Disclaimer: i do not own Twilight, at all. i do own sprinkles which i did, in fact, use to put on my gigantic cupcake. yes, it was delicious.
chapter two
"Tell the truth."
-Stephen King
Isabella
I'd read a book, once, for an English assignment; it was a colossal failure save for the detail that the Greek Gods were depicted literally as figures larger than lives. They were huge beings, gargantuan heroes 10 feet tall with roguish features.
That author was wrong.
As I sit and listen to several handsome and powerful men discuss me as if I wasn't there, I catalogue their perfect features; perfect faces, perfect hair, perfect height. The part of me that grew up in the human world was self-conscious of this perfection but realized I had no reason to be.
I was just like them. Only I was smaller, more delicate, more feminine.
The table was once a deep forest green but time had chipped away the paint, revealing rust colored metal and dents from movement and use. At what I presumed to be the head of the table was a man with arrogant features, brows furrowed and eyes glaring in contempt at those arguing with him.
This man was called Zeus and I knew, from studies in mythology, of him; his scandalous ways, his mistresses and illegitimate children. Looking at his demeanor, I have no idea what the women were thinking when they jumped into bed with him. He was, simply, a jerk.
Beside him was a soft spoken man with a lilt in his voice that reminded me of Alice - as did his changing blue eyes. He and Alice looked so much alike, it was uncanny and when he mentioned that this argument had been had over Alice, I knew he was Poseidon.
I began putting together their words and Alice's words earlier and came to a halting conclusion just as an observation was made about my supposed power.
I knew what they were referring to and I dreaded the prospect of demonstrating that particular talent. In the past, when I was much younger, I had no way of controlling it; possibly thousands of plants died at my hands, miniscule amounts of energy leaking into me. Several years later and it still scared me but I was able to detect when it would happen.
I shuddered delicately at the thought of being forced to display the horrifying gift. Curse. It was a curse.
Again, I focused on the loud discussion, trying not to let my mind stray to where I had come to the conclusion of my real father.
Hades. I was a daughter of the Underworld.
At this, I got angry; the accusations being thrown around, the glares and lusty looks and pointing fingers. I stood up, slapping my hands on the creaking metal table; the sound echoed loudly and quieted the entire room of testosterone filled males.
"What good would it do me to kill any one of you?" I asked quietly, my monotone normal and numb.
It was the question that had been rolling around in my subconscious. Why would they think I'd intentionally harm them?
It dawned on me that maybe - just maybe - they hadn't seen this kind of power before, except for possibly in Hades. There was a slight chance that I was too much like him.
A firm thought crept into my mind. I needed to meet him, my father.
The meeting ended with Zeus assigning days for me to be here, at the Arena, doing hell knows what to prepare for a test they had planned for me.
A rare nervous sensation settled over my body.
This wasn't going to be good.
At some point, the Arena probably was immaculate, much like the rest of the unknown city of Olympus. I'd attempted to figure out how the portal was set up and could only come to the conclusion that a large portion of the Pacific ocean was not real. I was almost certain that some magic from some Olympian God kept the entire sprawling city hidden.
The Arena was darker than it was before as most of the men who were using the facilities had left. Unlike human gyms, this one didn't carry the subtle stench of sweat; instead there was an almost freshness in the air. It was a startling difference that only served to highlight the differences in both races.
Behind me, I hear the heavy clank of a door closing. The air in the room seems to change, almost familiar static clinging to atoms happily. I feel more relaxed instantly.
A throat clears hesitantly and I turn, taking in a very tall man with closely cropped white blond hair, paper pale skin and almost white eyes - they grey is so washed out, I can barely distinguish the difference in hue of his iris and the white of his eyes.
"Isabella," he sighs happily, a huge boyish grin taking over his European features. Everything about him screams power, even the sharp slope of his nose, the subtle roughness of his fingers. He wears simple jeans, boots and a pull-over hoodie; he doesn't look a day over twenty-five, much like his brothers who had just decided my fate.
Of course the immortals would be timeless.
He takes a step forward, arms spread, an onyx ring glinting shyly on his left hand.
My mind recognizes him as does my heart. Hades. My father.
It hit me so suddenly - this fact that I'd become aware of but didn't truly understand until now. He's not human. I'm not human.
We're something other.
How could I have walked through the city, gone through a portal hidden inside a tree and only now truly grasped this? It's mind boggling and I become light headed at the weight of the thought.
Hades seems to realize this as he drops his arms and adjust his smile to one of sympathy. "It's a lot to take in."
Again, not a question, but a statement with no insecure questions attached. I can only nod.
It is a lot to take in…but not impossible.
Hades doesn't stay long; a phone call with a shrill voice at the other end makes sure that he leaves only ten minuets after arriving. But in that small time frame, he explained why he wasn't at the meeting.
"You are my potential heir. My opinion does not matter at this point."
While I understood the concept of checked counsel ruling, I didn't understand why I was being sent here, to the Arena. I'd seen some of the guys earlier; they were huge with testosterone, salivating over the one female who was present. I was uncomfortable at best.
I had followed Hades out of the Arena, a strange paranoia of eyes following me although the building appeared vacated. The street was equally deserted; free from pollution, bodies and noise. A sharp endless wind was my company as I wandered through the lifeless streets.
This hidden city was so familiar to me - and although I knew I was lost, I also knew I wouldn't stay lost.
I began to notice subtle differences between human cities and the city I am walking through. There is a stark absence of fire hydrants, crosswalks, traffic signs, street names. Only a handful of cars littered the streets; maybe one or two on each road.
Human cities would be unable to function without these things. I was faintly curious as to how this city thrived, but more important things were clouding my mind.
"It must be different for you," Alice said from behind me. My body jumped, startled, even as my mind accepted the fact that I wouldn't ever know if someone was watching me or not. Even though Alice had revealed herself, the heavy weight of eyes on my body still suffocated me.
"Not too different."
Alice hummed under her breath, a small smile playing on her face before she unleashed her grin. "You will be staying with me in Poseidon's realm until your city housing has been completed."
"City housing?"
She titled her head and nodded. "Of course. Dorm housing for the Academy does not open until the winter solstice." At my obviously confused expression, she sighed and frowned. "They did not tell you."
"They didn't tell me much."
Alice gracefully weaved her way through the Death district to the Aquatic, all the while filling me in on the small details that I hadn't learned from the meeting.
The city was Olympus and spanned throughout the entire Ring of Fire over the Pacific ocean. The way the portal worked was sketchy to Alice and she was unable to tell me exactly how it works, only that it was a trick Hephaestus was able to rig up some seventeen hundred years ago. Several other portals were located across the world, on the edge of the Pacific.
Geographically, the city was in the epicenter of the Pacific ocean, with the main three Gods ruling over the majority of land as well as their districts. Olympus sprawled outwards into country land ruled over by Artemis, Persephone and Demeter.
It was in this country that the Academy was stationed.
Alice didn't speak much about the Academy, only that it was huge and ancient.
Poseidon's realm - the Aquatic district and various other water related names - was free of the bone-chilling wind that accompanied the outskirts of the Death district. Alice eluded that the wind was from the part of the city Zeus controlled; she had quietly informed me that often the weather in the different districts is based on the emotions of the Gods ruling over the section.
I was momentarily shocked that I was to be in the presence of beings who could control the weather. After a moment of thought, I realized that I, with my terrifying gift, was perhaps more powerful than those who were able to have authority over the land.
"This is it," Alice says as she stops in front of the largest building in Poseidon's district - it's sleek and looming, rivets of water running softly over the building, the door made of a thick waterfall. Alice moves through the water and I follow, amazed that I don't become soaked from the heavy flow.
"It's because I welcome you into the building," she says. I look away from the waterfall and see that Alice is standing in front of an elevator, the button beside it glowing bright blue. "Other children of Poseidon are welcome as well but those outside of the family are frozen by the water - unless invited, of course."
I nod because it makes perfect sense - a form of security without actually having security.
Once on the elevator, Alice explains that she has the apartment that is equivalent to a penthouse because she is the reigning heir to her father's throne. She makes it sound like no big deal, but I can tell that it is. I can almost see the strain of responsibility weighing on her shoulders, though Alice's inner strength gave her a strong sense of grounding.
Steel doors open to walls of vibrant blues and black framed photographs of oceans and floor to ceiling windows covered in streaming jets of water. The furniture is simple white wood and muted metal and beige couches and chairs.
"Oh," Alice says as she walks forward, her eyes on a rather small, flat silver wrapped package sitting in the center of her coffee table. "For you."
I feel my brows raise as she hands it to me, carefully avoiding my hands. It's light and does not rattle when it moves. I must have stared at it for a long time before Alice clears her throat and gestures fro me to open it.
The silver paper crackles softly, loud in the curious silence. I open the box, seeing a simple white card on top of black tissue paper - the card reads "These should help. Dad". Moving it to the hand that supports the box, I push aside the tissue paper, revealing the oddest pair of cashmere and leather black gloves.
The top of the glove is thin buttery leather, the palm soft cashmere so light that air can easily pass through them. But unlike most gloves, there is a large hole cut out just under the delicate lace binding of the wrist - a hole that, when the glove was on, would reveal the skin of the top of my hand all the way to my knuckles.
"That was thoughtful," Alice comments quietly, a gentle smile on her face.
I nod. "I can touch things now," I tell her, fingering the soft fabrics. "Touch them without…"
"Put them on!" she commands excitedly, taking the box and the card from me so I could slip the gloves onto my hands.
They're made perfectly, tight to my skin but not uncomfortably so. I can wriggle and bend my fingers as easily as I could before I had the gloves on. I carefully clasp the onyx-looking stone on the outside of my wrists that holds the lace together and keeps the gloves on.
"You should try them," Alice suggests, putting the box and card back on the coffee table.
"On what?"
I'm slightly anxious that she might want me to try them out on her, but she just smiles and gestures to the potted bamboo plant beside the window with a flourish.
Biting my lip hard, I make my way to the plant, fearful that even with the gloves I will still zap the energy right out. But as I hesitantly touch the long leaf, I marvel in the sleek sensation of sliding my finger over the greenery. The cashmere is thin enough that I can feel the texture on the other side of the glove, but thick enough that I don't actually come in contact with the plant. I smile widely and move my hands, feeling the cool air around my fingers; my hands do not feel hot or cold, but rather the perfect temperature.
"Fantastic," I murmur.
The sun sets here differently.
While in most places the sun sets with a slow crawl towards the horizon, in Olympus the sun sinks suddenly - in under a minuet, the huge moon is shining silver light on the silver city. Alice had several scientific sentences explaining why the celestial bodies seemed so much closer here but I tuned her out, more than happy to let myself experience something without needing an explanation.
I finally feel safe. Normal.
After a room service delivered dinner of cheeseburgers and curly fries, Alice had shown me to her spare bedroom. It is sleek with clean lines and everything in light blue hues, tiny fish bowls beside the white candles on all the surfaces of the room - and built into the wall separating the bedroom and in suite bathroom in an aquarium of what Alice had called "tropical fish". The quiet bubbling of the water filled both rooms even as the deep water warped the view through the glass.
She left me alone with a promise that she was just down the hall, opposite the living room, if I needed anything.
I stand in front of the large window, watching as the moon lazily climbs up in the dark sky. This high up I can see several parts of the city lit up but even the lights can't drown out the glow of the stars. To the left is a massive ocean - I suppose the Pacific - and I find it odd that I hadn't noticed we were anywhere near a harbor. To the right I can see the clear curve of a white beach until it tapers off into jagged black rocks and rolling grassy hills, several miles off.
When the moon is high in the sky, a yawn escapes my mouth and I surrender to sleep. It isn't until I'm buried under the thick white down duvet that I realize the exhaustion that has been lingering all day. I'm mildly aware that my perception has been thrown off - something about this place has changed me.
Morning comes too quickly, waves crashing against the beach and spiking rocks, foaming white and washing off the sand. I help myself to a quick shower before my stomach leads me into the kitchen.
Alice is there, sipping on coffee with and sitting across from a man who I had seen only once before.
The liquid blue eyes of Poseidon assess me with a smile. He's dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, looking more like Alice's older brother than her father.
"Isabella!" His voice is booming, happy and loud even though he is speaking in a relatively quiet tone. He says my name with familiarity, casting a wink to his daughter when he gets up to get himself a cup of coffee.
Hesitantly, I walk further into the kitchen, sitting down next to Alice at the breakfast bar. She nods over to the white china plate of Danish pastries, grabbing a red-filled one for herself. Reaching out, I take a pastry covered in sliced almonds. Biting into it, my taste buds are assaulted by buttery smooth sweetness and the warm taste of almond and cinnamon.
"Welcome to Olympus, on behalf of me and my children," Poseidon says as he sits back down. "I won't mislead you on the purpose of my visit, though. My brother send me to answer questions for you, Isabella."
My brow furrows and before I can stop myself, I'm nearly demanding "Why can't he answer them?"
"It's against our…guidelines when dealing with potential heirs."
"So Hades can't contact me?"
Poseidon shook his head. "Not that he can contact you - but not for a extended period of time. In the past, Gods have grown too close to their heirs and…the heirs gained too much sway."
I was baffled, really. But before I got the chance to voice my suddenly very strong opinion on the strange customs of my relatives, Poseidon's face morphed into a rather large, childlike grin.
"I heard you got a delivery yesterday," he says in a statement - but also making it very clear that he would like to know more. Again, I am stuck by the oddity of no questions being asked by the Olympians.
Instead of dwelling on it, I nod in answer, quietly lamenting my excitement about the gloves.
"I wasn't sure that my brother would think to send you something helpful," Poseidon tells me with a wink. "Sometimes he can be quite obtuse - but perhaps he thought they would be of use."
"Does he…does he have the same-"
"Of course," he answers simply. "Powers are inherited Isabella, not developed."
Shortly after this statement is made, Poseidon leaves with a promise to visit before the winter solstice; after the elevator dings, Alice smiles and informs me that the solstice is in a few days. She also tells me that the winter solstice is typically celebrated and like most other solstices, is very important to the Olympians.
Oddly, I find myself looking forward to an event - and that is vastly out of character for me.
A/N: when i was converting this story into a fanfiction, i originally thought about making Hades into Charlie. but, in the end, i decided that it wasn't logical to do so. as of now, it's not clear if Charlie, Renee, Esme or Carlisle will be making it into the story - but if i had to bet, Esme and Carlisle would be the best candidates.
be brutally honest.
~cupcakeriot