Chelsea: A HA! B o w Before me my fanfic...er's!
Chibi Chel: oh god, who gave her Snapple?
Neko Sea: ((smiles sheepishly)) not me...
Chelsea: SNAPPLE SNAPPLE SNAPPLE SNAPPLE
Remus: ((walks by, whistling))
Chelsea: R E M U S!!!
Remus: NO! I like my pants!
Chelsea: ...((thinks)) can I have your shirt then?
Remus: ... I don't see why not...
Chelsea: YAY ((pounces on Remus))
Re del Legno
King of the Wood
"Caio Father," Gemini said as she dropped her bags at her feet as she walked up to tony, who was standing out like a sore thumb in Kings Cross Station, in the muggle territory. "I do hope your year was well?"
"It was lonely," He said, smiling.
The two traditionally bumped cheeks as a form of a kiss, and Tony took Mischief from his spot on Gemini's shoulder and held him in his arms.
"Dumbldore contacted me." Tony said nonchalantly as they walked out of the station, pushing through the groups of nosy muggles.
"Did he?" Gemini said, her voice flat as she turned and looked at her father, "What did the old man hove to say?"
Tony gave her a stern look about her reference to Dumbledore and replied, "Gemini, Dea. You know that you can tell Old Antonio anything. He said that something has been bothering you. And it is starting to affect your school life."
They where out of the station when Gemini stopped, interrupting the flow of people. She looked at tony, her sharp chocolate eyes wide with seriousness. "Do you want to know that truth?" she asked him, "Honestly. For the truth will scare you."
She began walking again but stopped when tony laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and let out a short, cynical laugh. "I'm a Skitziod psychopath." she said plainly as she turned around again and set for the alley not to far away where they were safe to apparate with out drawing attention to them selves.
Tony just stood, stunned in her response. A psychopath? His Dea, mentally ill? He had known from a young age that Gemini was different than everyone, regardless of their age or gender. Now he knew why. Her personality was what set her apart. She was always quiet and reserved, but overly aggressive to the point of violence, her moods shifting between calm and ruthless rapidly. He never thought that, maybe perhaps, there was more to her than he realized. She had a psychopathic personality. And to make matters worse, she had two of them.
-
"Gemini!" a voice called out as Gemini practiced her old maneuvers that have been put on hold for Auror training.
Gemini wiped the sweat off of her brow and looked over to see whom was the owner of the voice.
She saw Damiano, her brother walking towards her, with a nice arm ornament who looked vaguely familiar. The girl was tall, but not taller than Damiano. She had long honey blonde hair which reached the middle of her back, hair hanging over her forehead in whips of gold. A pretty smile was plastered on her perfect face. Dimples graced her cheeks and deep sapphire eyes sparkled from behind dark, long lashes. She was sinfully gorgeous.
"Gemini!" she called again, her golden voice reaching Gemini's ears.
//oh shit//
"Relena." Gemini replied nodding to acknowledge her presence, "Damiano."
"Hello Gemini." He replied, his voice deep, like his eyes.
"It is so nice to see you again Gemini darling!" Relena said happily, "and I wanted to apologize for our last encounter." she said, a blush creeping up her cheeks, "I was a bit, not my self, I do hope that you understand?"
"Of course," Gemini replied, suppressing a smirk, recalling their last encounter.
Relena brought her slender hand up to brush away a few sun kissed strands from her golden face when Gemini was it.
A ring.
"So Gemini Dear," Relena said, "Damiano and I where wondering if you would be so kind as to attend our wedding." she asked her, her face positively shining with pride and joy.
Gemini bit her lower lip and thought about it for a moment before replying flatly, "No."
Relena face dropped slightly as she looked up at Damiano, who just shrugged, "She's a stubborn as my father." he said. "Think about it Gemini."
"Yes, please do." Relena added in as the two turned from the ring and began to walk away, "it was a pleasure speaking with you!"
Gemini forced out a fake smile before turning around, sticking her tongue out in disgust. She trotted over to the ropes and skillfully slide under them. She had been training for almost the whole day and Tony wanted to help out a new hopeful of the streets, Rocky.
Grabbing a towel, she draped it around her shoulders, slowly taking the tape off her fingers when she bumped in to some one who she hasn't seen for while.
"L-Lessandra?" Gemini stammered as she looked at the startled, yet excited girl whom she just knocked it to.
"Gemini!" the black haired girl cried as she shot her self through the air, hugging Gemini around the neck and knocking her to the ground. "Oh my goddess! How are you!"
After kissing both cheeks traditionally, Gemini replied breathlessly, "Goddess?"
Lessandra gave her a questioning look before replying, "oh, yes you don't know," she trailed off, but then perked up once more, "Go, shower and get cleaned up, there is some one I want you to meet."
Gemini rose an eye brow as she rose from her spot on the ground, aided by telekinesis and walked in to the locker room, wondering what the hell Lessandra was talking about.
-
Gemini stepped out of the showers, her long black hair covering her body as she reached for a towel, a back one with GC embroidered on to the bottom with silver floss. It was large enough to cover her small frame comfortably, as she was self conscience of her body. Sh had the idea that no man was worthy enough to see her unclothed, and she was very careful when she changed, even while she was in the confinements of the dorm, with the girls she has shared a room with for the past six years. She grabbed another towel as she flipped her head upside down her hair flooding the floor as she too wrapped it in a black towel, twisting it and placing it upon her head to dry.
She walked in to her room, the closest door opening up and clothes soaring through the air, landing on her bed. A black tank top lay on her bed, a pair of dark blue jeans that cuffed at the bottom were folded next to it, black socks in side of black shoes on the floor, a fresh pair of black undergarments and a white sports like bra, folded neatly next to the pile of clothes. Gemini sighed and got to work, taking her body towel of and slipping in to her new knickers, having some difficultly trying to get her bra to fit over her towel covered head. After a fit on anger and a rip Gemini was now holding her bra, ripped in half in her hand. Rolling her eyes she murmured 'repairo' and the bra was good a new. With a bit more patients she was able to pull it only from the bottom down. She jumped in to her knickers, followed by her jeans, a black belt with a large buckle following. She looked at her self in the mirror, her head tilting to the side as she looked as her reflection, the towel falling to the floor. Gemini shook her head her hair falling around her in damp chunks of chocolate colored hair.
The scars where still there. Every bloody potion she could thin of couldn't get rid of them. She didn't want to ask Lily for a charm, knowing that she would have to give an explanation of the cris cross patterns on her arms. Shuddering Gemini tore her eyes away from the mirror and pulled on a black tank top, which made up most of her wardrobe.
She stole another glance at the mirror, her hair still wet and clinging to her face and back. She walked forwards slowly, captivated by the site before her. Her arms bore the marks of battle. She refused for her scars to be removed, and even after Pompfrey tried to talk her into it, she had told her that it was her was of telling herself that the blood came before the tears. All over her body , a story was written in cicatrix. On her upper arm, a large mark from her first battle as an auror. A cross was burned on her skin with molten silver by the Deatheaters she swore to destroy. Her hand, calloused by year and years of training since she was a young child to be an outstanding fighter, that changing course to become the perfect assassin.
At the age of Sixteen she had the battle wounds of a veteran, and she had her entire career ahead of her. Slender fingers brushed upon her forearms, the cris cross patterns she had created still linger, like thin snakes coiling ever tighter around her arms. Looking over to her dresser, she spotted some tape she had used to wrap her hands earlier before. Focusing her dark eyes, the tape came soaring through the air, a hand whipping out and snatching it from midair. A victorious smirk covered her face as she began to wrap her forearms quickly, hiding yet another secret from the world.
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Gemini, may I come in?"
Gemini's eye darted towards the door as she registered the voice. Lessandra.
"Come on in," Gemini replied, finishing up her wrapping job.
Lessandra walked in to the room, dressed in a white sleeveless dress that came down to her knees, a black belt hung loosely from her hip, bracelets lined her arms.
"Looking lovely in Black darling," Lessandra said, a smile on her face, "But what to do with that hair?"
Gemini looked back in the mirror to see that her hair was still a knotted mass of brown, just reaching above her waist. Gemini's brush went soar through the air, hovering in front fo Gemini's face.
"Taken care of," Gemini replied, and she began the daunting task of brushing her unruly locks.
"Let me do it," Lessandra sighed, "it'll get done quicker."
Gemini sighed, giving it to Lessandra and handed her the paddle brush, which was full of loose strands of hair. She sat down on her bed, where Lessandra began to part Gemini's long locks in to sections, then, beginning at the bottom, she began to tackle the unruly knots, all the way to her roots.
About an hour later, Lessandra put down her brush and sighed in content. "Done," She announced happily. "How do you do that every morning?"
Gemini shrugged and turned around, "Magic."
Lessandra laughed as Gemini smirked a bit, realizing how that much have sounded six years ago, before she moved to England.
"Come on," Lessandra said, taking Gemini's hand and pulling her off her bed and on to her feet, "I've got a surprise for you."
"What is it?" Gemini asked her, as she was being pulled out of her house and on to the cobble street.
"You'll see," Lessandra said, "Think of it as a birthday present."
Gemini nodded as the two stopped walking. Lessandra looked both ways before taking out her wand and holding it high in the air. With a loud bang the violet Knight Bus appeared, doors open, a freckled faced teen wizard looking at them, a smile on his face, "Where to ladies?"
"Lake Nemi," Lessandra replied, her grin growing wider as Gemini's brow furrowed in confusion., "Oh come on Gemini," Lessandra said, rolling her eyes, "You'll see when we get there."
Gemini sat in silence, her eyes fixed upon the floor in front of her. Lake Nemi. She knew what was there, she has seen it many times in her sleep, Lake Nemi, The Mirror of Diana. There where going to the remains of the Temple of Diana.
-
"Have a good trip Misses," the Bus attendant yelled as the knight bus blasted away, disappearing behind a tree.
The girls turned around to find the where at the shore of a lake, a beautiful lake. Gemini was looking around when suddenly the scene shifted before her eyes. The trees, the water, Lessandra, the houses off in a distance, all started swirling together around her, she looked down as her clothes melted off of her body, a white tunic replacing it like a snake, coiling around her body, covering her from the prying eyes of mortality. And as soon as it started, it stopped. She could hear Lessandra calling her, like an echo it bounced off of her ears, she could barely make out her blurry shape right next to her. She looked down and saw in her hands her Golden bow, her arrows slung over her shoulder, sandals strapped on her feet. She whipped around to the hill northeast of the lake, and her jaw dropped in amazement. There, fully erect, standing in all of it antediluvian glory was one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, it was the Temple of Diana.
"Gemini!" Lessandra yelled, shaking Gemini out of her trance, catapulting her back to reality. "Are you ok? Speak to me!"
Gemini shook her head as if to get the stars out of her eyes, "Wh- What?"
"What happened!?" Lessandra asked, you just stopped and started freaking out, like you where in another world or something."
"Sorry," Gemini said lowly, "I had a bit of Deja Vu"
"That's ok," Lessandra said, "I know what you mean, there is something about this lake..." she said as she knelt down next to it, her fingers hovering above the water. Slowly, yet surely, the water began to rise to touch her finger tips, Lessandra shrieked slightly and pulled her hand back. She looked up to Gemini, who was still standing in her trance stance, looking at Lessandra with wide eyes. "What's going on?"
Gemini stepped forwards Lessandra, with the feeling they were being watched from afar. She knelled down next to her at the lakes edge, and the two girls looked leaned over to look at their reflections. Something they did not see.
Lessandra gasped as she leaned closer to the water, her fingers hovering over the water, as if to see if it was real or not. Gemini grabbed her hand, stopping them right before the waters surface.
Lessandra and Gemini were staring into the eyes of two women, the same age as them. They had the same eyes, same facial features, hair color and shocked expression, yet they where different. Gemini's hair was no longer wet or frizzy, but dry and elegantly tossed over one shoulder, stray pieces hanging down around her face, crescent mark brighter than ever. She wore the same tunic as before, her bow and arrow visible on her back.
Lessandra's reflection though, she did not understand. Her hair was thrown up elegantly on her head, blue ribbons twisted through her black hair. She wore a white dress that fitted her body, and came together at her shoulder, where a deep blue amulet held it in place. She reached her hand down to touch the water once again, when a new picture came in to view. A man, a rough looking man appeared to be standing over their shoulders.
Lessandra screamed.
Gemini turned around, her hand reaching behind her back instinctively grabbing her field knife and concealing it in her hand.
"Hey there, calm down." the man said, putting his hands out in front of him, "No need to be frightened."
"Who are you." Gemini said flatly, Lessandra moving behind her, "What is your business here?"
"The name is Rex," the man said, "Rex-"
"Nemorensis" Gemini said, the name on the tip of her tongue. "That's you name, isn't it? Rex Nemorensis."
The man rose an eyebrow and said, "that's right," he looked at her long and hard, "have I met you before, you seem familiar." he said softly. He then cocked his head to the side, "excuse me but," he said as a hand brush away Gemini's long bangs, reveling the crescent moon.
His eyes brows furrowed together, then a look of shock over came him. He suddenly dropped down on one knee, his head bowed, "Dea Diana, forgive me for my rudeness, I didn't recognize you in your mortal form, I-"
"Calm yourself," Gemini said, "I am not Diana."
Rex rose to his feet, a look of confusion on his face, "what do you mean, my Lady, you bear the mark of the Goddess!" He rambled, brushing his nimble fingers across Gemini's forehead.
"Surely you must be mistaken," Lessandra responded, stepping out from behind Gemini, "she is not the Goddess."
Rex's eyes widened once again as he tilted his head to his side, "Egeria?" he stepped forward, "is it you?"
Lessandra, quite freaked out by now, shook her head, "n-no. I am Lessandra."
Rex let out a soft laugh, "Come, my young mortals, there is much for you to know."
"I am not going until you tell me, who you are." Gemini said, her voice clear as day.
"I am, as you said, Rex Nemorensis. King of the Wood." Rex said as he turned, "You, Lessandra is it?" he spun around again and said, "you are the Lady of the Lake." He looked up at the sky, painted blood red and the sun set over the horizon, "And you Miss Gemini." the Moon rose up over the adjacent horizon, showering the lake with a silver light, he motioned towards a hill top, a temple now shimmering in silver light, "Are the Goddess of the Moon."
"Lessandra," Gemini said, "Do you see it?"
"The temple?" She asked shakily, "where did it come from? It wasn't there in the day time."
"Fair Egeria, there is much for you to learn." Rex started as he began to walk towards the temple.
"I am not Egeria!" Lessandra exclaimed, "My name is Alessandra Crisalide Scofani and I-"
"Crisalide!" Gemini said, her turn to be shocked, "you never told me that your middle name is Crisalide!"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anyth-"
"Egeria is a water nymph, the nymph of lake Nemi, the Lady of the lake." Rex said, a smile on his face. "I do not know why, but your coming, Goddess, has sent Egeria back to the heavens, and brought this girl into life." He laughed and said, "come with me to the temple, there is much explaining to do."
-
Up upon the hill over the lake, sat a temple, which was only scene when the moon light reflected off the water, exposing the temple to Her followers.
The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time. Unlike other sanctuaries, however, the building was made of marble, with a decorated facade overlooking a spacious courtyard. Marble steps surrounding the building platform led to the high terrace, which had Ionic capitals and carved circular sides. Columns where aligned orthogonally over the whole platform area, except for the central cellar or house of the goddess.
By the time the great Temple of Diana was destroyed during the raid by the Goths, both the city and the religion of Diana were in decline. The remains of some of the sculptured portions were found and shipped to the British Museum where they can be veiwed even today. However, its true beauty lies in the architectural and artistic details, which will forever remain unknown.
In the Goddess House, three lone figures sat around a small fire that was built, the sound of a babbling fountain in the back ground. Gemini felt a reassurance in this place, a feeling like she had known it all of her life. She instinctively knew where everything was, what was behind every corner, what was unseen by the normal eye.
"She is here," Gemini said, breaking the silence, "I can feel it."
"She will not show herself." Rex said, "For the fear of mortals, they vandalize her temple, covet those things that they cannot have, steal what they wish. It is unsafe for her to be seen now,"
"Why do you keep calling people mortals." Lessandra asked, rocking back and forth, trying to soak everything in. "I am a mortal, Gemini is a mortal, you are a mortal! You speak as if you were God."
Rex laughed, shaking his head, "Fair Lessandra, can you venture a guess on how old I am?"
Lessandra bit her lip, thinking of an answer. Suddenly, a gust of wind flew through the temple, whispering softly. Lessandra listened, feeling the wind around her, its direction, it's force. She nodded and replied, "I can answer that for you, if you give me a moment."
"Of course."
Lessandra looked around, and with her hands she gathered some dirt, pebbles and debris off of the temple's floor. The pieces of earth now in her hands, she rose to her feet, walking slowly around the fire in a circle, her eyes closed all the while. Murmuring something unintelligible under her breath, she dropped the grains of debris from her hand and on to the floor.
She opened her eyes, took a step back, and kneeled down to observe her findings. She got to work and soon spotted clues to his age. A rocking chair was the first thing she spotted, in the upper left hand area, adjacent to a picture frame, both symbolic for old age, so he wasn't as old as he looked. And as she looked thought all of the lines, straighten, curved, broken, she stumbled upon a shape that wasn't suppose to be there.
"No," Lessandra stammered, looking over the image of an airplane once again, "it can't be."
"What is it?" Gemini asked, rising to her feet, but being stopped by Rex.
"No," he pleaded, "Please my lady, let her work."
Lessandra's eyes where furrowed in confusion, an impending journey? To were? Then she gasped as she uncovered another symbol. Her hand rose to her mouth as she discovered an anchor, a sign of unpleasant situations. Lessandra's eyes widened as she fell back, panting in disbelief in what she was reading. A skull and cross bone. The skull symbolizing death, cross symbolizing resurrection.
She looked over to Rex, her black eyes wide, her breath coming in short pants. She stood up wobbly, using a pillar for balance.
She stood straight up, and inhaled deeply. "I know how old you are."
"How so?"
"Y- You are an infinite age, not from this millennium, or the previous. You are not living." Lessandra said, her voice shaky, "you are as Gemini. Your souls are the same. In that aspect you are immortal."
"What?" Gemini said, striding over to her shaken friend, "Lessandra what's wrong, what did you see?"
"She is a seer." Rex said, standing, "Egeria possessed the gift of prophecy. You have already made yours did you not?"
"What? What prediction? I made lots."
"The daughter of the divine shall descend among the moral world." Gemini began, her eyes closed voice clear and precise, cutting through the air like one of her silver arrows, " Her inheritor one of great standing. The daughter of the stars she shall be. A great gift she shall hold. A gift only seen through the eyes of the blind. She shall find the conspirator. Bring him to justice. And reunite the stars in heaven." Gemini finished, opening her eyes and turning to Lessandra "remember? Diagon Alley?"
"She is her. You are her." Rex said, turning towards the moon, "we are reunited. The trinity. We are the heirs of The King of the Wood, the Lady of the Lake, and the Goddess of the moon." He then turned towards the girls and said, "Egeria, Diana. My Name is Virbius. Welcome home."
Chelsea: AHHHH
Chibi Chel: I hope the Gods strike you down for twisting the myths...
Chelsea: Bite me.
Chibi Chel: ((bites Chelsea in the arm))
Chelsea: OW! That hurt you little...
Neko Sea: ((smiles)) don't worry, she just got her rabies shot. It's Sirius we should worry about.
Chelsea: ... why ...
Jeanette: Cos I got his pant, his boxers AND his shirt!
Chelsea:... please tell me that you left his socks on...
Jeanette: yep :)
Chelsea: ((phew)) well, just as long as he's got socks on...
Jeanette: ((grins))
Chelsea: I got S U P P O R T S E R V I C E S!
Everyone: ((yay))
Chelsea: that means you can put me on your author alert thingy. And review to, cos I can see how many people read the chapter. And I live for reviews, they keep me pushing on and writing it, besides, if you review you have more of a chance having a cameo in my story :)