Same as before. DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!
Characters:
Erebus: God of darkness and shadow. Son of Chaos, brother and husband to Nyx.
Pallas: God of warcraft. He was killed by Athena during the Titanomachy.
Kronos: The leader of the Titans, who overthrew his father Ouranos only to be overthrown in turn by his son, Zeus.
Poseidon: God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes and horses; known as the "Earth Shaker" or "Storm Bringer". He is a son of Kronos and Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades.
Hermes: God of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades' realm, and the son of Zeus and Maia.
Part Two: The Choosing of Sides
The figure weaved through the shadows, disapparating into mist when struck by sunlight and then reforming into the darkness between the trees. It moved fluidly like water through a child's fingers. Its pace quickening steadily as it approached the silhouette of the war god who knelt on his knees in a sunless glade.
"Erebus." The titan hissed, raising its head. From beneath a helm of blackened bronze, volcanic orbs flared in the place of eyes, deep within the recesses of shadowy sockets. A cruel and savage smile streaked across a scarred and ageless face.
Erebus stopped, his form materializing in the fabric of shadows, his featureless body flickering like a candle flame.
"Lord Pallas." Erebus said, inclining his head slightly to form a shallow bow.
Pallas' eyes flared and the smile faded, replaced instead by a mirthless smirk, "Welcome Lord of Darkness." He replied in kind.
Erebus tilted his head slightly as if to see Pallas from a different angle. "I sense… fear…"
Pallas rose to his feet, a sword materializing in his large and heavily scarred hands.
"…But not of me… Curious… I am."
Pallas bared his teeth, "I am LORD PALLAS, TITAN of warcraft, I fear no one, least of all you."
"I meant… No offense." Erebus said silkily, offering his hands up in surrender, "…Darkness brings to light all fears."
"I FEAR NOTHING!"
Erebus shrugged, "Very well."
Breathing heavily Pallas fell to one knee, his sword disowning as he dropped it and reached for a stitch in his side. Ichor, the golden blood of the gods trickled through his fingers.
"A mortal wound." Erebus remarked calmly.
Pallas said nothing. The color bleeding from his face as he stared down at the wound with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
"It's an illusion!" Pappas exclaimed.
Erebus nodded, "Yes."
The wound disappeared, the blood on his hand dissolved even as Pallas raised it to his eyes.
"You fear… dying." Erebus told him gently.
Pallas shivered, 'repeat that lie and I will destroy you."
Erebus nodded. "As you wish."
"The titan Lord wants an audience." Pallas told him, "He fears you involvement."
"My sister and wife has already sworn allegiance to Olympian Zeus." Erebus admitted.
And you?" Pallas demanded, a cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.
"No," Erebus replied, "choosing would require betrayal, whichever side I happen to favor."
"The the titan Lord will not leave you alone until you declare." Pallas explained, volcanic eyes finishing. "You are his last concern."
Erebus' form flickered as he chuckled wryly. "He fears me? I am not nearly powerful enough to hurt him…"
He froze, his laughter dissipating, and in its place replaced by a grim understanding. 'The helm of darkness," He said softly.
Pallas nodded, licking his lips as if he tasted something sweet in the air, "Yes. With you on Kronos' side Hades' weapon becomes obsolete. Your realm is all shadows and darkness, and Hades would not dare risk travelling through your kingdom where he would be… unnaturally vulnerable."
"With my wife and sister on the Olympian's side –" Erebus nodded, "very well, I offer my service to the Titan lord, neither side should have such advantages…"
A slow, satisfied smile streamed across the titan's face, "I am… relieved."
Liquid orbs of fathomless icy blue stared out in the place of eyes over a crimson and troubled wide dark sea.
"You ask much… brother." Poseidon said softly.
Zeus' stormy grey eyes darkened, but he remained silent and said nothing.
"The sea does not like to be restrained." Poseidon told him, his tanned, clean shaved face wearing a deeply brooding look.
"You would serve our father instead?" Zeus demanded menacingly, speaking at last.
Poseidon inclined his head slightly as if in prayer, his calloused hands curling into fist. "Never." He growled.
"I saved you once before brother.' Zeus reminded him gently. His face softening by a degree, "If I should lose this war…"
"Kronos will show no mercy to any god who does not grovel before him," Poseidon interjected, his voice impossibly calm.
Zeus nodded.
"Very well brother," Poseidon replied softly, "I swear my allegiance."
"My Lord?" The voice whispered tentively.
The presence awoke and stirred in the darkness. "What?" It demanded coldly.
The voice stuttered and then coughed nervously. "Poseidon has sworn –"
"Allegiance to Zeus." The presence finished for him. "You're beginning to bore me."
The voice laughed, but the sound of it was off, almost like it was forced, "You are wisest of immortals my Lord…"
"GET – TO – THE - POINT!"
"The last have declared their loyalties." It stuttered.
"Good." The presence replied, "Then the fun can truly begin."
"Please!" A voice cried out in the distance, "Not my—"
SILENCE
A figure raced through the forest, limping slightly as it weaved through the trees, fresh blood streaking like scarlet rivers down its marble white face.
Behind it, the underbrush rustled and twigs snapped.
The shadows seemed to undulate around the figure obscuring it in a haze of warm, sticky blackness.
A low canine growl erupted behind it and it turned on its heels, raising is shield to expel an enemy that did not come.
On his left the underbrush exploded and a seven foot-tall figure came howling out of the trees.
Volcanic eyes glared through the slits of a golden helmet, a fist tightening around the hilt of an eight-foot long sword whose blade flickered with an ominously red aura.
The titan rushed its prey, swinging its wickedly shard sword. The figure's shield deflected the brunt of the assault, but agony ran up its arm as the flesh tore from the bone.
It fell to its knees as the volcanic eyed Titan raised its blade to strike again. The shadows shimmered and the Titan paused, holding its sword a loft to watch as another figure materialized in the darkness.
The second of hesitation allowed it to draw its sword and slash upward burying the blade to its hilt in the titan's unarmored leg.
The second figure roared its battle cry and rushed them both, swerving last minute to bury its own sword into the titan's right arm.
"ENOUGH!" The Titan roared. His fingers twitched and an arch of electricity short cut from him, sending both figures flying into the trees.
The Titan advanced slowly, golden blood shimmering as it oozed from his open wounds.
"Celestrial bronze?" The titan hissed, a savage grin spreading across his heavily scared face, "You demigods are so unprepared."
The titan spat down at the dark haired boy, his spit smacking against a blood stained forehead, "You should thank me boy, I am sparing you from a life of torture and pain."
The boy's black eyes hardened and he spat back, managing to hit the titan full in the face, thus returning the insult, "The sons of Hades do not beg." He hissed.
The titan laughed, "You've got spunk boy. Go and join you father."
The forest echoed with the sound of metal against flesh and the screams of anguish from the boy's brother before he too, met the same fate.
"Erre es Korakas." The titan hissed in disgust, kicking the mutilated corpse with enough force to sever the spine and shatter ribs.
"You lie." Hades said, his voice unnaturally calm.
Chiron flinched as if expecting to be struck for his impudence, "No my Lord." He whispered, "The spirits of you sons have been delivered to my doorstep."
Hades' fathomless black eyes hardened into obsidian, his hands curling with such force that the hand rest of his throne fashioned from black diamond cracked and splintered beneath the weight of his rage.
Chiron's dark eyes widened, his face paled as Hades rose to his feet, his cloak swirling in the breezeless air. The faces of tortured souls sticking into the cloth cried out in lamentation, their cries echoing in the grim silence.
"Bring them to me." Hades growled.
"They haven't paid—" Chiron stuttered, then fell silent when he saw a shadow of rage darken Hades' face.
Chiron yelped and exploded into a brilliant flash of golden mist.
"My Lord?"
Hades eyes flashed with a maniacal and dangerous gleam, "Hermes." He said, his voice unnaturally cold and polite.
Hermes stepped out of the shadows, his plan elfish face a mask of grief, "Olympus has heard your cried my lord." He whispered in a low, strangely soothing voice. He was handsome and lithe with an athlete's slender build but with a face that was drop of water meets into an ocean. Tears welled in his brown eyes, spilling down his cheeks.
"Why does Olympus care of my plight?" Hades growled, "They sent ARES to threaten ME." He laughed bitterly, "They do not trust me, they are weak."
Hermes' form quivered like a tongue of flame, "I too have lost a son uncle, I too know the pain of loseing a child to the ravages of the grave."
"You DARE insult me?" Hades hissed in a deadly whisper.
Hermes' eyes hardened, "You are prideful uncle. I am you psychopomp and have led countless souls into your realm. Do you not think that if I wanted to hurt you I would have joined the Titans?"
Hades' eyes flashed and the underworld trembled from the force of his rage, "Do not speak of my Father in my Palace buy."
Hermes' raised an eyebrow, "I never spoke of your father,
I was speaking off—"
"YES?" Hades demanded, black flames crackling in the palms of his hands.
"Revenge is your flaw my lord." Hermes told him gently, "If you knew the name of their murderer—"
Hades froze, shock etched into every fiber of his being, "Tell me." He ordered his voice no more than a faint whisper, hope igniting the very core of his being. "TELL ME!"
"It…was…"
Pallas knelt on his knees and sneered up at the black onyx throne. A shadow flickered across his face like the faintest whisper and the sneer dissolved like blood in vinegar.
"My lord," He said recently inclining his head as if in prayer.
The Titan lord stared down at Pallas from the dark grander of his throne, his cryptically colorless eyes morphing in molten gold, his marbled right hand curling into a stony fist around the shaft of an onyx scythe that he held like a scepter.
The titan lord's voice when he spoke shook with rage, the sound of it like knives against knives. "You dare snivel before me with your pale pretenses to piety?" He asked in the faintest of breaths.
"My lord Kronos –"
"SILENCE!" The titan lord roared, rising to his feet. "My wrath is a terrible thing to invoke do not lie to me is you value your immortality."
"My lord-" Pallas objected in the softest of whimpers. "The sons of Hades –"
"WERE NOT TO BE HARMED." The titan lord finished coldly, "YOU WILL BE severely PUNISHED FOR YOUR INSOLENCE."
" My- No- Please- I- NOOO!"