Author's Note: Well, we have reached the half way mark! It will take time, but I will start posting the rest of the book as soon as I can! Love you all, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following both my work and myself!


Chapter 21

Truth

"An ancient calling calls me forth towards my destiny, a calling I cannot ignore, one I cannot fight, for the need is too strong within me."

Jasmine Dubroff

I came home early, Ariston has not returned from his duties yet. We have been living together for two glorious weeks, it has been wonderful, every moment of it. We have not been able to keep our hands off of each other, I cannot see an end to that any time soon, nor do I wish for one.

Ariston has taken me shopping a few times. I have never met a man who enjoys shopping, but Ariston was perfectly content to walk around with me and help me pick out clothing, and I must admit that I greatly enjoyed teasing him in the lingerie shops.

I placed his keys in the bowl by the door, then went into our bathroom and stripped down and bathed in the waterfall, lost in my own thoughts. Lately I have been having these dreams. In each one I am fighting, sometimes with a sword, sometimes with two, or a knife or with no weapons at all. I am always fighting to protect someone. Sometimes it is Nell and other times it is Margret, then there are times when it is a stranger that needs my help. I have found myself longing for that, to fight, to protect, to do my part in changing this world and saving it. In the end of the dream the same voice whispers 'This is who you are, Mera.' The need to explore the extent of what I am capable of is taking over. I cannot control it, and however wonderful my life may be, I cannot be content in doing nothing.

The dreams have made me think of how I helped Margret, I saved her life that night, and of how Jack looked at me after I saved the woman he loves. How can I not want to do that again, to save others? What if I could find Nell and help her? I have decided that I am going to talk to Ariston about it tonight.

I got out and dried off with the cloud wool towels then went into our closet and put on a floor length, red, cloud silk nightgown trimmed in lace and went out to the living room. Ariston was sitting on the rug by a roaring fire, drinking a glass of wine, another glass of wine sat next to him. He looked me over and smiled up to me. I was once again struck by his beauty and by how much I truly love this god, yet the longing remained. I walked over to him with a smile on my lips and sat next to him, he handed me the other glass.

"Your brother's brew?" I asked as I took it from him.

"Of course." He replied. I placed a kiss on his lips, then smiled and took a sip of the chilled wine as the roaring fire warmed my skin.

"How was your day?" I asked him.

"It went well. I am happy to say that I stopped five crimes in three different countries, and spent some time with Kallisto." Ariston told me.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She is well. She said to tell you that she would love to take you shopping, if I can let you go for a day." He said. The look in his eyes said that was not likely to happen any time soon, I laughed.

"That would be nice, I would love to get to know her better." I told him, he smiled.

"How was your day?" Ariston asked.

"It was great," I told him. "I spent time with Aaron, Margret and Jack. Later I went to ride Vrontos, he was wonderful as always. We worked on some dressage."

"I am happy to hear that." Ariston said. I took a deep breath and ran my index finger around the rim of my glass of wine, my eyes on the rose colored liquid inside as I wondered how to broach the subject that was on my mind. "What is it my love?" Ariston asked, I looked into his inquisitive eyes.

"There is something I have been wanting to talk to you about." I told him. I took a sip of my wine before continuing. "Where do we go from here? I am a Descendant and when we wed I will become an immortal. I wonder what I will do with that."

"There is so much to do on Olympus. You could be a lady of leisure." Ariston told me with a smile. "There is so much to learn there, thousands of years of knowledge on every subject you can imagine, and some you cannot, will be at your fingertips. You can get to know the gods, they have such stories to tell. And of course we will get married and start a family of our own and give Kallisto some brothers and sisters." He said, I smiled at the thought of that, but the dream lingered in my mind, and I knew that as much as I love Ariston, and as much as I want that life with him, it would not be enough for me.

"Ariston, I want to be your wife and have a family with you... but that is not all I want." I told him, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Being a housewife is just not who I am. I want a life of my own. I want to help change this world, I always have but I never knew how I was going to do that. Then you show up, and I find out who you are, and who I am." I shook my head and smiled. "I want to fight against the evils that are plaguing this world, it is part of who I am. I want that responsibility, I want to protect those whom cannot protect themselves and help those who can." Ariston's face changed and I felt a deep, dark foreboding within him as he looked away from my eyes and back to the flames. He took another drink of his wine, and I realized that this was the same fear I felt from him weeks ago, when I told him about my dream of Elianna. "What is it?" I asked him, he was silent for a long while.

"You do not know what you are asking for... you do not understand. I do not want this life for you." He said softly.

"Why?" I asked him, he took a deep breath.

"People think they know the gods, but they have no idea what it is to be a god. The things I have seen," Ariston shook his head, a feeling of torment within him from all he has experienced. "You have no idea the horrors the mortals are capable of; it takes a toll on you, and strips so much away from you. I do not want this for you Mera, to see the things I have witnessed. Your purity and innocence are two of my favorite things about you, and once they are gone, they are gone. I will not let you join the army." He said, already knowing what I wanted to do. His face took on the same mask it did when he was fighting Aaron, I knew it was to hide his emotions out of instinct, momentarily forgetting that I could feel them.

"Ariston, this is my choice." I said.

"You do not understand." Ariston almost yelled, I flinched back from his tone, he has never once raised his voice to me. He sighed and looked away. His reaction made no sense to me.

"There is more to this, I can see that much in your eyes. What are you not telling, Ariston?" I asked him. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked at me with watery eyes.

"Since the Nameless One escaped Tartarus, every Descendant of Pandora who has fought against the Shadows has not lived pass her twenty-fifth birthday." Ariston stated. "All we do to protect them always ends up being in vain. The Nameless One has each and every one of them hunted down. He will not risk a Descendant of Pandora locking the Shadows away again, they are his greatest strength, the only way to accomplish his goal, his vengeance against the gods for imprisoning him for twelve thousand years.

"There were five other Descendants of Pandora of your generation, three boys and two girls." Ariston continued a moment later. "They were trained, brought to Olympus and became part of the army. Each one was promising, and each one was younger than you when they were killed in cold-blooded ways that would haunt your dreams for millennia to come. You are our last hope for the battle that is soon to come, that is why I was sent to you. When I fell in love with you I knew I could not allow anything to happen to you, it would be the death of me to lose you. I will not allow you to risk yourself." He said with firmness. I was shocked by what I had just learned, but there was something I had to ask, a truth I had to know.

"I am what will tip the scales in the favor of good in the war, aren't I?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from his lips.

"Yes, you are." Ariston answered reluctantly. "You are the last living Descendant of Pandora, except for your mother, but I think that we both know that she is not an Active. The light within you will be more powerful than anything against them, and with the box... Yet it does not change anything. You are still and always in danger from the Nameless One; he will end you if you fight against him."

I was quiet for a moment, I was not expecting that... but it does not change anything, I will not let fear get in the way. It seems that I am the key to saving the Worlds, what kind of coward would I be if I were to say no? I felt a deep acceptance of this truth, I did not wish to change it because this is what I am meant to do, my destiny.

"Mera," Ariston begged, feeling what I was thinking.

"I understand, my love, but you cannot protect me forever." I told him. "Though most choose not to see it, the world is crumbling around us... how can I not do my part? What kind of person, woman or goddess, would I be if I just sat back when there is something I can do about it?" I asked him. "I want to help. You said that I will be powerful and that I am highly skilled. I have to put those skills to good use, I have to help these people."

"You cannot fight them. How can you not understand?" Ariston was trying not to yell again. I felt his frustration, his anguish. In a moment, he rose to his feet and put his fist through the marble fireplace with a loud crack. I looked at the hole in the marble in shock.

"Ariston." I said, rushing to my feet and taking his hand in mine. I examined it to find that there was not a single scrape on it, just marble dust. Even after living with a god for the past two weeks it still shocked me, since I expected a bloodied and broken fist.

"Once they find out who you are, what you are capable of, they are going to want you dead." He said. I looked up into Ariston's eyes, filled with anguish and begging me to understand the gravity of this. "If you are this powerful in a human body, just think how powerful you will be once you are an immortal. He will not risk that." Ariston said the last part in a whisper.

"If Pandora was immune to the Shadows, then perhaps I am as well." I said to him softly, holding his hand within mine. "If we could find the box then I could do what she did, I could put them away, then we could find a way to destroy the Shadows so they would not be able to do this again." Ariston turned away from me, his hand sliding out of my grasp.

"What do you think we have been doing for the past thirteen thousand years? We have been searching and searching. If we have ever gotten close to the box, it has been moved. Without that box we do not stand a chance against them, and neither do you." Ariston said. I walked over to him, standing behind him.

"You must allow me to do this." I told him. Ariston turned around and looked into my eyes, I could feel so many emotions within him; fear, love, hate, worry, anguish, anger, all at once. He placed his hand on my cheek.

"No." Ariston said firmly, in a voice that was final. "I have made the arrangements with my father. You will not be joining the army."

"You made an arrangement like that without even speaking to me first?" I asked, not believing that he would have done something like that. Ariston had told me that he had his father stop my training, but he never mentioned that he made it so that I would not be able to join the army.

"I had no choice. You can hate me, but I will keep you safe." Ariston said. "You will not be joining the army, and that is final." I was hurt by his words, I pulled away from his touch with tears in my eyes. How could he speak to me like that?

"You do not get to control me, to tell me how to live my life!" I yelled at him then shook my head. "I might have expected something like this from Aaron," I said with tears in my eyes. "But never from you." I was truly hurt.

Ariston recoiled as if he had been slapped; a part of me wanted to put my arms around him but the other part could not stand what he had done. It hurt even worse because I love him so deeply. I turned and quickly went down the hall and towards our bedroom while wiping the stupid tears from my cheeks.

"Mera," Ariston called after me but I did not stop.

"Go away!" I yelled at him.

I went into our bedroom and slammed the door, ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep, shaky breath. I climbed into our bed and laid down, facing away from the door, looking out at the starry sky with blurry eyes. A moment later, I felt Ariston behind me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me close to his body. I did not have it in me to pull away.

"I am sorry. Forgive me my love, please forgive me." Ariston begged as he kissed my cheek. I turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around him, he held me close as I cried my tears. "I do not want to control you, I never have. I simply cannot bear the very thought of any harm coming to you; it is maddening, and I have seen first hand the pain the Shadows and their master can inflict. Just please consider what I said, that is all I ask." He begged, I nodded as I clutched onto him. "I love you and I cannot lose you, I will not be able to live without you." He whispered and kissed my hair.


I did not sleep, I could not no matter how hard I tried. I laid on Ariston's chest and thought about what was said tonight, I was grateful for the comfort of his arms around me.

Somehow, I did not even have to give it a second thought. If giving my life means saving the Worlds and those I love... how could I not? But I have more to think of now than I have ever had before. I looked up at Ariston, carefully moving to hover over his face. I have never seen him sleep, he always falls asleep when I do and is awake hours before I am. He is so beautiful when he sleeps, so at peace.

I felt my throat constrict as tears welled in my eyes. What would happen to Ariston if I were to die? Tears ran down my cheeks at the thought of putting him through such pain again, losing another woman he is completely in love with. And my mother and father... children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. For them to lose their only daughter... I sighed out a shaky breath as more tears came.

The last thing I want to do in this world is hurt them in any way. But how can I do as Ariston asks and stay away from my duty, my destiny? I decided then and there what I would do. I will join this fight. I will train relentlessly and become the best and wisest fighter there is, so that when the time comes, I will be ready to fight. And above all, I will be victorious.

I looked at Ariston again and one tear fell from my lashes to land upon his cheek. Ariston's eyes opened immediately; he looked at me with concern in his eyes as he lifted his hand to caress away my tears. I felt how it hurt him to see me cry, and not only because he could feel my emotions.

I looked into Ariston's eyes, glowing sky blue in the night, and could not stand it a moment longer. I kissed his lips and slid my hand down his granite-like chest. His hand tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss and I took hold of him. I did not have to say what I wanted, he knew, he saw it through my mind and felt the need within me. He kissed me deeply, held me closer as he turned his body towards mine, my leg going around his hip, and with that we were intertwined...

I laid in his arms as the sun began to rise. I decided to talk to him, he needs to understand.

"I love you, more than anything I love you." I said to him softly, looking into his eyes. "I love the life we lead, but there is this whole other part of me that is trying to claw her way free. It would be a lie to say I do not want to explore this. I need to know who I am, I need to understand what is inside of me." I told him, laying my hand upon his cheek. "I have to do this Ariston, I have to be part of this. It is my destiny, I can feel it. I swear to you that I will do everything I can to stay alive. I will train harder than anyone else and master every ability we share. I will not leave you alone if I have any say in it." I said. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"I understand. I suppose there is no way I can change your mind?" He asked. I shook my head and he sighed and smiled.

"I will not give up on this, I cannot bring myself to, and I know that you cannot live without me." I told him. "So there is only one option."

"And that is?" Ariston asked.

"To win." I stated simply and his smile grew.

"This has always been your decision, and it seems you have made it." Ariston said. "I had no right to do what I did. I love you, Mera, and I will stand by you in this and help you and protect you in every way that I can." Ariston told me. Tears of joy came to my eyes and my heart swelled, I felt that he meant every word he spoke with all his soul.

"Thank you so much, I love you... I love you so very much." I said then leaned in to kiss him.

"We did not do so badly for our first fight." Ariston said with a smile and I laughed and shook my head, laying my hand upon his cheek.

"I never want to fight with you again." I told him.

"I am sorry. It was my fault, I should not have tried to force you into what I want, and I should not have spoken to you in that way, no matter how worried I was. I will not do so again, no matter what. Can you forgive me?" Ariston asked, I could see in his eyes that he worried that I would not. I smiled.

"All too easily, my love." I told him and he smiled, relief filling him. "Of course I forgive you, my Ariston. I understand why you did what you did, I do not want to lose you any more than you want to lose me. This is my destiny as much as you are, and to choose between you and it would tear me apart."

"That is the last thing I want." Ariston said as he caressed my cheek. "Give me a week, just one week alone with you before you begin this. I will not go to Olympus and you not go to school. Lets just spend a whole week together."

"That sounds perfect." I smiled. He smiled, leaned in and kissed me.

"Oh how I love you, my Mera." Ariston mumbled against my lips before kissing me again as my smile grew...