Yo^^
Sorry this is late. My muse kind of went on a vacation and than I had to do research to upload the chapter, but yeah here it is and thanks to everyone who reviewed. Also to answer some questions:
Artapdrkstr- Ha. I was wondering if someone with a background in greek mythology was gonna read this story ^^ You're right on a number of points. Helios is actually a Titan that probably shouldn't be in this story at all. You're also right-the equivalent for him is Apollo. Helios' presence in this story was an accident actually… for some odd reason I forgot about Apollo. I was too lazy to go back and correct it so I just decided to leave Helios as the sun god. Then I fell in love with the surname Heliades so it just seemed like a good idea to keep Helios around. You asked about if I'm intertwining Roman mythology in here? No…I'm trying not too. The name Sol Invictus was simply borrowed and I'm using it as a title, and a position to be earned. Basically I'm taking Greek Mythology and the Twilight world and butchering them spectacularly into this monster of a fic XD
Beishiznit- Yes this story is a Tanya/Bella. I'm just going slow in getting them together, and yes Tanya and the others will show up around chapter four or chapter five…so soon:3
Dayla859- Gracias para tus palabaras y si- Tanya y Bella sera juntos. :)
So yeah Read and enjoy^^
Chapter 2~
"It's perfectly safe."
Hephaestus murmured soothingly, unadulterated mirth dancing in his eyes. Isabella was staring at his Lamborghini like it had personally done something to her. Well perhaps getting hit by a car, and ending up in the hospital had something to do with her new found phobia of motor vehicles. It didn't mean all cars were evil though.
At his calming words she seemed to twitch a bit, her eyes flicking to him. "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe Uncle Henry." She ground out, amusing him even further.
Her spiteful mood was to be expected. After all she just lost her divinity less than twenty-four hours ago. Such a loss of power, of beauty, would traumatize any immortal. Isabella was no different. However, despite her newly acquired human status Hephaestus could still see some of her former glory. She still had the same chiseled features, high cheekbones, and long auburn hair. Even as a human Isabella was breathtakingly beautiful and proud. Instead of accepting her inferiority she held her head high, and channeled the same measure of arrogance every deity possessed. She still carried herself like a goddess.
Hephaestus liked that. Isabella acted just like her father, and he respected Helios more than any other god or goddess combined. The sun god just possessed a certain quality about him-one that demanded reverence and respect. Isabella was slowly inheriting her father's exceptional presence. She deserved to be treasured, groomed, and molded into something amazing, but he knew that was impossible.
Zeus would kill her.
Long before she developed fully as a goddess, and long before she realized her potential Zeus would utterly destroy her. Hephaestus had no doubt about that. The king of the gods was cruel, and had no qualms about eliminating a mortal he deemed as a threat. Unfortunately- Isabella was the biggest threat they'd seen in over a millennia.
No one had the faintest idea of her importance when Zeus cast her out from the heavens. They were ignorant and stupid then. They were scared. Now everyone knew, and everyone wanted to use her-to influence her. Every wanted a say in how the New Age was going to be crafted. Zeus wanted to destroy the possibility of a new future altogether-the other gods all had their own designs.
Hephaestus also had his own agenda. So when Zeus hurled Helios' little firebrand from Olympus he watched closely-calculatingly as she fell. Very few gods paid attention to her trajectory. Even less deities bothered looking where she would land. Besides himself, only Athena and Zeus would be able to discern Isabella's location and that's only if she had not moved very far.
Hephaestus definitely planned to move her.
Far and fast.
It didn't take long to track her down from the giant crater she created in the earth from her landing. It took even less time to call a few contacts, and forge some papers so he could legally drag her wherever he wanted. The hospital was reluctant to release her into his custody, but after convincing some very gullible humans he was a concerned uncle and flashing fake guardianship papers at them-Isabella was released into his care.
According to the good doctor her wounds were superficial and she was well enough to move around, but not well enough to travel very far. Hephaestus smirked.
He didn't plan to travel very far…
Just a couple of states over.
Even though she crash landed here, he doubted Texas, Helios' favorite state was a good place to leave Isabella. She would be found instantly. She was going to have to move somewhere less sunny for a bit-somewhere where the gods scarcely looked. As much as it pained him to admit it-The only place nearby that lacked sunlight, and good weather was the state of Washington. Temporarily she would have to be hidden there until he could figure out where she should stay.
Isabella was going to be pissed.
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Isabella reluctantly slid into the passenger seat of the car, worry written in every line of her face. Her nerves were completely totaled. She had no desire to travel in this vibrating death machine. Her recent brush with death left her leery of all motor vehicles. Her Uncle Henry's car may be shiny, and very sleek but that didn't change the fact that it was dangerous and could get her killed, or at least permanently crippled.
Not only was the vehicle dangerous the man driving the vehicle was also detrimental to her health. She did not know Hephaestus. Isabella could not even label him an acquaintance. She knew he was the god of volcanoes, as well the Zeus' armament master. He crafted divine weapons, such as Zeus' thunderbolts, and Artemis'arrows. His skill as a weapons smith, and his power over magma were all Isabella knew about him.
In other words-her life was now in the hands of a complete stranger.
"Don't look so worried my dear, we're just going for a short drive."
He smiled innocently, prompting to her relax. Unsurprisingly it had the opposite effect. His false compassion irked her, and Isabella turned a wrathful glare on him. "What do you want with me?" She all but growled unable to bottle her frustration any longer.
It was one thing to be a fallen goddess completely bereft of her powers, it was another thing entirely to be considered one of the god's playthings. She was not a TOY that they could jerk around whenever the urge hit them. Every last one of the divine community had a horrible tendency of treating humans like amusing little insects they could squash whenever they pleased. She didn't care how dire the circumstances were, or if her life was in danger she refused to allow herself to just be another pawn in Zeus' game.
"Relax little Heliades, all I want at the present is to get you somewhere safe." He grinned, and took out a key. He started the car, and the engine purred to life startling her a bit.
"Safe?" She echoed disbelievingly pushing back her vehicle phobia with effort. "Now why would you want to do that? What's in it for you?" She questioned bluntly knowing Hephaestus did not really have her best interests at heart. Every god reared on Olympus was a self serving bastard. Her "Uncle Henry" was no exception. He was up to something.
"Must I have a reason to save my favorite niece?" His velvety smooth voice rose in mock indignation.
Isabella gave him a flat look.
Hephaestus sighed grumbling about stubborn children. "Look Isabella I hold your father in the highest regard. You mean the world to him. All of his children do. That's your only saving grace at the moment because right now Zeus wants you dead. That stunt you pulled with the fates has everyone scared. Helios cannot protect you, and right now you are so very vulnerable. There's a chance you will die little Heliades even with my help."
Pain, unfathomable and devastating laced through Isabella like a typhoon. She screwed up-royally, and now her world was crumbling around her. Her banishment was horrific enough. Now she was branded for death, with ancient Greek gods ready to destroy her at any given moment.
She cradled her head in her hands.
Hephaestus was the only thing standing between her and a horribly graphic death.
"Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" She whispered brokenly, her hands clenching into shaking fists.
His intense gaze softened inexplicably and the car came to a shaky stop as he pulled over on the side of the road. Sympathy and something akin to grief glimmered in his eyes as he talked to her. "Little firebrand I may not be able to turn back time, or stop the wheels of fate, but perhaps I can determine how much blood his shed in this upcoming skirmish."
"Blood?" Isabella echoed dully, her eyes widening in surprise. What was he talking about? Her actions had nothing to do with battle or war. At her shell shocked expression he frowned, studying her face with some derision.
"You don't even know do you?" He questioned finally after a moment, his voice taking on a resigned-hushed tone. "You haven no idea why you're being hunted." He clarified after a second of very informative silence. Isabella could not find the words to reply. She knew why she was banished, she had interfered with fate-changed the order of the universe and deserved to be punished for it-she deserved to die for it.
Hephaestus was talking about something else entirely.
At her incredulous expression, he pressed on with a sigh. "Isabella you changed our fate-the fate of the divine. You're meant to bring in the new generation of deities, and Zeus is going to do everything in his power to make sure you're not alive to usurp him."
Silence.
Dead silence seeped into every crevice of the car, slipping effortlessly into the leather, and embracing Isabella tight enough to choke her. She paled considerably, her mouth dropping open. "You're lying." The accusatory words bubbled forth before she could stop them.
She didn't want to believe him. He could not be telling the truth. Her karma was not bad enough to where her actions would single handedly disrupt the balance of Olympus and create a power struggle unlike any seen in the last thousand years. The truth was harsh, and cold-not to mention completely unnecessary. Personally Isabella preferred lies. They didn't ruin her chance of living a normal healthy unhunted human life.
"I wish." He shrugged nonchalantly, confirming her worst fears. His apathy meant this was no longer a game-at least not for her.
"Oh hell." Isabella grumbled, biting back more colorful responses with effort. "I can't believe…This is insane…" She trailed off, threading her fingers through her hair-a very human gesture that her father had done a million times before in her presence. "I didn't mean to change the gods' fate." She murmured quietly, hanging her head low.
Hephaestus quirked a slender eyebrow at her, "What exactly did you plan to do?"
Isabella closed her eyes as an almost physical pain shot through her. She refused to answer that question. Her reasons no longer mattered. Nothing worked out the way she had planned. She gambled, and like a complete moron lost everything. Her incompetence was astounding.
"It doesn't matter." She replied wearily, burying her self-pity before it could consume her. "Nothing matters anymore." She concluded, gazing quietly out of the window. A cold feeling began to emerge in the pit of her stomach, writhing until it froze over into an icy numbness. Isabella submerged herself into that feeling-embracing it. She didn't want to feel anything anymore.
It hurt too much.
"Isabella." Her head turned ever so slightly as she once again met the concerned gaze of Hephaestus. "Mutantur omnia nos et mutamur in illis."*A fraction of his power ghosted over her, soothing her and enraging her at the same time as she mentally dissected his words.
All things change, and we change with them.
His ominous words terrified her into dumbfounded silence. The full gravity of the situation was finally dawning on her.
There's a chance you will die little Heliades even with my help.
His words from before haunted her, creeping to the fore front of her mind and dominating her thoughts. After ruminating over her situation Isabella came to one definite conclusion.
I might not survive.
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After that lovely conversation, the long and exceedingly boring car ride resumed. Hepheastus took the opportunity at every red light to sneak concerned glances at Isabella. She was resolute in her silence. Not one word escaped from her lips. Not one breath was taken without effort. Her normally expressive eyes were dull with anger, and pain. For the first time in all his years the god of weaponry was at a loss at what to say. No words would alleviate the agony Isabella was experiencing right now.
He could not imagine being in her situation.
Powerless. Weak. Forced to rely on strangers for help.
It was every gods nightmare.
"Where are we going?"
He breathed a heavy sigh of relief when the tense silence was broken. "I'm taking you to another state. You landed on the border of Texas and that little Heliades is far too close to your father's realm. He has an unusual connection with places that have sunny weather. He is attuned to them and will be able to sense you. It's not safe. Temporarily I'm going to move you to Washington-just until I can find another place to hide you."
"Fantastic." Was the curt response he received. Hepheastus glanced over at the fallen goddess for the fifty seventh time that night and almost winced at her expression. Isabella looked grim, her face creased with worry. She didn't look thrilled to be going to a place without sunlight. It might have been kinder to just carve her heart out with a spoon. A Heliades without sun was like a fish without water. They didn't adapt well.
"I'm sorry." He murmured quietly. It was the only real consolation he could give. No matter how much it hurt, Isabella was going to have to suck it up in order to survive. She could grieve later. Her expression didn't change at his apology-she simply nodded in acknowledgement and continued staring stoically out of the window.
"How long until we get there?"
Hephaestus hummed in thought, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "8-9 hours if I keep driving illegally." He responded with a smile after calculating where they were on the freeway. The time would pass in a blink of an eye. Eight or nine hours was nothing to him. To Isabella's now human mind it would seem like an eternity though.
As if to emphasize his point, his wayward niece heaved a long heartfelt sigh and fell silent. He had a feeling it was going to be a quiet drive from that point on. Isabella was now doubt torturing herself with "what ifs" and "whys" and other equally pointless musings. Whatever possessed her to irreparably damage fate was no longer driving her. Now she was just lost, confused, and terrified. As she should be, as a former goddess branded for death-she had every right to be scared.
In any other circumstance it would be warranted too.
However, the fates don't lie, and no matter what Zeus said you can't defy them. You can't run from them either. Inevitably, fate finds you and elevates you or completely destroys you. Isabella was meant to bring about destruction.
Hepheastus wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
In order to do that he had to mold Isabella into something soft-something incapable of killing in cold blood. She had over a millennia of experience guiding her but she was not battle hardened like the rest of the gods on Olympus.
She was still young, impressionable, and oh-so-naïve.
He loved that. Maybe he couldn't defy fate but he might be able to curb it a little. Zeus' half assed plan to push Isabella over the edge might very well lead to their end. Unless the thunder god succeeded in completely annihilating her then he was placing every deity in danger. It was better to manipulate Isabella. He could instill her with human morals and values, fuel her dreams, vitalize her desires-turn her into a true mortal.
She would be an idealistic fool by the time he was done.
Any god would appreciate that. They could use that.
His lips twitched upwards as his eyes strayed to the passenger seat where Isabella had dozed off. Ignorant child.
Sleep well my little mortal.
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9 hours later….
"Isabella. Isabella. Isabella. Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Izzy. Belly. Belly. Belly. . Bells. Bella Bella Bella Bella Bella Bellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaa."
One eye peeled open as Isabella fought the urge to brutally murder whoever was waking her up. A sudden graphic image of her shoving her hand down their throat to strangle them with their intestines whisked across her mind-rousing her to the waking world. She turned to the source of the noise, her "Uncle Henry," and asked in the calmest voice she could muster.
"WHAT?"
At her infuriated response he grinned innocently, even going so far as to chuckle. "I had to wake you up because we're here." He smirked, moving his perfect face back so she could see outside his window.
Isabella blinked, inching closer to him so she could peer out of the glass. He accommodated her by shuffling back so more so she wouldn't have to straddle him to see outside of the window. Beyond the stopped car was a small two story building. It was nothing spectacular just a simple house made out of wood with a few sparse shrubs on the lawn, and a long lonely driveway. It was practically a hovel compared to where she used to live. It lacked all the glory and unadulterated beauty of Olympus-Disappointment crashed over Isabella like a cold wave. She had no desire to stay here.
"Where is here again?" She asked, her nose wrinkling in distaste.
At her disgusted expression Hephaestus seemed to grow even more amused, and had to clear his throat to keep from laughing. "We my lovely little niece-are in the town of Fork's Washington. I decided to shack you up with a distant relative of yours."
"Who?" She asked, apprehension coloring her face. "I thought we were avoiding my family."
"We are." Hepheastus' grins widened, and all of the sudden Isabella knew she was not going to like what he had to say next. He seemed find great pleasure in annoying her. "We're avoiding the family on your father's side. Your mother's family on the other hand…." He trailed off his eyes twinkling with undisguised mirth.
"You've got to be kidding me." Isabella groaned, and she let her head fall with a loud crack against the dashboard. "My mother HATES me." She complained, irritated with how her voice begin to disintegrate into a whine with every word.
"Oh Isabella she doesn't hate you.." Hephaestus crowed, patting her back with a hand.
The former goddess sat up abruptly, fighting the urge to slam her head against the dashboard again and glared daggers at Hephaestus. "First of all…don't touch me." She warned glaring at the offending hand like she planned to rip it off and beat him with it. "And secondly, you don't know my mother. Last time I talked to her she told me I was disgrace, and she should really just do my father a favor and end my pitiful existence."
Hephaestus blinked once.
Twice.
Than a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Well…It would have saved a lot of trouble." He admitted with a small half smile, before a low wolf whistle left his lips. "I thought Clymene* was the good one out of your parents. Well not good but more behaved than your father anyways…Then again she is the goddess of vengeance." He muttered to himself shaking his head.
Isabella rolled her eyes. "That should tell you something."
"Touche." He nodded sagely than with a small click unlocked the car doors. "But disregarding your mommy issues, this is one of Clymene's many illegitimate children scattered across the globe. A half-sister of yours-she will keep you hidden and safe for the time being until I figure out where to place you."
"She's trustworthy?"
This time the smile directed her way was purely predatory. His perfect white teeth flashed at her and Isabella winced. "Silly child. Are any of us trustworthy?"
The resounding "no" in her mind was not reassuring. Isabella really couldn't afford to trust anyone. She knew Hephaestus was using her. She knew if the chance arose and she became a liability he would try to kill her without a second thought. She also knew that all the gods' were in this for personal gain. No one really cared what happened to the end they just wanted to be the one pulling her strings and making her dance. Her half-sister would probably be the same way.
"Candor dat viribus alas. Dum spiro, spero"*
Hephaestus quirked an eyebrow at her soft spoken words, his eyes ablaze with wonder and something resembling grief. "Hope is a dangerous thing for you Isabella."
"It's one of the few things I've got left." She said despondently, shifting in her seat.
He was silent for a minute letting her words settle in the air between them. The finality of the moment was not escaping anyone. Than his ancient gaze fell upon her and more words in their native tongue caressed her senses. "Faber est quisque fortunae suae. Durate et vosmet rebus servate secundis."*
Her eyebrows knitted in confusion as he presented her with a paradox.
"What are you talking about? Every man is the architect of his own fortune…If that were the case I wouldn't be in this situation." She lamented, a dead pan expression on her face.
"I know…the lie sounded nice though right?" He grinned cheekily at having successfully removed all the tension in the air. Why a powerful deity insisted on being an overgrown man-child was beyond her.
Isabella scowled at him. "Get out of the car."
He dipped his head respectfully at her-still grinning. "Yes ma'am." He pushed the car door open, slipping out into the driveway. Isabella followed suit a permanent frown etched on her face. She was not looking forward to this meeting. The last two days had been exhausting for her. Meeting one of her mother's demon children was the last thing she wanted to do. Carelessly Isabella slammed the door to the Lamborghini and walked around the car to stand next to her Uncle Henry.
"You ready to meet your sister Angela?"
"Half-sister." She corrected, glaring at him. "Let's get this over with."
Side-by-side they glided up the driveway, stopping in front of a heavy wooden door. Isabella raised one hand to knock but Hepheastus lazily waved her away. He reached out with one humongous hand and pressed a button that had been obscured from her view.
A sound resembling a bell made her jump.
"What in the seven hells was that?"
Hephastus sent her a very patient look that made her want to punch him in the face. "That my dear…was a doorbell. It announces to the people inside that we are here." He explained slowly like she was an ignorant child…or a mental patient. She hated when people treated her like that. Better be glad she had no control over her flames right now…or there would be a very barbecued Hephaestus standing next to her.
Isabella was distracted from her violent musings when a strangled curse resounded from inside the house-which was soon followed by a crash.
A few seconds later the door was yanked open and young woman with dark obsidian eyes answered the door. At first glance it was clear to see that the female was of Asian descent. Further inspection told Isabella a few other key things. One this young woman had to be Angela. She was wearing a coat of some kind with an A embroidered on the front. She was slender and lean and looked to be around Isabella's age. She was very pretty but was not on the same level as a goddess, so Angela had to be demi-god of some sort. All this Isabella absorbed in a couple of seconds while Angela stood there, glaring at her and Hephaestus for intruding on her property.
"Can I help you?" Angela sighed crossing her arms across her chest.
Hepheastus cleared his throat awkwardly as the young Asian woman leant against the door frame to wait for an explanation.
"Yes. I'm a…friend of your mothers. My name is Henry and this is Isabella. I'd like to ask a favor of you Angela."
Angela stiffened, and her whole face seemed to twitch. "My mother?" She echoed disbelievingly. Her half-sister's face melted into a blank mask as she re-examined the people standing on her porch. Isabella could see the gears turning in her head and almost grinned when Angela finally seemed to have an epiphany. "Oh son of a bitch…" Angela groaned, an exasperated look marring her face. "You two aren't human are you?"
"Nope." Hepheastus said in a voice that was far too chipper.
Angela grimaced, probably wishing she had left the door locked. Isabella understood her pain-all too well. With all the reluctance in the world Angela slowly stepped back from the door leaving room for her and Hepheastus enter. "Why don't you come in?" Her half-sister offered with a smile that was nowhere near her eyes.
"Gladly. Come Isabella." Hephaestus swept into the house leaving Isabella outside with Angela for a brief moment. They shared a pained glance.
"Sorry?" Isabella offered weakly.
Angela just shook her head, a dramatic sigh leaving her lips. "It was bound to happen eventually. I don't like getting caught up in divine bullshit so naturally it was gonna end up at my door. I must have been a really bad person in a past life." Her half-sister demurred shaking her head. "I'm guessing I'm not gonna like whatever Henry has to say?" She asked after a moment of thought.
"Probably not." Isabella said, a sympathetic look replacing her normal stoic expression.
"Credo quia absurdum est. ab asino lanam." Angela cursed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. More than a little pissed off Angela stalked inside still muttering under her breath. Isabella gaped at her half-sister's knowledge of Latin, and Latin vulgarity. A real smile lit up her face as she trailed her sibling into the house.
Maybe just maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
cras credemus, hodie nihil
Okay what did you all think? Yes..no? XD Leave some thoughts. Next chapter will be out soon.
Latin terms and Greek people~
"Mutantur omnia nos et mutamur in illis."* Means "All things change. We must change with them.
Clymene*-Clymene is not a prominent figure at all o.o...She wasn't even a goddess. Different records have her as a nymph of some kind or as a human. In this story I'm making her a goddess because well it just makes the plot smoother that way. XD
"Candor dat viribus alas. Dum spiro, spero"* Means Sincerity gives wings to strength. While there's life there's hope.
"Faber est quisque fortunae suae. Durate et vosmet rebus servate secundis."* Means Every man is the architect of his own fortune. Carry on and preserve yourself for better times.
"Credo quia absurdum est. ab asino lanam."* Means I believe It because it is absurd. Like getting wool from an ass.
cras credemus, hodie nihil * Means tomorrow we believe but not today.
