VII

Hera smiled up at Zeus, then glanced back down at the beautiful baby in her arms. It was a girl. Another girl, and it would be just as beautiful as the other one.

"What should we name her?" Hera asked Zeus softly as the baby waved her fists around and attempted to smile.

"How about…" Zeus thought for a moment, "Eileithyia."

"Eileithyia Olympia," Hera said slowly, trying it out, then nodded in satisfaction. "Hello Ellie," she cooed at the baby girl in her arms, who grinned toothlessly up at her.

"It's sad I can't give birth anymore," Hera said sadly.

Zeus put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Hera. Four children… that's quite a lot already!"

"She has your eyes," Hera said after a moment of silence.

"Hebe has yours," Zeus replied.

Hera only chuckled slightly before dissolving into her husband's embrace.

στριμμένα

"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!" Hera screamed, her fist banging on the broad chest of a policeman as Zeus gently tried to pull her away. Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, and Hebe stood on the side, watching with a fearful anticipation.

"I am very sorry Ma'am," the police officer said, "but we could not find your daughter."

"YOU'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH! SHE HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE! SHE CAN'T HAVE JUST-,"

Finally, Zeus managed to pull Hera away and she collapsed in tears, sobbing as Zeus picked her up, beckoned at his children to follow and slowly walked away.

It was after that did Zeus slowly started to become colder and more distant, finally becoming the serious businessman he is now; a completely different person from a few years ago. It was also then did the random children start popping up in the house.

At first, before Hebe was born, it was only Athena, and Hera was fine with it because Athena was respectful and smart. But then, after Eileithyia disappeared, the twins, Artemis and Apollo came, then Hermes, and finally Dionysus.

Then, her sister Demeter got into some accident and had never been right in the head ever since.

Hera feels like her beautiful, perfect world had collapsed around her the moment she went back outside to the garden to find that her youngest daughter Eileithyia had vanished from her baby swing.

στριμμένα

"We are offering you a much better place to stay," a woman with curly, metallic red and gold hair and cold, piercing green eyes said, smiling at Eileithyia. "We have never seen such talent as yours, other than the legendary Phantom, that is. But it could be possible for you to be the next Phantom. Even though you are only seven, you have shown a wonderful talent in fighting. Will you join?"

Eileithyia glanced up at the woman. "How do I know if this… Firestorm place will be better than this orphanage?" She gestured at the gloomy room they are in.

"You'll just have to try and find out, wouldn't you?"

The seven year old sighed. "I've been here for four years. Perhaps it would be nice for a change." She looked up, her electric blue eyes seeming to crackle with static. "I will join your organization, Lynette Scorch. But on one condition."

Scorch nodded at her to continue.

"You will help me take revenge on the Olympian family."

στριμμένα

"Artemis and Apollo Olympia?" Tyche called. The twins walked up to her.

"Is something wrong?" Apollo asked nervously. Even though it had already been a year and 3 months, Apollo was still jumpy around his trainers. Tyche shook her head, smiling a bit.

"Don't worry, it's good news. I think," Tyche added in afterthought. "You are being called to Scorch!"

Apollo gulped. "Why?" he ventured.

Tyche shrugged. "I'm not sure. You might be killed, you might have graduated or something but anyways, you're going to the office. Follow me!"

The twins trailed behind her as Tyche led the way around the maze of underground tunnels- the Firestorm Academy. Finally, after a lot of walking, they arrived at a large door. Tyche knocked twice and a voice called from the inside, "Come in!"

The twin's trainer gave them a reassuring smile and pushed them towards the door. Cautiously, Artemis pushed it open to find herself in a room with red walls, red carpet floors, and red… everything. A woman with red and gold curls and piercing green eyes was sitting behind a large red mahogany desk. She smiled slightly at the twins.

"Sit, sit," Lynette Scorch gestured at the two chairs in front of her. They sat.

"Artemis and Apollo Olympia, am I correct?" the Head of Firestorm asked. Artemis nodded while Apollo said nervously, "Yes, ma'am."

Scorch smiled in a slightly cold and slightly playful way, like she had pulled a cruel prank and was watching it as it explodes in someone's face. "You two have passed perfectly, just like every other Olympian. I cannot express with simply words how lucky we are to have such skilled and talented fighters on our side."

"I doubt you summoned us here to praise us, Ms. Scorch," Artemis interrupted, earning herself a shocked and scared look from her brother. "Please just get to the point already."

Scorch nodded. "You are correct, Artemis. As you two may well know, you only have to pass one last test, and you are officially an assassin of Firestorm. You will get your codename and everything… but first! You have to complete this mission. Lynette Scorch slid a folder across her desk to the twins.

Artemis opened it to find a picture of a young man staring up at her. Next to the picture was the name 'Alexander King'.

"A Firestorm Assassin. Later found out was a Red Riders spy. Age: 19," Artemis read from the file.

"So… what are we supposed to do?" Apollo asked Scorch, who laughed as if that was the most ridiculous question ever.

She smiled coldly. "Why, you kill him, of course!"

Sorry, short chapter. But please review!