Hello my people! As I have said, I will upload a new chapter every Saturday, because it's easier for me. I hope you guys don't mind. That brings a sort of schedule for my writing, and having a deadline can really push me to do better—as strange and paradoxical as it sounds. I work better under certain circumstances ;)

Anyways, I'll let you read this chapter! I must say that it is not my favorite—I don't really like it that much—but it has to be there for backstory purposes (you know, the cliché part where a character develops their troubled past? That's kind of what that is!). The next chapters promise way more fun though, since there's no backstory involved (yay)! :D

I'm also hesitating to bring in a lover for Palutena. Maybe at some point. I'll see if I do it or not—because referencing one of my other works is a bit tricky at times, since nobody has read the original piece for now.

Anyhow, hoping you'll have a nice reading!

Yours truly, Circle of J.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, although I took some liberties with both Tip and Blapi. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.

Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light

Chapter 26: Transparency issues

Dark Pit looked over to the shore, on the other side of the pond. He held his trusty Silver Bow in his right hand, and his blue eyes zoomed across the place, since it was accordingly flooded with Underworld troops. Although he couldn't see them just yet, he knew that it didn't mean they didn't exist.

The angel ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed in exhaustion: that day had been a long day. Fighting off Medusa's troops was harder than it looked… He was fortunate that Hermes was always by his side when he went against those monsters. Aside from being ugly, they were also quite violent towards anyone who walked along their path. Some humans had been their victims, from what Hermes had told him, and now Dark Pit ought to supervise that pond, under which an ancient interdimensional portal was buried. Hermes had claimed that he saw humans hanging around, but had also warned him that Medusa's troops were on their way to get to him. But the angel didn't fear them, why would he? He was admittedly the best fighter that their world had ever known to hold. Medusa could do everything, she'd never manage to get a hold on him.

Dark Pit startled when he noticed movement behind the high trees of the pine forest, lowering down to his knees to make sure that the intruder would not see him standing there. With his blue chiton, he was almost invisible when he neared water. He had to say that, in missions like this one, it was very practical. At first, Hermes had told him to change his chiton into a new one, gray-colored with a yellow scarf, however the angel had refused. His clothes needed to fit his wings, it was only natural. Since his feathers were ocean blue, his scarf couldn't be yellow, that wouldn't fit. Plus, yellow had always been a color that he despised.

Dark Pit frowned when the unfamiliar figure approached, staying in his position, hidden by the high grass surrounding him. The only thing that the intruder could've seen would've been his wings, but since he was near water, they were undistinguishable. He looked down at the ground when the silhouette made its way to the pond, and listened closely in case they would talk. And that they did, much to his delight: "So this is Hermes' infamous portal."

"Yes," another voice answered, even though Dark Pit had only seen one person approaching. The situation was getting out of hand. The first voice that had arose was feminine, almost sensual in the way it sounded like a song. The other one was also a woman, but she had a deeper, firmier voice that sent cold shivers down the angel's spine and feathers alike. That second person spoke up, after there was movement in the grass on the other side of the shore, as if someone had walked up to the pond, next to that other woman. "It has caused many catastrophies, many casualties in the Gods Era. Exchanges between dimensions were quite frequent at the time, however they had to be stopped completely after the incident—which you know about, sweetie~…"

Dark Pit looked up, staying cautious nonetheless, and saw the two women standing there, a few feet away from his position. He had no idea what they were intending to do with the portal, but whatever it was he couldn't let them use it. Hermes had forbidden that it ever be opened again, for it was too dangerous for their world. It could bring threats from other worlds, thus worsening the situation of their already falling apart realm. Medusa was growing stronger with each passing day, they couldn't afford to take such inconsiderate risks. Dark Pit stayed low, staring at the two women who wore long dresses that outlined their gracious bodies, and grunted under his breath. If they dared to try and trigger the portal, he would have to jump out and blow his cover. But it was for common good.

The first woman who had walked up to the pond, who stood on the right, squatted down and ran her fingers through the water. She hissed at its coldness, but kept her hand dipped in it, searching for a way to bring the portal up, so that they wouldn't have to go underwater to open it. She knew that it was time; they couldn't bare the weight of Medusa's darkness any longer. And she knew that he was here: the Heir, their savior, he was lurking around somewhere, even though she couldn't see him. From what she had heard, he was a sneaky little thing, so she didn't blame herself for being so oblivious. The woman next to her sat down, taking her head between her hands and crossing her legs. "I really don't know if this is going to work, Aphrodite. Is it really the only way?"

"You know it is, Artemis," the Goddess of Love whispered, ensuring that their little spy wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. That way, he would have to come out of his hiding spot and walk up to them, in which case they could talk calmly about his mission. Aphrodite seemed to find what she had been looking for and pulled a lever that was hidden from sight by vines. The ground started to shake, thus revealing that she had succeeded, and a familiar shadow sprung to his feet, standing on the opposite end of the pond. He had his bow aimed at them, and his purple eyes bore nothing but aggressiveness.

Aphrodite raised her hands in the air, surrendering, but that didn't seem convincing enough for the angel to lower his weapon. A purple arrow was summoned out of thin air, sparkling like a literal thunder bolt, and it lit up Dark Pit's face. For a second, the Goddess of Love thought that he had been corrupted, but then she noticed the amethyst color of his eyes. They would've been black if he had been possessed by Medusa's evil powers, so Aphrodite assumed that the lightning arrow was just his normal weaponry. Artemis jumped to her feet, scared by the apparition, but the Goddess next to her seemed rather collected. "Well, if it isn't Hermes' prodigy."

Dark Pit squinted his eyes at her, holding onto his bow with a tight grip. "Who the fuck are you?"

The Goddess stood there, not even scared by his menacing posture, and smiled: "I am the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. And this is Artemis, the Goddess of Hunting and, secondarily, of the Moon." She turned to face her friend, who had dark hair which fell over her right eye. She appeared to be the emo type. Her only visible eye was glowing, like the moon itself, since it was pure white. Dark Pit shuddered, since it reminded him of those of Medusa, but kept his composure, still aiming at the two proclaimed Goddesses. Aphrodite shook her head at him. "I wouldn't advise that. We're here for business matters."

"That portal is to remain shut for eternity," Dark Pit growled, like a wild animal, but he still lowered his bow and folded his arms. He had that sort of attitude about himself: very disdainful, but she found him very interesting for that same reason. Apart from his cautious behavior, he looked like a fun guy to hang out with. Maybe they could do that once they had saved their world. Dark Pit eyed at Artemis, then back at Aphrodite, since she was the only one willing to talk things out. "Master Hermes has told me to keep an eye out for tresspassers, and that's precisely what you are, 'Goddess of Love'."

Aphrodite glanced at Artemis, who had stepped back and was heading towards a lost doe. She rolled eyes, for she knew exactly what they would be eating for dinner… But putting that aside, she looked over to Dark Pit, who had crossed the pond in order to stand right next to her. He had a sharp expression, that of an intellectual, and she had to say that it intrigued her. The angel looked at her, seemingly bored, and tapped his foot on the ground. "I must say that you are quite a prickly little angel~…" Aphrodite said, smirking. Everyone was getting annoyed with Medusa, so how could she blame him? She patted him on the head, which brought a huge smile to his lips, and started again: "We have need of you, angel, for you have a prophecy with your name on it."

"As long as you don't open that portal, I'm fine with whatever."

The Goddess of Love's pinkish eyes sparkled with wisdom as she said: "You have to save our dimension from Medusa. You are the Angel of the Sun, I see its rays flowing in your ocean wings. Only you can take her down, but I never said I wouldn't give you a hand during your battles."

Suddenly, the angel appeared a little anxious. He fidgeted with his hands, biting his lower lip, before eyeing at the other goddess who didn't pay them no mind. He then decided to face his fate and glance at Aphrodite, who hadn't stopped looking at him ever since she had pronounced those words. "I'll have to talk about this to Master Hermes."

"Oh, of course. Take your time, we're not in a hurry," Aphrodite nodded gently. Her pink eyes met his own of deep, vibrant purple and she stepped back, not minding the portal that had arose to the surface. "Though I must warn you: she's coming for you, angel. Be careful not to be swallowed by her darkness, for there is no cure: once it consumes the flesh, it takes the soul with it."

Dark Pit gulped and shut his eyes in fear.

.oOo.

"That's how I met my mother, after that we started to work together in order to put an end to Medusa's reign of terror," Dark Pit said to Pit, who had been laying down on the bed, his head resting on his lap. Unconsciously, he had run his fingers in Pit's silky hazel hair and stroked his head, almost like a pet's. He liked the feeling of his hair tangling around his fingers, he liked to hear purrs of pleasure from the light angel as well. It warmed his heart, which was more than necessary since he was talking about his painful past. He knew that, sooner or later, Pit would have to know those details, since they were going to share their joys and sorrows over the next few weeks, at least. Plus, he was growing fed up with hiding who he really was; he wanted transparency. Of course, he wouldn't be able to tell him everything, but at least some key elements… such as explaining how and why he was being corrupted by the darkness, and how he managed to repel it for the time being.

Pit looked up, proving that, despite popular belief, he was not yet asleep, and thought of asking a question. There were many dark secrets that he did not know about, and he wished to learn about them as soon as possible. He couldn't deny that Dark Pit was like a magnet: he attracted him, no matter how angry, how bitter he felt towards what he had told him. He could somehow understand why he had said that, although he still needed to comprehend what it was that made him think there was no cure. Palutena was the Goddess of Light, wasn't she? She could save anyone from the darkness within their souls! Why was Dark Pit so defeatist? It was as if he had been through it himself… Perhaps his infection was worse than he dared to say? Perhaps he was possessed? No, if he had been, then he would've tried to kill Pit and save Medusa, not the opposite.

The Angel of the Sun sighed in ease when the cold, fresh fingers of his darker version ran through his hair, and eventually decided to be a detective. "So, you said that you used to work for Hermes, right?"

"Mhm? What about it?"

Pit looked at his hands and hummed. "Well, I was wondering: why did you stop? Or should I say: what made you stop? You've never mentioned a single reason for it and I'm kinda curious."

"There wasn't a reason," Dark Pit lied; now that was one subject that he didn't want to mention. He still felt ashamed that he had been banished by Zeus, he still felt thirsty for revenge when it came to the God of Travel himself. What they had done to him, he would never forgive them. All that Dark Pit had ever tried was saving his dimension, his world, the only thing that truly mattered to him. And he had been punished in trying to do so: with the Sacred Flame placed in mankind, they could've obliterated the threat of Medusa and Hades! The darkness would've been decimated in a snap, or even less! But he had been caught, and Hermes had accused him of being a 'rogue thief', which he particularly hadn't appreciated. The dark angel sighed at the thought and turned his face away from Pit. "There wasn't a reason. Now let me tell you about—"

"I have to insist," Pit interrupted him, slightly rising so that his head wasn't resting on his twin's lap anymore. Instead, he placed it on his hands and eyed at Dark Pit, who was becoming quite tensed. The expression in his eyes had sharpened, and his lip curled, which meant nothing but 'I will not take any other question'. But Pit wasn't an angel who gave up so easily. He furrowed his brows, thinking, and continued: "There's something you're not telling me. The Pittoo I know would never give up for 'no reason', as you say."

"I was everything but the 'Pittoo'—I still hate that nickname, by the way—that you know today."

Pit rolled eyes. "I know! That doesn't change the fact that you're keeping things from me; things that I need to know, if I can trust my gut."

"Maybe you can't?" Dark Pit suggested, gritting his teeth, and that made Pit smile.

"No no no! I know I can."

The dark angel sighed and shook his head; it appeared that there was no way out of it this time. He knew Pit enough to tell that he wouldn't let go until he gave him clear answers… He shut his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He would be the first person he ever told his story to, it was sort of frightening. He was the kind of angel that kept everything to himself, that thought he would bother everyone if he told them about his problems. But there, Pit insisted that he told him the truth… It was refreshing to have someone who cared, he had to say. In his dimension, only Aphrodite had been acting this way, until she was corrupted by Medusa's evil and tried to kill him a thousand times…

Dark Pit cringed at the memory, though he pushed it aside to focus on the subject at hand: Hermes. "The power of Medusa's darkness was starting to be overwhelming," he began to explain, already tearing up. His red eyes had softened, almost looking at the Angel of the Sun in a tenderized way. "We had to find a solution, Mother and I. But it appeared that my master, Hermes, had been quicker at it: he suggested that we should steal the Sacred Flame from Mount Olympus, in order to give it to the humans. According to him, that would've eradicated the darkness that settled within their hearts, countering it with a burning passion, desires and, as you may have guessed, greed. Mother and I said that we would do that, since it was the only way, and Hermes sent me to Mount Olympus during a cold winter night. I went to the mountain, snuck in Zeus' private quarters, and caught sight of the flame I was supposed to borrow."

Pit gazed at Dark Pit, fascinated by his story, and allowed him to continue without interrupting with stupid, pointless questions. That was a first for the dark angel, who always had to remind Pit to wait until the end before asking them. He had to admit that it was a pleasant surprise, although he didn't let Pit's silence distract him from his story-telling. "When I approached the flame, I noticed something else out of the corner of my eye: the Sacred Mirror. I was absorbed by its beauty, really, it was a wonderful mirror: wide, highly intricate frame made of pure gold materials, and seeing myself through it made me feel safe. I knew that I had something to do with its existence… But I still managed to snap out of it and touched the flame. I just had it in my hand when Zeus erupted in his quarters, him along with his personal guard. I was caught red-handed, and Hermes said that I wasn't working under his command when the God of the Gods asked him what I was doing there… He made it look as if I had chosen to steal the Flame on my own account."

"That's weak."

"We sure agree," Dark Pit nodded. Yes, Hermes had been so afraid of being banished himself, and thus deprived of his divine powers, to own up to his actions. The darker version of Pit remembered the rage he had read on his mother's face when she had learnt about the events. She had threatened to head right for Hermes' castle and have a word with him, however Dark Pit had to hold her back; that was at a time when he couldn't afford to have problems with a God, whoever that was. He had enough with taking care of Medusa, since he constantly failed at keeping her at bay. He vaguely remembered his humiliation when he went back to his own temple with cuts and bruises, disappointing Aphrodite because he had not succeeded in his mission. Yes, she had told him that the time would come, that he wasn't to do this on his own, but it still felt terribly embarrassing. He had always been a warrior that remained unbeaten, no matter who the enemy had been.

Dark Pit shut his eyes at the thought, and his mind soon wandered off into the darkness of his own shame. He would've given his own life to ensure that his mother would make it out alive… Well, at least more so than she was now.

Pit brought him back to reality when he finally decided to sit up, and ceased to use his darker twin's thighs for support. He hummed, wondering about several other things that he dared not ask about, before Palutena walked in, opening the door widely and looking at them. Both of the angels had been in the dark, Pit's room only lit by a small candle that was placed on the bedside table. They had priviledged the somberness, since it helped Dark Pit with expressing his feelings—he had said that it made him feel safer, more welcome than dazzling bright light in his face.

Pit glanced at his Goddess, delighted by her sight alone, and rose to his feet. "Lady Palutena!"

"Yes, hello Pit," The Goddess of Light quickly answered, then her green eyes turned to Dark Pit, who folded his arms and tried to avoid looking at her. She stood in the doorway, leaning against its frame, and smiled. "I see that you two are back on track!"

"And what exactly are you implying?" Dark Pit retorted, sounding more pissed than he actually was. He had to admit that being close to Pit again felt incredibly nice; he was relieved that their last altercation had not ruined the link—that connection—that they shared. Even though they were not carbon copies of one another, they still had access to the other's feelings, the other's thoughts: they connected on a way deeper level than they did with either Tip or Blapi. In a sense, it was understandable: his mother had said that they were the two heirs, hadn't she? So it was to be expected of them to share a link that was stronger than they did with the two other angels.

The dark angel narrowed his eyes at the Goddess of Light, who didn't come any closer to them, as if she desperately tried to maintain their fragile proximity. "Silence is not an explanation."

Palutena chuckled and crossed her arms against her chest. She wore a sort of nightgown made out of a silky material, almost identical to that of her blankets. This one was white though, which Dark Pit admitted to find surprising. However, he showed nothing of his confusion, instead focusing his attention on Pit, who was back to sitting down on the bed next to his darker version. "After your quarrel, I really believed that you would never look back at each other. I'm pleased to see that I was wrong!"

"Why have you come here, there has to be a reason," Dark Pit said, quite coldly, without looking away from her.

Pit huffed and eyed at his twin with a mischievous spark in his blue orbs. "Maybe, just like you said, there wasn't a reason."

"Haha. Aren't you funny!"

Palutena glanced at them with a smirk on her lips, and trailed her hand on the wall until she found the lightswitch. She pushed it, temporarily blinding the two angels who had accommodated to the darkness surrounding them. She had no idea of how long they had remained plunged in somberness, but it was enough to make them whimp at the sight of the light. "Come on, get up! We still have to go to the Underworld."

Dark Pit groaned under his breath and rolled his ruby eyes in annoyance. "It's like, the middle of the night right now—perfect time to go out and invade a land filled with demons, now isn't it? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he protested, but she didn't seem to care about his complaints, since instead of showing actual concern she nodded towards the door. The dark angel grunted, upset, but resigned to following her wherever she wanted to lead them—assuming that it wasn't the Underworld. Pit did not discuss his Goddess' demand and obeyed, standing up and walking up to Palutena.

The Goddess of Light told them that, before she sent them to the Underworld—which she supposedly would do the next morning—she had to show them something. Perplexed, the two angels glanced at each other. She hadn't mentioned what it was, nor where it was, nor if it was dangerous to begin with—but since she hadn't asked for their weapons, they supposed that it wasn't. They quietly complied and Palutena led them to her quarters, where… a familiar figure, very feminine, was sitting on the bed. Dark Pit ogled at his mother and smiled widely. "Mother!"

"I'm here!" Aphrodite said, beaming, then she addressed a polite smile to Pit who stood next to Palutena. The Goddess of Love sprung to her feet and walked towards Dark Pit, in order to take him into a warm hug. The black angel grunted, because he hated embraces except when he shared them with Pit—and recently Palutena—but accepted the gesture, though he didn't even think about returning the favor. After a short moment, Aphrodite pulled away and locked eyes with those red of her 'son'. "Palutena has told me about your plan, I must say it is well-thought. I knew you'd come out with an amazing perception of things."

"Uhhh… Thanks?"

Aphrodite blinked. "Are you surprised? What's wrong?"

"Pittoo, you didn't tell me anything! But you're so smart, I should've known you'd shine again. So, what's the plan?" Pit asked, pleased with his twin's intelligence. What'd he do without him? Much to his surprise, Dark Pit shook his head silently, looking over to his lighter version, speechless. Pit frowned at that and turned towards his Goddess, who had a huge grin on the lips. Understanding, from that alone, that perhaps it was better if he didn't ask, he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hehe… Forget it, we'll have time to talk about it later, Pittoo!"

Dark Pit, on the other hand, didn't intend to be so passive about this whole thing. He tapped his foot on the ground and folded his arms again, staring emotionlessly at the Goddess that he considered his mother. His ruby orbs shone with nothing but pure boredom as he took a deep breath. "You know what, I can't help but wonder: what's the idea? Because whatever the fuck it is, I wasn't made aware of it, nor does it come from me."

"It doesn't? But I thought you said—" Aphrodite inquired, surprised. She darted a look towards the Goddess of Light, who stood by the door without a word. "You've told me that Pittoo had been at the heart of this decision. But he… doesn't know about it?"

Palutena shook her head negatively; she knew that, if she had told them what she intended to do, they would refuse to go to the Underworld. But it was absolutely required of them, they had lost enough time and Medusa couldn't be held back any longer. They had two options: defeat her, or be defeated by her. Of course, she would've loved for Tip and Blapi to join them, but they would've drawn the attention to themselves. Tip was a little too enthusiastic all the time, which meant that he wouldn't be the best member fitting in a sneaky mission, and Blapi had just recovered from the darkness that had taken over his body. The closest the two angels were to Palutena, the sooner they would be ready to fight alongside their two counterparts. For the time being, Pit and his darker version could do the job on their own. Sure, it would be dangerous… they could easily get killed, but they wouldn't be alone: Aphrodite and herself would be by their sides, lending them their powers to help them through the treacherous hordes of enemies that flooded the Underworld's skies.

Aphrodite appeared to understand the reason behind her actions and nodded in silence. She eyed at Dark Pit, who wasn't convinced by the silent treatment that he was receiving, and the angel stood his ground when she tried to get close to him. "Nope, not happening. I'm not going anywhere before I get to know what the fuck is going on."

"Pittoo, what did I say about—"

"Shut up Pit!" Dark Pit snarled; he wasn't in the mood to deal with him at the moment. He craved to know why they were supposed to put their lives on the line in the first place; that was the least that the two Goddesses owed them. After all that they had done to save this dimension, all the danger that they have been forcefully thrown into, they deserved that much in his opinion. And he wasn't giving up on it anytime soon. "So? You do realize that I'm serious when I say I won't move, right?"

Palutena sighed, defeated. She should've known that she couldn't keep her plan secret from him, he was too insistent. He would never agree to go anywhere if they didn't spit it out, so was there really a choice? Oh! Maybe there was… She smirked, her green eyes gleaming playfully. "I think I see the morning lights through the windows!" she claimed. She glanced over to Aphrodite, who got the message and smiled.

Dark Pit took a peek and snorted. "You forget yourself, Goddess. There isn't any source of light outside."

Aphrodite looked at him insistently. "Oh, yes, there is, you're just not looking right," she said, then she snapped her fingers. As soon as she did so, Dark Pit's wings started glowing pink, and the angel looked at his mother in sheer horror.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he cried out, shaking from head to toe because he knew very well where Pit and him would be heading, and he already hated the idea to the bone. The Goddess of Love shrugged her shoulders, eyed back at him in a sorry way, before his wings took him through the air and past the barrier that Palutena had set. Pit followed his lead, asking him to wait up, but Dark Pit didn't control his flight path at all—which was highly frustrating, he had to say. The dark angel gritted his teeth in an attempt to contain his rage. "You'll pay for that, Mother."

"Sure I will, but only after you finish your mission! I love you son, be careful on the way!"

"Seriously… What'd I do to deserve this treatment?"

Pit chuckled. "Hey, it's okay, at least we're together Pittoo!"

"Yeah, my point."

The two angels dived right towards the Overworld, and almost knew where they would end up already: the waterfall, so that they could go through the portal. Dark Pit clenched his fists, yelling at Aphrodite to stop and just talk to him, pleading her to have mercy, but she never listened nor replied. Pit finally caught up to him and held his hand for a second, in order to reassure him: they were doing this together. Nobody would resist their team, not even Underworld baddies. Dark Pit rolled eyes, told him that he had heard him the first time and that it really didn't make things easier for him, but he still squeezed the hand that had slid in his own, feeling its warmth and collecting his thoughts so that he could stop panicking. Perhaps this wasn't so bad: he was with Pit, so it could've been way worse… Right?

Wrong.

To be continued…