Talavera returned to her apartment, at least this place had internet. Suddenly feeling sick, she went to the restroom and tried to throw up into the toilet, only to notice black cracks on the rim. She jumped up, sickness forgotten, and rushed back out to her office. It had to be just the town children playing a prank on her right? "Is it?"

She spun around as a voice spoke, floating on the wind from an open window, but no one was there. Her eyes darted back and forth as she closed the window, fearful someone had broken and entered, but found no one. Dashing to her room, she heard a knock on the door, and was surprised to see her landlord there with a small planter. "This arrived for you."

Taking the planter from him, she tremored, blooming from the small plant was a black flower, "I don't want it."

He looked at her, "I suppose you were frightened by the story."

"No."

With a deep sigh, he looked at her, "Come with me." Reluctantly following him, she realized there as something off about the man, it was almost as if he was floating along. Reaching his office, he welcomed her inside, "She spoke of the Black Lotus."

"And Ancient Egypt. But how could the creature have been born then?"

Folding his hands, he looked out to the dark night, "Many empires have had their encounters with her….

330 Ancient Greece…

Children ran through the streets, songs were being sung, and the festival was merry as all the citizens of Athens celebrated the Goddess Athena. There was food and drink, but one young man sat on his own, a boy named Nicholas. He hated these celebrations; his family had died during one of them after being trampled horses as the leaders of Athens had paraded through town. He could never forgive them, or how they had treated his family for their mixed blood. He looked to his left and saw the woman in dark clothing, one that stood out from the crowd but quickly moved when she was seen. Getting up he followed, only to find himself near the edge of the woods, and a black flower at his feet. Picking it up, he suddenly found himself in a land that was from another world. "Hello?"

"Hello." He turned to see her, "What has brought you here?"

"I want-"

"Revenge?"

"How did you know that?"

"I know many things." She removed her hood, "But I do not interfere lest I see the need. Tell me of your tale."

"My family, well, my father…" he paused, "He was disowned by one of the leaders here, all because he chose to have children with my mother, a lowly slave as they called her. When I was fifteen, they were both run over by horses, and it had to be intentional!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because my parents were standing on the grass beside the roads, not even on the cobblestone. The riders just laughed while my little sister wailed and was taken away to live with our grandfather. I was thrown to the streets."

She cocked her head, "I see, but what is it you desire for revenge? There are many ways."

"I don't know, but I certainly don't want him to die, I don't want my sister to lose everything she knows. Even though I remember, I don't think she does, and she has a better life than I could have ever given her if she had stayed with me."

"If that is what you believe, what is it you are truly looking for?

He looked at her, "Why."

Argus sat, watching his granddaughter sing. She had become one of the most desired women in Athens and had been blessed by Aphrodite with the gift of beauty and grace, but he could not shake the guilt he felt, the guilt of accidentally killing his own son. He had only intended to take out the slave woman whom Adrian had married, but his son had jumped to pull his wife back and they had died in each other's arms, but he would never forget the children's faces. Young Ariodite did not remember her mother, but he had cast his grandson away as the boy's eyes had been full of anger, but had quickly regretted the decision. Every year during the festival, he would see a young man on a bench, and knew that it was Nicholas, likely remembering the death of his parents. Many times, he had thought about approaching the boy, but feared that it would end up in flames.

Ariodite had her father's eyes, but the deep amber skin and thin frame of her mother. The girl had grown into a beautiful and strong woman, one that would make any man happy, and he had several whom he knew would treat her well. After sending Ariodite to bed, he went to the fire, and looked at the portrait of his son. "I am sorry my boy, I should have known how happy she made you, I alienated you when I was blinded by anger."

"Why did you? Why did you do that to my parents?"

He turned to see Nicholas there, "What?"

"You know who I am, Argus, you cast me away in fear of my anger. You killed your own son because you hated my mother, but still took my sister and raised her as your own."

"How did you get past the guards?"

"How did you get out of being charged with the murder of your own child?" Black cracks began to form on the walls, and Argus saw a glowing mark on Nicholas's shoulder, "WHY?"

Argus backed away as a dark hole opened beneath him, "What are you doing Nicholas?"

"Making you confront what you did." Two figures suddenly began to emerge from the dark hole in the ground, a man and a woman, "To confront those who never had a chance to see their daughter thrive."

Argus froze, and when the spirits turned, he realized just what had been brought upon him. There, before his very eyes, stood the souls of his son and Nicholas's mother. "Adrian I-"

"What did you mean to do?" Adrian's face was disfigured just as it had been after being trampled by the horses. "You wished for my wife to be killed so that you could have me marry a woman of your choice, then left my son on the streets while you took my daughter to replace the child you lost. Did you not think that I would remember those things? We are not unaware of the things that happen in the world above, and we will no longer live in the underworld once we are done here."

Argus suddenly felt the floor shake, and realized that the pit was gone, and a dark vortex formed on the wall. "Argus, you bought me and tore me from my family to serve Adrian, I began as an escort to him, but it grew into more. You never thought that it might lead to that?"

Looking at her, he his reflection in her dark eyes. He had indeed bought Bea for his son to explore a woman, but had never expected that it could lead to his son falling for the woman, her beauty had been the quality had looked for. But never had he dreamed that she would be as brilliant as his son had told her of, or that she would plant ideas in his head of change. "I had never thought that you would corrupt him. You made him want to change the way we lived, and had dirty children with him."

"And yet you took my daughter, and you are aware of my full name, Bella de Liezl. I may not have been perfect, but you were so desperate for things to be your way you destroyed a family, we never were able to see our daughter grow up."

All the guilt came back to him, hitting him like a sword through his chest. "Why did you do it? Why were you so desperate Father?" Adrian asked, "Why would you take such drastic measures?"

"Because it was what your mother wished for." Argus said, "Your mother's dying wish was to make sure you married a woman who would care for you."

"And you don't believe that Bella did? She made me food while you were gone, cared for me when I was ill, and comforted me when Mother died."

"I never realized, but you were to be-"

"A leader?" another voice startled them all, "A slave? A what, Argus?"

He turned to see the woman in black that appeared at the festival every year, "W-w-who are you?"

Her face remained hidden by the cloak, "That matters not, the question is, what led you to the choices you made, must I rouse your memory?" He backed away, only for her to reach out, and a black mist to be pulled from his head, "Let us see what you remember."

Nicholas watched as the black mist was drawn away from Argus and formed into a crystalline sphere, images suddenly began to form, images of Argus and his wife. The voices were faint, but were heard, "You must let him be free Argus."

"Adrian will take my place; he must be prepared to take on such a responsibility!"

"But what if he does not wish to?"

"Listen Adriana-" Nicholas lost track of what the voices were saying as he realized how cruel of a man his grandfather was. He suddenly noticed Ariodite there, staring on in horror, and rushed over to her.

She stared at him, "Nicholas?"

"Hello Ari…"

"Grandfather told me you were dead."

"I was cast away, away to the streets." He hung his head, "I'm sorry, I never meant-"

"No, I've known for a while… I've seen you at the festival, and people told me, but they never guessed I was the little girl. I never had the courage to confront Grandfather about it."

"Why didn't you come and talk to me?"

"I thought you would hate me, with how I have lived under Grandfather's money, and he's brought me up as a lady."

"I could never hate you, Ari, but you should hate me. What I've done just now is so cruel, and I'll have to pay the price once it is done."

"What do you mean?"

"I probably won't be able to see you anymore."

"Isn't there something you can do to stop it?"

"No…"

Ari wanted to cry, she'd just gotten her brother back, and was going to lose him again. Grabbing a candlestick, she knocked him out and turned around only to face the woman in the dark cloak, "I won't let you hurt him. I can't lose my brother again."

The woman remained silent, but her head moved to look at the unconscious boy, then back. "At what price?"

"You can take my grandfather instead."

The woman seemed intrigued, then put her hand on Nicholas's forehead, "Let it be done."

Ari watched as the mark disappeared from her brother's hand and appeared on her grandfather's cheek. Argus suddenly began to scream as his body turned stiff and black veins traveled up his body. Flowers bloomed from each of his palms as his body turned to ash, leaving only a vague silhouette of the body of a man, and a pile of ash that blew away with the wind. She then heard gasping and watched her parents' spirits suddenly collapse, their transparent bodies becoming solid, and their begroaned faces twisting back to a normal shape. Their garments were no longer torn, and she watched as her father stood, helping her mother up. "Mama?"

"Ari?" Bella looked at her hands, "Adrian, we're alive?"

Nicholas suddenly opened his eyes, "What happened?"

Ari smiled, "Mama and Papa are alive, we can finally be a real family."

Nicholas got up, and walked into his grandfather's room. Seeing the tree with dark flowers, he knew what had happened, he hoped that Argus would learn a lesson, even if it took forever. Returning to the hall, he smiled, and gladly joined the hug that his sister was sharing with their parents. "I never believed this could happen."

"Neither did we, even though what you did was extreme," Bella looked at both her children, "we are very proud of you. But what else were you hoping for other than knowing why?"

He looked into his mother's chocolate eyes, "I wanted him to come clean, when I was in town, people always asked me how he could have gotten away with it. I wanted to understand, but also to be sure that justice was served, and that people knew what he did."

Feeling his father's arms wrap around him, Nicholas felt Ari and his mother join in, "You brought Mama and Papa back, big brother." Ari said, "But I'll take care of everything."

"Everyone believed that the disappearance was a result of the wrath of Zeus, and the flowers were a rare seed. Although they tried, no one could grow the flowers, and it was never seen again after it died." He looked into her eyes, "The Black Lotus knows, and sees everything, she always knows."

Looking at him, Talavera noticed something, there was a scar, directly between his eyes. The marking was undeniably familiar, and she was certain that she knew what it was from. "Who are you?"

He looked at her, "There are many things about this town you do not realize, nor understand, and may never understand. You may have come here for a reason, the fates always know what they are doing, and I have no doubt in my mind that the Lotus often enjoys their company…."


Please Read and Review, any suggestions of how to flesh out the story are welcome!