Hercules... was a sort of disappointment for Crius. He was way different from what he had expected.
Admittedly, Crius had watched the Disney movie about Hercules. Though he knew movies weren't supposed to be 100% accurate (he had seen Eragon) but it seemed like the whole thing had been a lie. He wasn't wearing his lion's skin, which was probably practical since it was at least a million degrees outside. He didn't seem to be overly muscular, but the biggest thing was that he didn't seem happy. The Hercules that Crius had imagined should have been radiant and glowing with health, after all, even though his life was tragic he was a god now.
But Hercules stood there looking out into the sea, looking like some of those men Crius saw who had that look in their eyes- like they were hugely disappointed with everything that they had done in life and had given up all hope.
"What's your name?" he asked. Hercules said it as if it was normal for people to drop out of nowhere.
"Crius Sympan," Crius answered. That got his attention.
"An interesting name. I never liked mine, Herakles, especially what it meant," there was a prolonged twinkle in his eyes that made Crius wonder exactly what he was talking about. Crius had learnt that his name had been styled after Krios, a Titan. For some reason though, he didn't find it strange. His parents didn't know why they had named him that, just that it sounded right. Crius repeated it in his head, Crius Sympan. It sounded right, but he had an uneasy feeling that it was supposed to mean something more than what he was getting on. Maybe that was what Hercules seemed to be thinking about.
"Ignore it. It's cool if you don't get it," Hercules said as he read Crius' expression. Crius then proceeded to tell Hercules everything...
Fifteen minutes later, Crius was running away and ignoring the sting of branches and mosquitos in his face and arms. Before Crius had even finished, Zeus had spoken up from somewhere and told him that if he killed Crius, then Hercules could get whatever he want. Hercules muttered 'Sorry' as if that made everything okay and proceeded to attack Crius.
In other words, things were not going quite like he had expected.
Suddenly, he felt something leave his left pocket and take the form of an old guy with a beard besides him. He seemed less solid than the Lares but maybe that was because Crius wasn't holding his sword.
"I see. It's that guy," the guy said. "I remember him. He sailed with that Athenian and ruined my life. Why don't you turn around and strike him?"
Crius didn't even bother replying. He guessed Hades had gotten this guy to follow him, but he wasn't about to turn around and fight. For one, though the movies might have exaggerated a bit about Hercules' feats, he sure wasn't a slowpoke. Lack of muscles didn't discourage him from carrying around that club like it was no heavier than a tennis racket. Crius thought that maybe Hercules was out of practice after so many years, but he sure didn't want to test his luck.
He didn't know how, but he was sure that if he fought Hercules he would lose.
"Don't worry boy, everything's going according to plan," the ghost said.
"What plan?" Crius gasped as he ducked. Hercules had thrown his club with surprising speed and accuracy and missed Crius by a millimeter. That would give Crius some time to get ahead while he stopped to get a club.
"You are dense aren't you?" the ghost said, shaking his head as if he was used to handling idiots. Crius didn't like the tone of his voice, there was just something wrong with it, but he had bigger problems. "Surely you didn't expect to actually walk up to a child of Zeus and go unscathed? Lord Hades had been expecting this. Don't worry, I'm sure a few more paces and you'll be safe."
Hades put me through this on purpose? Crius thought. The more Crius thought about it, you know, went through all the stuff that Hades had put him through without even really telling him what it was that he was fighting against, he was beginning to wonder if Hades was really on his side.
Just then, Crius noticed that Hercules had stopped chasing after him. Was this Hades' plan?
Crius then looked around and saw that someone was standing ten feet away from him in a clearing. That knocked the breath out of him.
The woman looked neither old nor young. A halo of light encircled her, head and she held something that looked like a ruler in her right hand and a yarn in her left. She was more powerful and imposing than beautiful, and towered at least ten feet tall. There was absolutely no way that she was human.
But at the same time, she didn't seem to be a goddess either. Crius immediately thought of Hera, but why would she come here to personally see him? And there was just something about her that seemed ancient. Old. Older than his feeble mortal intellect could possibly imagine.
The moment she looked at him, Crius' sword began vibrating. Kind of like a cell phone, and Crius felt the same thing as he had when he had faced Demeter and the sword had caused the vines to tie her up.
"Um, yeah," the ghost said. "This is kind of the point where I leave. Hades said that you're on your own, and that if you survive this, he'll be waiting to give you some more help."
The ghost whizzed away. The lady looked at it as if she was considering chasing after it, but quickly disregarded it completely. She instead focused her eyes on Crius.
"Crius Sympan," she said. Her words seemed to contain so much power that the air seemed to shift as she spoke. "You've given us enough trouble. Will you consider peaceful surrender?"
For some reason, Crius was getting the feeling that the offer of peaceful surrender was one that she didn't expect him to take up. Kind of like with Ares.
"Who are you?" Crius asked. As he looked closer, he noticed faint bags under the woman's eyes, as if she had been sleeping.
"Lachesis of the Sisters, Partitioner of Roles, The Measurer," she said. Though her words carried power, she seemed to stumble while speaking him. Crius wondered if she thought that she was dreaming. "You are a danger to Us. Due to that, We have decided that you cannot continue to exist." She opened up her palm, and on top of it something dark began to form. Then it became larger, and it began swirling. Even though it was no larger than a pebble, Crius could still feel it's influence. It was sucking in everything, the air, and it seemed that light was curling around it.
"A black hole," Crius said.
"It is a rip into the Void itself," Lachesis said. "It will consume your soul as well. No afterlife for you. Only complete ruin. It is far less painful than what will happen should you attempt to resist."
Crius had to think fast. He noticed that for some strange reason, Lachesis was looking at him as if she wasn't sure he was there or something. As her eyes crept to his sword, however, they lit up and she looked wide awake.
"Die," Lachesis said. Apparently there wasn't any choice regarding the matter now. But before the hole came close enough to consume Crius, she paused. She seemed to be listening to something, though no one was there that Crius could see.
"It appears that it is too early for your demise," Lachesis said. As she paused, Crius swung his sword at her. He had a feeling that it was going actually going to do something to her, but she dodged aside and then twisted Crius' wrist. Before the sword hit the ground, she caught it in a large pouch that seemed to be made up of silver, though it shone brighter, like it had been weaved from moonlight itself.
A yarn crept itself around Crius, and before he knew it he was completely wrapped in it. The yarn formed a dark red cocoon around him. He could breath somehow, but he could do little as he felt himself being hoisted and then being thrown away like a sack.
Crius guessed that he had been in there for around five minutes when he heard something outside. It sounded like a bird chirping. Crius suddenly felt a sort of jab near his left leg, and then saw that there was a hole there. The hole got bigger and bigger, and soon he was able to crawl out of it.
Crius was sure that only ten minutes had passed since he had been captured, but he he suddenly got the feeling that it had been much longer. He had heard about that at Camp Jupiter, some people would enter a monster's place for a few days and months would pass outside. Maybe the reverse had happened.
He seemed to be in some sort of old storage shed. There was a lot of old wool and what looked like a loom in the corner. Crius looked around for who had helped free him when he felt something touch his shoulder. He looked and saw a small bird, he couldn't tell what breed, made entirely out of something that looked like gold except that it seemed to melt and shimmer like it was liquid. Its wings, as they beat the air they let out a sound like the notes of a piano.
It was overall, the most beautiful thing that Crius had ever seen.
"Good morning," it said suddenly. Crius was used to crazy stuff like metal birds talking by that point, so he said good morning too.
"We have to go quickly," the bird said hopping around. "The Sisters could be here any minute now, once they've decided how to deal with you."
"Who are you?" Crius asked. The bird jumped up, clearly agitated.
"No time! We'll talk on the way," it said and then flew to the door. It crept through a small corner which had been eaten away, and Crius found that it wasn't as heavy as he had expected.
The door led to a hallway that looked worn out. In one way it looked like a house's normal hallway, except ancient. As if no one had been there for the last thousand years.
"The Sisters could be here any minute," the bird call. "This way!"
"What are you?" Crius asked as they made their way.
"I am a gift," the bird answered. "I was a gift that Lord Kronos made for the Fates long ago."
"The Kronos?" Crius asked. "You mean the one who's Saturn? He ate his own children."
There was a look of sorrow in the bird's eye. "Do not judge the Titan Lord too harshly, child. He became who he became because of Fate. If not for the prophecy that foretold that he would be overthrown, he would have remained as kind and generous as was long ago. If you had seen what he was then, you would think differently of him. I am a present that Kronos forged when he had heard that the Sisters were interested in my kind of bird, and he sought to win their favor and have the prophecy annulled. Alas, he was unsuccessful and I have rotted here since. Think of it: When Zeus was told a child born by Metis would overthrow him, did he not swallow her in fear?"
Crius nodded. The place where they were was huge, but at the same time was surprisingly empty. Their footsteps echoed all around the place as they went to a door. Crius opened it and saw that he was standing at the edge of some sort of cliff. There were clouds floating by lazily beneath them.
"It's just an illusion!" the bird chimed. "Do not let your heart waver. I cannot go outside the Sister's realm. But I wish you luck, so that my Lord Kronos may someday have peace."
Crius closed his eyes. It felt easier that way and stepped off. Doing that felt a whole lot less dangerous than whatever he had been doing for the past few days. Instead of falling, his feet touched ground immediately.
He looked around him. There were people bustling all around him and the sun was about to set. Crius didn't see anything that gave away that he had just been in the Fates' hideout. He began walking along some random direction until he saw that same ghost. The ghost beckoned for Crius to follow and flew into a small building.
Crius went towards him, hoping that Hades was going to answer as to why he had just let Crius walk into danger like that. The words 'Law Offices' were legible on the sign outside the building, but the names had faded away.
Inside, Hades was sitting at a wooden desk. The place looked new somehow and the ghosts that were gathered there almost looked natural.
Hades looked up from the magazine he had been reading. "Oh good. You lived."
"You sound disappointed," Crius said bitterly.
"Oh no, I certainly hoped that you would survive," Hades said. "It's just that I never thought it was very likely."
"Then why send me there?" Crius asked. A bit of rage entered his voice and out of the corner of his eye he could see some of the ghosts shivering, as if they were warning him to keep his voice down.
"Simple. I knew nothing of what was going on, and so I decided to deliver you straight into enemy hands so that I could find out a bit more. And I did give you help, you know, sending Minos along. And luckily for you I was there too, otherwise Lachesis would have simply destroyed you," Hades said.
"You know about that?" Crius asked.
"Helm," Hades said as if it answered everything. "I whispered into her ear that the black hole might not have destroyed you completely and that she should make sure that you were annihilated completely. I believe she took it as a message from one of her sisters. She took you prisoner instead. But how did you escape? And did you get any information worth noting?"
Crius told Hades about the bird. He seemed to frown at the mention of his father but seemed to repress it. "Anyway, the only thing that I really got to know was that it seemed like Lachesis really didn't know about me. She was looking at me like I was a stranger."
"Odd indeed. The Fates have already begun their game, so perhaps, one of her sisters began it first? Atropos, no, not likely, Clothos would be more likely. But why did they separate now?"
"I don't know!" Crius shouted. "I lost my sword by the way, and I have no idea how to do anything now."
"I know we have to leave. I can feel Zeus readying a lightning bolt. But as I find myself at a dead end, perhaps we should try negotiating."
"With the Fates?" Crius asked.
"No, with my brother. It's rather hard when all he wants to do is fire lightning bolts, but I think we've gotten over larger misunderstandings," Hades said. He formed a barrier around Crius as the first lightning bolt struck instantly decimating the entire building.