The idea for "Hekate: The Aftermath Chronicles" had been with me since the day I finished the Alchemyst. The Goddess with Three Faces had always been one of my favorite characters, along with the Morrigan and Comte de Saint-Germain, and her death was kind of unbelievable for me.

And at New Year's Eve I was on the computer instant messaging one of my friends when she sent me the link to her fanfiction story. So, a few days later I checkout the site and, obviously, liked what I saw. So I started an account and the Aftermath Chronicles were born.

Now, the idea of Ymir actually came to me while I was on my trampoline and was bored. I made up the little romance between the two a while before I even learned about . Bringing him back to life as a baby was a completely different idea entirely! I had only really gotten through the history of the two lovebirds, but never really the future for them, so that was a big twist. And, like all real love stories, there was a tragic end. Their love was forbidden. But the sad emotion was quickly engulfed by the recreation of Hekate's Shadowrealm, so I put that tragic death of their love out of my mind.

The Yggdrasill, of course, had to come back It was the center of her power. And her Shadowrealm was easy to recreate in my own mind because I have read the Alchemyst about fourteen times, not to mention when I did research and just skimmed the book. The Torc Allta HAD to come back being her greatest warriors, and the Lizard Nathair always fascinated me, so they came back as well. And the banshee were just thrown in there for good measure, which that idea also came from the Alchemyst: When Sophie and Josh are planning their escape and they hear footsteps so they hid in a room as something screams as it walks by them. Yeah, see where I got the idea for the banshee?

The Elder War was a big plan with small wings. Yes, I wanted to write about the Elder vs. Dark Elder war, but it was too complicated, so I settled for just her killers: Bastet, the Morrigan, and the loathsome Dr. John Dee.

The concept of the Fifth Element of Time also came from the Alchemyst, which Nicholas Flamel mentions while crouching by the koi pond in the World Tree. But there were only two Elders who could use the element of Time. Hello Chronos, hello Witch of Endor.

Hekate, of course, needed allies. And the idea for Rangda had always been another name for Hekate in my view, but then I thought about something else. What if she were insane enough to be able to defeat the Morrigan? You would need a very powerful Elder or a very crazy one to do that. Ta da, guess which one I picked?

Shiva, the Destroyer, is my favorite deity in Hindu mythology. He is seen as the destroyer, but out of destruction comes rebirth. And plus, if I was going to have a crazy Next Generation on my team, I needed a righteous Elder.

Rangda's betrayal was simple. I had come to the conclusion that she couldn't defeat the Crow Goddess. And so, I had to 'get rid of' her. And so I did. But that left me with a problem: Who was going to replace her?

I was reading an Irish mythology book at the time and had read about Danu, the queen of the gods. She had fascinated me, but I couldn't put her in there, not while I already mentioned Juno as being the wife of Odin in the first chapter. And so I came up with the idea of her being two faced. Not like Rangda or Hekate (three-faced in that instance), but more being ruled by her emotions. And so the vengeful Juno and the gentle Danu were tied in to the chronicles.

Bastet was in the exact same mansion that Dr. John Dee had gone to to recruit her. And Shiva melting into the shadows was a simple incantation that anyone can master, but, in her fear, the Cat Goddess had seen it as something more powerful. Silly kitty.

Alcatraz had always been one of the most fascinating places in the world to me, so I was more than happy to begin writing about it. The sphinx never left the Rock, Dee never learning of Perenelle and Areop-Enap's escape, so Danu, becoming the ravenous Juno, took care of her using her profound knowledge in Earth Magic. And then displaying her skills in the four magic's beneath Alcatraz, attempting to move the same spears that Perenelle has shifted, her being able to because she was human. The Morrigan, sensing the sudden shift on energy in the air had run out in anger, only to be overcome by Danu, retaining her calm as she threw the Crow Goddess into the same pond that Shiva had pushed Bastet into, trapping them both.

Of course the situation Machiavelli and Dee were in is going to have to change when later on in the series things change. But I had to put them in there sometime. I put Machiavelli in the story because I figured it really wasn't fair for Dee to have to stand up against Hekate all on his own. Plus, I'd rather he lose with help; it makes him look even weaker.

The Nephilim idea was sort of a last minute thing. They are actual figures in the Bible and, depending on your religion, they did exist. They were the children of the Angels of God. Uriel is also an actual Angel, whether or not he was one of the Angels to have children with humans, I don't know that. I thought putting him in there was not only a good idea to help Hekate (like she needs help!), but also a statement about my faith and beliefs, which, for those of you who are wondering, I am a Christian, a Methodist to be exact. And so yes, I do believe that the Nephilim really existed. So hah.

And then there's the fateful death of Dr. John Dee. I always saw becoming an unfeeling, soulless body was worse than death and torture combined. Living as an empty shell is horrible, and so I mirrored that idea into the punishment of the English Magician. Also, the young woman mentioned is to be a key character in my next story for the Alchemyst. History knows her as Anne Boleyn, but that's another story…

Releasing the two Dark Elders was simply for reasons of the future. Of course, none of my stories have ANYTHING to do with each other unless otherwise specified, but I wanted to keep my options open. Just in case. Bastet was given back her mansion, and the Morrigan was placed by inside the Rock where "The Magician" left her off at. The lotus flower given to Hekate by Shiva is completely symbolism. For what, well, you'll have to ask me that one…

The title of the last chapter "Brackish Waters" came from the moment when three Elders were set at each others throats, deciding if they should release the Dark Elders or imprison them. "Brackish" refers to salt water and fresh water mixed, so the two opinions were mixed together until a common agreement was reached.

The epilogue is an interesting subject. It was written by a character in the book which the intelligent would quickly recognize who it is, but the foolish won't notice, so I will tell you that the epilogue was written by the Thorn: Rangda. It was an excellent way to end the story, I think. Rangda, in her imprisonment, writing the Aftermath Chronicles. And then there's the part about Danu telling the story of the Elder Race to an "Irish author in Dublin". Of course, that Irish author is Michael Scott. But he may have gotten the story from another Elder, Next Generation, or Immortal Human. But then again, the whole story isn't real….. right? ;)

Shaneltz