Updated: 28/8/2021
Happy 29th Birthday to Me and Happy 55th Birthday to my Dad!
This is the biggest mass update I have done
Chapter .2.
The Gods cautiously made their way through the dead forest. They could see some light in the distance. Towards what they hoped was a town or something.
Not knowing exactly what they would encounter. Hecate had magicked they some clothes that would conceal their identity. As they didn't know what they would be walking in too.
Considering what they saw around them and where they woke up. It wasn't looking promising.
"So remember don't use names and don't do anything suspicious", Athena tells the group.
"Can you stop with that. You already told us this a thousand times in the last few hours we have been walking", Hermes whines.
"Also we can just say…", Athena outlines how they would explain their large group of people.
If Hecate's spell failed to stop people from really noticing how big their group was and how suspicious looking they were.
"Ok daughter enough. I am sure we will be fine", Zeus says with a sigh.
Even he was getting annoyed with Athena's speech.
"Doesn't hurt to be prepared", Athena retorts.
"We can surely manage", Hera states.
"We have so many times before Owl Head", Poseidon states.
"Barnacles Beard your brains…", Athena states to argue.
"Athena is just trying to make sure we don't get killed before we find out what happened", Hestia says hoping to calm things down.
"And before we can find Artemis", Apollo adds.
He hated thinking that his sister might be in some sort of danger. He hoped to any higher God there was that Artemis was alive and healthy and still waiting for him.
"There is the city", Thalia says changing the subject.
As they saw what Thalia saw. It looked to be a rundown city. Crumbling and cracking buildings. Buildings that weren't as high as they had been when they had been alive.
"Lets go in. And stay together!" Zeus orders.
They cautiously enter the city. And see there was trash pilled against buildings. And there looked to be homeless people huddling around fire barrels. It seemed people didn't have much heating. And it was raver chilly here.
"This is so wrong", Aphrodite says quietly, "Look how they are dressed"
She was right the people didn't have the best of clothing. But the soldiers they walked about had the most expensive clothes and their weaponry was showing.
"Look what we have here", a solider states.
The group thought the solider was talking about them, but they saw that the solider and a few of his comrades were ganging up a homeless man who was roasting birds.
"Please Captain we are hungry", the man says gesturing to what looked like his family.
Which was a woman, an old man and four children.
"So are we. And guess who deserves these chickens. Not some nobody that's what", the Captain mocks.
Hermes goes to intervene but Athena and Apollo hold him back. He glares at them.
"We can't interfere no matter how much we won't too or WE might get captured and whose knows what will happen to us", Athena whispers to Hermes.
Hermes and the others had to admit she had a point.
"And we don't have any weapons", Athena adds.
Again they had to admit Athena had a point. At this stage helping someone no matter how much they wanted to would not only probably get the homeless man and his family killed but them as well.
The Captain pushes the man aside and takes the chickens off the fire and starts eating them.
"I give you something. This chicken is cooked well enough for my men", the Captain replies.
The soldiers laugh and walk off with what looked like the mans and his families first meal in a while.
Hestia actually growls for the first time just thinking about how much that man and his family needed that meal.
"That was so wrong", Demeter says softly.
"We can't change things without knowing what has happened to the world", Hecate tells them.
"How do we find that out?" Persephone asks.
"With a little persuasion", Athena says.
"Such as Hes conjuring up some cooked chicken. But makes it look like what the man had been doing. Something tells me this is how most people cook now", Apollo says coming up with a plan before Athena.
"Wow did you just say something intelligent?" Hera asks.
"I just want to find out what happened. Sooner we find out. The sooner we find Artemis", Apollo reasons.
"I say we fight to get answers", Ares states.
"That is your answer for everything", Amphitrite says scowling at Ares.
"What can you expect from him?" Hephaestus asks rhetorically.
"Stop! Can we please just do this?" Hades asks wanting to get this done.
He was worried about Nico. He hoped HIS son was alive.
"Hades is right we need to stop fighting and work together", Poseidon agrees.
He wanted to know where his SONS were. And if they were even still alive.
"Hes do what Apollo said", Zeus orders.
"Conjure up 5 of them", Athena says adding to Apollo's plan.
Hestia does and conjures up five small roasted chickens and hands them to Athena. Athena slowly approaches the man and his family who looked miserable.
"Excuse me we saw what happened. We would like to share our small meal with yourself and your family", Athena says kindly.
"What is the catch?" the man asks looking at them with both hope and suspicion.
"We just want to talk. That is all sir", Athena replies.
"Please John the children are hungry", the adult woman begs.
"Alright. I am John and this is my wife Leah and children Henry, Lisa, Jonas and Johanna and my Father Adam", John says pointing at each of his children and the old man.
Athena introduces her family. But the fake names they had come up with. Having Hestia, Dionysus and Thalia look like children with Hecate's illusion.
The split the chickens between them. And it hurt the Olympians to see how fast the kids ate as if they won't get anything else for quite a while.
Which was sadly likely true.
"So what town is this?", Apollo asks.
"Why don't you know?" John asks.
"We got lost and just found this town", Athena makes up.
Hecate pushes the feelings to them that there wasn't anything suspicious about what they were asking.
"This is T sector, area 56. Some say this place used to be called Baltimore. Whatever that was", John tells them.
"Sectors?" Hera asks confused.
"All the world is broke up into hundreds of sectors. Everyone knows that", John replies falling under Hecate's magic.
"Why is the world like this?" Hermes asks.
"Because of our Lord and Masters the Pit, the Night, and the Darkness", Leah whispers jumpy looking around.
"Why so scared?" Thalia asks.
"Because it is not just the soldiers we have to worry about it is the demons and other monsters that walk among us", John replies.
"Where does the Master get all their soldiers?" Zeus asks.
"They take teens when they are old enough to serve in the Masters army. And we never see them again. Only few escape that fate", Leah replies with tears in her eyes.
"How do they escape?" Ares asks.
"Sometimes the soldiers don't notice them. Other times the Resistance may help out", Leah says.
"Who are the Resistance?" Apollo asks with hope in his voice.
"The Resistance or the Rebellion are those who STILL fight for our freedom. Even now 15 centuries after the world fell into darkness", Adam replies in a raspy whisper.
"But they are so mysterious that nobody knows when they will be around to help", Leah adds.
"Do you know where to find them?" Athena asks.
"No as we said they are mysterious and so secretive that nobody has ever found their hideout not even the Masters", John tells them.
"Do you know who leads them?" Apollo asks with hope.
"Nobody knows. They ALWAYS have their identities hidden when they are among us. Sometimes we don't even know they are among us. Even when they fight they hide who they truly are", John replies.
"But stories say they are heroes of legend", the youngest daughter Johanna whispers in awe.
The Olympians look at the child. Heros of Legend? Could it be?
"They are just stories to give hope to everyone that the heroes still walk among us waiting for a time when they can strike", John replies.
"Waiting?" Hera asks.
"Yes waiting there is a legend about an Ancient Vow. As old as the fall of the world is. A vow when triggered will bring about a time when the Resistance can strike and hopefully save us", Adam rasps.
Apollo's eyes widen. A vow. Could it be what he said to Artemis when he died?
"But is just a fairy tale", John states.
"But you sound like you believe it", Athena points out.
"Even us adults have to have some belief to get through these times", John says with a small smile at the thought of the old legend.
"Can you tell us more about this legend?" Apollo asks eagerly.
"I guess it is always good to hear the legend when you need it the most", the old man Adam says nodding, "Everyone gather round. It is quite a legend and just old Grandpa Adam can deliver it properly"
They hear words play in their minds: Ancient vow as old at time. An ancient vow to keep to dying days. A vow by Spirit, Magic, Essence, Tears and Blood is made.
As the tale was told they were so engrossed in the tale they forget to be vigilant. But luck was on their side. Is it wasn't an enemy that was watching.
They didn't know was that they were being watched by a raven with violet strikes on its wings, watching on and listening on the top of one of the taller buildings.
The Raven was watching and waiting for the right moment to strike…
An hour later…
After they had been filled in on the legend by the kind family. They left them with their well wishes and gave them a type of blessing that they hoped would help the family be safe in these darkest times.
They had moved to an alley the Hecate enchanted so people would just walk by them.
"So that was interesting", Poseidon states.
"I can't believe I am going to say this. But it was very informative", Athena says thinking.
"We could say Artemis is alive", Apollo says hope in his heart.
"Don't say her name. I don't know if my enchants will block us fully", Hecate warns them.
"Fine. SHE seems to be still alive", Apollo amends his previous words.
"She could be", Athena says hesitantly.
"But why hasn't SHE taken back the Earth?" Demeter asks.
"You heard the legend of the words. Maybe SHE couldn't move the Rebellion forward fully without us", Hades reasons.
"Good we didn't miss out on the action", Ares says rubbing his hands together in anticipated.
"But the question is what else are we missing", Athena states thinking, "I don't believe we know everything"
"No the more important question is where is the Resistance located and where is SHE", Apollo says to them.
"That is an important question but you are forgetting one important detail", Athena tells him.
"What are we missing?" Hermes asks.
"You are forgetting nobody knows where the Resistance is located. Not even the enemies. Only the fellow Resistance members know where to find each other", Athena tells them.
She was right. Nobody but the Rebellions people knew how to find each other.
"Then what do we do? How do we find them and her?" Apollo asks.
"I believe I can help you with that Olympians"
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)