I am a bad fanfic author. I don't update as fast I could because I am lazy.

Also, because I have failed to respond to you guys in a long time.

Rats.

If Ayden is reading this, I am sorry, but another long time reviewer wanted to see these and I live to make you all happy.

Special Hellos and Thanks Yous to:

Shinnama1 (Hello. The story makes sense but my spelling sucks. Okay. I'm glad you like the story—man, the entire series. Thank you, that's all I ask for.

Serenity Miral (Hello. You find Elios' brand of humor entertaining and you want to see Gigi go at it. Alright done in the next chapter. I have a nasty surprise at the end of this one. Second review. Yes, it's about time I got to this point and it's gonna be a dozy. Gigi is Endy's daughter, she's never out of trouble for long. Thank you for the reviews and for wanting these notes back. I was trying to be good and I did not know if you guys liked these Hellos or not. Anyway thank you.)

Lady C (That complement went straight to my head. Thank you, this is a good story and I am not just saying that as the author, I mean that as fan of this story. Well, just because  you and everyone else are waiting I will try to post often. Thank you for the complement and the review, I enjoyed both.)

Min Hee Ha (Hello my favorite reviewer. What can say other thanks for book marking and I know you like this story, you know you like this story. We all like this story. But thanks for telling me. I feel special now, thanks. (I am not being sarcastic. I meant it.) Thanks, I look forward to your next review.)

SJP (Hello. I am happy you love this. Hmm, will Gigi and Endy have a moment? I don't know. As for Gigi's relationships with her brothers, yeah, it that way, but she really cares for Elios, but their relationship is under a serious strain. And no, Elios is the youngest child. This will all come out in this chapter. So you are in for a surprise from both of the twins. Let's see what else did you put down? Okay, again, some praise for the female Endy…Oh, again, don't be fooled by the girl. She is Endy's daughter, do not trust her! (Laughs.) It's explained in chapter three of this book and chapters four or five in the first one. Another reviewer once mentioned that I have a love for long beautiful names and it's true! So I am glad you like her name. Gigi is very independent and not afraid to let her opinion be known, it will help when she becomes the Queen of Silver Millennium. And you are right, Gigi does love her twin. Hey, why are you bashing Elios? He's my fave OOC. (Author walks away with tears in her eyes.) Why? Why? Why? ^_^. Thanks.)

Wreath of Roses (Still the prettiest screen name out there, gosh, why didn't I think of it first? Anyway, hiya. Sap taste best with honey and bread. Sorry, mmm, Okay. I can't respond to that one with a straight face or a sane mind. It was a tad gross, wasn't it.)

Serena71 (Hello.)

Arabella Silverbell (You love me and I love your screen name. I'm gonna hafta use it with your permission of course. I am humbled by your praise. I will not stop until this story has been finished! Thanks.)

Darien Summers (My God, I don't deserve that praise. God, Mg is indescribable. She is probably the first fanfic author I had ever read who truly worked at creating a story based off the Sailor Moon Series. I mean, I read others, I went through complete archives were I would come across stories that lacked plots, had no character development. It was just the name of the Series, the chapters slapped together in some I can't even say ridiculous farces , and it was just underground crap. And then one day, I clicked on Mg story and since then I've held all other fan fic authors up to her standard. For me, to be compared to Mg is an honor, one that I am not worthy of at all, but it is still an honor. So thank you, DS. Thank you.)

Maetel (Hello. Good for you, I just finished reading it myself, oh, and the re writes for book two will be out soon. I wrote something that is addictive. In the words of Christopher Walken "Wow!". Yes, I know about the typos, I only notice them when I read the story and then I get on a rewrite kick. But okay, thanks. I look forward to you next review.)

Terenity Rose (Another pretty screen name. Yes, I will agree, this is a great story and I'm pleased as punch that you love it. You must love it, I will not settle for anything less in a reviewer. You must love this story or I will just eat chocolates all day. Either way, I win. ::Grin::. But seriously, thank you for the review. I try to make this story entertaining for everyone.)

Angel Grrl (Hi.)

Gosh, I hope I got everyone. I only took one page of the reviews and I tried to be thorough. I just wanted to let you all know that I do appreciate each and everyone of your reviews. You take the time to tell a writer how you feel about a story whither you like it or not. Well, you all know what I mean.

Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading my little bit of fan fiction. It means a lot to know so many of you like this story.

As for the other the other story, not the new unnamed one, but old one. I'm not happy with it. I can't stand that story as it is, and that last chapter was my breaking point. So, I am in rewriting it, not from the beginning, just somewhere after chapter ten. It's nothing major, so no one should have any panic attacks or anything. Just please bear with me, I will post the those changed chapters and two new ones soon.

Now, go on, read this chapter and wait for the next one.

This is an A/U Fic.

I don't own Sailor Moon; I'm just a fan.

Sean

Edited by Amethyst Serenity

Chapter Fourteen

Endy and company were following the power signals radiating near the Lunarian Prayer Chamber.  Countless piles of white ash resembled what Andrew had called "moon dust," the aftereffect of Serenity's Sailor Moon attacks.  It could have only been the handiwork of the not so lax and easygoing Elios.

            Endy was quickly reformulating his opinion of the seemingly spaced out kid from the future. He suspected Elios was a great deal more intelligent than he let on. The boy was surprisingly quick on his feet, alert and, despite the fact that he seemed to have his eyes closed most of the time, knew what was going in a room.  Mostly, he was always watching everyone and everything, just like he himself did.

            Endy paused a step. He could feel Serena.  She and Bellona of Mars were together.  He did not recognize the room they were in, but he knew why he was here. It was the same thing his father had done for Selene when he had made her the Guardian of the Universe.

            "I am Serenity still," the pristine angel told her. "And I am Bunny, too. In our former life, you were my friend and spiritual advisor. In Juuban, that bond was strained but never broken."

            "Serenity, how can you be so forgiving?"

            She came forward, her long diamond white hair floating about her and the satin of her gown rustling on the glass floor. "I don't blame you for what happened then. Nor do I blame Luna, Beryl, Atalanta, or even Ananke. I hold no grudges for what was done."

            "You see me as them?" Bella asked brokenly.

            Endy wanted to know that answer as well.

            Serenity reached for Bella's hands. "No, Bella. You are my friend and my sister in arms. Luna, she was my caretaker and I loved and trusted her. Atalanta was very dear to me and a sister of my heart just like Athena, and Ananke, although I never knew her was still a Senshi and devoted to me, but that devotion was warped and it scares me."

            "And Beryl?"

            Serenity looked away then. "Beryl never had a chance at life or happiness. All her dreams became nightmares.  She was haunted by demons and pushed onto the road of destruction." She let go of Bella's hands and walked over to one of the many crystals that floated about the place. Endy followed her. He looked into the crystal's heart and could see Beryl, the happy one before Ananke destroyed her. "I forgave Beryl because of the horrors that were inflicted upon on her for the sole purpose of birthing evil. She never had a chance. And my heart bleeds for her and all those who died for something that will never become reality." Her tiny hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I will right those wrongs and avenge all those deaths. I will free my Senshi.  I will bear the pain and suffering of those millions dead until I shove them through Chaos' black soul."  The surge of her emotions vented in the form of power.

            The light was too brilliant, too intense for Bella's eyes. She threw her arm up to shield her face from the light emanating from Princess Serenity's—No, Cosmos'—form.

"I will not rest, not even in death, until I have won, Chaos," the Senshi of Order shouted at her nemesis. "The ending of your life begins now."

Endymion felt Elysium's response to her call. She was its champion; she needed Elysium's—no, she needed the blessings of the Gods who were just on the other side of Elysium's gates. Endymion heard someone saying something, but the language was completely alien to him and he did not understand what was being said until the end.

   "Our will is your own." And power flooded through him, bright and hot like magma. It burned away his remaining ties to humanity; it was completing him, making him one with his father's creation, his father's joy. It overwhelmed Endymion.  He could hear the pulse of the universe; the bright golden sun was its heart. It was where Elysium wanted to be, lost in all that golden warmth. It was what he wanted, what he had craved since he first came into awareness in Gaia's body. It was in his father's songs and in his eyes. The sun, the center of the universe, the gate of the Nirvana was all one. Suddenly, the voices began to make sense. Endymion recognized a single voice, the strongest and most powerful voice.  Filled with that same warmth that came from the sun, it was urging him to complete this, to give her the life and strength necessary to defeat their enemy.

Endymion reached out and took Serenity's face into his hands.  She was so fragile.  He did not know if he could put this burden upon her. It was too much to ask of him. In his mind, Endymion could hear his father.  This had to be done, this was right...

Endymion refused. He loved her too much; she was the most important person in his life.

              "I am nothing." Cosmos told him. "My purpose for living has been defined by the existence of my other. Bless me, my Lord and Master, let me do thy will so I may bring Order to this star system."

"I will not allow you to die for me."

"Have you so little faith in your champion, my Lord of Elysium?" Cosmos demanded. "I will not allow disorder to reign. I will bring my sister to her knees and then to death. Grant me the power to do this." She reached up and touched his hands, her silver eyes shining with the strength of her determination. "I ask this of you as your champion. Do not think of me as the one you love, think of me as what I am. See me as I truly am."

"I see you only as mine."

The crescent moon insignia on her brow flared and then morphed into a multi-pointed star. Endymion bent and touched his lips to it. A soft golden light surrounded her as he set her free. "I will kill you if you die on me, Serena," he said harshly.

In that statement, he allowed all of his insecurities and vulnerability to be seen. Cosmos understood and accepted it along with everything else he had given her.

            "I will return to you," she promised.

            "I'm going to hold you to it." He felt a tug on his awareness. Someone was trying to go through Elysium but he or she was caught in the web of magic that the Gods had created in order to speak to him.

As Cosmos looked about the room, all of her crystals resonated with a dark red light.  She heard Sol's call. He was trapped in her spell and could not stop---

"Damn it." Endymion swore viciously. "A Sin is after your mother."

The Senshi felt it too, but could not leave.  Ananke was bound within her magic as well.

"Damn it, Serena," he cried, "She is your mother. Don't you care—"

Cosmos whirled on him, her pale eyes filled with rage. "How dare you. Of course I care. But she is only one---"

Endymion would not allow her to complete that heartless statement.  He turned away from her.  "You do what you need to.  I'll save your mother."

Relief washed over her like a tidal wave. "Thank you."

He glanced back at her; she was smiling at him, a genuine smile that went straight to his heart.  He felt his throat tighten. So she did need him after all. Endymion nodded at her and walked off, fading away from her dream world.

He came back to himself in a flash. All that transpired with Serena, and the Gods and himself had happened with the space of two breaths.  Endy fixated on Elios' location and was there in the next second.

Taking in the entire scene with a single glance, he hit the ground running.  Without a word, Endy lunged over Elios and Diamond.  His eyes fixed on the abomination that dared to lay its hands on his beloved's mother.  Drawing his grandfather's sword, Endy infused it with the power of his golden crystal.  He was in the mood for some serious bloodletting and that cloaked floating bit of dog crap was his victim.

Wiseman was forced to extract his mind from undoing the complicated spell that had stopped time.  Whirling out of the way, he narrowly avoided being cleaved in half by Endymion's flaming sword. Daghda Belenus' sword sank deep into the marble floor, but Endymion easily ripped it free and swung the blade again.  The tip left a long, jagged scar on the floor as he brought the blade up for an underhanded stroke.

The Sin grabbed the floating dark crystal ball and launched a fury of dark energy at the terran King. Shadows filled the corridor, blocking all light even the multicolored glows that surrounded the three Alpha Senshi.

Elios tried to see into the darkness with his alert senses.  Cosmos was feeding off the power of the universe and challenging Chaos. He heard the response of Order's enemy in the deepest layers of his psyche and it triggered his own cry for war.  Chaos was outraged.  Cosmos gently probed his aura and the other Senshi rejoiced as the universe welcomed him.  Ananke was crying out in denial along with her master, but this was done. Elios smirked with vicious satisfaction.

The call singing through Endy's blood was better than any chemically induced rush. Power surged through him in waves of brilliant, shimmering glory. He allowed the dark energy to wash over him, but it meant nothing to him.  Everything was the same: light and darkness, good and evil.  It was all one single being; it was he. Nothing in this universe could exist without his permission. He was life, he was power… he was existence.

"Now you understand, my son." His father's voice reached out of his memories. "Without our will, nothing can exist." Helios looked to the sun in the bright blue sky. "Not light or darkness. All would be a void without our blessings. The universe would have been nothing more than a dream. In some ways, that is exactly what it is. But Elysium is real and will always be real.  It is the key to existence and we must protect it."

"I understand, Father," young Endymion said gravely. "I will protect Elysium with my life."

Helios looked down at his son and smiled. "I know.  You make me very proud, Endymion."

Then the stillness gave way to an inhuman cry as a golden shaft pierced the heart of darkness and burned away the shadows. Endymion stood over the robed figure.  His sword, blazing like a newborn sun, was sunk deep within the physical and spiritual body of the creature known as Envy. The Sin screamed again when the holy fire of the Golden Crystal flooded through his body, filling him with the bright light of life.

Endymion poured all of his strength and fears into that fatal stroke. The shadows were burned away completely by the blinding force of his power. The entire corridor was filled with intense brilliant golden light until it was unbearable to witness.

            He could hear Chaos' screams of rage and denial as Endy finally accepted his place in the system.

            Queen Serenity cried out as a blade slipped into her unprotected back.

"No!" Kore screamed as she tore her way out of Cosmos' spell. "Your Majesty…"

            Endy spun around and saw the turbaned little Sin trying to escape through a portal even as Persephone was swinging down the blade of her Silent Glaive.  Having already knocked out the libertine Diamond, Elios was charging forward to end Ananke's life.

            "Elios," Endymion shouted, "Protect the Queen."

            The boy looked as if he wanted to argue, but chose to do as he was told.  Ananke bowed mockingly to the youngest terran Prince before escaping into the passages of time.  Grinding his teeth, Elios held back acid curses as he knelt and tended to the stricken Queen.  Ananke had escaped.  Elios growled under his breath and summoned his crystal.

Queen Serenity looked up at the handsome boy and smiled sadly at him. "You look so much like my precious Serenity," she whispered, "I am sorry I will not see…"

"Spare me that dribble," he said callously. "I was sent here to make sure that you did survive this day, Your Majesty, and you shall."  He positioned the small, tear-shaped pendant over her heart.

The Queen's eyes went wide as she got a good look at the crystal in his hand.  "But how?" she gasped. "You are the Senshi of the Sun?"

Elios pulled her up into a sitting position.  A silver dome appeared over them just in time since Persephone unleashed her Death Reborn Revolution. "Yeah, well my life was never simple," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Just relax, your Majesty, this will all be over in a moment."

Kore and Endymion trapped the Sin on this plane and it was not a pretty sight. Kris and the others had arrived and secured Diamond.  The fight was over in a matter of minutes. Endymion was still on an adrenaline high from taking out the Wiseman so Zirconia was just a way of letting the steam off.  

In the shield, Queen Serenity's wounds healed quickly.  When she touched the barrier, it resonated with the same energy of her own crystal.  She turned to the boy and tried to question him again but Elios was surprisingly tightlipped.

When the Queen was well, Elios dropped his magical barrier and stood up.  With an expression mirroring Serena's when she had to perform an unpleasant duty, he went over to where the unconscious Diamond was laid out.

Without a word, Elios drew his sword.  He noted absently that the blade was no longer gold.  Standing over the abomination, he held the sword high with his hands crossed over the hilt and started to plunge the blade into Diamond's heart, only to be pulled away from his prey.

"Elios!" Endy shouted, when the boy rounded on Mike.

Elios was prepared to take on anyone who dared to interfere with his mission. Right now, his father's friends were the unhappy recipients of his attention.

"We want him alive."  Kris moved between Elios and Mike.  The boy did not respond immediately but, after an intense staring contest with Kris, Elios rammed his sword home in his sheath and stepped away.

"Jamie, Troy, secure the prisoner," Kris ordered.  He kept a close eye on the grim- faced boy who, at that moment, reminded him of a pissed off Endy.  Elios stood at the mouth of the corridor; his hands were in tight fists at his side.

"Elios," Endy called to him. "Go to Elysium and tell your brother to get out of it."

"Yes, sir."  His reply sounded brittle.

"And Elios," he said.  The young Prince turned to him.  "When we have finished questioning this miscreant, you can kill him."

A pure, genuine smile that made his father proud lit up the boy's features. "Thank you, father."

"Now let's go home people. Kore," he called to Saturn Queen. "Before you rush off to hunt down Ananke, you should return to Atlantis with us.  You too, your Majesty. We've got a great deal to go over and not a lot of time to do it."

                                                      *******

The universe had stabilized.  The Senshi were picking themselves up and rushing to Atlantis when they heard Endymion's call.

However, Gigi was trying desperately to ignore it and find a way out of the room she had been locked in.  It was sealed with a strong magical barrier to keep everyone and everything in the universe out, as well as to keep her in. Artemis claimed it was to protect her from Chaos and Ananke, but she had been through enough to know when she wasn't being kept for her own good.

She just couldn't believe that Queen Eros had actually done this to her or that her father allowed it.  Elios could have kept his big mouth shut so she could do what she needed to do. But no, Dirae hadn't trusted her.  She had gone to get Elios' version of the truth and guess what?  The idiot actually told her the truth.

Gigi pouted and dropped down on the bed to sulk.

            She was going to be in so much trouble when she got home. Her father had threatened to take his sword belt to her hide for years.  This time, he just might do it.  That wasn't even mentioning what her mother was going to do.  She would be lucky to see the outside of the Golden Palace before she was thirty.

The door opened and Umino came inside.

"The King has ordered you to Atlantis," he said gravely.

            Gigi swallowed hard as she slipped off the bed. "How did he sound?" she asked in a frightened little voice.

            "Calm."

            Gigi winced.  She was going to die.  She just knew it.

                                                       *******

            Sailor Mars and Cosmos were the last of the Senshi to arrive.

            As soon as the Senshi of Order appeared, she was caught up in her mother's embrace.

            Ditching his game with Elios, Darien raced to the white-winged Senshi and collided with her legs.  Cosmos reached down and ruffled the little boy's hair.  Looking at where Elios and a gloomy faced Gigi stood, she smiled.

            "Alright, that's enough hugging," Endy said irritably.  Since his favorite chair had been transported to the palace, he was comfortably ensconced in the finely crafted leather seat and smugly watching the others make do with canvas chairs and crates.  But he was still in a piss poor mood.  Deciding the mansion was no longer safe, Artemis had sent Caroline to Atlantis with Gigi. Gigi was fine since she was afraid of his wrath and properly subdued in his presence.  However, the same could not be said for Caroline.

            The woman was currently being a pest.  After hugging Endy repeatedly and even crying a bit, she was back to her usual tricks.  She actually dared to sit on his mother's throne.  However, what was most offensive was her handling of Gaia's crown.  She had said it suited the mother of the King of Terra.

The offense almost got her head cut off by Eros who was still smarting over failing to protect her Queen.  Caroline gave up her idea of wearing Gaia's crown when Eros menacingly described what she would do to Caroline if she did not get her grubby paws off Gaia's State Crown.

            Watching Caroline squirm almost made Endy feel a bit better.

            Stepping away from Darien and her mother, Cosmos went down to one knee before Endy.  That just pissed him off once more.

"Don't bow to me, Serena," he fairly growled at her. "Everyone in this room better lower their heads when they see me coming, but not you. Get up."

            Cosmos looked at him, sighed and then stood up. "Selene paid homage to Helios—"

            "She wasn't my father's equal or his wife.  My mother never bowed to my father and he did not expect her to. Nor will I ever expect that of you.  Don't do it ever again."

            She dropped her transformation. "Fine."   She went over to where Athena was sitting and dropped down beside her.  "What crawled up your butt?"

            "Caroline is here," Kris stated.

            Serena's eyes widened with understanding.  She gave Endy a sympathetic look.  "If you want, I could drop her off a cliff for you."

            Eros decided to get things started.  "Ananke's alive."

There was a moment of silence.  Then, Xanthe asked, "Is Atalanta…"

She couldn't complete her question.  The color drained from her face as fear settled about her.

            Apollo put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.  "Lana can't be alive," he assured her, looking at Eros for conformation.

            The Venusian turned to Kore.  "Is she?"

"My father told me Lord Morpheus had taken both of their crystals and ground them into dust."

"Which begs the question of how did Ananke manage to survive?" Troy asked. He put aside his book and turned to the group. "Elios told us before the attack on the Queen that Ananke was still alive.  It was why he was traveling through Elysium to come here."

"How did you know Ananke was still living?" Eros asked the boy.

"Dirae," Elios said formally, but his voice was weary.  "I appeal to your wisdom before I make these revelations."

            Endy raised a brow at the boy's tone, now convinced that his previous feather-brained behavior was just an act.

            Dirae inclined her head.  "You are free to speak, Prince Halcyon."

            Queen Serenity started at the use of the boy's real name.  She looked at the girl, Gigi, and felt terra and moon about her.  She even had her own Silver Imperial Crystal.  But the boy was completely Lunarian.  How was such a thing possible?

            Unaware of the Queen's thoughts, Elios was sharing the information from his leaders with their past selves.

"A year ago, Sailor Pluto became aware of a disturbance in the time stream," he said dispassionately.  "She investigated and discovered three other similar disturbances in time. Worried, Pluto reported her findings to her commander who brought the matter before High Commander Eros of Venus. Eros and Dirae returned to the gates and immediately after that, Eros ordered a group of monitors to be dispatched under Sailor Pluto's command. Their purpose was to observe the four areas in time and report on what they had seen."

            "I did not know about that," Gigi said defensively.

            Elios stared at her coldly.  "It was classified information for top ranking Senshi only.  That does not include planetary Senshi or trainees."

            Gigi gasped and then glared at her twin. "Your Guardian Class does not make you more important than me, Elios.  I am still a Senshi."

            He shook his head and turned away from her.  "This is exactly why you haven't graduated to an Eternal, Sis.  You're a hothead.  You refuse to listen to anyone and go off half-cocked with little or no information.  You could have jeopardized the entire mission by coming here."

            "I have to save my friends," she insisted stubbornly.

            Elios looked skyward and sighed. "And risk being captured by Ananke and the Accursed One?  Sis, I don't know why you can't seem to grasp the seriousness of this situation. You are what the enemy wants. It's not me, it's not Endy, and sure as heck ain't Manny. Although I wish it was, since someone would kill him and I would have a peaceful life.  But please, for the love of the gods and my tenuous grip on my own sanity, try to pay some attention to what I am going to tell you. The Accursed One wants to get into Elysium.  She can't do that because she can't see it.  Even if she could see it, she would not be able to cross over into it.  Ananke tried to do it way back when but Elysium will only allow a God to pass through it.  Those beings who can pass through have to see it and those are Gods."  He looked down at her then. "Are you paying attention, Gigi?  Because I am only going to say this once and then you are going home so Dad can punish you.  Ananke can't enter Elysium because she is mortal and her body is flawed. All humans, no matter where they come from possess the same inherent flaw.  For their own sanity, it keeps them blind to the many dimensions surrounding us. I'm not going into the details because you should have paid attention to Umino's lecture instead of flirting with Phoenix."

            "Elios!" Dirae warned.

The boy looked guilty for a second. But he went on lecturing his twin. "The Accursed One is not mortal but it is one of the Senshi of Corruption and its perversion make it flawed like a human so it cannot see many of the dimensions that surround it."

            "I already knew that," she pouted, "Mama told us about it…"

            "But had you been paying closer attention then, instead whining about how unfair it was that I was already Celestial Senshi and you were still a trainee, you would have learned that Mama was also born with the same flaw.  Only a third of her was perfect because she was a descendant of Selene. After Mama became Cosmos, the imperfection began to correct itself…"

            "And she could see Elysium." Xanthe said in shock.

            Elios had forgotten for a moment that he and his sister were not alone.  He nodded. "Yeah, in this time your Princess Serenity can see Elysium."

"Dirae," Eros asked quickly, "What did you say about that time line Ananke was creating—"

            "What about it?"

            Eros closed her eyes for a moment.  "In Ananke's timeline, seven months ago would have brought the Dark One in the form of Endymion and Cosmos' daughter to our time. She would have been taken by her follower Envy to remove the limiter placed upon her by Cosmos so she could access the knowledge needed to create a silver crystal of her own as well as start the seduction of Elysium's High Priest." She repeated what Dirae had said verbatim. "In that time line, would Serenity's 'imperfection' have begun to correct itself?"

            Dirae looked thoughtful. "Yes, I think she would have begun to see Elysium, but only after Persephone had been recreated by the Princess as an infant."

               "What?" more than one person shouted.

               "She needed to kill me," Kore said coldly. "Before Endymion destroyed the Mugen Delta, my body---I was poisoned by my adoptive father.  They could not access my soul but he was putting a demon in my body. It fed off my Sailor Crystal."  She clenched her fists. "I was being devoured internally," she gritted through her teeth, "And I was near helpless to stop it. Ananke knew what those monsters were doing to me—" She closed her eyes against the rising wall of her rage. "She knew—she told them how…"

            Jamie was sitting beside her.  He pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her. Kore was stiff as a board in his arms. "I swore if I survived that I would kill Ananke. I was going to destroy them, taking the Mugen Delta and Tomoe and all his cohorts straight to hell."

"You can thank me later," Endy said gruffly.  He cleared his throat, wishing he could wipe the image from his mind.

"Kore," Bella said softly as she smoothed Kore's hair back from her face. "Why did Ananke want to kill you?"

"Because she would end the world," Xanthe answered for her, looking at her commander with apology in her sea green eyes. "Ananke told Atalanta and I that we had to stop Sailor Saturn no matter the cost, for if she were to awaken, she would destroy the birth place of our new Queen. I'm sorry, Kore."

"Don't apologize," Kore told her. "You were duped by Ananke.  And I must tell you, Xanthe, you were a bit off. Ananke wanted to destroy the Delta and the world destroyer. She knew that since my body was corrupted, I would have to kill it in order to protect our Queen and Princess. Ananke was counting on that and the loyalty of Princess Serenity's heart for her Senshi to resurrect me."

"I'm confused." Apollo announced. "Why would Ananke go through the trouble of killing you and then have you brought back to life?"

"To create Eternal Sailor Moon."

"Huh?"

"Yeah," Kris said, "Huh?"

"In the time line Ananke was nurturing, Serenity was too weak to force her evolutions. She would have needed the power of the nine planets to do so. Before becoming Eternal Sailor Moon, every form the Princess would have assumed would have been, as Elios had said, a trainee Senshi.  She would have been the strongest of all the Senshi in the solar system and without an equal."

"But she's like that now," Kris pointed out.

"No," Kore corrected evenly, "I am the strongest, followed by Nike and Dirae."

"You?" Troy sounded skeptically.

            Kore nodded, "I am a Goddess who is thousands of years old. Dirae is the same age as myself, which makes her stronger than the others, but not as powerful as Nike who is a living Goddess.  Gods and the older Senshi have always been the most powerful of this system's warriors.  Knowing Eros, she will surpass us all once this mess has been cleared up. But at the point in time, I am the most powerful Senshi in the system. Cosmos, however, is the strongest Guardian rivaled only by Endymion, Chaos and Elios."

All heads whipped about to look at the blond-haired youth.

            "Kore, you're giving away all my secrets."           

"So he was supposed to be here?" Eros muttered under her breath.

            Elios groaned loudly. "Look, can we get on with this? All the side conversations are great, really, but right now they are irrelevant."  Looking around at his parents and the group of warriors, he noted with satisfaction the varying degrees of shock that were being exhibited. When it came down to business, many people said he was like his father.  It was a pity that his dad never saw this side of him.  Straightening his posture, he assumed his "game face," a blank expression usually reserved for Sailor meetings.

"As I said before," the pale youth picked up his narrative, "Sailor Pluto noticed several disturbances in Time.  Under her command, forty-five senshi were split into four groups and sent back to monitor these areas.  Each group reported seeing the same person moving about and influencing people of each time period.  The first group, which I will refer to as Team Atlantis, followed a young noblewoman from the Tuatha De Danaan. She had recently arrived to serve the newly crowned terran Queen, Gaia De Danaan. The woman, Nephrenia of Melind, was consorting with a woman that many in Atlantis considered a witch.  The witch was later identified as Ananke of Nemesis, former Senshi of Pluto, etc, etc, etc.  Nephrenia was a little busybody who sought to rise higher in the court and had many enemies. The most powerful and vocal was Lady Nanna, the wife of Gaia's nephew Baldur.

"Anyway, Nephrenia was looking for a way to bring this proud lady down a peg or two when good old Ananke told her about Baldur's affair with a woman from Culann.  The woman was back in Culann after leaving Asgard in a near rush. Of course, the grasping wench did not know what this meant since the woman was gone to ground and would not be in court. Ananke said some mumbo-jumbo and poof- the woman was coming to court. And the reason she had left Asgard would not be far behind, along with Baldur. To gloss over everything, Nephrenia went to the Problem and told him about the affair and even worse, that Baldur and the woman were soul mates.  This infuriated the Problem, i.e. Loki, who lusted after this woman and sought to eliminate his competition. If you know the legend of Baldur, its sort of accurate but now's not the time to go over that. The long and short of it is Baldur was killed and his brother took the heat.  Gaia put a bounty on Loki's head because her brothers and sisters wanted justice.  Loki realized what he had done, fled, got caught and was executed.  That's the end of his story and it all should have been happiness with a bit of sadness, but Nephrenia wasn't finished making trouble in Queen Gaia's court."

            "Elios, please don't," Dirae requested softly.

            He looked at his teacher and saw the tears standing in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Patti…"

"Why are you apologizing to her?" Endy demanded. "She doesn't want to know how my cousin died?" He focused his attention on Dirae.  "Or did you think I did not know the truth?  Nanna could not show her face in Atlantis because of what you and Baldur did to her, Scathach."

            Dirae could not meet his gaze. "We never wanted to hurt Nanna.  Baldur loved her as much as he could—"

"No," Endy accused harshly. "She was his wife and you both should have respected the sanctity of that bond."

"We did," she shouted at him.  Her dark eyes were blazing even as tears streamed down her face.  "It happened once, one time. And it never happened again.  The shame and guilt haunted me to the very end.  I did not flaunt anything in Nanna's face; I was ashamed of what I had done to her. I begged her to forgive Baldur and honor his memory because she, she was his wife.  I would have never tried to take her place, even if meant having the happiness and joy of being with one I was destined for, because I never would have hurt Nanna."

"My uncle did not believe you."

            Dirae nodded as she struggled to regain her composure.  "He blamed me for Loki's obsession."

"My mother believed you and spared you my uncle's wrath."

            She nodded again. "Your mother was a compassionate person and a good Queen. I would have never died for her had she been otherwise. Gaia De Danaan was special and I miss her friendship."

            Endy took a deep breath. "I loved my uncle very much, but I knew he had his faults.  Chief among them was blind stubbornness."  A soft smile appeared on his features.  "Even though my parents had been married a full century before my birth, Odin still behaved as if my father was out to steal my mother's throne. If my mother forgave you, Scathach, I do the same. And this new light on the situation proves that you were indeed honest.  Ananke and Nephrenia set you up."

"To cause a rift within the Royal Family," Elios told them.

            Queen Serenity laid a gentle hand on Dirae's back. "They failed to do so."

            Elios nodded. "Only because Gaia got the insane idea in her head to approach you moon folk," he said with a wink at his grandmother. "She scared the wits out of everyone on Terra and the Silver Alliance by showing up at your mother's palace. Ananke realized that she had underestimated the terran ruler. Being the spoilsport that she is, Ananke tried and failed to assassinate Queen Gaia and start a revolution on Terra several times.  When her death traps failed, Ananke gave Nephrenia the half-baked idea that she could become Queen of Terra and took her into the Gates of Time to her master."

"Whoa," Eros said quickly.  "You're saying this all was before Lord Helios returned from Elysium.  The war that killed the Gods hadn't happened yet."

            Elios nodded, "Yeah."

"But Ananke didn't exist," Bella cried. "There is no way what you said could have happened!"

            Elios sighed as he looked at the uncomprehending faces. "Alright, now I see where you're confused."  He put his hands together and started twiddling his thumbs.

            After a few minutes of this, Eros barked. "Elios."

"You haven't figured it out?" he asked in a pained little voice.

"Just get on with it," Eros growled.

"Fine. Ananke has mastered time and underworld," he chanted in a singsong tone. "Therefore she learned how to go back in time before her own existence and be in two or more places at the same time—"

"Which means she can't be killed." Kore looked at Eros in horror. "That means you did kill her…"

"I killed one of her."

"But you did not get the real one."  Endy closed his eyes. "Elios, go on with your story."

            The boy nodded. "Yes, sir."  He cleared his throat and then awkwardly continued, "All the attempts failed as you all know.  Then Ananke sprung her surprise on the terran Queen.  A few months before Gaia was to give birth to her—to my father, she set Nephrenia and her cohorts loose on Atlantis.  Gaia could not fight, for fear of injuring her baby."

               "Senshi can fight when they are pregnant." Eros told him.

               "Yeah, I know.  But this was no ordinary pregnancy.  It was an extremely difficult pregnancy because Gaia was carrying—for lack of a decent term—an 'alien life form.'  Although she was the daughter of creation herself, Gaia was not a perfect being. She wasn't a God."

"She wasn't like Helios," Queen Serenity explained.

            Elios smiled gratefully at his grandmother. "No, she wasn't. Ananke knew this and was counting on this attack on the Atlantis to bring about Gaia's end. Of course, it failed. Lord Odin and my grandfather saw to that."

"Nephrenia believed that we terrans would betray our little Queen and follow her," Dirae said coldly. "I wanted to take Nephrenia's head from her shoulders when she showed herself in my Queen's presence."

"You and every Valkyr in the Queen's chamber.  But Gaia did not let you. She forbade her brothers and sisters from further retaliation and she barged in on my grandfather because he was going to do something so horrifying that I still can't get my mind around it."

            "You mean consuming her soul?" Gigi grinned viciously.

            Elios shuddered. "Eww. That's just nasty."

            "Dad did," she reminded him. "Twice."

            Elios turned green. "Why did you have to remind me?" he gagged.

            Endy suddenly found himself alone. He looked around at his compatriots and friends with an unholy smirk on his face. "They are quite tasty too."

"Eww," Serena and Jamie cried at once.

 "That's just sick, bro," Kris muttered.

"Anyway," Elios said loudly to drown out the useless chatter. "That plan failed. Nephrenia was captured, tried and banished from this plane for all eternity.  After she gave birth to her little bundle of joy."

"Beryl," Eros spat the name.

            Elios blinked with surprise at the venom behind Eros' tone. "Yeah."  His voice cracked but Elios coughed to clear it.  "Beryl wasn't a day old before her mother was shipped off to what everyone assumed was Hell.  She did not go quietly.  Nephrenia was screaming threats at the Queen, vile, malicious threats and curses that would have turned a saint's hair white."  He yawned broadly and stretched.  "The team monitoring that time stream detected Ananke back on Atlantis.  This time, she was a homey young woman with a kind disposition and gentle heart.  Her mission was becoming the nurse to Lady Beryl of Melind.  Beryl was a normal kid, very sweet, kind, a tomboy even.  She adored the Queen and Prince Helios and thought of them as her own parents.  She viewed the Crown Prince as her own heroic big brother.  When the kid was four, there was talk of making Beryl the Senshi of Terra.  However, Beryl was struck down by an illness when the Queen was preparing to send the girl to Silver Millennium for training with the others."  Elios rose abruptly and went to one of the windows facing the ruined palace gardens. "We learned that Ananke had exposed the child to one of Lust's favorite weapons. A black rose was imbedded in Beryl's heart and was killing her."  He wiped at the tears that spilled down his cheeks.

"But Beryl did not die," Eros said coldly. "She was alive with a monster living inside her." 

            Those who had been in Metallia's throne room remembered that pitiful waif in a grown woman's body.  What had been done to Beryl was sick. Only one with a twisted and depraved mind could have gone on with their lives after doing that to a child.

"It would have been merciful if she had died." Elios agreed somberly.  He had watched the moment the little girl lost her body up until the moment she took her final breath.  He swallowed the lump clogging his throat and went on. "After the 'illness' passed, Beryl never had a moment's peace until her death at the North Pole.  All she wanted was to go home and warn Gaia about the evil she had witnessed."  Elios looked back at them sadly.  "Beryl was a happy, loving little kid.  The Royal Family had all but adopted her.  She was loved and cared for.  It's hard to break a person when she knows that she has so much in her life.  Even as a kid.  Ananke knew that, she knew she could never corrupt that Beryl, so she had to make another one on top of the existing one."

"She poisoned her soul," Endy said grimly.

"No, Beryl wasn't so lucky. Vanity lived inside of her."  Elios turned away again. "You all know what happened after that.  There's no point in rehashing that part of the past."

"Elios," Eros started to rebuke the boy on his flippancy but Gigi waved her off.

Gigi had been watching her brother and her heart went out to him.  "He can't talk about the Fall of Silver Millennium."

"Why not?" Mike asked curiously.

"Because our parents died," she said shakily. "Elios has never been able to handle that.  It used to give him nightmares when we were little."  

"We don't need to discuss me and my problems," he said harshly. "Nor do we have time to waste.  The next team was in Southern California about forty or so years ago from this date. Ananke was working at a local elementary school as the nurse because she had found the reincarnated terran warrior Scathach and the reincarnated Queen of Terra Gaia. Gaia was Georgianna Edwards and Scathach, Patricia Haruna.  Georgianna was an orphan; her parents were killed shortly before her sixth birthday.  It was determined that neither Ananke nor the corrupted influence of Chaos played any part in the accident. Anyway, her father's brother and his wife, Joshua and Catherine Edwards, took in Georgianna.  We first thought that Ananke was trying to influence the young girl and were prepared to intercede in the best interest of the King and Terra.  However, we were not needed for that.  Ananke was after the Edwards' only child, David Edwards.  The significance was still unknown to us until recently."  He looked at Dirae as he said "David was—is— Baldur.  The unfolding of the time line had two paths and the decision was made to remove the corrupted David—Prince Diamond— and restore him to his rightful time after this battle with Chaos."

"But you will change the timeline," Eros said, "You just can't move people about through time and space and not expect anything to happen. The damage will be irreparable."

"We know what's going to happen, Venus," the boy said coolly, "And we feel that it will benefit everyone involved."

"Wait a second," Jamie interrupted the two. "You said you have to kill Baldur—Diamond—whatever the hell his name is."

"Diamond.  And yes, I know."

"So how can you send him back in time…"

"Don't worry about it.  We know what we are doing. We are professionals, trained by some of the best masters in all the cosmos. Now, back to the business at hand. We let Ananke take David but continued to monitor the Queen from that time stream. Nothing big happened until after the birth of Endymion. After that, Ananke put her new plan into motion.  She started killing the reborn rulers of the solar system."

"Why didn't you all try to stop Ananke?" Apollo asked him. "Or at least save our parents?"

Everyone was talking at once and the side conversations were starting again.  Elios whistled shrilly to put an end to it.  "We were ordered to let it happen.  We knew what was going to happen but whenever someone brought up the argument, we were told not to interfere…"

"You are always saying we," Athena pointed out. "I thought there were four teams."

"There were, but my mission required knowledge of the other three disturbances." He looked away then.  "After that, Ananke went after the reborn Senshi.  Without the protection of your families, Ananke was free to wear down your spirits and crush you all. She did so by exposing you Senshi to the harsh realities of life, blah, blah, blah…then we get to Bellona and Persephone. What happened to Bellona was similar in many ways to Beryl.  A false personality, that crazy witch Rei, was created on top of the Senshi's true self."

"Don't you ever swear?" Mike asked curiously.

Elios shook his head.  "I believe that those who curse a great deal are simple-minded individuals with limited vocabularies.  Back to the story.  End the interruptions because I gotta eat some time.  Persephone's tale is just tragic and cruel.  Ananke did give Persephone to that world destroyer and was going to sacrifice her so Princess Serenity would imbed the second Silver Imperial Crystal into Terra…"

"Whoa, a second crystal?" Troy cried.

Elios groaned impatiently.  "After defeating Beryl and company on her lonesome, Princess Serenity dies twice. First, Bunny Tsukino and Darien Shields are killed and then resurrected a day later within a tomb of Silver Imperial Crystal.  She dies again, after restoring the Moon Palace and sealing away Vanity.  Endymion resurrects her and, through his touch, her imperfection begins to correct itself.  They go to the Moon where she gets powered up and then return to Terra so she can wipe away all the damage done by Vanity and restore everyone to life, touching them with the power of her crystal and making them like those of Silver Millennium."  Elios got it all out in one breath. "I also studied the timeline Ananke wanted to create so I know all of this and about Baldur." His stomach growled but he ignored it.

"Elios," Endy said worriedly, "You want to stop?"

Elios grinned, "I'm not a crazed eating machine like the rest of my siblings.  Mama blames Dad.  We watched the end and made our plans.  I was sent to monitor this time and protect the Queen of Silver Millennium.  I was to step in only if Cosmos or the King needed my assistance.  Sailors Pluto and Saturn are waiting for Ananke, along with Cosmos.  If Ananke tries to move into our time again, she's going to receive a nasty surprise. Dirae and Persephone are stronger in my time and can do what can't be done now."

"And that is?" Eros asked him.

"They can kill Ananke."           

                                                            ********

"You have to go back, Gigi," Elios said to his twin.

            Gigi stared defiantly at her brother. "You need me, Elios."

            He threw his hands up in disgust and turned away from her.  Gigi caught his arm and turned him around. "Whatever made you draw that preposterous conclusion, Serenity?" he demanded. "I don't need you. I work alone."

            Gigi wasn't frightened of her brother, even if his aura was red hot beneath his unflappable façade.  She grabbed him by the shirtfront and yanked him down to her level. "I'm not leaving until I have my revenge and get my friends back."

"You know I hit women, right?" he told her with an edge of impatience creeping into his voice.

            Gigi let him go.  She stalked over to one of the ruined garden benches and perched on the edge.  "I can't let this go, Elios," she said bitterly.  "Sigrun and the others were captured while trying to protect me.  I can't let their sacrifice be in vain.  I have to save them."

            "Even at the risk of you own life?" he asked softly.

            Gigi looked up at the night sky with a full moon hanging high and bright in the diamond-studded dark blue sky. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but they did not fall. "I owe them that much," she whispered.

"You don't owe them this," he said angrily.  Elios kicked a pebble away and whirled on his sister.  "Maybe you're just an idiot or Manny hit you in the head or something.  Either way, something is seriously wrong with you, Gigi."  He marched over to stand in front of her.  "You are not the pink-haired menace that Ananke wanted, but you are very close to satisfying their needs."  He pushed his index finger into the tip of her nose.  "Chaos wants to get into Elysium.  She needs your body to do it because you can see and pass through Elysium."  He pleaded, "Don't you care that you are making this mission harder for me and Mama?  We have to protect Elysium at all costs."

            Gigi smacked his hand away. "I'm not leaving."

            Elios turned away from his sister.  "I did give you a chance."  He reached into his subspace pocket and drew his sword. "You will not leave this time?" he asked with brutal detachment.

            Gigi's eyes widened in alarm as Elios turned back to her.  "What are you playing at?" she cried out in horror. "Elios, put that away."

            Elios morphed. "I will not allow you to endanger Elysium, Serenity."  He raised his silver and gold sword. "I cannot allow Chaos into Elysium.  Since you refuse to leave, Serenity, I will kill you."

Gigi gawked at her brother in disbelief. "Elios." She gasped as the gold-armored warrior loomed over her.

"Forgive me."  He raised his sword over his head and started to bring it down.

"Elios!"

Cliffhangers are just mean.