Chapter Three: Lonely Roads
It had been nearly three weeks since midnight had left the Gaian camp, and now as Trudy stood in the centre of the Gaian camp watching as Brady played with the Gaian children she was still thinking of what she could say Midnight was to Brady, he was closer than an uncle unlike the other boys she knew, he had had a hand in everything that had happened to Brady and her mother since before Brady's birth even before he left the locusts, even before the locusts were formed

"Hello Trudy." Grey owl said as he joined her, Trudy muttered a reply but her heat wasn't in it "They'll be alright Trudy, you mark my words, the mall rats will survive, and Gaia knows they've gotten through tighter times than this." He said, but he knew the mall rats where not the reason Trudy was so distant

"Damn Ares, Midnight should be here." Grey owl cursed under his breath, to Trudy he said
"He'll be back, Ares can't keep him away for long." but Trudy didn't agree
"Its not his god I'm worried about… its his heart no matter how cold…" grey owl understood, turning away Trudy gathered Brady up into her arms and headed to the little clearing behind Midnights hut which she had made her own, she had not yet decided to remain, the clearing, she thought was where Midnight went to train during the day so that he would not harm any of the gaian's with his weapons if they slipped from his hands, but, Trudy thought midnight rarely made a mistake in or out of battle.

Placing Brady on the ground and sitting herself down against the hut she began to wonder what midnights life was like, a normal everyday boy goes from sweet innocent fun loving child to mournful vengeful warrior all within the space of three years from what he had told her,
"Being a warrior isn't all victories and titles." He had said back when he was a mall rat, it had been a few days after Trudy had attacked him about the weapons he carried being proof he wasn't serious about changing his ways.

Now as her ears became accustom the silence of the clearing she noticed it wasn't silent after all,
"This must be how he hears things." She thought

"I'll teach you some of Midnights moves if you like!" someone volunteered from the side of the hut, the voice startled Trudy whose first instinct was to protect Brady, but as the own of the voice rounded the corner she saw she had nothing to worry about "I'm sorry I startled you, my names Colt, Midnight showed me a few self defence moves, if you like I could teach you them like he did me, its nothing big, no swords or anything but it saved my life during the chosen." Trudy was intrigued she didn't even notice the mention of the chosen.

For the next few days Grey owl took care of Brady as Trudy and Colt trained behind midnights hut.

Unknown to Trudy, colt was no Gaian, she was Artemis, goddess of the hunt and a girl who had seen the genuine love Trudy felt for the warrior she and Ares had trained, she had decided to help comfort the young girl by teaching her to fight like the man she adored, Artemis just wished to could see as easily into the heart of men as she could her sister women, then she could see what lay in midnights heart for Trudy… but then again, she thought, not even Ares can see into midnights heart.

Somewhere on the other side of eagle mountain Midnight had stopped at a temple to shelter from the storm that had suddenly sprung up, as the doors closed Midnight surveyed the building in front of him, placing his weapons and their sheaths behind the closed door he pulls his hair out of the plait Dakota had tied it in and shook it free, the temple around him was built to the exact specifics of a temple back on ko-35but to who was it dedicated? he couldn't see, unlike the temples back on his own planet and those he had seen in tai-sans books of ancient Greece there were no statues, no monuments to the deities this temple was made for, as he ventured deeper into the temple a shiver ran down his spine but he shook it off, so he'd dropped his weapons, it was a mark of honour, besides the temple was empty, lit by nothing but candles, who could attack him there Suddenly a loud booming laugh echoed through the temple causing midnight to jump and instantly regret not trusting his instinct

"DON'T WORRY MIDNIGHT, MOY BOY, I'M NO MONSTER." A voice as loud as the laugh had said, midnight wasn't so sure,
"No human can speak that loud, so if you're not a monster and you're defiantly not a human what are you?" he asked his question was followed by silence, which only made midnight more suspicious Suddenly out of nowhere a young woman appeared, she was the most beautiful creature midnight had ever seen
"Calm young warrior, no one here will harm you." that clinched it, Midnight guessed whose presence he was in
"Am I in the presence of the maiden fate Clotho?" he asked, Clotho giggled she was flattered that such a handsome warrior knew her, warriors usually thought their fate was controlled by her grandmother Atropos,
"You are" Clotho said, Midnight shrugged he knew such a dainty girl couldn't own such a deep booming laugh
"Why am I always caught by one of the fates and not all three, am I like some toy to be shared by them?" he thought, but something about clotho made him not want to voice his thoughts.

Clotho saw this and spoke again;
"Come." She said taking Midnight hand and running with him further into the temple, as they ran Clotho spoke again "I am here to show you what your heart has desired since your journey began." She said, Midnight stopped dead at this all he desired was to be reunited with Zhane and with his sister, Clotho shook his head "I can show you neither of them young warrior, what desire I am here to show you have more chance of acquiring." She said, Midnight shrugged if what Clotho said was right then the fates knew his rock hard ice cold heart better than he did which he didn't really mind because he had cut off all thought of desire and want apart from Zhane and Karone.

Clotho waved her free hand in front of her and a cauldron full of water appeared still holding his hand Clotho turned her head and spoke to midnight
"Take a look young warrior, and you shall see what your ice heart desires." She said, Midnight moved closer, the water rippled, as it became still two face appeared on it surface, both he recognised instantly
"Trudy and Brady!" he exclaimed, Clotho nodded, she didn't want to release midnight hand for she had been fond of him since he had, matured from a crying child into the young warrior beside her but she knew she had to, releasing his hand clotho allowed midnight to move closer to the cauldron, as he watched a third person came into the picture, to Trudy she was known as Colt but Midnight recognised the wild and fierce beauty beside Trudy instantly
"Artemis… but Trudy's not a…"
"She is a young woman, young warrior and Artemis protects all young women especially mothers." Clotho replied, midnight didn't reply he was watching Trudy and Artemis
"She's teaching Trudy to fight, that's…"
"Dangerous?" Clotho volunteered knowing midnight had cut himself short to stop himself sounding like he cared for Trudy, Midnight watched as Artemis picked Brady up, he couldn't hear them but he saw his own name crossing both women's lips quiet often.

Suddenly the stone floor beneath them shook and as if on queue most of the candles surrounding them turned from the white glow to a deep blue, Midnight didn't want the images to fade but as the floor shook so did the water dispersing the images of Trudy and her daughter, Clotho smiled at who had joined them
"There's someone else here to see you Midnight, someone you owe a lot too." She said, Midnight turned slowly expecting to be faced by Ares, but it wasn't Ares, the man before him was of big build and had arms and legs as big as tree trunks, he was so highly built that even Midnight had to back up, he knew instantly that the laughter he had heard before he had met clotho belonged to this giant

"And you are?" he asked, the giants eyes became as wide as roman shields
"I AM HEPHESTUS GOD OF METAL." He boomed, Midnight almost leapt out of his skin "Hephaestus, by Ares clotho was right I owe you over a hundred escaped death and saved lives." He said, Hephaestus smiled and laughed again, his laugh didn't seem to bother Clotho, but Midnight felt like his eardrums were about to cave in, Hephaestus saw this and decided to speak rather than laugh "I AGREED TO COME BECAUSE I HEARD HOW OLD YOUR SHEILD WAS AND WHAT IT WAS MADE OF." He said, Midnight shrugged
"I don't carry a shield it was destroyed in the fire that brought me to the gaians" Hephaestus laughed
"I GUESS THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT THIS THAN." He said pulling a shield from behind his back, as the design on the front came into view Midnight felt like he was ready to faint for the first time in his life
"The Kerova dem na co sal. The symbol of my planet!" he exclaimed, Hephaestus smiled
"IT IS YOUR MIDNIGHT." He said handing the shield to him, Midnight took the shield and began turning it over and over in his hands "CALM DOWN… COME DINE WITH US, YOU LOOK READY TO DROP." Hephaestus continued leading Midnight and Clotho to a great banquet in the middle of the temple, for the rest of the night midnight made merry with the two gods.

The next day when midnight awoke Hephaestus and Clotho was gone, so was the temple, at first Midnight thought it had all been a dream until he looked to what he had been sleeping on, it was the shield with the Kerova Dem Na Co Sal. On the front, Midnight smiled a crooked warrior smile before glancing to the sky with a look that said 'thank you Hephaestus.
END OF CHAPTER THREE