Author's Note: I hope you find the following chapter well worth the wait!
All the best to you all!
Love Jasmine
Chapter 6
Mera's point of view
Only four days were left before Ariston and I would have our boys within our arms, our little Nathan and Meristos. Everything was altered the moment I came to understand I was carrying them. Too many times to count, I have found myself standing naked before my ornate, goldenfull-length mirror, my arms wrapped around where these precious new lives were growing and month after month, I found my womb growing to accommodate them.
My view on life itself was changed as I wondered what their lives would be. As a mother, I wanted my boys to have the best of everything, and make certain nothing would ever be able to harm them; of course, their father and I will raise them and give them the skills necessary to protect themselves and others, a right everyone has.
I knew their father wondered about these things as well, the kind of life they will live. Olympus was definitely the best place to raise them, since it would be the safest and happiest place, and it was home, for both their father and I, and would be their home as well. What truly worried me, was the way the Mortal world was falling apart, and I had to admit, it was reflected by our family, their beautiful faces falling into despair often. And as if Reina and the Shadows were not enough of a foe… Cronus told me about another evil that lied in wait for its freedom from their torment; according to Chaos herself, everything was on its way to getting far worse than we could imagine.
I had to admit, a part of me just wanted to keep my sons safe in my womb, at least until this world was safe for them. But four days was all the time they had within my womb, before I bring them into the world. Was I scared of labor? Yes, and then no. I had been preparing with Hera, Ennina, as well as my handmaiden Tianna. They taught me how to endure it, and Ariston was always with me. Ariston and I decided that we are going to have a water birth and we would bring our sons into the world, with Tianna's aid and Cronus would be there as well in support.
Now, for the first time in my life, I was to be a mother. I wanted to do right by these boys and Ariston assured me over and over again, saying he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I was already an extraordinary mother to our boys. I always begin to cry when he tells me that, being so happy and in love with him, and beyond thankful Nathan and Meristos have a god such as him for a father.
My husband's children were: his eldest, Christo and his step-daughters Agatha and Chloe by his unhappy marriage to Shaena; by Elianna, there was Sophros, Elijah, Solon and Kallisto, and out of all of them, only Kallisto ascended to immortality, the others dying of old age.
"My wife…" Ariston began, coming towards me. "You should not be on your feet. You are four days from giving birth. You need to let me care for you and our boys." I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"I was on my way to the bathroom," I told him. "Unless you want to do that for me as well?" My husband sighed, resting his forehead against my own as he held me.
"Ah, but it is my duty as your husband to care for you, especially when you are in such a delicate state." He said, causing me to roll my eyes at the word 'delicate'. It was then that a thought came to me.
"Nathan and Meristos are going to be your eighth and ninth children." I said in astonishment.
His smile somehow grew as he nodded and placed his hands on either side of my full womb. I could not get over the wonder within his soul, his love for Nathan and Meristos, not to mention their mother. It was overwhelming, overpowering and brought me to tears of immeasurable and utter happiness. I took his face between my hands, our eyes meeting then closing as we shared an ecstatic kiss!
"So tell me," He whispered against my lips. "Have you remembered any more of your children in past lives?" I shrugged.
"Not yet." I told him. "I always tell you first." He laughed, and kissed me again and as always, I had to take a moment before I could think straight; his kisses are a consuming indulgence. "There was my boy Alanthos, the one that died when he was two weeks old, and I jumped from that cliff, and two hundred years later, I became Jason's lover. And of course Diana and Marcus, and Orpheus and Katrina, in that one life as lover to a Maharaja, he and I had three sons, four daughters whose names have yet to return to me. I swear, I was pregnant more often than not in those seven and a half years we were lovers. Until I died in childbirth with the last set of twins, taking the littlest with me. She had a double cord wrap; they could not get it undone in time, and I bled to death." Ariston's soul was heartbroken at the thought; he kissed my forehead and wrapped his arms around me.
"Seems you have more children than I do." He teased and I laughed, but then his voice became serious. "If I ever lost you like that…" My arms tightened around him. "Elianna nearly died in childbirth with Solon. Apollo saved her life, for which I will always be indebted to him. I had two reasons for choosing to not try for anymore children with my wife. The first was that the thought of watching another child of mine age and die would destroy me. The second was fear of losing her, which was of course more than I was able to bear." I leaned back and looked into his eyes as he went on with the story.
"When Kallisto was conceived, it was far from planned. Elianna and I were bathing in a hot spring, on one of the few nights we had alone while raising our children." Nostalgia came into his eyes and made me smile, knowing how much this memory meant to him. "Half the night was spent in that steaming water and the other half underneath the stars on a blanket of clover.
"When she discovered that we had conceived, she feared how I would react." His tender smile made me melt. "When she finally told me, I had a moment where time stopped, and while I thought through everything this could mean… I came to realize how deeply I wanted this child, no matter my fears, I wanted whoever this child was going to be; my wife was overwhelmingly relieved and I at once felt horrible for having unknowingly made her fear telling me. Five month later, when Elianna reached her seventh month, our little Kallisto was born and now is the living image of her mother in so many ways. Everyone of my children have been a blessing to me."
"I did not get the chance to truly raise any of mine, since I died before they were grown." I mentioned, an old ache within my soul. "So in some ways, this will be a first for me, and I know we will get it right."
"I know you worry, about making mistakes." Ariston told me, I nodded.
"So do you." I told him, he shrugged.
"What matters," Ariston began with a smile. "Is that we love them, and you my wife, are one of the most compassionate, loving, warm, wonderful and brilliant women I have ever met. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, you have everything it takes to be an extraordinary mother. I knew it from the moment I got to know you, and it is one of a billion reasons I fell in love with you." I shook my head as I smiled, leaning my head against his chin, completely and dizzily breathless.
"Gods, I love you." I said, barely able to get the words out in a tone louder than a whisper.
"Gods, I love you, my wife!" He replied in the same, breathless manner.
"I feel the same about who you are as a father." I told him, pulling back to look into his sky blue eyes that I hoped at least one of our sons would have.
"Trust me, I made quite a few mistakes." He told me, gently rubbing my upper arms. "Some my children may never remember… but still. Any time I lost my cool with them, even for a moment, it weighs on me and I cannot take it back."
"Your daughter is incredible, just like you and Elianna, so how would there be a single doubt within my soul as to the kind of father you already are?" I asked, his crooked smile was incredible!
Pandora invited Ariston and I to lunch since she wished to meet me, and I agreed of course. We made it to Zeus, Hera and Ennina's royal apartments with just enough time to spare. My ancestor stood before us, her hands clasped before her, as she stood tall, her features devoid of emotion as I gave her a smile in greeting. The resemblance I bear to her was nonetheless uncanny.
"Mera," She bowed her head to me in greeting for a moment's time, then glanced to Ariston. "I assume you are my brother, Ariston?"
"I am." Ariston held his hand out as we walked to greet her. "It is my privilege to make your acquaintance." The goddess nodded her head and placed her hand within Ariston's for him to place a simple kiss upon as he stood at my side.
"Have a seat." She gestured to the table, which was filled with steaming foods, making my mouth water. I was not sure, but Pandora's eyes seemed to be avoiding my full womb like the plague. "Thank you for freeing me." I gave her a smile, looking into her deadened eyes.
"I was led there, by many things." I told her. "And you are welcome; we certainly need you now more than ever."
"I am aware." She spoke. She took a piece of roasted chicken, topped with brie cheese and drizzled with a fig spread, onto her plate, and cut into it as Ariston and I helped ourselves to lunch, which was delectable. "I have been told that Hephaestus has made a box for you as well?" She asked, I nodded.
"A work of art." I told her, lifting my tiny box out from between my breasts where the little square had been hidden within my dress.
My box had been skillfully crafted from a mixture of adamantine, the essence of the Twelve, and beyond that, my very own blood. To keep its essence hidden, there were dragons, carved out of green jade and crafted to look as if they were frozen midflight as they soared around the surface of my box. In the center of the front, the relief of a phoenix with its wings unfurled brought all the design elements together. This ancient symbol of resurrection was crafted out of red and orange gold that was warm to the touch, and seemed to shimmer which gave it the impression of a living flame. My birds eyes were made out of tiny fire opals, that glowed as embers, as my own eyes do. Around the bottom and top, were a line of chimera's which looked exactly like my chimera Diokles, with green jade scaled bodies, tails with a Morningstar tip, and heads and manes of gold that had been intricately designed. The most incredible thing was that for all its intricacies and designs, not to mention its incredible power to draw limitless Shadows into it, what I held between my fingers was about the size of my thumb.
"You may hold it, if you like." I said to Pandora, keeping the long adamantine chain around my neck as I held it out to her, where she sat near by me.
My grandmother took the tiny box within her fingers, turning it over and over and taking in the intricacies of that masterpiece. After a while, she met my eyes as her finger traced the shape of my phoenix. With a nod from myself, my ancestor gently pushed down upon the bird, then the top flew open. She peered into the whirlpool abyss within, her eyes transfixed before she suddenly dropped my box, quickly leaning back into her chair as the box swung down to land on my bosom, still open as Pandora fearfully stared into the depths of the swirling prison.
Realizing that she must be reliving when she was sucked into her box, I quickly closed the top, dropping it into my dress as I watched Pandora. She was gripping the arms of the chair she sat in so tightly that I thought at any moment, they would be pulled from the base. She had a horrified look upon her features, and leaned back as far as she was abled by the finely crafted chair.
"You are free," Ariston spoke in a calming tone, though one loud enough to capture Pandora's attention. "You are safe, and you will not return to where it kept you. You are free. Breathe; think of a safe place. There you are, safe and sound, and will remain free." Pandora began to calm and my eyes shifted to Ariston; he gave me a comforting smile. I knew he was well versed in helping others through PTSD… but in this moment I knew these were things he had said to himself… after he had been tortured by Jason and his followers, and was then brought to a suite in Jason's former palace once they had become friends. Was there ever a more unlikely friendship?
"Thank you." Pandora's voice was far more in control, almost as it had been before, but still a little on edge. I saw Ariston give a compassionate nod as my eyes turned back to my ancestor.
Pandora's eyes held an element that unnerved me, something that had intensified since she looked into my box. It was as if she was keeping her emotions at bay by redoubling her focus on every detail of everything else, including people, that surrounded her in the right proximity. Perhaps the more she saw, the better she could focus on that and only that; and in this moment, her focus was set on me as she began to speak.
"I have a few questions for you." She told me as her eyes bore into my own, while I attempted to hide how uncomfortable it made me in this moment.
"Go ahead." I replied, and she nodded.
"I am told you were the last one to see my daughter?" She asked, I nodded, doing what I could to keep calm. In that 'meeting', as it might be called, Reina stabbed me in my back, as revenge for taking Jason away from her. Jason… my heart ached as I thought of him then shook myself from these thoughts.
"Yes, I was." I answered her. "Reina had your box in her possession. Because of my lineage, I was drawn to the box when I rescued Ariston, which turned out to be a trap that was meant to lure me to my death. Little did she know, I possess your gift and purged the entire underground complex, which she was clearly not expecting. Because of their unexpected defeat, the Nameless One has been regrouping their forces, from what we know." I saw her lost in thought, before she met my eyes.
"Is my daughter truly as demented as they say?" She asked, I nodded.
"Sadly so, I am afraid." I told her.
With a thought, I conjured a box from my home and levitated it over to Pandora. A small part of me was sorry to see it go, but it did not belong to me. Most of it was hers, and should be in her possession.
"This belongs to you," I told her. "It contains the journals you wrote, as well as information about the Descendants in your line. Zeus gave it to me as a birthday gift a year ago. I will admit, I have read it countless times in search of any kind of pattern beyond his killings." Speaking of Jason in this way, I felt as if I were talking about another person, and in many ways, I was since Zenophian is the one at fault here beyond the immortal I love.
"What did you discover about him?" She asked, and for a moment I could not speak.You would not believe what I have discovered, Ran through my mind in a whisper, holding a secret few knew of.
"For around three years, the Nameless One has taken a backseat." I told her. "Your daughter is behind everything which has happened since then, including my death."
"I am sorry for that," She told me, as some of the first bits of emotion I had seen today came to her eyes, before ice replaced them. "Reina had no right,"
"It was meant to happen." I told her.
"Still," She said. "I wish it had not been at her hands."
There was a long silence, filled with nothing more that the scrape of utensils against the gold plates.
"I fear I must ask something of you;" She began. "Would you show me the last time you saw her that night? I need to see my daughter."
"You will not like what you see." I warned her.
"I have to know." She told me and I nodded.
As I reached out, my mind worked over time so that I would not give away anything about Jason. I took a deep breath, making sure to do this correctly.
"I am new at this, only having been immortal for less than six months, so bare with me." I told her, she nodded once again as I placed my hand on the side of her head, beginning the memory from after I had exited Jason's secret tunnels.
There, sitting atop a pedestal, was Pandora's box. It was a square box that was 8" in all dimensions. It was made of adamantine and had green jade dragons in full flight all over the box. There were two gold buttons on the front, and I knew that pushing them would open the hatch, and doing so would pull in any Shadows that were near me.
I slowly walked towards it. I picked it up in my hands and looked it over, amazed that after tens of thousand of years of the box being missing, it was I who found it. I smiled, knowing my grandmother would be proud.
"I knew that would lure you here." Came a voice malevolent behind me. I spun around to see a woman with black hair and lavender eyes, her skin as white as milk. She might be considered beautiful, if it was not for the malicious intent in her eyes.
I cut off the memory there, and skipped forwards and hoped Pandora would think this was simply because of my newly discovered and hardly understood abilities. I brought the memory back up in the second half of Reina's monologue, figuring that was safe enough.
"The last piece was easy. I knew from the start that there were two things you wanted above all else, Ariston and my mothers box. And I have both. Once you were here, you felt the box and came running to claim it at long last. That is why I let down the shield to this room, so you would feel it, Daughter of Pandora." She said the last part in heavy sarcasm and disgust.
I could not describe the anger that had risen up within me, knowing that she had been the one who nearly killed my husband. It was easy to guess that she was Nell's mother, a woman Nell would never speak of. I had always assumed her mother was dead or had left her. I never imagined what my dear friend had to grow up with. It was no wonder Nell was so angry and distant for months after I met her. Who would not be mentally screwed up if they were raised by such a woman?
I wanted to kill this woman before me, but there was something she said that struck me, something I could not ignore.
"Who are you?" I demanded. Pandora had only two daughters that I was aware of, and both were dead, to my knowledge.
"The true daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus." She stated, her head held high. "I am Reina, Queen of the Shadows, wife of the Nameless One." I was floored.
"You are supposed to be dead." I said in shock. She gave a devious smile.
"Yes, my father would have liked that, wouldn't he?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. "When I opened my mothers box that day and released the Shadows, the poor darlings were craving a source of sustenance, and I was what was there. I do not know exactly how many bound with my soul, but oh, it was enough to give me power over them, to change my golden blond locks to pure black and my violet eyes to the lovely lavender shade they are now. I was changed that day for the better, but when my father found me, he thought differently. He was scared of me, of the power I possessed. He took me from our home and brought me to the other side of Europe, where there were barely any mortals at the time, and told me I was forbidden to return to the gods, to my home. Soon after, the Shadows came to care for me and showed me that they had taken my mothers box with them when they fled."
Again, I skipped ahead.
This was it, I was going to die in this room, that much I knew. But I was not afraid, and I would not go down without a fight. I felt the ichor within me, mixed with Diokles fire and Pandora's light, those potent forces mixed together and began multiplying. I closed my eyes and with all the power I had within me, I released my light and focused all my energy on sending the box to Olympus. Its weight left my hands and I knew that I had done it. But I could not pull my light back in, I could feel every soul, Descendant and immortal alike, within this palace. There could have easily been well over a million. This palace was carved deep into and under mountains here in the Alps, it was a massive complex of intertwining tunnels carved into the heart of these mountains.
I could not leave these immortals, if I was to die, my death would be worth something. I felt the light building up within me, that power growing and expanding as I began hovering off of the floor. Then, once the energy became too much to contain, I sent my light out from me in a burst of hot light. I did not retract it, I let it flow through every room, through every being in this place. I had to free them.
My body and soul began to weaken and I felt how lightheaded I was. Yet still, I kept going, kept letting my light pulse out and spread until every Shadow within this complex was purged and destroyed. The only one the light would not work on was Reina, she was impenetrable to it. I pushed as hard as I could, but my light could not touch her.
By the time my light died down, I landed on unsteady feet, facing away from Reina. I smiled with pride and joy. I did it, I thought in wonder, feeling a tremendous pride come over me.
That was when I felt the searing pain of the knife sliding into my back, between my ribs, and into my heart. The moment the blade entered, I felt a burning spread throughout my body through my blood stream. Poisoned, the blade is poisoned, I realized as my mind became hazy. The knife slid out and my sight began to go blurry, my limbs growing weaker by the second as that searing pain kept growing.
I ended the memory there, removing my hand before Reina's final words were menacingly spoken into my ear.
"That is what you get for stealing away my husband." Reina growled.
When I looked into Pandora's horrified eyes, I could see in that instant how this was ripping her apart, and a part of me wanted to wrap my arms around her. Then her stony façade returned as she sat back in the chair and her eyes became a little too piercing for my comfort. It was as if she could see every secret I possessed, glinting there in obscurity in my soul as she did everything she could to wrench them loose. I adverted my eyes from her unnerving stare. Lying, hiding things has never been my strong suit and the way she looked at me made me feel as if I were standing stark naked before her; all my secrets revealed at their cores.
"Your mother, I take it she is one of my descendants as well?" She asked, to which I nodded. "I want to meet her."
Not your birthday gathering, Ariston sent the words into my mind. Jason will be she recognizes him…
I tried to hide how a big part of my soul was crushed by this, and it was just one of many times that I have had to keep my unending love for Jason a secret. Anyone who has been in love, knows the feeling of when you want to shout from the rooftops how much that wonderful person means to you! And then with this, only a few people actually know about Jason and I, and even fewer knew who he is. This secret was for his protection, no one could find out the truth, not yet.
"I will speak with my parents and find out when they are free." I told her, she nodded.
"Thank you." She said.
My parents and grandmother were visiting tonight, but I just wanted some time with them, since I am about to be a mother in four days time. There was enough going on, without having to hide parts of myself.
When we teleported home an hour later, I looked up into my husbands eyes, my soul twisted and aching because I knew what Jason had put him through, I had felt the blue hot pain of the Shadow trying to bind with his soul. There was guilt, but I knew my loving Jason has brought out his better aspects. My husband came up to me, taking my face between his hands as he gave me a sad smile. I shook my head.
"I hate what Jason put you through," I told him as tears came to my eyes. "He did it because he loves me, and I love you."
"He did it only because Zenophian had driven him to madness." He told me. "No longer can I hate him; since I saw the man you were making him into, one strong enough to fight against his dark creatures will, I found a way to make peace with the past."
"But what he did," I began and Ariston silenced me with a kiss.
"I am not saying it was right," He told me as our lips parted. "Or that it did not leave its mark upon my soul. What I am saying, is that is not who he is beneath it all. With every moment I had, once the torments had stopped, I worked through it, focusing on where I felt safest. Do you know where my safe place was?" He asked, tears ran down my cheeks as I nodded and a smile began to come to my lips as some of the guilt began to ebb in my soul.
"With me, in our home." I said the same thing he had told me months ago. He nodded as his smile grew.
"Then I began to realize; his safe place is with you as well." He went on. "You bring forth what is best in him, you calm the madness that rages in his soul, and help to alleviate his pain and bring him on towards a calmer state of being."
"I know; he has told me many times that I am his harmony and salvation." I told him, knowing my way through this guilt by now and out the other side. "It does not change how much I wish it had never happened to you."
"We both know it was not completely him." He told me. "I know him well enough now, and the look in his eyes when he ordered those Shadows to," He cut off there, taking a deep breath as he calmed himself and I held him closer. "Now I know, those eyes… they were Zenophian's and not Jason's."
He held me close and took deep breaths as I stayed within his embrace, telling this wonderful, tortured god that he was home, safe with me. Ariston too knew his way through these emotions by now and before long, those fears had subsided and he was himself again. It was for this reason, not to mention that he wanted to care for me while I carried our sons and afterwards, that he had not taken up his duties just yet.
My husband kissed every inch of my face, making me giggle, before sharing an effervescent kiss with me. I wanted to stay by his side, but he assured me he was all right. I walked away and went to the nursery to take inventory for the umpteenth time since we finished it.
The bedroom attached to our own, had been reconstructed as the nursery, and what a breathtaking sight it was! Double, paned glass doors were kept wide open for the time being; the design left one with the impression they were walking amongst the clouds! The walls had been meticulously painted to mirror the calming, bright blue sky, with white/silver clouds drifting lazily through it. The white carpet, so thick that my toes were barely visible and woven from soft cloud wool, would be perfect for my boys to lay on, crawl on, and then someday, to walk on.
I had to admit, the crib was one of my, if not my absolute favorite item in this wondrous space. The deep, rich wood made it appear to be the only substantial, grounding piece in the room. Ariston had built it himself; it was a skill I had not known he had, until the crib was reveled at Kallisto and I's joint baby shower three weeks ago. I cried when I looked upon it.
It was carved into this masterpiece from such beautiful materials, the frame was made of rich red/brown stained oak. The rails were carved to perfection in the form of mini Grecian columns; the details went so far as to have golden lions marching around the base, and golden horses walking at the top. In between the railing of gold, and the columns with a topping of a beautiful piece of wood, was a lacing of golden wrought vines, with flowering Jasmine and primroses, shaped from off pink mother of pearl, fire opal, and that lovely, cloudy blue chalcedony. My husband gave credit to Hephaestus' workmen for the metal and stones.
The masterpiece of a crib was rich in symbolism, all of which Ariston explained when he revealed it. Oak wood, for strength and honor; Lions, for nobility and courage; Horses, for spirit, fire, and liberty; Gold, for immortality, the development of a spiritual understanding of oneself and the world around in everyday life; Vines, to connect them to life's most meaningful elements, as the Moirae bring us together; Jasmine, for admirability and grace; Primrose, so they know their father and I cannot live without them; Mother of Pearl, representing the tides and moon, and their connection; Blue Chalcedony, to help them get a goodnights sleep, and also to keep them safe in those dreams that will come. The golden Lions held an element of Ariston and the Fire Opals were something of my own symbol, so that our presence would be felt next to our children. I had cried, wrapped my arms around the father of our sons, and we held each other close as I conveyed to him how much this crib meant to me.
Ariston and I had heard, he had seen, that when twins are born, they like being close to each other still, so we chose to have an enormous crib instead of one for each of them. How Ariston got me to wait to acquire a crib, a basic necessity was beyond me, yet I waited until he presented me with this one. It also had a memory foam mattress with blue sheets and rolled in the corner, a deep blue baby blanket, and a lighter blue one. Hanging overhead, an incredible mobile, made of horses of pure sapphire, diamond, blue agate, and translucent white and silver cloth was made to look like clouds. That had been a creation of Ariston's brother, Ethan. A more recent son of Zeus; Ethan was born three hundred and sixty-seven years ago, on February 9th.
There was other furniture as well; three rocking chairs; a built in bookshelf full of classics and beautiful children's books; the golden changing table andcovered wastebasket were nearby in the corner of the room, and we had this incredible basket that I had woven which was placed underneath the cushioned table, and held all kinds of necessities; then we chose this adorable table and chairs set, and some little beanbag chairs for our boys to grow into. I could only hope our boys would fall in love with reading and learning as much as their father and I hoped they would. It hit me once again, that this is where our boys are going to begin their lives.
After changing for dinner, meeting my husband downstairs, and tasting a few of his indulgent, and heady kisses we headed off to get my parents and grandmother Marie. I hugged all three of them excitedly, and Ariston brought us all back to our home.
"How is Thomas adjusting?" I wondered after the Hanoverian whose life I had saved when Olivia called for me.
"Oh, he has tried to kill me a few times," My father said with a laugh. "It will take time to retrain him and get rid of the bad habits his former owner allowed to be created. He is a good horse; beneath it all, they all are." I gave him a smile and a peck on the cheek, and was rewarded with one of his warm, fatherly smiles that I have seen on Ariston's face so often when looking upon Kallisto and also my full womb, where his youngest children grew.
We all lounged around the living room, laughing and catching up, even though we had seen each other only the day before at Kallisto and Aaron's beautiful wedding. I still had the feeling that there were bits of phantom cake stuck in my hair.
"Well, I am off to prepare our dinner!" Ariston announced, sharing a kiss with me before getting to his feet.
"Would you like some help?" My father offered, and Ariston gave him a smile.
"The more the merrier!" Ariston told him.
My husband and father began a conversation as they made their way out of the enormous living room, towards the hall that led to the kitchen.I sat next to my mother as she smiled, looking me over. My grandmother occupied a chair nearby, and for the first time, her hazel eyes looked tired and I worried for her as my eyes watched her own.
"How are things? You look worn." I said to her, and she smiled sadly.
"I have to keep reminding myself, that from chaos, comes creation," She told me. "That when things settle down after this war is won, a new world can begin with balance, at long last and it will be worth it."
I was only able to nod, for what words of assurance could I offer her? Most everyone was together in these worries, of a war in its myself, just the idea of what was coming makes a more profound part of me appear; to put it simply, it was my warrior aspect; the protectress;a mother and a wife; and recently a goddess,that could do nothing but take my duty for what it was, one of the most important aspects of my life except for my family.
"With Pandora back, it changes everything." I told her, and my grandmother laughed, giving me a smile.
"My dear," She began. "Everything changed, the day you were conceived."
She had no idea how hard she had hit the nail on the head. My conception and my birth into that body I inhabited for eighteen years, is the only reason 'the Nameless One' is now on our side. But in reality, Jason is a different man. He is not the Nameless One to me; Zenophian is the one whom holds that title. His whispering into Jason's heartbroken soul of horrible ideas and plans, saying they were necessary and the only way Jason would have me in his arms forever, were what drove him on and made him commit those crimes. Until I came back into his life nearly four years ago, Zenophian, one of the Forgotten Race, had the immortal I love, so wrapped around his finger that Jason believed those horrible ideas were his own. Yet imagine explaining something like that to lovers whom lost their spouse, children who lost their parents… and even worse, parents whom lost their children. A tragedy such as that… what explanation would make anyone want to forgive, to forget?
My mother took my hand, and I met her violet eyes that at one time, were the same shade as my own. Then Diokles shared his sacred fire, and the moment I breathed it in my appearance changed. My skin became as warm as an immortals, and held a slight, luminous glow; my violet eyes now rimmed with a band of red/orange; and the golden blond, wavy locks I possessed, were not tinted with faintest hue of red/orange. My mother and I shared a smile as she began to talk.
"How have you been?" She asked, I laughed.
"You saw me yesterday!" I said, to which she laughed.
"I am your mother!" She replied, playfully. "I want to see you EVERY day!" Her face sobered up and she looked into my eyes, and was able to see what was going on in my mind. "But truly, how are you?" I looked down upon my full womb.
"Scared, even though I have been a mother in other lives." I told her. "What if I make a mistake with them?" She gave me a warm smile.
"Honey," She said softly. "Every single mother will make mistakes, but in the end, what matters most, will always be how much you love them and how much you are there for them. You have always been there for everyone in your life, even those whom are far from worthy and so I know you can do this." I nodded, tears filling my eyes from my hormones.
"All I want is to do right by them." I told her. "For them to never doubt just how much they mean to their father and I."
"You will," She assured me with her knowing smile. "Mera, if anyone has it within them to be a wonderful mother, you would be her; not to mention, I think we both know the kind of father Ariston is." I smiled and nodded, wrapping my arms around her.
"I love you so much, mom." I told her, she kissed my temple.
"I love you too." She told me. We leaned back and I wiped tears from my eyes.
"I used to never cry!" I was slightly frustrated, and my mother laughed.
"You should have seen me when I was carrying you!" She exclaimed. "I would turn into a blubbering mess when anything happened! You are getting off easy. I am thankful your father put up with me!" We laughed together, then eventually quitted down as we wiped tears from our eyes. "How are Kallisto and Aaron?" She asked.
"I believe they returned a while ago." I told her. "Kallisto and Aaron are settling in for Rose's birth. I am going to be a grandmother! Tomorrow." My mom got a horrified look.
"Goodness!" She said. "That makes me a… great grandmother. I am not that old!" I laughed out loud. "At least it is only by bond and marriage! I am telling you, your new family can put the song 'I'm My Own Grandpa' to shame!" I burst out laughing, and we were still laughing when Ariston and my father came back into our living room.
"Dinner is served." Ariston announced, holding his hands out to help me to my feet.
We decided to have dinner in the grand ballroom, in a little section of a huge table, which took up half of the enormous room. Only to find two surprise guest awaiting us, and my excitement could not be contained.
"Cronus!" I exclaimed and practically flung myself into his arms. Our lips joined before we knew how it had happened.
"Surprise." Cronus said softly, a laugh left his lips, my own soul echoing the sound, resting my forehead to his, holding him close.
"I missed you," I whispered, my soul filled with a confounding love and wondrous happiness. "So much so!"
"Tell me about it," He whispered and kissed me again. "I love you."
"And I love you." I told him.
After a while, I let go of him, to see the stunning Queen Sif, his wife, standing at his side. The beautiful goddess, with hair the shade of the summer sun, eyes of a bright mixture of blue and green, skin a warm and lightly tanned color. She smiled brightly to me, holding her arms out in a warm and familial way.
"Sif." I greeted her warmly as I wrapped my arms around her. "I had no idea you were coming! What a great surprise!" I pulled back and she held my hands as she smiled to me still.
"Cronus wanted to visit, and I could not pass up the opportunity to visit you as well." She enthused, looking upon my womb. "Four days?" She asked.
"Four days." I replied, nodding. Her shining smile grew as she gave my hands a squeeze, then released them. Ariston walked up and I smiled to him. "I certainly hope you made enough food for us all?" I asked.
"Without a doubt." He assured me, and gave me a kiss. Leading me to my seat, my husband pulled my chair out for me and pushed it in as I sat down, he kissed the top of my head and I smiled brightly.
All manner of conversation was had, but the most popular topic, of course, was my incredibly close due date, which I was both excited and incredibly nervous about. I had already shown off our nursery, and could not stop speaking of the crib my husband built; no matter how many times our guests had seen it.
Then the topic turned to Kallisto's due date, being tomorrow around 5pm. Apollo was very specific about such things, being an incredible God of Prophecy and Medicine. He also set my time at two hours past midday, which was almost strange to know. Soon, before Rose is born, Aaron would rise to immortality. We would see him for the first time as a fully divine being when we were called for tomorrow. Kallisto said she did not need us sitting around all day, so she would tell us when her time was close and we would arrive for the birth.
Ariston and I were thrilled for Kallisto and Aaron, and could not wait to finally meet Rose Rockford, our beautiful baby granddaughter! And of course, the conversation came to an inevitable topic.
"Our Pandora has returned. What an incredible happening." My grandmother said. I nodded, my face falling. "How is she, to return to all of this?"
"Devastated." I told her. "Everything she worked her entire life for is gone. One of her daughters is dead, and Reina? She is a monster. When I freed her, she had thought that moments had passed, not aeons."
"Well, I hate to cut the evening short," My grandmother spoke. "But I am exhausted! Ariston, would you send me home?"
"Are you feeling alright?" Ariston asked her.
"Just tired, as I said." She assured my husband, her friend.
She gave us all hugs, and made her way around the table to give me one as well, since she refused to let me get to my feet in my condition. She held me carefully, but tightly, telling me she loves me and then rubbing my womb a few times as such love shone from her eyes. I still remembered how moved she was when I told her I was naming one of my sons after my grandfather, her husband, a truly wonderful man that I missed to this day almost as much as she did. For Marie Vandenberg, Nathan Vandenberg had been her dear, true love, and so had their sons, my father George and uncle James who are the light of their eyes. Myself, and my little cousin Henry, were beloved by them as well, and now my grandmother was about to become a great grandmother in four days time; and even a great, great grandmother since Kallisto is my stepdaughter. Family, what means the most to us, will always bind us together.
Last but not least, my grandmother kissed Ariston's cheek and they embraced before he returned her to her home. Their was a bond between Ariston and my grandmother, one forged long before I was born, and even before my father was born. My husband is the one who recruited Marie Vandenberg into the Army of Descendants of the gods when she was just fifteen. She admitted to me that she had possessed quite an interest in Ariston for the first few years she knew him, but they were never more than friends. Ariston did what he could to stay away from younger women, since they wanted more than he could give.
Ariston returned shortly after returning my dear grandmother, meeting my eyes as I gave him a smile. Yes, she had held a desirethat lasted for years for which I could not blame her; but it was my grandfather who won her heart and they showed each other what love was, and had an incredible marriage, that lasted fifty-two years, nine months, eight days before his heart gave out.
"Mom?" I said.
"Hmm?" She responded, her mouth filled with raspberry and lavender sorbet, which was a side dish to the caramel moose. I tried to keep myself calm for what I had to ask, knowing she would not like the details of it.
"Pandora has asked to meet you, if you would agree?" My mother was clearly taken aback.
"Why me?" She asked.
"We are both descended from her daughter Alexis, and are some of the only family she has left in her line." I told her, and took a deep breath.
"Okay, I will meet her." My mother agreed, but my mind was in other places. I glanced at Sif's face and knew that she had been told of what I was about to speak, about the truth that had changed everything. My eyes turned to my mothers.
"Mom, we cannot let her know about Jason." I told her, my eyes pleading. "She cannot handle it and it would cost him his life if anyone around him found out whose side he is on." Her eyes burned as she tried to remain calm, yet I saw the hate within them.
"How can you be so certain that what you feel for him is not blinding you?" She asked, that fear in her eyes again. "So easily, he could be using you and I loathe the thought." My soul sunk as what little smile that remained to me, slid from my lips.
"I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I know him." Was the response that came at once. "Everything within me, every fiber of my being, tells me to support him. You were the one who said, following my heart has never led me astray."
"This is different." She stated. "We are not dealing with just the matters of the heart. The man you are in love with is a mass murderer, a complete maniac!" I was beyond upset by her words, as I am if someone talks about who Jason is now. They only speak of the past, because that was all they knew of him… and even what knowledge they had was shrouded in secrecy. They had no idea of the magnitude of the truth, or what it meant for them and everything they love.
"Do you realize what is at stake?" I asked her. "The fate of the entire world!"
"You are at stake!" Her tone hurt me more than I cared to admit, and she obviously saw that, her eyes becoming apologetic as her tears flew free. "Hurting you is the last thing in the cosmos I would ever want to do, but someone has to say these things to you." Tears came to my own eyes.
"Anne," Came Ariston's voice.
"Let me deal with this!" I snapped at him, and he stopped talking. "You have no idea the multitude of beings that have warned me against him." I went on. "Hades, Persephone, Cronus, even Jason himself has tried to let me go for my sake, since in his eyes he is not worthy of me. What it comes down to, is that if you want someone to blame for your mothers death," I could barely breathe at this point. "Blame me, it was all for me that he killed her." My mothers eyes shed more tears as she shook her head, trying to speak.
"Mera, I did not mean," She began, but I pushed myself away from the table and rose to my feet.
"Everything he did since his escape was all to be with me, not a wanting for power." I told her, as I began crying. "For love, he took that being into his soul, and became this monster. He was captured, and for twelve thousand years, he was tortured in ways that exceed anything he could have done. Twelve. Thousand. Years, mom. Twelve, thousand, years. Then he met me in Asphodel, and became the being I know him to be during those two short years."
"Only my being in his life changes him; without me, he will crumble." I turned around. "I will not abandon him, not ever, if I have any say in it; and I sure as hell do!"
"I just refuse to stand by and watch you be hurt!" She tried to explain. "I know that you want to find good in him, but,"
"No but's about it," I told her as I turned around. "I cannot imagine what it has been like for you, knowing that I am in love with him… but you do not know who he is, you refuse to know him, and though you have your reasons, who are you to judge him when a multitude of truths have not presented themselves to you?"
Few knew that soon, Zenophian would be out of Jason's soul, for the power of our love and the light of my soul that I shared with him, are causing Zenophian to wrench his way free, and he was so close to doing so. What will be left behind, will be only him… whatever is left.
My eyes met my mothers as she tried to understand this, for my sake alone. I spoke,
"You will never love him as you do Ariston and Cronus," I told her. "I simply ask of you not to betray him to anyone, for doing so would be betraying your daughter as well, betraying me, and I need to know that sharing who he is with you was not a mistake." She was silent as I looked into her violet eyes, begging her.
She came up to me and took my hands within her own, her eyes rimmed with tears, the trails of which ran down her cheeks. My wonderful mothers eyes had so many horrible emotions within them, yet as she looked at me, her eyes filled with love, with devotion and resolution.
"I hate him," She told me in all honesty, though not cruelly. "He destroyed the happiness of my childhood in one, foul swoop. Trying to imagine how there is an actual man beneath that monstrosity… I have no idea how to understand what you have told me. I know you love him; therefore, for your sake I will stay silent and hope and pray that you are right, because the consequences of you being wrong… They are too devastating for me to even begin to contemplate."
I wrapped my arms around my mother and held her tightly.
"I know why you worry." I told her over my tears. "My sons are still within my womb, and yet my every instinct is to protect them."
"Just you wait," She told me through her tears. "It only gets harder. But definitely worth it." She kissed my hair and whispered she loved me into my ear.
I sat on the bleachers, watching Ariston ride Vrontos. A sight, that since the first time I witnessed this beauty, has held me transfixed and captivated. My soul ached and I sighed deeply.
"I miss riding." I said softly, my hand resting upon my womb. I smiled. "You boys are well worth it through." Ariston glanced my way and gave me a smile, an encouraging look. "Once these boys are born, I am going to be back on Luna in no time." I said, knowing he could hear me.
"I would expect nothing less." He said as he sat back to prepare for the first jump. I laughed as I watched him go into half-seat and sail over the 5'5 oxer with indescribable grace and agility.
"I am so blessed to have fallen in love with a fellow equestrian." I said to him, making him laugh before preparing for the bounce ahead of him. "Thank the gods I did not end up with Aaron! He could hardly understand how I love horses and anything to do with them." Ariston landed and was now cantering in a circle, and then went to a trot, and from there, into a long reined walk, giving Vrontos a pat on the neck as he met my eyes.
"Thankfully, though Kallisto loves horses and animals in general she has not possessed my passion for the sport." Ariston said. "I agree with you, my wife. Good thing you ended up with me." I laughed out loud, standing awkwardly up as I made my way to him, watching him get down off of Vrontos' left side.
He quickly made his way to me, not wanting me to walk a single step further than I absolutely had to. He placed a kiss on my forehead, one on each cheek and each eyelid before he kissed my lips, making me giggle, deepening our kisses, and then our sons began moving, kicking.
"Whoa." I said in surprise, placing my hand over where one of the boys kicked. "We have a strong one!" And then the other one began kicking. I jumped again and Ariston kneeled down, placing his hands on either side of my womb.
"Calm." Ariston spoke softly. "It is not a contest, boys." He gently rubbed his hands around my womb, lovingly caressing every inch of it, somehow making me fall even more in love with him by the moment. After a few minutes of their fathers loving touch and calming, baritone voice, Nathan and Meristos quieted and became still. "Our sons are eager to greet the world." Ariston enthused and looked into my eyes with a huge smile, then kissed my womb, once for each son before getting to his feet again.
He kept his arm securely wrapped around me, while I was lost in silence, so much on my mind as we made the trek back to the barn. I was glad for the walk, and his presence was wonderful and comforting. I gave a deep sigh as I looked at the ground beneath our feet. From worrying for Jason, even though I connected to him many times a day to see how he was; to wondering the kind of world these incredible sons of mine would be born into; to wondering if my mother would ever cease to hate the man I love; beyond that I had questions. Questions about myself, about things I thought I understood but have only become more mysterious. I feel as if every time I believe I have a foothold with my life, something shifts and changes. Ennina has told me that it is like that when you are remembering and trying to remember past lives; once you think you understand, you end up remembering something which changes everything that had at one time, been so complete an idea in who you are meant to be.
"I am not even certain that I know who I am." I said to Ariston as we walked along the flowering path. He stopped and gave me a warm, knowing smile.
"My beloved bride," He began, making me smile. "You are barely nineteen years old. Even if you know who you are in this moment, there is no way of knowing the woman you will become. Tragedies, as well as inexplicable joys, are going to change you in ways you never imagined possible, and you will become someone who astounds you in the aeons ahead."
"And here I thought I was astounding in your eyes." I half teased, he laughed and shook his head in wonderment.
"You are." He assured me, while I felt within his soul the truth of it. "Far beyond your beauty, from the moment I met you, you have astounded me. You will never cease to do so." It was my turn to shake my head in wonderment. I leaned up and kissed him.
An incredible nervousness came into me when my thoughts shifted to Jason; once Ariston and I's kiss had ended, that is to say nothing could take me away from how he kisses me.
"I worry about him." I said softly, as Ariston held me in his arms.
"So do I." He replied, knowing of whom I spoke. "He has a plan."
"A suicide mission, you mean." Was my reply.
I feared for him. I felt what was coming, and somehow knew he would survive… but it would be close, and although I knew, I still feared for him, this wonderful, tortured soul whose life meant the world to me.
"I suppose, thanks to you, his life is in the hands of the Moirae now." He told me softly, and I smiled.
Dark souls, those the Shadows inhabit, can be beyond the will of the Moirae in many respects. But what they can do, is position good souls in a manner that will at the very least inhibit the wanting's of the demented dark that has seeped into the souls of too many to count.
"He better be brought back to me; I cannot live without him." I whispered to which Ariston nodded in understanding and after a time, we began walking hand in hand towards the enormous Olympian Stables in the distance.
While Ariston took care of Vrontos, I sat in the chair he placed for me, my hands running over my womb as my thoughts drifted to my other pregnancies, in so many other lives, and there was this ache, which was a desperate need for knowledge about them. When Ariston finished with Vrontos and put him in his paddock, he carefully helped me to my feet.
"I want to go to the library for awhile." I told Ariston as we gazed into each others eyes. "My children… I want to know what became of them after my deaths." He nodded.
"May I accompany you?" He asked. I gave him a sad smile and shook my head.
"I need to do it myself. They were my children." He nodded, though he was clearly not pleased to be away from me this late in my pregnancy.
"Please, if you need anything, call to me." He nearly begged. "Even if it is a cup of ambrosia, or a foot rub." I laughed out loud and nodded.
"I will." I told him, and we kissed before I teleported away.
The vast Library of Olympus was the size of four football fields and eighteen stories in all. The ceilings of each floor were eighty feet in height, the bookshelves went from floor to ceiling, with spiral staircases leading to landings every ten feet so that the books would be reachable to those without the ability of flight and or levitation. Except for the top two levels, Olympus' library had been set deep into the mountain. It was well lit and the absence of windows gave one a feeling of being surrounded by limitless, ancient, arcane knowledge. As a lover of knowledge, the excitement that runs through me each time I visited this place was beyond explanation!
Walls of Mother of pearl; shelves of gold; elaborate art from mediums made of ground precious stones and metals, along with breathtaking sculptures; and of course the digital section, where there were countless large stone surfaces, with diamond instead of glass, that were screens that held an astoundingly enormous collection of knowledge that included genealogical information.
For some reason, I wanted to look up Zeus' ancestry. Placing my palm on the stormy blue marble, I called him forth by name and his family tree appeared, and zoomed in on Zeus. Above his image, were the lines that led to his parents. Theia on the right, daughter of Gaia and Ouranos, and my eyes drifted over to a blank portrait, with a simple inscription. 'The Nameless One'. I found my fingers running over the pseudonym. The title given to the immortal I love after his name was destroyed for his crimes. Of course, the dissolution of his name became the least of his torments. Twelve thousand years in Tartarus, and in the years we were together, Jason has refused to speak of what was done to him there, saying he still felt he deserved far worse.
How strange it is, the twists and turns of fate, the way the Moirae weave our lives, and how if one simple event were to change… everything would be different. Think of time travel… the very idea was too much to wrap my mind around. Everything could be changed, by simply taking one of the dominos away.
I had only a vague idea of the dominos within my life and what led me to those I love. The farthest I remembered back was around 700AD, when I was Lyra of Ithaca; a twenty year old woman whom was married off, bore a son who died when he was two weeks old, and threw herself from a cliff in despair in hopes to be reunited with her boy, only to be confronted with the terrible truth of the matter. His soul was young enough that he had been reincarnated into another life, one he was destined to life. And as I stood before King Hades and Queen Persephone, asking for my son, just to hold him again and have that beauty within my arms, he was already within another's womb, already becoming someone else's.
For taking my own life, Hades had decided I would spend two years in the Wastelands of Asphodel, to give me time to reflect upon my life. Persephone, although, felt a kinship to me as a mother and asked of her husband to make me her handmaiden, to which he agreed.
For two hundred years, I faithfully served Queen Persephone, she and I becoming as close as any sisters ever were. Her husband treated me like family, like another sister, or even a daughter, and his sons with Ennina and daughters with Persephone treated me as family as well, and being with them, I had a family. But every day, barely a moment went by when I did not think about my boy, when I did not beg to have him within my arms once again.
It was not far from spring in the world above when Persephone and Hades went over the list of inmates of Tartarus, seeing which had come far enough to be released from Tartarus, then sent to Asphodel for the next phase in the process of healing. I stood there that day, one of the few they trusted enough to be in that room and serve them as they went over these important matters. The Nameless One's 'name' came up. Not a moment after hearing the name, Hades face darkened, clearly thinking over the crimes of such an immortal. Perhaps Jason would have been kept in Tartarus another fifteen thousand years, if Hades loving and compassionate wife had not convinced him otherwise.
He would be kept under guard in Asphodel, and given a hut to exist in for the rest of eternity; he would be kept there so he would never again harm the gods, or the mortals they so fiercely protected. They usually send a warm soul to eventually bond with the inmate, but obviously, no one wished to tend to the Nameless One.
Wanting to do a good deed, as was my nature, I asked if I could go. After a lengthy pause, King Hades agreed. I took with me a wash bucket and cloth, knowing he would still be a mess. Setting eyes upon him for the first time… it was not what I had been expecting. I looked upon his dirt-caked form, and saw a broken soul… but when he looked upon me, I felt this spark within me for the first time since I had buried my son. One meeting, for merely an hour, it was all it took for me to fall in love with him, and he with me.
My head spun at the thought of how much would be different if I had not met him there and we had not fallen in love. Countless dominos would be taken away; it would disrupt the very ground upon which everything has been built. The very thought scared the wits out of me; the Nameless One's true nature, his becoming of Jason through our love; what nearly drove me mad was the idea that just maybe, this tortured soul I love so greatly, could have slipped into nonexistence. Or worse off, been consumed by Zenophian, becoming even worse than Reina at the end of it.
It was my son's death that brought Jason and I together. If I had not taken my own life after his death, then King Hades might not have wished for me to spend a year in Asphodel to rethink my choices and come to a better understanding of them, so as to help me to deal with what I would face in the following life. And were that sentence not passed down, Queen Persephone would have had no reason to spare me of that fate and have me as her handmaiden, and if I had not taken that task upon me, perhaps I would not have been there that day, to offer to help this soul that became my Jason.
I thought the name of my son, Alanthos of Ithaca, whose death was what began so much and brought Jason and I together. Moments later, his little portrait appeared and I cried as my hand went to cover my mouth. He was there, with his black hair, and sparkling blue eyes, his chubby little face.
"Mera?" Came a familiar, worried voice.
I looked up to see John, Descendant of Hermes, part of my unit in the army, walking over to me, placing a hand upon my shoulder. I wiped my eyes, then looked back to the image of the infant. Stroking my fingers over the image, and once again knowing I would do anything if I could hold my baby in my arms just once more.
"Who's that?" John asked.
"My son." I breathed, and John looked at me in confusion, noticing the date of birth as September 26th 745AD. He looked at me and I met his sky blue eyes. "From a past life. He died when he was two weeks old; a fever took him." His eyes turned compassionate and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I smiled to him.
"I understand why you were crying." He told me.
"I threw myself from a cliff in despair." I told him softly, and he gave my shoulder a squeeze as I took a deep breath, smiling as I looked upon the image.
The image of me appeared. A beautiful and noble woman, with brown hair and brown eyes. Eyes that he has told me reminded him of fresh turned earth. Jason met and fell in love with me in the form I was looking upon now. A flash came, a rush of memories that caused me to jump. Laughs, kisses, promises of eternal love, passions, the longing for a child with his laughter.
"Are you alright?" John asked. It took me a moment, as I processed these images, the mixture of memories from the two wonderful years Jason and I were together in Asphodel.
"Memories." I told him softly, looking upon the image of myself. "They come back quicker when provoked, since I am an immortal now."
"What is it like?" He asked, removing his arm as he took a step back to look at me.
"As a Descendant," I began. "Painful and exhausting. Those images, and feelings, and events, are kept in the deepest recesses of a soul. The excess in brain activity, when a transfer occurs from the soul into the brain, the process brings sometimes-powerful headaches and even migraines. A human brain is not made to have entire years of memories 'created' during such a short amount of time, and so it exhausts and hurts you.
"But to have those memories… of loves, and pains, laughter and tragedies… your past children… it is worth it. Remembering means more to me than I can say." I brought up the image of my infant son. "The thought that I did not remember him at one point… he is my son and even though it has been thirteen hundred years since I last held him… I love him, as much as I love Ariston, and Meristos and Nathan, and Cronus, and Jason." I had mentioned Jason, saying that we had fallen in love and would be together.
"So, you need to introduce us to the mysterious Jason." He mentioned, I smiled and nodded, looking at the image of Alanthos again before meeting John's eyes.
"Would you like to see my others? Sons and Daughters?" I asked him, he nodded and I went to focus.
An image of a beautiful red head appeared. She had the soulful eyes of a poet, they for some reason made me imagine a weeping willow. Diana De Fontaine, daughter of Princess Drianna and Steward Joseph. Born June 9th 989AD. Her brother Marcus carried his father's stony face, but his mother's soulful, willow eyes. My own eyes.
Next was my son Orpheus, named after the character from Greek Tragedy who lost his wife, then braved the Underworld and its rulers to find and regain his wife, his Eurydice. Orpheus was a grown man in the painting, with shoulder length bronze hair, blue eyes, an elegant nose that was no doubt mine and lips that hinted at a smile. John smiled as I spoke of Orpheus' brilliant smile, and his funny way of laughing. His brother Julius, obviously named after Caesar himself, held the image next to his. He took after his father in every way but one; Julius was compassionate, and thankfully not ruthless,unlike High Lord Normas.
"Crazy." John said, I gave him a smile, then read up on them, their wonderful and difficult existences. I wished the Moirae gave more access to the lives of souls, that way I could find them in this life. I could only imagine what that would be like and what they could look like and who they would be. Would they remember me?
"More like wonderful." I said as I went on to my next children.
My daughter Katrina, from when I was low born and of little importance, was next. Hair the color of sunshine, eyes as rich as pure emeralds, pure golden skin, face of a deity. Her father always praised her looks for being so much of a resemblance to my own. She was three when I died, and tears came to my eyes when I thought of the day. I had seen him, Jason, walking through the streets. Those pale blue eyes searching, always searching, and I knew him in that exact moment. My soul recognized one of its mates. Katrina was with me, and in that moment as I looked upon him, she wandered out of my sight.
She was nearly ran over by a carriage… I pushed her out of the way in time and was run over instead; it was a trade I would happily make a thousand times over, my life for my childs. Jason and I had been that close, after being separated for three hundred years, we had been that close… and it broke my heart, and even more so because I was taken from my children time and time again in order to keep me away from Jason. There were times when I did not even make it to marriage age, or even to the ability to bear children.
Bohaam, my black haired, brown skinned little son was the next I looked up. I had brown skin myself in that life, as had my husband at the time. He was the tribal leader, which made our son his next in line, and in our town white and black had lived harmoniously. The most stark and wondrous part of my son's appearance was his eyes, which were an incredible brown/golden shade that everyone adored him for. Not to mention his temperament and compassion to those around him. I was fifteen when he was born, and he was ten when I died.
My memories of my children from my time with the Maharaja were limited, and so until I remembered either their names, my name or their fathers name, I would have little to go on to find out about them. I had to wonder; how many more children did I have? How many of my children would not have existed, were I with Jason the whole time? That was a question, which yanked my soul in too many different ways. My desire to be with Jason and how much I adore each and every child of mine made it difficult to handle each event. Yet I have made peace with how things have happened, even the happenings that broke my heart too many times to count.
I met John's eyes as he stood beside me. He gave me a smile; it was the closest semblance to his old self as I have seen. So many times I was taken away from those children of mine too soon, and I was sure John felt that Helen had been taken away from him too soon; from him and dear Beth. The thought of the beautiful six year old brought a smile to my face and I thought it could bring one to John's as well.
"Ariston and I took care of Beth Mason last weekend." I mentioned to John. "Fredric wanted a day to spend with his sister Veronica. And of course I adore the little girl!"
"I can already see her mom in her." He spoke softly; I sensed the sadness.
There was nothing I was able to say, for I too missed Helen. I remembered her strength and determination, and also her kindness and her unending devotion to her unit. Everyone in the ΑΩΣΔΡunit knew she was always there for them. We all lost her that day, and yet John was among those whom took her death the hardest. As for her husband, Fredric Mason, I had some idea of what he felt.
I took John's hand and gave it a squeeze to try and comfort him, and he gave me a nod as he took a rough breath and tried to give me a smile.
"We all miss her, I guess." Was what he said, and I nodded my agreement.
"You and Beth are what survived of her." I told him. "She is in every memory and will never be forgotten."
"Mera, Helen is dead." He stated. "Memories are not going to change the fact that she is gone forever." I shook my head.
"Her body, and not her soul died." I told him, his eyes told me a part of him wanted to believe me, while the rest simply could not handle the fact that she was gone from his life. "Take it from someone who remembers what it is like to die, and be reborn over and over again. We change… but something always remains." I would have said more, were it not for my daughters voice within my mind.
Mother, father, I am getting close, come quickly! Kallisto sent the thought out.
"I am about to become a grandmother!" I told John, my excitement radiating from me.
"Congratulations." He told me, giving me a smile. "I suppose I will see you in a few days, for your birthday party." I nodded.
"Until then," I told him, leaning up to kiss his cheek in a sisterly manner. "Make sure to stop by and visit Aaron and Kallisto; they will be wanting to introduce their daughter to you soon."
"Alright, goodbye." He told me, and I teleported away, to where my husband was already anxiously awaiting the birth of his youngest granddaughter in the living room, while Aaron and Kallisto were in the birthing room two floors above us at the end of the meandering,sunflower yellow hallway.
