Weep For The Future…

/Warning/: This chapter contains: cursing, maybe sadness, anger, maybe a little bit of violence, darkness, and angry Tony! All reviews are appreciated.

P.S: This story takes place in ancient Greece but it's in no way historically accurate! Its main concern is about Olympian Gods and the creatures of that time period! It is Monsters/Gods AU that no one asked for but got anyway, so Enjoy!

"Character talking"

"Character thinking"

Flashbacks…


Chapter 2


It all started when Anton was in his workshop; between fire and metal, banging with his hammer trying to create a design that would serve him; trying hard to create the design just like he imagined it, binding metal with bare hands, and hammering at it to soften and gain strength at the same time. The day was like any other day on Lemnos island, calm and productive, with the sound of joy and laughter being heard from all around the place as the nymphs and other creatures of the day enjoyed themselves, play around, or did their chores and go on with their lives… today was a beautiful day, indeed.

A beautiful day that was ruined by the appearance of Athena who finally dared to show her face in his domain after thirty years since the last time they saw each other and Anton left Olympus for good. "Hephaestus." The woman greeted in her usually Holier-Than-Thou attitude, making Anton twitch and glare at the woman subtly, wondering what message she is carrying on her person, or if this was just a 'Social Visit' to demand that Anton create her something of her design.

"Natania…" Anton said back in the same attitude he was subjected to, causing the woman to scowl harshly and glare at him, no doubt holding back a few chosen words she wanted to let lose at how disrespectful Anton was no doubt being for calling Natania by her name and not her title… an arrogant and annoying treat that all the Olympians shared. "What brings you to my humble abode?" Anton asked instead, not wanting his sister (Half-sister? Not-sister? Who was she really to Anton other than what people tell him she is?) to start her bickering with him, not when he wasn't in the mood for any of the Olympians to come and scold him for fighting with beautiful Athena when she did nothing wrong, a fact that made the man so sick, it was a wonder Natania didn't pick the subtle cues.

"I came to request a weapon from you." And here it was! A 'Social Visit' it is then; a fact that made Anton's lips twitch into a frown, and he raised his eyebrow, half demanding that Natania be over with it and tell him what she wants, just so he can tell her no, and throw her out of his workshop. "I am sure you heard what took place with the Gorgon siblings…" At that, Anton paused and looked at Natania with narrow eyes, wondering what she is planning, and what tale was she going to wave for him, so he can accept helping her. "…Unfortunate incident really, but it did not hold a candle to what the Gorgon Sisters decided to do by declaring a war on us; so as you can see, I need you to make me a weapon that would repel their magic and ability." Natania finished with a flourish, her actions and uncaring words baffled Anton that he couldn't help the slow blink, trying to take everything it.

"No." That's what Anton said when he finally regains his ability to talk, wondering how much Athena thought of him as an idiot that she came to ask for his help when he made it known that he wouldn't help any who requested his help from Olympus.

"No?" Was Natania's high-pitched sputter as she looked at Anton like the man had told her Thanatos was behind her, intending to take her to the underworld; oh, what would Anton do for that fantasy to be true? "What do you mean by 'No'?! Do you have any idea what your refusal would-" Before the woman continued to make a nuisance out of herself, Anton raised his hand and silenced her, causing her to grit her teeth and glare at him.

"I have an inkling of what you mean, but the fact is; I do not care what happened to you…" That seemed to shut Natania up, her eyes widening when she saw the dark look dominating Anton's features; his words were a little on the harsh side (A lot) but it was only because Anton was so angry that Athena always get away from all the problems she caused by demanding things from Anton without care or regard for the pain and annoyance it would cause the God, and when blackmailing him didn't work, then she would go and bring Zeus into it, which would mean literal pain for Anton, who would either be hit by Zeus or thrown off Olympus again; so excuse him for being harsh and hateful when dealing with Natania. "The Gorgon Sisters declared war on you, for what you did to their brother; that is your problem and your problem alone, Athena!" Anton spat his words, his harsh tone causing the Goddess before him to twitch and for her hands to clench into fists. "Tell me, sister, what does it feel like to know that you, who always take the side of justice and wisdom, who is a 'Virgin', cursed an innocent virgin. Did you fall so low, that you not only did that foul deed, but you dared to claim to be the Goddess of Virginity… Tell me, how did Artemis react to those lies?" The flinch that Natania trying to suppress informed Anton that his sister, in fact, did not tell Artemis of the truth that had taken place not a few months ago, but instead, she had no doubt tried to warble the truth, and convert it to a story, where she was the innocent victim who was wronged, and the poor virgin mortal who she cursed to be a Gorgon to be hunted and killed on sight as the villain.

"You do not know what you are talking about; obviously, the person who gave you this news tried to play you like a fool," Natania said hotly, trying to hide the panic in her eyes, and the threat she no doubt was feeling for having someone questioning her story, especially, if that someone was Anton, who has a close relationship with Artemis, who is known to go insane over every one of her virgins and would go even against Zeus to protect her virgins from him.

"Is it? Are you sure that it was not your obsession with Poseidon that facture in the poor boy's demise? I heard that Poseidon was so enchanted by the boy's beauty that he proposed to the boy on the spot, even planning to make Sthenno's little brother his main spouse." That seemed to get the wanted reaction out of Natania as she let out an enraged snarl, her face converted into one of nightmares as she glared at Anton with so much hate and anger her body can handle, any more intensity to her look, and Natania would have turned into one of the retched souls that suffer in the abyss of the underworld.

"Shut your trap, Hephaestus, you do not know what you are talking about! You are just a limping fool who never knew what true love is, that you paint every love you see as an obsession and possessiveness!" Athena snarled, shouting her words as her patients finally ran out, her anger and rage at the truth being shoved so boldly in her face, made her lose sight of her manners and action, unaware that the depraved manners she was acting in would be her demise; from the corner of his eye, Anton saw Eurynome and Thetis standing near the entrance, concern, and fear on their faces as they looked between Anton and Athena; Anton knew that his caretakers wanted to interfere and help Anton before Natania is to do something, but everyone knew they can't not only because Athena was an Olympian, but because she may target them or the ones they loved, without them having the strength to protect themselves.

The only thing Anton did was subtly point for them to hide, and warn the resident on his island of what was taking place, which Eurynome took notice of and gave him a nod of confirmation before rushing out of the workshop and leaving her sister to witness the near-battle between the two Olympians. "Love? Do not make me laugh, sister, if what you are experiencing is true love, then Poseidon would have fallen for you, instead, every time he saw your face, he ran like Hades came to drag him away!" That got a raging shout from the Goddess and she put her hand on one of the swords on her hips planning to draw and attack, causing Anton to clutch his hammer tightly in his hand as his eyes narrowed. "Do you, Athena, daughter of Zeus, plan on drawing your sword on this sacred island?" Anton suddenly stated calmly, his calm and none-challenged appearance and formal phrasing of the words caused Natania to pause in her place and really look at him; whatever Natania saw in his face, was enough for her to back away, anger clouding her face and giving it an ugly shade.

"You will regret this, brother!" Hissed Natania, growling as she was forced to turn back and retreat from where she came, his burst of anger and rage, confirming what everyone in Olympus knew but refuse to care about or consider changing. As soon as Athena vanished, Thetis rushed toward Anton, frantically checking him over in fear of being injured.

"You just had to pick a fight with the Mad Goddess…" Thetis hissed, her words holding no bite or anger; instead, they were dripping with fear and concern that clouded Thetis's eyes. "Who knows what nasty rumors she is going to spread around? Madness, that is what we are going to suffer through because of her." The nymph huffed as she pulled back when she checked that Anton was in fact not injured, just annoyed and grumpier than usual. "The only good thing that is going to happen is Sthenno and Euryale spearing us from their rage when they knew you refused Athena's demand." Anton hummed at that, his eyes still not leaving the spot that Natania was standing in not a few minutes ago…

He had a bad feeling about what is to come…


Anton knew there was something bad was going to happen; the bad feeling that took hold of him ever since Natania had visited him still coursed through his body even after the Goddess disappeared from his sight a fortnight ago. Anton knew that Natania was not someone to mess with, especially when it came to Poseidon, even when the man had made it known by his action that he doesn't care about Natania and won't be seen dead in her presence; a rivalry that Anton doesn't know from where it appeared, but one that stayed for over centuries and destroyed many lives in the process, even with the new development of Athena fancying Poseidon and wanting him as a husband.

So Anton personally knew how petty and mad Athena can get when she doesn't get what she wants, or if she lost a challenge; she took her anger on either her opponent or the reason for the said anger. Like that poor mortal Arachne, who Athena turned into a spider as a 'Mercy' to protect her from those who wish to harm her, what an amusing way to say 'Punish her' for challenging and managing to defeat Athena in a waving challenge by creating the most beautiful tapestry, that Natania ripped to shreds so no one would see and discover her deceit and lies… that and let's not forgot the many incidents that Athena converted their stories to her advantage to avoid punishment, such as her role in trying to overthrow Zeus from his throne.

With that knowledge, Anton waited in his workshop, glancing up, every time that someone came in; wondering when Natania would appear to try her luck by hurting and trying to humiliate him, maybe even curse him, like how she loved to do with all those who oppose her, or the ones she didn't like, just like Sthenno's little brother. Imagine Anton's shock when Poseidon came into his workshop furiously hissing under his breath about how 'Athena was a plague that should be destroyed before it consumed them all!' a reaction that was as much as normal when it comes to Poseidon's relationship with Athena, but usually it didn't take a place in Anton's workshop and on his sacred island nevertheless.

Before Anton was even able to question the God about his reason for appearing in his workshop unannounced Poseidon spat the next word with so much poison that Anton wondered how he was still alive in the process. "Athena the androkàpraina, had accused you of assaulting her in your workshop a fortnight ago, she is demanding that you be punished for trying to take her virginity." Anton still at that, the words finally making sense to him, causing him more shock than the mere curse that left Poseidon's lips when the man called Athena a whore.

"I did not do it." Anton hissed, his words leaving him before his mind managed to make its presence known, and when it did, anger and fury like no other took hold of Anton, causing him to clutch his hammer tightly in his hand as if to stop himself from doing something stupid as to find Natania and put the hammer in her head and be over with it.

"I know that." Baldrick rolled his eyes, as if the idea of Anton assaulting someone like that was pretty funny, which would have been insulting if it wasn't true. "No one believed her words, not even Ares, and everyone knew he had it for you for decades; your presence is only needed as a formality so you can deny the claim." That angered Anton even more than he already was, and he had to let out a snarl as he throw his hammer away and followed Baldrick, getting angry at the mere thought that he needed to go to Olympus and clear his name against a lying bitch when it was already known that he was innocent.

It was anger that gave Anton the strength to continue his journey with Poseidon to mountain Olympus, rage clouding his vision as he came up with plan after plan to make Natania's life a living hell; so much for being the Goddess of wisdom, she is more hot-headed and mad then the lots of them, at least the rest of the Gods and Goddesses had the decency to own up to their actions, even Hera, and Anton and his mother didn't talk that much since his birth!

The thing that gritted on Anton's nerves as he reached Olympus was the Gods and Goddesses stopping in their way to look at him, pointing and whispering and some even giggling; 'You think the lame God managed to best Athena?' some of them whispered, increasing Anton's fury, nearly causing him to explode like the volcano on Lemnos island in one of Gaia's rage fits. Reaching the Hall, Anton nearly kicked the golden doors down to make a line to Athena and choke her, planning to be the first God who killed an immortal, but Baldrick, seeming to sense what he was planning on doing, put his hand on Anton's shoulder and gave him a look that forced him to growl in his place, while he let the older God enter before him and go to his place.

Entering the hall, Anton was greeted by the Olympians sitting on their designed seats; some of them were bored, while some of them were giggling, but the one who was fuming in anger was Athena who even while being laughed at by Hera, Aphrodite, and Ares, she kept her head up and glared at them. "Here I am, let us get this over with so I can return back to my island." Snapped Anton, his words causing Poseidon to sigh and nearly put his face in his palm, as for the rest of the Gods and Goddesses, they just rolled their eyes and turned their sight to Anton.

"Calm down, Hephaestus, everyone knew that you did not do the deeds that Athena accused you of…" Hera stated, her words making Anton surpass his twitch in annoyance, but he couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at how his own mother came to defend him for the first time ever. "…There are many who witness your little argument with Athena, and one of them is Helios." And for the thousand times, Anton tried not to feel so embarrassed that Helios once again came to his rescue, Anton promised himself that he would create something extra special for the titan as a thank you, and never reject any request he wish for.

"I am curious, what was the argument about?" That was Apollo, who shifted in her seat, gazing at Anton with an amused look, as if she cannot for the life of her, imagine the peaceful Hephaestus going into an argument about something, or even having other opinions about anything that wasn't metal, fire, and creating.

Anton frowned harshly, nearly scowling at Apollo, but from the corner of his eye, he saw how Athena shifted in her place, almost nervously, and a plan inside Anton's head formed. "…About how she once again attacked one of Artemis's virgins." That caused everyone to still, and for Artemis to shout out of her throne with a loud 'What?!' gazing between Anton and Natania with wild eyes, as for Apollo, the smile on her face vanished as she glanced at her twin who seemed to be ready to go into war. "Did you assault Sthenno's little brother, Poseidon?" Anton asked suddenly, shifting the hall's attention to the God of the sea, and causing Poseidon to still in his place, a few seconds later a raging look took over the God's face and he looked like he was about to kill Anton, just like Artemis looked like she was about to kill him and Athena together. "You see, that was what Athena and I were talking about; she demanded that I make her a weapon strong enough to kill and neuter the effect of Gorgon's magic after Sthenno declare a war on Athena, even when we both knew the Gorgon sisters are immortal... unlike their brother…" That made the hall go quiet, making Anton realize that not everyone in the hall knew about what happened between Athena and the Gorgon siblings… Ah, what a sweet revenge it would be! "Tell me, uncle, did you assault him?" Anton pressed, already sensing the killing intent rising in the room, from Baldrick and Artemis, even Zeus seemed to be on edge hearing this news; hopefully, by exposing Natania's lies, she would be finally punished by Artemis and Baldrick, instead of going on with her life like nothing but with a slap on the wrist like with Zeus (But who was Anton to say that out loud? Athena was already Zeus's favorite child, who got what she wanted whenever she wanted; a spoiled woman who was rotten to the core by Zeus who would deny her involvement no matter what everyone say).

"I did not!" Snarl Poseidon, anger coloring his voice and face as he glared hatefully at Anton, no doubt feeling furious for being accused of assaulting the boy that he allegedly fell in love with and wanted to marry… it didn't help that the young man seemed to have disappeared from the face of Gaia after he was cursed. "I never did, I asked for his hand and that was it!" Those words made everyone in the hall look doubtfully at Poseidon, other than Athena who looked furious at the admission; Poseidon seemed to sense that, which did nothing but increased his anger by the second, and if Anton strained his ears, he can hear a harsh storm brewing in the distance, and the sea raging to mirror their king's emotions. Suddenly Poseidon stood up, causing everyone to shift, wondering if the God would storm out of the meeting hall or he would attack Anton for daring to imply such a thing about him… even if it was true. "I swear on River Styx that I did not touch Sthenno's little brother! He was a virgin the day I met him, and he was a virgin the day Athena dared to curse him!" That made silence take over the hall, everyone's eyes were wide in disbelief and horror at the fact that Poseidon dared to swear on the river Styx, an oath that not many dared to make.

When the minutes passed and nothing happened to Poseidon, his story was confirmed to be true, a fact that sent Artemis over the edge as the Goddess screamed in rage and attacked Athena, cursing at her and swearing to end her for attacking one of her virgins and the youngest of the Gorgons siblings, whose family was so overprotective off that everyone in Olympus knows not to mess with if they didn't want Sthenno and Euryale to attack them and consume their flesh.

"Silence!" Zeus snapped, trying to save the situation before everything fall into ruin more than it is already, his loud voice stopped the chaos that was descending on the hall; when it looked like no one was going to attack again, Zeus turned to Athena, his face instead of being painted with anger like everyone was hoping for, was painted with annoyance, an action caused many to scowl, and for Hera to growl under her breath. "Break the curse," Zeus ordered, his words causing Natania to twitch in her place before a frown took over her face.

"It is a curse that cannot be broken by anything other than death, and even then, I doubt his Gorgon blood would allow it to be broken." Athena huffed, dodging the order and shrugging it like it was nothing, her words summoning a snarl from Poseidon who was no doubt hoping to get his lover back one way or another.

"So you cursed one of my virgins with a curse that cannot be broken, again?!" Artemis shrieked, nearly attacking if it wasn't for Apollo holding back her twin sister from attacking and directing Zeus's rage to them instead of Athena, who was acting more like a brat and raising her nose in the air.

"Androkàpraina…" Poseidon hissed under his breath, no doubt planning on everyone hearing him even if he said these words in a near silent voice, causing everyone in the hall to freeze in their place and gaze at the God who stood up from his throne, no doubt planning on leaving the madness that seemed to take over the hall.

"What did you say to me?" Natania asked, her voice was chilling, and her face was calm, but if Anton focused more on her feature, he would notice the anger and rage in her eyes that shadowed the shock and hurt; not that Anton given a damn about Natania and her feelings after what she dared to do to him.

"You heard me," Poseidon said with equally calm as he turned to gaze at Athena with open hatred and fury in his eyes, causing the Goddess to flinch in her seat. "You are nothing but a lying androkàpraina…" That nearly made Zeus jump from his place to attack his brother if it wasn't for Hera holding him back and giving him a look, forcing the man to glare at his scheming wife but sit back on his throne, no doubt trying to gain his wife's forgiveness after doing something to gain her rage. "You hide behind your virginity as a Shield, while daring to curse and condiment virgins, daring many times to do the unspeakable to them. You hide behind your wisdom, hoping that no one would see how much of a fool you truly are, and how much your action doesn't relate to wisdom in any form. You hide behind your father's back for protection, hoping that no one would notice how spoiled rotten you are, a useless Goddess who does nothing but cause trouble to the rest of us in the name of being wise enough to help and protect us!" Even Anton had to shift in his place, sensing so much anger and hate rolling off the God of the seas, and he couldn't help but wonder, how much did the God truly love Sthenno's little brother that he was standing up to Athena in the hall of Gods in front of Zeus and everyone when no one else had dared to stand fearing Zeus's rage. "You think you are subtle in your action, but you are not; everyone knew your disgusting fascination with me, a fascination I tried to wane you off of gently because you are my brother's favorite daughter." So he knows! That was no doubt the only thing that ran into everyone's head as they gazed at Poseidon with wide eyes, ignoring how Athena was clutching the armrest of her throne so hard that she cracked it. "I despise you! I would throw myself into the pit of Tartarus before considering marrying you, would prefer dying by Cronus's hands than being caught dead in your presence. Your action against Sthenno's little brother was the last straw and enough is enough!" With that Poseidon left the hall, leaving everyone frozen in shock before managing to regain themselves after hearing such a declaration from Poseidon who was usually calm in such situations; no one can even form any words or action to counter those of Poseidon, whose rage if persisted, would flooded Gaia and end all lives on Gaia and in the seas… Anton, though, couldn't help the small smile taking over his face at such piercing words that gave Athena the wanted punishment that no one was able to give, because Zeus always protecting her…

Serve Athena right for acting like she was better than all of them…


"Do you have to leave?" Eurynome asked, biting her lower lip as she saw Anton preparing his travel bag, glancing nervously at her sister who was crossing her arms and gazing at Anton with narrow eyes as if trying to gauge the cause of his sudden want to leave Lemnos.

"Is it because of what Athena accused you of? You know that she is lying; everyone on Lemnos knows she is lying!" Thetis exclaimed, causing her sister to jump and try to calm her down before Thetis went and took Anton's bag away from him and return all of his belonging to where they were before the stupid idea of him planning on leaving Lemnos took over his head.

"Yes, I have to, and No, it is not because of Athena," Anton answered both of his guardians' questions after he finished packing, turning to the nymphs who were looking at Anton with worry and suspicion. "Some news reached me about a rare metal being mined; a metal that was as light as a feather and as strong as a mountain," Anton explained, causing Thetis to gaze at him with a skeptical look.

"How rare is the metal that Hephaestus, himself, needed to descend as a mortal to acquire it?" Thetis pressed, wanting to know if this was the real reason for Anton leaving Lemnos, or if it was just a made-up story the God made on the spot so he can leave everyone on his suicidal quest of finding a made-up metal that may not be real.

"Rare enough, that the other Olympians are trying to find it." That was the argument that made both Thetis and Eurynome look at each other before looking back at Anton who had prepared everything he needed for his long journey. "No doubt if the others found it first they would try to lord it over me, saying they would give me some of the metal only if I made them the weapons they want… if I found it first… well, that is another story completely." A smile broke over Anton's features, causing Thetis to hum and give a slow nod, unlike her sister; she wasn't fully convinced of Anton's reasons.

"Who are the Olympians that seek this metal?" Eurynome asked nervously, no doubt feeling more concerned and restless now that she knew not only Anton was seeking the metal, but there were other Olympians with the same goal as the metal-working God.

"Athena and Ares, followed by Demeter and Aphrodite; the rest are also searching for this specific metal, but not as obsessively as those four, I even heard that the Gorgon sisters are searching for it." Anton said none-challenged, his words getting a shriek from Eurynome and a loud 'What?!' from Thetis, both of them looking ready to faint on the spot after receiving such news.

"Have you lost your mind?" Eurynome squeaked, rushing after Anton who decided that he had enough of this conversation and went to prepare the mule that was going to carry him throughout his journey. "Stop! Do you not realize how dangerous this is?" Eurynome cried, trying to stop Anton who was in a cheerful mood as he climbs on his mule.

"Oh, I do. But I am more interested in why all this fuss about this particular metal, and I really wanted to know why they named it Medusa in particular." Anton stated, getting situated and ready to start his journey. "Normally, I would not care that much about what the Olympians are up to, but considering the chaos, Olympus had fallen in after Poseidon and Athena's last argument, and everyone trying desperately to find this metal… this is something really worth checking." Anton tried gently to make Eurynome let go of the reins, something he wasn't that successful in doing.

"How long is your journey? Days? Months? Years?" Thetis suddenly asked, coming to stand behind Eurynome and glare at Anton, no doubt for making her sister this concern that she was trying to stop Anton from his suicidal mission desperately. Anton let out a tired sigh, letting go of the reins, which made Eurynome let out a relieved sigh, no doubt thinking that she can control the stubborn mule and force him to say long enough that Anton would dismount it after getting bored.

"Who knows? It depends on me finding the metal… or proving that it was not real, to begin with." Anton shrugged, causing Thetis to groan in annoyance and tiredness, before giving Anton a harsh look. "Relax, you know I am going to be fine, no mortal can kill or harm me, and no other creatures or immortals would if they wanted to remain unharmed," Anton reassured his guardians, causing them to press their lips tightly and look at one another, having a silent conversation with their eyes before Eurynome let go of the reins with a worried look.

"Get back as soon as you are done," Thetis ordered, causing Anton to give the woman a cheeky grin before taking the reins once more, giving the signal to the animal to start their journey, waving his farewell to the two nymphs who waited until Anton was out of sight before getting inside his home, no doubt planning on tiding it up and keeping it clean until his return…

Anton could only smile at the warmth that action did…


So what do you think?

The second chapter is here! Finally!

Yes, Natasha is not a cinnamon roll in this one… really, no one is.

Next, we got to meet Steve!

Now to the 'Did you know?' category of the chapter!

I changed some of the facts and myths in this story, such as Hephaestus's assault on Athena (Some myths say it took place in his workshop, and some say that Hephaestus and Athena were married by Zeus, and Athena disappeared before consuming their marriage, which caused Hephaestus to climax on the earth and impregnate Gaia… really nasty stuff to go through) but other stories such as Athena and Arachne challenge and Athena ripping her tapestry, assaulting by hitting her and later cursing her to be a spider, and Athena being Zeus's favorite child who can literally get away with murder, remind as it is.

For the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena, some said it was because Athena and Poseidon challenged one another to the right of Athens, in which Athena won by creating an olive tree, which give fruit, oil, and wood, as for Poseidon, he created the first horse. The myth also differs by stating that Athena was in fact afraid of Poseidon, considering that he was second to Zeus in power and being an older God, he had more power than her.

As for the act of curse-making (Cursing), the ancient Greeks used a unique form of cursing known as the 'binding spell'. The practice of writing curses on lead tablets has been widely documented from as early as the fifth century BCE, sweeping across the regions of Sicily, Attica, and the shores of the Black Sea.

Lastly, swearing by River Styx is a big deal for the Olympians To swear on the river Styx is a serious and binding swear that breaking an oath on Styx is extremely unwise for anyone due to the fact that once you swear upon it, the Fates are now watching.

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama