let the minotaur do the dirty work for him. Smiling slightly, the king of the gods leaned back and closed his eyes, happy with a revenge carried out.