"Panpolemos" (Global War)
Author's warnings: This is a post-Hades fic, starting ten years after the Holy War in which Seiya and the Gold Saints died and based on both the manga and the anime. It's pretty neutral so far, but it will contain yaoi (though het will be there as well), so hit the back button if you don't know what that is or if you don't like it. Other than that, please just forgive any mistakes in grammar, English is not my mother language. On the other hand, please do not hesitate to point out any mistakes concerning timeline / characters / canon facts / etc. Thanks a lot to all who take the time to read this.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I'd be called Athena!
Chapter 4. The Face of Sin, The Hand of Justice
Sagittarius Gold Saint Aioros was a man that left his mark, everybody in the room knew at least that much. Two of the other guardians, however, had fallen deeper into the enchantment woven by his figure through the simple act of standing in front of them. The first was Leo Aioria, incredulous of finding his older brother at the Ninth House, no matter how logical it was to anticipate his presence there in the light of the recent events. The other was Gemini Saga, who was basically paralysed in both thought and motion by the unexpected appearance of the man who had been in turn his friend and rival, and his archenemy.
Aioros was surprised just like everybody else, probably even more, considering he had only a vague notion of the events following his own death. When his eyes settled on Saga, however, his expression of wonder changed considerably. The rest of the world ceased to exist for him then. The warrior's honest, usually benevolent eyes filled with untamed rage.
Before anyone could guess his actions, the Sagittarius Saint darted forward at the speed of light, hitting Saga square in his stomach like he had done twenty-three years before. And, just like then, the other man flew backwards, hitting a stone wall on the far end of the room.
"Traitor!" Aioros screamed, charging again and ramming his enemy's body with a set of powerful blows, which generated sickening sounds as they impacted Saga's flesh, protected only by the thin layer of his clothes.
The audience held their breath as the terrible scene went on. They were frozen in surprise and genuine fear. Nobody had ever seen Aioros so utterly beyond himself.
"How dare you?! How dare you still show your despicable face among these sacred walls, how dare you show your face to me?!" the Sagittarius Saint roared, taking swing after swing at Saga's slumped form, unable to stop the searing anger that coursed through his veins.
From the distance he could sense Athena's cosmo, peaceful and warm, stretching majestically over Sanctuary. The certainty of her well being, however, left him now at the mercy of his own emotions. Aioros' heart was overwhelmed by grief, the grief of a man horribly betrayed by one of his closest friends. It hurt. It hurt too much. The more he remembered how much he'd admired Saga in the past, the more he felt his anger mounting. For the first time in his life, the warrior thought he truly wanted to kill someone. Perhaps, if he did, that horrible pain would leave him, the sense of defeat would abate, and he could forget that he ever knew Gemini Saga.
"I'll kill you" he spat vehemently. "I will, if that's the last thing I do! I'll right the wrong you did with your death!"
And on and on he hit Saga, angrily swallowing the tears that formed in his eyes.
The Gemini Saint bowed his head, hiding tears of his own as the blows rained upon him opened wounds which went beyond physical. His heart wept in horror and mourning at the sight of the corruption he had caused with his atrocious and vile actions. He had transformed Aioros - compassionate, generous Aioros - into this merciless executioner, unable to think past his fury, hungry for blood. He had contaminated the purest man he had ever known. He convinced himself that if all the other sins smearing his soul could be forgiven, this one could not. He did not deserve a second life, no matter how short.
Saga abandoned himself to the beating, relaxed his tensed muscles and let each and every blow reach its target, welcoming the pain he felt as the only tangible proof that he was still a man, in spite of the repugnant soul hosted in his body. He would pay for his betrayal with this second death, and then… then the inconceivable would happen, and his just punishment would become Aioros' sin, a sin of bloodshed like his own. Struck by that appalling realization, Gemini raised his eyes and turned a pleading look to the other saints, asking help not for himself, but for the man whose soul could still be saved.
The first one to break from his stupor was Dokho, which promptly decided it was time to step between them, before something irreparable happened.
"Aioros" he called. "Please, stop. It is neither the time nor the place."
"Isn't it?" the other saint replied, outraged. "And who is saying so anyway? Who are you?"
"I am Libra Dokho" said Roshi, walking over to them and taking hold of the other guardian's wrist. "Stop, Aioros. Don't you see that Saga is not returning your attack? He's not even defending himself. Besides, we have more urgent matters to take care of, at present."
Those words had a sudden calming effect on him. Hitting someone who wouldn't defend himself, no matter the hatred he felt for that person, was something that made his insides turn. A coward's act. It was easy to hold back when that simple truth pierced the veil of inhuman anger that had descended upon him. He looked at Saga, fallen to his knees in front of him, but he didn't like the turmoil of emotions that sight evoked, now that his anger had abated. Perhaps it was better to turn his mind to other things for the moment.
Moreover, from the deadly earnestness of the man who had stopped his fist he could tell that a new threat was pressing in. No, now was not the time. He turned his back to Saga and tried to sort out the situation in his mind. He had more than a few questions to ask the young-looking man who claimed to be the over two hundred years old Libra Saint, but when his eyes settled on the other men in the room all thoughts fled him. Aioros' eyes locked onto the pained face of one of the onlookers. The years had changed his look from a boy's to a man's, but he knew at once who that was.
"Aioria?" he whispered, losing suddenly all interest in anything but his younger brother.
"Aioros" his sibling replied, with a cold edge to his voice that nobody was expecting.
"You... you have grown..."
"So I have."
Something held the Leo Saint back, forbidding that he rushed in the other's arms, as much as he wanted to. He recognized his pain as a selfish, childish one, but all he could think about was that Aioros' first and foremost concern had been launching himself at his enemy, not even noticing his own brother standing a mere step away.
Also, a part of him recalled too vividly the pain of his loss, when Aioros had died. They had shared a deep bond in the past, but during the long years spent in exile believing his brother a traitor of Sanctuary, he had been forced to ignore how deep their connection was, lest it drive him mad with grief.
What would they do now, if this new life they had been granted was ephemeral? What if it was just delusion? And even if it wasn't, with a new war threatening to break out there was still a chance that death would separate them once more. No, he couldn't take the risk of growing attached all over again. It was insane.
"We have to get to Athena's temple" he explained sternly, earning more than one surprised look from the other saints. "All else will have to wait."
Nobody missed the consternated expression on the older brother's face, but the truth in Aioria's words couldn't be argued with. If an attack was imminent, they couldn't afford the luxury of giving in to sentimentality.
In that moment, Saga was slowly getting up from the floor, wiping the blood at the corner of his mouth with his shirt sleeve. The Gemini Saint walked back to rejoin the rest of the group, betraying the pain he felt only with a slight limp. Mu touched his abdomen with gentle fingers, stopping the internal bleeding with his psychokinetic powers.
"Are you alright?" the Aries Saint asked.
"Yes, thank you."
"Are you sure?"
Saga had to fight a new wave of emotion when he read understanding in the younger man's eyes. Mu's solidarity reminded him of a few things. He was still a saint, regardless of his past actions or Aioros' opinion on the subject, and he couldn't abandon his comrades just when a possible new danger threatened Athena. He couldn't desert the Goddess, even to pay for his crimes. Expiation was better left to a later time, when he could afford to think about himself. There were more important things now.
"I've survived worse" he said, attempting a faint smile. "Let's hurry up."
"Yes, let's" Milo agreed with emphasis, starting towards the exit of the Ninth House.
Though outwardly she betrayed nothing of it, inside Hilda was terrified. She schooled her features into a stern expression, while at the same time her heart elevated a fervent prayer for the protector of the North to save his people from the threat before her.
"You are not welcome here, Lord of the Oceans" she stated, addressing the god that had come to her in the guise of a man. "Odin is the only sire of this lands, this was ascertained ten years ago. Be gone."
"My lord Poseidon comes in peace, Your Majesty" Siren Sorrento replied evenly, silently conveying to her that they would not leave without being heard.
The Queen of Asgard barely suppressed laughter. How could they claim to be coming in peace, after what they had done? The men standing in her throne room wore plain southerner's outfits, and from a superficial point of view they didn't appear very dangerous, but she knew better. The cosmic aura of Poseidon swirled around the taller man like the turbulent waves of the endless ocean. His power was so vast she couldn't even think of a way to fight him.
Julian, or rather the divine essence in his body, decided it was time to speak for himself.
"Quiet your fears, Queen of Asgard. I am no longer interested in domination of the mainland, or annihilation of mankind. It was foolish of me to indulge in the thoughts of conquest which moved my actions ten years ago. I have caused you and your people great sufferance. I deeply regret that."
She wanted to ridicule him for thinking that he could fool her twice, but the priestess within her suggested that she tried the way of caution. After all, in the remote possibility that Poseidon was sincere, it wasn't wise to disrespect a god.
"Forgive me for saying so, but it is hard for us to trust you on your word, Lord Poseidon. I am sure you understand why. Perhaps, if you could explain what brings you here now...?"
"I merely wish to ask a question concerning the access to my citadel that lies within your domain. It is the only viable entrance to those who are not under my protection and I would like to know if, to your knowledge, anyone has used it." the sea king explained patiently.
"The place is forbidden to anyone, and it is under heavy guard. No one had entered it, and neither will you, Lord Poseidon" Hilda replied. "We cannot let you pass, especially now. The sky was covered by a crimson aurora last week. It is an omen of doom. We cannot give you access to your realm under the circumstances."
"Hilda of Polaris..." he sighed indulgently, shaking his head. "I can access my citadel from any shore on the planet. My question concerns possible intruders. I have been freed from the imprisonment Athena imposed to me. My temple, destroyed ten years ago by the saints of the Goddess, has been restored by an alien force, the same that removed the seal which forced me into slumber. I need to investigate the matter, and I wanted to warn you about the possible danger. I cannot prove my honesty to you. You will have to trust my word. Something is amiss, and I am sensing distress coming from Athens even as we speak. As soon as I have assessed the causes of what is happening, I shall join forces with Athena to face whatever is coming. That is my only intent."
Hilda remained silent, pondering the situation and Poseidon's words. Nothing indicated treachery on his part, but she couldn't stake her people's safety on it. Still, even if he had some secret plan, she couldn't find any possible reason why he would come to her with such a question.
She studied him intensely, trying to figure out if he was hiding something, but his face, for all its beauty, was unreadable. In the meantime, the queen was approached by an attendant, telling her that other visitors had insistently requested an audience. They claimed, he relayed, that they knew Lord Poseidon was there, and that they needed to see him as well as Hilda. The queen ordered to let them in, and to alert all the palace's men-at-arms. The attendant slipped away silently as he had entered.
"Perhaps more light will be shed on this mystery" Hilda said then aloud. "There are other guests who wish to hold conference with us both. I gave the word to let them in."
What finally convinced Hilda of Poseidon's good faith was the look of utter surprise that painted both his and Sorrento's face as the announced visitors came through the door of the throne room. That surprised mirrored her own, for she recognized the golden scales of the Marine Generals from the tales of legend.
The five men knelt before their god in a mute renewal of the oath of loyalty they had taken ten years before, then it was their turn to be shocked when Julian spoke.
"How is this possible?" he whispered in wonder. "How can you be standing before me? Death had taken you all from me. How can this be?"
"Do you mean it is not your will which granted us new life, my sovereign?" asked Seahorse Baian, standing in time with the others. "When we felt your cosmo heading for Asgard, we rushed here to meet you, thinking you had a new task for us..."
Poseidon shook his head pensively, retiring within himself to meditate on the unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile, Sorrento filled his companions in on the facts of the last few days, and told them precisely how much time had passed since their death.
Hilda remained quiet, listening to the tale of how suddenly and mysteriously the Sea King had awakened a week before, the same night she had seen the red aurora in the sky above Asgard. In spite of the coincidence, she didn't believe the obscure omen concerned the return of the ocean god. Ten years ago she had received no warning before being enslaved to Poseidon's will. No, there had to be something more, she knew it.
"It seems that my visit here has proved fruitful, in a way" the god said meantime, emerging from his meditation. "I take my leave of you, Queen of Asgard. I shall travel to Athens to hold council with Athena. Together, we'll try to understand what is happening and prepare ourselves for a war, if indeed there will be one. Farewell, Hilda of Polaris."
"Wait, please" she said automatically. "Isn't there anything Asgard can do?"
"Hold on to your peace and pray to your god, Queen of the North. I hope his help will not be needed."
Swiftly like they had come, they were all gone, and Hilda was left to an empty room. She deposited her insignia and retired to her chambers, where she tried to rest. She rinsed her face with water warmed over the fire of the hearth and slipped into a nightgown, resolving to get some sleep. What had happened was too much to take in all at once, and she was only human. After all, peace would last until the next day.
She understood the naivety of her belief as Freya burst through the door of her bedroom, almost incoherent with an odd mixture of exaltation and fear. The princess, unable to utter an intelligible sentence, after several attempts to speak simply took her by the arm and led her outside, to the altar of Odin. Eight silent figures stood there in the dark, surrounded by an unnatural quiet.
Author's notes: This chappie was a bit harder to write than the rest, probably because it's not very easy to handle scenes with many characters in them... Oh, well, I brought it onto myself, didn't I? I hope it didn't come out too forced, or implausible. I promise I will explain, in time, how it is possible that all of the dead saints/generals/whatever are coming back. Of course, the real reason is that I wanted all these marvellous charas to toy with, but I do have a "plot" reason as well. Again I'll have to ask you to be patient. It won't come out for a while yet. Please, review?