54. Anaklusmos
BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD
As the two Olympians strode into the throne room, Hades made a show of clapping slowly. "How 'bout a round of applause for our leading lady, ERIS!"
Eris laughed, with a light toss backward of her head. "Toying with them is just too much fun. I'm glad you enjoyed my ideas for the Gorgons' bracelets."
"As much as I LOVED your idea to plant the first tree BETWEEN Sparta and Athens," Hades replied. "And to think I was going to waste an apple trying to put one in each, eh? But let's get down to Celestial Bronze tacks. We're moving into the next phase, and I'm going to need you to get a little more directly involved than you have been."
"What do you need me to do?" Eris asked, a smile playing upon her lips, the sort of smile that gave the impression she knew something Hades didn't.
Hades shrugged off the creepy feeling that smile gave him. "Lately, I've been accused of underestimating my opponents. Now, I just don't know WHERE that statement could possibly have come from, but just in case, when things go down in Abacus Valley, I need you to make sure our star of the hour doesn't have any more than she can handle."
"You want me to split the party," Eris confirmed.
"Bingo!" Hades then turned his gaze to the second goddess who'd entered the room. "Which, in turn, makes YOUR job a whole lot easier. By the way, I can not thank you enough for agreeing to work with us on such short notice."
She had skin that glowed bright green. Her eyes were blood red, with no distinction between pupil, iris, or white. Her long raven hair was tamed by a golden helmet that matched the golden bands on her forearms. She sported a deep plum, midriff-bearing top with silver brooches fastening the short sleeves and sharp golden epaulets. It was complemented by baggy, plum-colored pants. Even without engaging any of her divine powers, Nemesis, goddess of revenge, cut an intimidating figure.
"I'm still not happy about working with you," she growled. "Either of you. Especially around those apples. But luckily for you, the end justifies the means. I'm looking forward to the outcome."
"Hey, Nemesis, all I'm askin' you to do is what you usually do," Hades reminded her. "Just on my terms, all right? You know mortals aren't supposed to possess the golden apples. So don't let any. In your particular way."
"It's letting you plant the tree at all that doesn't sit well with me," Nemesis replied coldly. "But as I said, the outcome will be worth it."
"Now you ladies run along," Hades said, "and have fun, okay?"
"My work is never about fun," Nemesis snarled, "but I will take pleasure in finally smiting Hercules for his crime."
She turned and stormed out of the room.
Eris laughed, a mellifluous sound. "She is wound up tight. Looks like it's up to me to have all the fun." She leaned backward, her entire form curling back until she was again a wisp of color, floating out the door on a wind that wasn't blowing.
ABACUS VALLEY, OLYMPIC GREECE
As the wagon hurtled toward the capital of technology, Hercules was still confused. "Nemesis is all about rules and punishing the people who break them. She HATES chaos. And after his last attempt to take over Olympus, she hates Hades!"
"Maybe Eris, Hades, and Nemesis all sat down and had a tea party and resolved their differences!" Pinkie Pie suggested.
"You forgot Discord," Rarity pointed out.
"Your biggest problem with that theory is that she forgot Discord?" Cassandra asked in amazement.
"But they could have struck some sort of agreement," Twilight suggested.
"You don't know Nemesis," Hercules reminded her.
"She does not strike agreements with those who commit infractions," Zoë emphasized.
"Well, maybe she came of her own accord because of the apples," Twilight guessed. "She isn't working for or with anypony. Just like the Spartans and the Athenians. The apples being here is breaking a rule, so she's going to stop it! And the apples being here is contributing to her ability to cause everypony harm, but she doesn't recognize it!"
"That's…actually a sound theory," Phil realized.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash looked out at the polis the wagon approached. "Is that it?"
Pinkie began to ask, "Are we there y – " but Rainbow Dash clamped a hand over her mouth.
The valley was lined with buildings in neat rows. Unlike Corinth, it was organized; unlike Sparta, it was linear; unlike Athens, it was small. Even from the distance at which the wagon approached, a large tree was visible at the opposite end of the valley.
"It's too easy," Applejack said. "The tree's right there where we can see it, and it's all of us against one goddess. There's gotta be some kinda catch to this."
"Well, we won't know what it is unless we go in," Twilight pointed out.
The wagon slowly eased down into the valley. It was clear that no one was out in the streets. Abacus Valley seemed a ghost town, with no activity.
"Where'd everypony go?" Pinkie asked.
Without warning, Eris materialized before the wagon, startling all passengers (and horses drawing the wagon). "Why, they're obeying the rules and staying indoors like Nemesis said," she explained. "They're all very attached to their limbs, and none of them really wanted one cut off."
"ERIS!" Zoë cried. "I should have known it was thee behind this!"
"That solves one mystery at least," Twilight muttered.
Eris chuckled. "You all think it's so simple. I never like to work in absolutes, though. Things are just a lit-tle bit more complicated than you think. But for now, we'll pretend you're on the mark. This is my game. But just because you figured it out…does that mean you can play?" She smirked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Applejack snapped.
Eris simply began to laugh. Then she levitated into the air, riding the wind in a circle around the wagon. She circled again and again, speeding up, and she grew in size so that soon, all that was visible from inside the wagon was a blur of blue and purple whirling round and round, as the laughter echoed, filled the air, filled their heads –
And then it cleared.
"What?" Twilight cried. "Where'd she go?" She sighed. "At least we're…okay…"
She realized where she was. She stood a good mile, at least, away from Abacus Valley, able to see it in the distance. And there she stood alone.
"Rarity?" she called out. "PINKIE PIE? RAINBOW DAAAASH!"
When nopony answered, Twilight charged toward Abacus Valley at top speed. She knew exactly what Eris' aim had been. She'd split up the group.
"Wha…where did everybody go?" Hercules nearly whimpered, looking around. He too had been deposited a fair distance from Abacus Valley, in a different direction than Twilight had been taken, all alone. "ERIS!"
He charged angrily toward the valley, sword drawn.
"ERIS!" Zoë cried from her solo space two miles from Abacus Valley. "Thou shalt PAY for thy trickery!"
"This is not good," Pit muttered from his new location.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Rarity moaned.
Fluttershy flinched with every step she took toward the valley; of all the fates she could have asked Eris to deal out, being separated from the others was the one she wanted least.
From a vantage point in the sky, Eris lay on a soft cloud, observing her work. She watched the scattered heroes all begin to make their way toward the valley. Of course, she'd placed Pit, Pegasus, and Rainbow Dash the farthest away – she didn't want them to have an advantage due to their wings. She nearly fell off the cloud laughing when Rainbow Dash, lost, took off at top speed in the opposite direction of Abacus Valley – she hadn't been able to see it from where she'd been placed and had guessed incorrectly.
She saw Pit flying straight upward, probably trying to get his own vantage point to locate the city-state. "Ah, ah," Eris giggled, waving a gust of wind toward him.
Pit was unable to see Eris, but he was taken by surprise when the gale force knocked him head over heels until he was forced to land back on the ground.
Eris smirked as Hercules reached the entry point to Abacus Valley once more. Exactly as she'd hoped. She'd set him the closest on purpose. She knew how much Nemesis wanted to see him. Speaking of which, it was time for Nemesis to make her debut. Eris' smile grew in anticipation.
Hercules barreled down the road to the tree at the end of the valley. There, he stopped to look around, get his bearings, hope against hope that someone else had made it there.
"Where is everyone?" he wondered aloud. "And…come to think of it…where's…?"
He turned to look back across the valley, and that was when the curved blade slipped around from behind, resting against his neck, just close enough not to cause any damage…but if it or he moved, his throat would be slit.
The blade melted into a wrist; Nemesis had transformed her hand into the blade that she held against Hercules' throat.
"I'm right here," she hissed into his ear, "and I've been waiting for this day ever since you set foot on Olympus."
Fluttershy was the second to make it into the valley. She entered with trepidation, hating that she was alone, fearing that something horrible would jump out at her from any alley. She had no idea what to expect of Nemesis. What did she look like? What were her powers? How strong was she?
As she wondered, Fluttershy trembled, and when it was too much, she grabbed the handle of the nearest door and threw it open. She ducked into the building – an abacus shop – slamming the door behind her.
Three men and two women cowered behind the sales counter; they all shrieked in fear when Fluttershy entered. This caused Fluttershy to scream in turn.
"Are you here to smite us?" one woman asked worriedly.
"No," Fluttershy answered, her voice shaking. "I'm trying to hide."
"Then join the club," one of the men said. "We're hiding too."
"From Nemesis?" Fluttershy asked.
"We all wanted those apples," the other woman wailed. "Just one apple! But she tried to cut us to pieces if we even looked at the tree!"
"Then she attacked everyone in the streets, even if they hadn't had anything to do with that tree," another man said. "She said she knew they were thinking about it!"
"The only thing we can do to be safe is hide," the third man said. "There's no way to fight her. She's too powerful!"
"My friends and I could fight her," Fluttershy said, "but we got separated. I can't take her on by myself! Is it all right with you if I wait here until the others show up? I just know they'll find me. Then we can fix this!"
"You can wait here," the second woman said, "but you and your friends aren't gonna be able to beat…her."
Fluttershy shuddered, moving away from the door.
In one fluid motion, Hercules twisted backward, ducked, drew his blade, stepped away from Nemesis, and spun, facing her. She swept her other arm through the air, creating a second sword, long and straight and sharp.
"Leave Abacus Valley alone!" Hercules snapped at her. "They didn't ask for the apples or even to be tempted by them! This was all a setup!"
"The rules are the rules," Nemesis said. "They desired that which mortals cannot have. They must pay the price."
"Not if I can help it!"
She swung each arm in succession; he parried each blow with his own sword. She kicked him in the stomach, sending him reeling backward – mortals couldn't do that to him; many had tried – and raised the broadsword blade above his head, preparing to bring it down hard. When he blocked it, she swept the curved blade in from the side, forcing him to roll away. He kicked out at her ankles, hoping to bring her down, but she jumped; he stood, and both her blades clashed against his.
"But punishing YOU will be even BETTER than giving the people of this valley what they deserve!" Nemesis growled. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people who claim to be gods when they aren't! Everyone reveres you! No one cares that you're a FAKE! A fake who stood on Olympus, THE REALM RESERVED FOR GODS ONLY!"
"I am a god," Hercules insisted, speaking over the crossed blades. "Just because I chose to live in the mortal world doesn't make me any less one! And I only ever walked on Olympus when I had my godhood back!"
The blades all separated. Nemesis transformed the curved blade into a mace, swinging it at Hercules' head; he backed away and it missed by a hair's breadth. She advanced, swinging it; he stepped back again and again. "You think – you were a GOD – when you walked – on Olympus? You still – believe – that LIE?"
Hercules caught Nemesis' wrist in his right hand, forcing the mace downward and holding it there. "As the son of Zeus and Hera, I do," he insisted.
"Son of Zeus and Hera," Nemesis spat. "That's what they told you. That's what they told EVERYONE. But any Olympian with an ounce of sense knows the truth. Your father was Zeus, but your mother was a mortal WRETCH!"
She forced the mace hand upward with such strength that Hercules staggered backward, nearly falling again. She drove the broadsword blade toward his heart, and he sidestepped quickly, striking at her with his own sword. "What are you TALKING about?" he asked midswing.
The mace caught the sword. Knocked it out of his hand. It hit the ground. Nemesis pounded the blade with the mace, and it shattered. Hercules gasped.
"I mean you were never a son of Hera," she said. "Never a full-blooded god. Zeus tried his best to make you one. To give you godlike powers when you'd 'earned' them. But his lies are more precious to him than his own son. When you challenged the Titans, you walked as a demigod and a mortal, with a thread of life strengthened by Zeus, on HOLY, SACRED GROUND!"
The blade bit into his shoulder, and he cried out; it echoed through the valley.
"THAT'S HERCULES!" Fluttershy cried.
"THE Hercules?" one of the men asked.
"It doesn't matter," the second said. "Even he can't match Nemesis. She's an Olympian, and she's been one longer than he has…"
"You mean to say Greece's greatest hero is about to DIE?" the second woman cried.
"You don't understand," Fluttershy wailed. "He's my friend!"
"I'm sorry for your loss," the first woman said. "I truly am."
"I haven't lost him," Fluttershy said, steel in her voice. "NOT YET!"
She threw the door open. She ran into the streets. No time to wait for anypony else. Not anymore.
"It's almost pathetic that you had to find out like this," Nemesis remarked, swinging the mace; Hercules was forced to hit the dirt to avoid it. She raised the mace and the broadsword blade high, and he had no weapon with which to counter.
"I still think you're lying," Hercules grunted. "This is just proof that you ARE working with someone like…like Hades, or Eris, or even Discord! Why else would you lie?"
"And why would I work with unruly scum?" Nemesis retorted. "Either way, you're going to die with the last thought in your head being that SOMEONE lied to you about your entire life. Huh. Almost makes me pity you. But only almost."
She swung the mace and the blade downward.
With a metallic CLANG, another blade intercepted them, impeding their path. Nemesis was taken aback; she wasn't sure what kind of weapon could have done that and not broken. She looked directly into the eyes of her new opponent.
Fluttershy, in full Mahou Shoujo garb, stood over Hercules, her katana blade poised between Nemesis' arms and Hercules' fallen body. "YOU LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!" Fluttershy roared, glaring at Nemesis with the best stare she could manage.
Nemesis threw back her head and laughed. "Ohhh, how adorable! I'm guessing that glare stopped a few monsters in their tracks." She stopped to consider the katana. It wasn't Celestial Bronze. It didn't seem divine. She was able to correctly identify the category of make when Phil could not; it was an Eldritch weapon, such as the type the Titans and the Primordials had used in their wars against the gods, though on a much smaller scale. She didn't have time to wonder where a tiny Kentauride with a Technicolor coat and fluffy pink hair had obtained an Eldritch katana. She merely knew she had to retaliate, and so both arms were transformed into broadsword blades, which she used to hammer at Fluttershy. Fluttershy parried every single blow, then leapt backward, planting her feet in the ground. Plasma flowers sprouted up between her hooves, around her, right in the street. They lifted into the air, spun, became hundreds of shuriken.
Fluttershy let them fly at Nemesis.
Nemesis quickly placed her wrists together, joining both her hands in forming a massive double-bladed axe. She swung it at the volley of shuriken, cutting them all in half; petals scattered the ground and then dissipated.
Fluttershy squeaked in fear. She had actually expected Nemesis to be able to counter her strongest attack…but she wasn't sure what else to try.
"I don't know your name," Nemesis said, "but I have grounds to smite you on OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE!" She ran at Fluttershy, swinging back the great axe.
And it would have been all over for Fluttershy and Hercules if not for the divine intervention.
Eris watched confusedly from above as the bright flash of light glowed near the tree, and as Athena herself stepped from it. "What does that little witch think she's doing?" Eris muttered.
The other heroes were starting to reach the borders of Abacus Valley as well, but that was a lesser concern.
"Nemesis!" Athena barked.
Nemesis froze. "I'm kind of in the middle of something," she growled.
"It's unimportant," Athena told her. "I need a revenge enacted!"
"NOW?" Nemesis moaned.
"Now," Athena insisted. "Leave Hercules and Fluttershy alone."
"But they - !" Nemesis tried to argue.
"Are you or are you not the one in charge of Olympian revenge?" Athena's tone increased in anger. "Ares has wronged me greatly!"
"I thought you sent an Athenian troop to raid his city," Nemesis sighed.
The mace was still held aloft. Fluttershy and Hercules slowly backed away, but didn't leave the scene; they were both curious to find out what was happening.
"The Spartans somehow outsmarted them," Athena replied. "I will not stand for this affront. The conflict must be fought on Olympian ground!"
"Technically, you're even," Nemesis sighed, "but smiting Ares WOULD be a lot more satisfying than these two." The weapons at her wrists melted back into flesh, into green hands. "Fine. We'll go."
"Athena, what are you doing?" Hercules asked in horror.
"Taking back my dignity," Athena answered as she and Nemesis shimmered out of view. When they were gone, one thing remained: an apple core. The fruit had golden skin.
"The apple…Athena must have eaten the apple!" Hercules groaned. "That's why she thinks it's a good idea to attack Ares on Olympus!"
"But Olympians can't fight each other!" Fluttershy realized. "What would happen to the mortal world if the gods are…?"
"I don't know," Hercules told her, "but it can't be good."
Eventually the others found their way back in. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Phil, Meg, Cassandra, Icarus, Pit, Zoë…even Rainbow Dash finally figured out what direction was correct.
Eris sighed in frustration as she watched the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony convert her glorious tree. Even the core that Athena had left behind was splashed with rainbow light. There was nothing more for Eris to do there, so she took her leave. Soon, she thought, she would have an even bigger and better chance.
"Gotta hand it to ya, kid," Phil told Fluttershy, "I didn't think you'd come through in crunch time. But it worked out just fine."
"So what happens if an Olympian eats one of the apples?" Twilight asked.
"To a mortal, the apples would grant divine knowledge…which would be too much for mere mortal minds," Zoë explained. "To a goddess…Athena shall retain her mind, but she will fall victim to chaotic impulses."
"Like mind control?" Pinkie asked.
Zoë shook her head. "They are all thoughts she would have had herself. However, we are often faced with the choice between order and chaos. When the gods choose order, they do what is best for Olympus and the mortal world. I fear that Athena will choose to ignore her duty and her desire to keep the peace in favor of her desire to best Ares. But there is nothing we can do to affect it from here. We have to wait and hope that once we finish these apples off, their effects will subside without too much disaster, and Athena and Ares' conflict shall not increase in scope."
"There was something else that Nemesis kept saying that bothered me," Hercules brought up. "She kept saying that she wanted to smite me because I was never a real god."
"Huh?" Phil shook his head in confusion. "What was that s'posed to mean?"
"Tell us more," Zoë commanded, curious.
"Well," Hercules explained, "she said…"
BARDO, THE UNDERWORLD
The stack of scrolls was dumped on Facilier's desk; looking at Facilier over them, Nergal beamed proudly, showing every pointed tooth. "You'll find the records are all in order here!" he announced.
"Good," Facilier said simply.
"I suppose you'll want to make an example of me to the others, since I was the first to bring back reports," Nergal prompted. "In fact, I'm sure you've gained a new respect for me because of this! So, what do you say? Friends-friends-friends?"
"For your information, you were the second to come back with reports," Facilier sighed. "Hecate showed up here an hour ago with her share filed alphabetically and by date."
Facilier was sure that Hecate would be disappointed that she didn't get to see the look on Nergal's face. In fact, he was relieved that the two of them were competing. When Hecate had first shown up so promptly – following a directive that led to HADES, no less – he'd thought for the slightest moment that she'd been so eager to get her job done so she could get back to some sort of secret project. Such thoughts were gone now.
"You can go now," Facilier dismissed.
Nergal stormed from the room to find Hecate leaning on the wall in the outer hallway – had she been there since he'd entered? – headdress off and tucked under one arm.
"You just HAD to," Nergal growled.
Hecate responded by laughing with all three mouths, loud and long. When she'd finished her laughter, she taunted, "What are you going to do now, go play horseshoes with cardboard cutouts of Hades and Facilier?"
"Yes," Nergal sighed before plodding out of the hallway.
"Wait," Hecate sputtered. "You actually HAVE cardb – oh, never mind!"
She flew out of Facilier's domain as quickly as she could, hoping Mozenrath hadn't gotten himself into trouble while she was gone.
When Hecate ran into the crystal hall, she halted immediately so as not to tread on an intricate, glowing design. At her feet was a miniature palace, a three-dimensional model, made of blue fire. She looked around the hall. Similar structures were strewn across the floor, with roads and rivers made of lightning in between them. At the far end, Mozenrath put finishing touches on what looked like a paradise garden, all made of fire. Hecate stepped closer to him, careful not to touch any of the glowing structures. She could see that he was exhausted; his eyelids drooped.
"How was your mission?" he asked, lackluster. Xerxes hovered overhead, much more visibly awake.
"Tolerable," Hecate replied. "There's some sort of mix-up going on with the soul documentation. At least I got to stick it to an annoying rival, though I didn't get to see the look on his face when he figured it out. I see you've been busy. What's all this?"
"Just a map of the Seven Deserts," Mozenrath answered. "I didn't know how long you'd be gone, so I took on a bit of an ambitious project."
"Isn't it tiring to keep that much fire up for that long?"
"Yes."
Hecate looked around at the various palaces and cities and other landmarks drawn out. "So this is your home world."
"Yes."
"Where's your citadel?"
Mozenrath pointed to a far wall, where a miniaturized, blue model of the Black Sands citadel rested on a shimmering blue pillar and a road of lightning led down through the ever so tiny buildings.
"And what's that?" Hecate continued.
"Actually, something dead," Mozenrath replied, adding more trees to the garden. "There was a plant sorcerer who used to live in these gardens, but my idiot brother killed him. He was an artist, actually. He never dished anything out to anyone who didn't deserve it, and he never hurt anyone. And Aladdin killed him. They say I'M the heartless one. Well, they're right, but he's not perfect either."
"You…can go to bed now," Hecate told Mozenrath.
They both knew that as soon as he got up and left, as soon as he relinquished the hold he had on this elemental illusion in order to go to sleep, all this work would vanish, all the beauty dissipate. So he hesitated a moment, continuing to sculpt Arbutus' sanctuary as it had looked in its prime rather than how it looked in the present day. But exhaustion won out. He stood, and then it was all gone, the flaming map that had taken hours to draw upon the crystal floor.
"Night," he muttered as he shuffled toward his bedchambers. He hadn't realized how tired he really was; he was dazed.
Xerxes hung back, confused. "Mozenrath not MEAN good night," he said, still perplexed, before following his master toward blissful sleep.
Hecate knew what the eel meant. In his half-asleep state, Mozenrath had just bid Hecate good night. He probably never did that. It wasn't as if he cared, or thought he cared, about anyone's night but his own.
Maybe it was a sign that he wasn't so heartless, Hecate thought. Hades would hate that. He was always going on about how love was weakness, how love was anathema, how love would destroy the strong, and by extension, how all other feelings and whims of the heart would lead to ruin. Hecate thought a little differently. To be heartless was useful indeed, and on many, it worked. But emotions could also be used for strength. Capacity to love meant capacity to hate. Those who felt passion could feel rage. Oh, of course Hades knew what rage was, but if he'd ever had anything to REALLY care about, something more important than territory or a throne, he would be able to summon power like even he probably couldn't believe.
Or maybe he could. After all, Hecate remembered, there had been Persephone. And if the rumors were true, perhaps there was that other woman, the faerie spoken of in hushed tones.
But all this was far too much thought to give toward Hades. Hecate found herself disgusted at it. Obviously she, too, was tired. So she moved toward her own quarters.
The image of the Seven Deserts forged in fire remained an imprint on her brain. It truly had been a beautiful work of art.
ABACUS VALLEY, OLYMPIC GREECE
Beneath the shade of a newly transformed rainbow apple tree, the group of heroes waited for Cassandra's trance to fade. "Tomorrow at noon," she said, "the monsters invade Thebes. A horde of giant monsters. The children of Echidna." Her eyes cleared. "I guess Eris got tired of just throwing them at us one at a time."
"Well, if they're not going to be there until tomorrow afternoon," Twilight said, "I think we should get some rest here instead of trying to sleep in the wagon again."
"I'll see about getting us some arrangements at the local inn," Phil volunteered.
"Zoë?" Pit addressed the Hesperide. "What's up?"
"Nemesis' claim," Zoë said. "Obviously, it was some sort of lie to make Hercules doubt himself. We all concluded that when he finished his story. But why, then, would she smite him without a true reason? Surely Nemesis could find another minor infraction rather than lying. And it was an elaborate lie."
"You think there's something to it?" Pit asked.
"It couldn't possibly be true," Zoë snapped. "It is merely curious. In the meantime, there is a more pressing problem. Hercules is without a weapon…though that old sword of his would scarcely have done any good against monsters."
"What are you thinking?"
Zoë told him.
"Then what're YOU going to use?" he asked.
"I am a Hesperide," she said. "I shall manage."
"Hey, tell you what…" Pit removed his bow from his back, as well as his quiver. "I don't really need TWO weapons. I'd rather keep my blades, if it's all the same to you, but you can have this if you want."
Zoë was taken aback by the gift. "I thank thee. I don't know how to repay thee."
"Don't!" Pit insisted. "We're friends, right? You can keep it! Palutena can just get me a new one anyway."
Zoë smiled, then nodded.
"Okay, everypony!" Applejack called out. "We're stayin' at the inn on the corner! This way to food and someplace to sleep!"
Most of the crowd moved that way, but Zoë caught Hercules' attention. "Come with me," she commanded him.
"Okay," Hercules said, somewhat confused.
Twilight watched Zoë and Hercules move in the opposite direction. "Where are they going?" she asked.
"Zoë's planning on helping Hercules get ready to fight all the monsters that are going to be in Thebes," Pit explained. "She's still thinking about Nemesis, by the way. You don't really think anything Nemesis said was true, do you?"
"I worry about that," Twilight said. "It was a really elaborate story."
"Not you, too! It doesn't make any sense, okay?" Pit was exasperated. "Everyone knows that Hercules became a god when he saved Meg from Hades and Zeus gave him back his powers! And even before he had those powers, he's always technically BEEN a god!"
"And how long has everyone known that?" Twilight asked.
"About twenty years."
"Then I guess it's safe to say Nemesis is lying."
But Twilight still wasn't sure. After all, Celestia had kept the secret of her agelessness for quite a long time. Perhaps there were other secrets being kept on Olympus.
Perhaps they didn't know the whole story.
The sun had set, and the sky was lit with stars. Zoë took Hercules far outside the borders of the valley, through fields of multicolored flowers. Hercules wondered why she rushed so quickly. At one point, he found his hand in hers, and she practically dragged him along.
"Hurry!" she urged.
"What's the rush?" Hercules asked.
"We need to be far away from the others so no one will think to watch us."
"O…kay…"
"I know I cannot go so long without being noticed by the gods," Zoë said, "but if our enemies do not think to watch us…if they keep their eyes on the majority…perhaps they will not know about the advantage I am giving you."
"So you're doing all this so Eris can't spy on us?" Hercules asked.
"I am attempting to avoid being spied on by Eris."
"I'm not afraid of Eris. Or whoever."
"You should be!"
She decided it was time to stop when she found a large thorn bush, and she crouched behind it; Hercules joined her there.
"There was no need to run," he told her. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands…"
"Not like this," Zoë argued. "Especially if Echidna brings Ladon with her. Have you ever faced him?"
"He was a baby a couple years ago," Hercules answered. "That's when I saw him last."
"He grew up quickly," Zoë stated. "Ladon is too strong for thee to beat with thy bare hands. And that is to speak nothing of the others. Thou will not be able to get through this without a weapon like the one I received from my father."
"Who is your father, anyway?"
"The titan Atlas."
"I don't trust your father," Hercules snapped.
"Thou should not," Zoë agreed. "More than likely, one day, thou wilt have to trick him. But for now, we must focus on the problem at hand. If thou challengest Echidna's brood as thou art…thou cannot take the prize directly! Thou wilt die!"
Hercules laughed at the notion that he would die at the hands of monsters like the ones he'd faced a thousand times before. In fact, if these really were Echidna's, he'd literally faced them all before. Sarcastically, he said, "Then why don't you help me…Pretty One?"
She didn't get the sarcasm. "I…I am afraid. The monsters will try to stop me. My sisters, if they found out…they would disown me."
"Then there's nothing for it," Hercules concluded. "I'll be fine – " He stood.
"WAIT!" Zoë snapped. After a pause of deliberation, she reached to her brow, hands shaking. "If thou must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power." She plucked her hair clip from her head, bringing it to her lips, blowing on it gently. Then she held it out in her hand, offering it to Hercules. "Take it. And make of it a weapon."
Hercules had forgotten the connection between the hairpin and the Celestial Bronze blade. "A hairpin?" he asked, trying to hold back a smile. "How will THIS slay Echidna's children, Pretty One?"
"It may not. But it is all I can offer, if thou insistest on being stubborn."
Hercules recognized the gravity with which she spoke. He trusted her, and felt a sense of awe; whatever she was offering to him, it must have been quite important indeed. He took the hairpin in his hand, and it transformed; he held the hilt of the sword he'd seen her wield against Orcos.
"Your sword?" he said. "But I can't – "
"Thou art without one, and it would not have slain Echidna's children as easily as this will."
Hercules gave up arguing; Zoë was adamant. "Well balanced," he complimented. "Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands…" He laughed at his own joke. She didn't laugh; she'd missed the humor. "What shall I name this blade?"
"Anaklusmos," Zoë stated. "The current that takes one by surprise." At this, she began to sound wistful, thinking of something she'd lost, or perhaps was about to lose. "And before thou knowest it, thou hast been swept out…"
They made eye contact. It meant nothing to him. But she was stunned by the clarity of his eyes, the intensity with which he focused on her. In that moment, he seemed to be without pretense, despite his joking and sarcasm; he seemed as though he bared his entire self to the world, flaws and all. The curls of his fire-colored hair. His strong jawline. Meg was a lucky woman.
"…to sea," Zoë finished softly.
Before Hercules could thank her, she was startled suddenly. "It is too late!" she cried. "SOMEONE IS HERE!"
She stood in a panic, but when she and Hercules turned to see who had come – Hercules half expected Ladon himself, from the fuss Zoë had made – it was only a deer romping through the field.
"I apologize," Zoë said sheepishly.
"It's okay," Hercules told her. "We should probably get back to town. Everyone else will be wondering where we are."
"Yes," Zoë agreed.
This time he led her back.
She would misremember this moment in dreams – confuse it with events past, confuse it with events yet to come, events more directly involving Atlas for instance. The dialogue wouldn't be the same, not exactly, but she would remember most of it. But the details were unimportant. What she would remember was the night she had given Anaklusmos away. The night that had damned her. The night she fell in love. Though the memory would distort, it would never, ever fade.
MOUNT OLYMPUS
Ares lay panting on the floor of his own domicile. He bled from several wounds, though he was not at all close to death.
Satisfied with her work, Nemesis transformed the blades at the ends of her arms to hands. The battle had been long and difficult. He was, after all, the god of war. But revenge had prevailed. Nemesis was proud of her ability to bring Ares to his knees.
"My work is done," she told him, unable to keep back her smile.
"Wretch," Ares spat. "Athena will pay for this insult! And before you say a word, I will get my revenge WITHOUT your help!"
"Suit yourself," Nemesis said, turning to walk from Ares' chambers. It wasn't often she was called upon to smite an Olympian. She loved it.
And Hades would be pleased with this development, she realized. The blow of losing Abacus Valley would definitely be softened by the knowledge that there was a rift on Olympus, one that would weaken the gods when Hades struck against them. That night, Nemesis thought to herself, everyone had won.
Chapter 54
· Eris has been involved for that long. If you don't understand why Nemesis is here…you aren't supposed to. Her motivations are still under wraps.
· Nemesis really is one of my favorite HTAS characters, so this design is HTAS exclusive. What you need to know about her is that she looks for ANY excuse to smite people.
· Yes, Abacus Valley is a really bad pun on Silicon Valley. HTAS canon.
· Nemesis claims Hercules is somehow…not a god? What's with THIS story? Is it lies? Based in truth? What's going on? Form your theories now, because this is a PLOT POINT!
· I needed to set up Nemesis as someone INCREDIBLY powerful so what I have planned for later will work. Hence her ability to cut down Fluttershy's final attack.
· Literally, the only way I could get Nemesis to lose the fight was via deus ex machina. Er…deus ex wisdom. But actually, this gave me an excuse to further the Athena-Ares conflict, which will serve me better in the end.
· It was absolutely necessary to have Nergal say "Friends, friends, friends!" or some variation thereof at least once in this storylet. And you know it. Also, the cardboard cutout thing is a reference to how he has cardboard cutouts of Billy and Mandy that he plays games with until he kidnaps the real thing. This is actually set before the time period of GAoBaM, so he would have had cutouts of who he wanted attention of at the time.
· So Mozenrath's an artist now. I guess. Also, I don't know if that's technically something you can do with firebending, but I just had to make all that prettiness.
· Zoë gets the bow to prepare her for becoming a hunter of Artemis later, of course.
· And the infamous scene with the bestowing of Anaklusmos! You knew it had to happen! I literally read the scene from Titan's Curse while I wrote this, and all the dialogue is modified from what is said exactly in that scene. Some of the lines are word-for-word exact (credit where it's due to Rick Riordan). I added and adjusted lines here and there to make it flow better or fit context. The scene in PJ canon is supposed to be Zoë giving Hercules the sword to face off against Ladon and steal the golden apples from Atlas, but I'm explaining that away by saying that Zoë misremembers it after a few centuries. Tricking Atlas will happen later. Why do I say that instead of just letting us get there in writing? Trust me…it will all fall together. Anyway, it's plausible that Zoë misremembers, because in the flashback in PJ canon, she actually DOESN'T SAY "THOU" OR "THEE" IN THAT FLASHBACK. And one of her verbal tics is saying that in modern times and being confused by the term "you." Riordan's mistake is my chance to take the out.
· Of course I had to have Zoë fall for Hercules. It could have gone no other way. Thus begins…disaster.