Thanks go to my friend and beta, Toots.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Rachel felt nauseous. She thought that might mean she had a concussion, but she wasn't quite sure seeing as she'd spent most of the time in First Aid arguing with Kurt over who was better, Celine or Barbara. She had managed to get to the choir room and into a chair, which actually gave her a small measure of pride.

"Hey, Berry, Wassup?" Puck entered the room with Ares and Finn. He greeted Rachel out of habit, and then did a double take. Berry was wearing a sleeveless white top, and for a moment it had looked like there was a reddish purple shirt underneath covering her upper arms and shoulders. Someone had roughed the petite brunette up, and when he tried to meet her eyes he could see that she wasn't looking at him right.

"Rach?" Finn freaked, running forward to take her by the shoulders. Before he touched her he pulled back. He looked back over his shoulder at the other two. "Puck?"

Puck was already moving forward, as was Ares, who seemed extremely angry considering he really didn't know Rachel.

"Hello, is it time to start practice?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"We must examine you, Rachel," Ares told her softly. "It appears you have been injured. Will you perhaps tell us the story of how this happened?" He took a step, holding out his hand to her and she took it.

He immediately moved her to a more comfortable chair and they got her seated. Puck was grabbing the first aid kit out of the corner of the room, and Finn had gone for Mr. Schuester or Miss Pillsbury, he also ended up with Principal Figgins.

Some of the other Glee kids began arriving, but Puck told them to be silent and move to the corner, which surprisingly they did. Quinn was the next through the door and when she saw Rachel she gasped. She did not go to the corner as suggested. "Rachel, are you okay?" she asked softly, moving close enough to clasp her hand.

Rachel looked up. "My head really hurts. And my back and arms."

Kurt cleared his throat, "I know I'm supposed to be quiet, but her back is bleeding. You can see it through her shirt."

As they began to clean her wounds and look over her bruises on her arms she began to speak.

"Jacob…he just caught me by surprise. I was getting my music notebook out of my locker and then unexpectedly, my arm was grabbed and I found myself spun around and backed into my open locker. I think that's when I cut my back and really hit my head, I thought he'd back away then, but instead he pulled me towards him, grabbing onto my upper arms and shaking me. I think I hit my head a few times. It was just extremely deviant behavior for him, don't you think? I mean, he's certainly always disturbing, and he's always following me, but for him to actually put his hands on my person? "

"Which Jacob is she talking about?" Figgins asked, and Shuester whispered in his ear. The two men left.

"Of which Jacob do you speak? "Ares kept his voice soft.

"I can't believe that little puke had the guts to do this, fuckin' Jew-Fro," Puck snapped. He met Finn's eyes.

Finn nodded once. "We're gonna twist him into a pretzel."

Artemis looked down on the three boys crouching and Rachel who was sitting. "You know, there was one myth that I always adored. It was for my namesake," Artemis began using her voice to soothe. "And how any man who took advantage of her in any way, she dealt with harshly and permanently."

"The other day, when Honey was upset about Greek Mythology and how it was all wrong… Sure, the stories have some really odd parts to them, but I don't think that was the point when they were written and passed down," Kurt spoke softly. "They all had a lesson to them. In fact, until Honey said anything, it never even crossed my mind that there was inbreeding and incest in the stories. They were stories, tales told to teach lessons."

"Pandora's Box," Tina called out.

Artie shook his head, "Of course. She was told not to open it, and when she did she let out every illness, and every evil, and was only fortunate enough to close it in time to not lose Hope. Did you know that the box wasn't even really a box but more like a big jar…" he cut off seeing the looks on everyone's faces. "Okay, sorry, anyway, the lesson was that there are reasons you should do as you're told and normally it keeps you and others out of trouble."

"I know one," Quinn said.

"Go ahead, Quinn," Finn told her with a smile, and she felt a bit of that hope that perhaps they could be friends.

"It starts horribly. When Hera was pregnant she thought her child would be beautiful and when the baby was born he was really ugly so she hurled him off Mt. Olympus," tears fell down Quinn's cheeks. "He fell, and kept falling for days not dying because he was a god. When he hit the ground it broke every bone, and then the tide came in and he was washed out to sea. There one of the sea nymphs, I don't remember her name, found him and decided to keep him and raise him as her own. He made beautiful jewelry for her and other beautiful things for her friends. Hera saw this sea nymph's jewelry and asked where she got it, and the sea nymph told her. Hera knew who the child was and demanded he be returned and then she gave him his own smithy and named him Hephaestus, promising him Aphrodite as his wife."

"What's the lesson?" Santana asked when she saw that Brittany was sad.

"Don't discount someone because of their looks; they might have the capability of giving you the greatest treasure."

Aphrodite smiled at Quinn, "A lovely lesson."

"I know one." Kurt stood and walked down, rubbing his hand down Rachel's hair. Sharing these stories seemed to be helping the whole group bond, and not just the new people. "Arachne. A beautiful girl who did tapestries. Her tapestries were more beautiful than anything anyone else had seen. Her pride got the better of her and she claimed to be better than the goddess Athena. The goddess heard this claim and came from the heavens to challenge the girl. Arachne went first spinning happy sights; one more beautiful than the next. Finally it was the goddess's turn, and using the clouds from the sky she began spinning scenes from Mt. Olympus itself, and down to her Uncle's domain of Hades. Arachne did not wait to be told she'd lost; she climbed a hill, looped a rope and hung herself. Athena, finished with her tapestry, climbed the hill and looked at the girl's body, already bloating from death. She sighed heavily at the waste of such a life, and then reached out one finger and touched Arachne's toe. The girl's body shriveled into a tiny black body with eight legs who climbed up her line and raced away to spin a web. And that's why spiders are called Arachnids."

Ares looked at the boy. "And what was the lesson?" he asked, still rubbing Rachel's hands

"Never let your pride make you believe you're something you're not."

Mr. Schuester and Principal Figgins reentered the room, and the Principal approached Rachel. "Miss Berry, I want you to know that Mr. Ben-Israel has been suspended from this school for a full week due to his actions, and the board will be reviewing his file to see what options we have. I have also notified your fathers and one of them is coming to pick you and Miss Fabray up."

"Thank you," she looked up at him.

He nodded once and left the room.

"Did we mention that today we joined the Cheerios?" Athena said brightly.

Schuester grimaced, "Are you trying to torture me?"

"I do believe that this will be a different year all around for both the Glee club and the Cheerios." 'Dite smiled smugly.

"I'm terribly sorry I ruined practice today," Rachel fretted.

"You did not ruin anything," Artemis assured the girl.

Pollo and Hermes walked into the room flanking Hiram Berry. "Rachel! We just met one of your fathers."

Hiram moved over to hug his little girl. "Are you all right? Good grief, how big was this guy? Look at those bruises! Your father is going to freak out!"

"Daddy, I'm fine; just embarrassed that I messed up practice. We don't have that long until Regionals competition."

"Well, perhaps we could get together at our home this weekend, do a sleepover on Saturday, and then we could practice both Saturday and Sunday?" Athena proposed.

Hiram considered. "Would your parents be there?"

"Our parents, maybe an Aunt or Uncle or more. There are always a few adults running about," Hermes grinned, his teeth gleaming.

"Well, I'll give permission for Rachel and Quinn," Hiram decided. "I'll just want phone numbers."

Ares stood to his full six foot three inches of pure muscle and grinned. "Of course."

"Well, okay then," Hiram nodded at the boy, liking how polite all the Glee club kids were, both new and old. "Now come on, Sweet Pea, off to the doctor to have your head tested."

"Mother, what are you doing?" Apollo asked as his mother walked by him yet again towards the indoor pool and spa area.

His mother, Leto, a middle-aged woman with golden curls, eyes a mixture between her two children's blue, and few wrinkles, smiled at him and replied, "Apollo, son, you're having guests. I'm preparing refreshments for them. We were thinking the group of you would like to spend some time in the pool before beginning your rehearsals."

Apollo's eyes narrowed. "Who is 'we', Mother?"

Leto tried to put the innocent look on her face. "Hmm, myself, Demeter, Hera and Alcmene."

Apollo was silent for a moment before screeching, "ARES!"

Ares appeared before them in black swim trunks, one eyebrow raised. "Apollo?"

"Did you know that the 'others' are going to be here today?"

Ares winced, and looked at Leto, "Really, Aunt Leto? I did not think that they would be joining us this soon? I mean we have really only just begun in our endeavor. I mean, I suppose Hebe is ready, but the others?

Leto moved to Ares and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Dear, Ares, This is the time. Your Father has been to the Oracles." She smiled with indulgence. "I know your siblings can be exasperating at times, but…"

Ares sighed. "No, you are right. It was to come eventually, now is as fine as later. It is not that I do not love each and every one of my siblings, but…"

"I know Hercules can be a sore spot," she told him, her words gentle. Even though she wasn't Ares natural mother, sometimes she felt so close to the boy. His Destiny was a great one. "It is not only you he pushes buttons with."

"I just wish he understood he does not have to prove himself," Ares murmured. "We are all who we are. Sometimes his actions tell me he thinks we are in some sort of competition."

"Haven not all you boys felt that way at one time or the other?"

Ares, Apollo and Leto turned to see Hera entering the large family room. She was dressed in cream slacks and a deep peacock blue silk tank top. Her figure was one any woman would envy, and one would never guess she'd lived thousands of years or born so many children. The boys kissed and hugged her, and then Hera hugged Leto to her tightly.

"It has been too long since we have spent time together. I am greatly pleased that you will be here this weekend," the honesty in Hera's voice was almost palpable.

"I must admit, I am very curious to see the future of our children. I look at each of them and wonder if their mate, the one who they will spend eternity with will be exactly what they will need."

Hera grasped Leto's hands. "They will not have to follow the same tasks as we did. They will not have to accept the things we have learned to accept. Now, no more of this melancholy talk. Speak to me of Apollo, tell me of the trait the mate of Apollo must have."

This made Leto smile. "She must be the darkness to his sun. She must stand toe to toe with him without backing down, and her smile must shine as bright as any sun he could possibly conceive."

"And Artemis?"

"My sweet, Artemis," Leto murmured. "He must be strong, and very clever. He must be able to allow her to be strong and clever as well. He must bring laughter to her. He must show her that his love is bigger, brighter and more precious than keeping her maidenhood for all of eternity."

Hera looked at the children where they had congregated to play in the pool. "I think that last desire is something that must be fulfilled for all of them."