Torch Bearer of the Sacred Fire
The night sky hadn't changed in millennia, but then who am I kidding? Nothing ever remains the same and everything is bound to change even the night sky. Humans live very short lives and are oblivious to the changes that occur over millennia, true they are not visible to the naked eye but then again they aren't immortal as well.
Sitting under the night sky in the middle of a forest, gazing at the stars and the constellations of the old; they somehow had a therapeutic effect on me. For centuries now it had been my personal retreat, a place where I could escape to, while tension on Olympus was paramount, especially between my siblings.
My siblings, how different I was from all of them. I didn't thirst for power, position and dominion. I condemned their philandering ways. Well Zeus' in the very least. The others had started to behave themselves over the years.
Zeus, my dear young brother, King of Olympus, Lord of the Skies and the Heavens, God of Kings, Law, Justice and Order. Sometimes I wondered how it would have been had I... No what's the point of thinking about it when it can't be achieved?
I had sacrificed much for Zeus and Olympus; it was due to my efforts, that civilization as we see it is still intact. Had I not maintained peace among my brothers, the world and all that is a part of it would have ended in a catastrophic war. Zeus, strong he might be, but insecurity was; and till this date remains his fatal flaw. The constant struggle for power between him, Poseidon and Hades had led to several instances that had tipped the balance of power, one too many times.
Much had I sacrificed for him, Poseidon had courted me with passion but Zeus due to his insecurity that my child with Poseidon might be strong enough to overthrow him and remove him from his throne made me swear the oath of eternal virginity. Till this date I regret the fact of not having children of my own but I got over that by looking over the numerous demigods and protecting them from the nefarious ways of the other gods especially my sister, Hera.
Hera, where do I even begin? She had always lusted for power and she wouldn't have accepted to be anything less that the Queen of the Heavens. So much so that she married Zeus and became his second wife, it didn't take her a day to replace Metis and take her place in Zeus' bed. I blame Zeus equally for that but then as they say retribution finds it ways, Zeus was never faithful to her. I can't even begin to imagine nor count the number of women Zeus had an affair with. The result of one such affair was a demigod by the name of Dionysus, yes demigod. Well until he was offered godhood, Dionysus, God of Wine, Ritual Madness and Ecstasy.
The sole reason that I was removed from my throne on the council of gods to be replaced by one of Zeus' children but then he wouldn't have it any other way; He couldn't ask any of his other children to step down from the council, they were all much to precious too him especially Athena and Hermes, his favourite children.
Apollo and Artemis; well let us say he owed it to them, after all their mother sacrificed too much to bring them into the world and honestly, the brother-sister duo were much too powerful to be dethroned. Ares, now I wonder why he didn't think about removing him from the council, I assume having the god of War and Bloodlust was important somehow, even though the only thing he was responsible for was killing innocents and disrupting peace, now how is that a good thing.
Poseidon, no he would never have asked Poseidon to step down from his throne. Why you may ask? Well, for the sole reason that he was too insecure to have Poseidon form an alliance with Hades out of spite to topple him from his throne, no he'd never take that risk. Asking Demeter too was out of question; she was temperamental and would have taken out her anger on the innocent mortals either by causing a famine or by altering the seasons. No he wouldn't have anyone harm his worshippers.
Hera too was out of question she'd have thrown a fit and killed all the demigods and honestly, we needed them to run are errands so the only logical choice approached in a very calculative manner was I, Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, Sacred Fire and Families.
Yes, I gave up my Throne to facilitate Zeus' desire to enthrone one of his weakest and most unexceptional children. Never would I forgive Zeus for this, I took my place besides the Hearth but I then realised how Hades felt when he was ousted from Olympus, to rule the underworld.
There were times when I have felt that I should have claimed my birth right but then again I have felt if I was up to the task. However in recent times I have come to the conclusion that I would have made a better queen... Queen of Olympus, Torch bearer of the western civilization, Queen of the gods... was this, my destiny? Did the fates intend for me to become the Queen of Olympus. Was I destined to rule the Heavens?
Questions-questions all left unanswered. I wonder if the fates were tempting me by putting such thoughts in my mind... I smiled to myself. They should know better than that, I might not look it but my restraint is greater than any being, mortal or immortal. Even Artemis fell for Orion, had it not been for Apollo she'd only be the Goddess of the Hunt, minus the Virgin title.
Sometimes I wonder if life as a mortal was really what I wanted, but then again being an immortal had its perks. Immortality wasn't devoid of pain, true but then it was pain for eternity. Lost in my thoughts reminiscing about my past and delving into the mysteries of the future, I was completely taken aback before I felt a presence close to me.
Had I been so lost and preoccupied that I was at complete loss of that which was going around me, I silently cursed myself. The intruder hadn't realised that I had picked up on him or yet, somewhere in the woods I felt an immortal presence weaker than any of the twelve Olympians but stronger than that of a demigod or any off the road monster...I concentrated on the life force... strangely familiar it was.
Not wanting to be taken completely by surprise I thought of making the intruder aware of the fact that I was aware of their presence. In the fraction of a second the trees around me were lit with a golden yellow fire, blazing like an inferno with an eerie golden luminescence.
Most people on such occasions would be reminded of my father. Who am I to say anything? After all I'm his daughter. However the intruder had still not revealed himself, maybe he was shocked by the turn of events or didn't expect me to take such a step. With a flick of my wrist the flames died down and formed a ring around a clearing in the forest, I flashed there only to be greeted by, "Iris" I said with a smile on my face, my voice affectionate.
Immediately the fire died down, the sacred fire was conducive to my feelings. When enraged and perturbed it burned with a ferocity however when I was calm it gave nothing but warmth and light.
Iris still looked shocked however she tried her best to hide it, she was after all a goddess. Iris, the Goddess of Messages and communication and the divine personification of a rainbow itself, if I were to say in beauty she was only second to Aphrodite. With long flowing golden hair that fell in waves about her heart shaped face gathering on her shoulders and her mesmerizing eyes changing colours with every fleeting moments, she truly was a beauty to behold.
She wore a silvery chiton, loosely wrapped around her willowy body that shimmered in the faint light of the moon, like the crest of waves on a moon lit night.
She bowed before me and rose, "Lady Hestia, I was sent here to inform you that Lord Zeus has summoned the Council to meet at the Olympic Coliseum on the day of the Autumn Equinox at Sunset. Your presence is indispensable." She said respectfully her eyes not making direct contact with me, instead looking at the ground.
Iris had always been faithful to the Olympians. Even during the war against Kronos and the Battle of Olympus she had stood by us doing what little she could do. "Tell my brother I'll be there Iris. I hope to see you there as well?" I asked her.
"Yes my lady. Most gods and immortal personifications have already consented to attend the Grand Council at the Autumn Equinox. If I'm not mistaken there will also be representation from several other realms under Olympus' dominion." She said her gaze averted her tone respectful and soft. Iris was intelligent. She had given me enough to ponder upon before the Council meets.
"Thank you Iris."I said and with another quick bow the goddess disappeared leaving behind the fragrance of rain and the gust of west wind.
A Grand Council, normally it is held on the winter solstice so why now? Ever since the defeat of the giants at the hands of the seven heroes our world had gone under some serious changes. The first and foremost being the recognition of existence of other primitive civilizations like the Amazons, Centaurs and the Heliopaths.
The Council ever since the war had been making efforts to achieve a democracy, most gods wanted to bring everyone and everything hidden by the mist together but there were those as well among both gods and Imperial cultures who stood for autonomy.
In the end, a bold attempt was made for Peace not by any of the gods but their mortal children, the demigods. The Roman and Greek factions unanimously decided to join forces permanently and in order to give a strong foundation to their efforts; a new Camp was created to replace Camp Half blood and was rechristened as Fort Olympus, signifying the strategic role that the demigods played in the hidden world.
Fort Olympus was more than a camp for demigods where they learnt to spar, ride pegasi and canoe in the lake. No, Fort Olympus was nothing short of a military camp exclusively constructed for Demigods both Roman and Greek, it also doubled up as a city for them and their semi-divine families and was on its way to establish a culture for itself.
Unlike New Rome, Fort Olympus was exclusive to demigods only, legacies were permitted but they were rare occasions. New Rome for that matter became the sanctuary of not only legacies but mortal human families of the demigods as well, along with demigods who had chosen to remain behind and keep the spirit of Camp Jupiter alive and the prestigious legion that it garrisoned.
It was a time for unity, the harbingers of which were the demigods themselves. Fort Olympus was a grand representation of it. The ways at the camp changed with the inflow of the Romans, the demigods were no longer divided on the basis of their parents instead they were made to live in Barrack houses, a concept adopted from Camp Jupiter. However, each god had his own cabin as well in the fort where the demigod siblings could spend time and interact with each other, for the sole purpose of bonding as family.
The demigods were randomly placed in trainee cohorts when they were brought to the Fort, after three months of basic survival and combat training, depending on their abilities, strengths and skills a cohort was assigned to each Initiate, a rank achieved at the end of the Three month training, from here on the cohort would become a family to the demigod along with is other demigod siblings.
Each cohort had its specialisation, if an Initiate didn't want to join a cohort there were other interests for the Individual at camp as well both Military and Economical.
The demigods truly did play an important role in our lives, without them I daresay we wouldn't have survived this long. It truly was due to their efforts that we had been able to defeat our enemies. Other Gods wouldn't agree with me, but I have always known that they have more power and strength than us; it's their courage that fuels their strength and power, nothing else. They need to be acknowledged maybe that's the reason that many of them had been asked to join the Grand council upon its creation; it was a way of acknowledging their efforts.
Yes, things had changed at a very fast pace in the last few years but anyone could have seen this coming as for centuries we had been a part of the same rut, change was inevitable but what surprised me was the convening of this emergency council.
Convening an Olympian council was one thing, a Grand council another.
As I walked through the forest, under a canopy of emerald green and violet skies, I wondered what it could be about. A cool breeze caressed my face gently, taking all my qualms with it and breathing into me its freshness.
I sat there under the canopy of a Great Pine, looking at the constellations in the distant sky. Beautiful they were, some created by Chaos and others by us, I wondered how many other celestial beings like us existed and if they did were they as powerful than us or greater.
Author's Note: I know this is a long time in coming, but the idea that I mentioned during the SYOD didn't lead to anywhere. It was like a dead end, but now I have picked up on a new plotline which suits all the submitted characters even more and I mean all of them even those that didn't make it to the selected list, so I guess everyone will be able to see their submitted characters here and there throughout the story.
The major characters will all have the lead role one being the centre of every chapter alone with one or two minors, the others will be fillers and some might even play an important role in the middle of a story or a chapter.