Suspicion filled Apóllōn like a soulful song.

He knew he was not the only one. His beloved twin sister and adored younger brother, Hermês, shared the burden of suspicion with him.

Hestia was hiding something.

Artemis feared that something may have happened to her. None had forgotten about Priapos who still hides within the sheep he shepherds. The eldest was much too kind hearted that some blinded by Erôs and Himeros may attempt to take advantage.

Apóllōn was not concerned about that. He knew that it was not to be true. There was an otherworldly glow around the chaste goddesses, and Hestia still shined as bright as her hearth.

This was something different as if her hearth shines brighter. Almost as bright as he, the god of light. Almost as bright as he, who Ζεύς allows to pull the reins of Hêlios' chariot.

Nothing escapes the eyes of the Farshooter, especially not as he pulled the sun across the sky. When The Huntress prowled through the lands at the height of the full moon. When the Swift-footed herald traveled the lands.

Nothing escaped them.

Even Apemosyne had not managed to escape Hermês.

And yet, Hestia would venture alongside the lands of Sparta before disappearing completely. They could still sense that she was on earth, but they could not see her. Apóllōn wished he knew where she was hiding. While he knew nothing amorous was happening, he feared that something nefarious was brewing underneath their eyes. This had been going on for many moons now.

With that thought in mind, Apóllōn made the decision to inform the council. There was no reason to continue to hide this from his Father.

He moved to head back to Olympos, but he paused as his attention was once again drawn to the beautiful youth. With his copper-hued skin, curly dark hair, eyes as purple as Zagreus' grapes, and his kind brilliant smile, Apóllōn pushed his suspicions to the back of his mind. Huákinthos had called him for help and guidance.

The god moved closer, brushing the hair from the mortal's face. His voice was soft like a familiar song as he said, "Tell me what ails you." The young prince looked at him. Stress and fatigue lined his beautiful face.

Huákinthos flashed him a small smile before looking back down at the reports in front of him. "There are many things. Whispers of war with Athens have started to flow through the wind again, milord." He looked sadly down at the papers. King Amyclas was not worried, however. The might of Sparta was immeasurable with Apóllōn and Árēs as their patrons. While Athênê Eryma was the favored daughter of Father Ζεύς, Apóllōn Boêdromios was the favored son.

The prince sighed as he looked at the other papers. "The naiads also bring word of a foreign land further north of the river. They had been unable to swim upstream for many moons until recently. Land… a kingdom has been acquired further south." His brow furrowed worriedly. "The naiads and nymphs ventured towards this new land bringing news of its beauty and exoticness. As they venture closer, it is as if Pontus and Thalassa pulled them forward to Kythira. The island of celestial Aphrodítē. They speak as if they were right at our doors and with a blink of an eye, they were farther away."

King Amyclas had been insufferable about that. The way the naiads spoke as if they were honestly one foot past their borders. "They lay claim that Eurotas' waters somehow flowed so strongly through the pathway that they believed they were still in Lacedaemon."

Apóllōn was about to offer counsel before the weight of his lover's words settled into his mind. A new kingdom on such holy land and Sparta had not known of its existence. Olympos had not known of its existence; surely the founding of such a rumored land would have caught the eye of the gods. Aphrodítē would have not spared any reprieve to speak on such rumored beauty.

And yet—somehow, they did not know. Their sight was blocked from viewing. A puzzle was forming itself in his mind as things he had been content to ignore were slowly coming together. He remembered the rage that overtook Dēmḗtēr at the disappearance of Kore—Persephónē. He remembered Hestia disappearing from sight once more as Háidēs ventured above the Earth to mockingly throw all righteous suspicion away from he. And then he, too, disappeared from sight when Dēmḗtēr pleaded for his assistance.

Now in hindsight many thought that he had just been retreating to the kingdom to hide his wrongdoing as he celebrated his victory with his new wife. But Apollôn remembered how he had disappeared near the isle of Kythria. The same direction in which Hestia ventured from sight.

As he took on some of the duties as the god of the sun, he managed to gain a greater amount of supernatural sight. Anything under the sun and he could see. "Do you know who the patron of this country is," he questioned the prince.

His gaze fell onto the kingdom where the clouds sailed sparsely. The buildings were different in comparison to their counterparts in other countries. Dark bricks covered them as if they had been pulled from the underworld itself yet gems were embezzled into the stone giving them a divine hue. It was overflowing with beauty so different from the norm that he could see sister, Aphrodítē Ourania, falling in love with the place.

He raised a brow when he came across a temple dedicated to him. The statue on the inside surprisingly matched his physique the most. He was even wearing cloths!

"Rumor has it that the Silent One, Lord Háidēs is its patron," Huákinthos stated as he sat down his papers before moving to Apóllōn's side. He was dressed in his armor seeing as the whispers of war were gaining traction. He had no idea of what Sparta could have done to gain Lady Athênê's ire. It was why he called for Apóllōn's guidance. Offerings were not working (not that Huákinthos thought they would in the first place. They could not force a goddess to do anything especially if they felt slighted.) and he was getting desperate. He didn't want to lose any of his people. He had already lost so many due to Lady Dēmḗtēr's wrath.

The god hummed before his attention was called away by the swirling essence of his Father and Themis. The King was recalling all the gods to Olympus just as a guard ran into the throne room. The troops of Athens were marching onto the kingdom. They were a little over a day away from the mainland.

Aphrodítē turned to his lover, inwardly gathering his power to teleport home. "You called onto me for help, and I apologize that I cannot do more, my beloved. Your Father has just received word that the Athenians are closing in eastwards." He dragged a finger across the prince's cheek, "Know that your arrows shall always fly true and that your soldiers shall stay healthy. I must now take my leave."

He leaned in, smiling as Huákinthos' eyes slipped close, enchanted by the power of his divinity. The god pressed a kiss to his lips, whispering, "Live for me, my sweet Huákinthos." as he let his true form sweep him away.

The call of war echoed around the mountain as Apóllōn ventured to the throne room. He ignored Athênê's mocking stare with ease as he kept his eyes on his lover. "Let Gaia be witness to me in this, and arching Ouranos above, and the downward water of the Styx—most solemn and most fearsome of oaths with the blessed gods that if any harms comes to Huákinthos due to your pride, sister, Athens will feel my wrath for eons to come."

The Oceanid, who bore the name of hatred, filled her smile with its power as she accepted the oath. While Athênê Koriê had not broken her vow of chastity, there were whispers made by the Moirai of her fostering children born of her head. Lady Styx had taken offense to the slight and tightened her hold of the threads binding Athênê's oath to her.

All of theoi looked between the three warily as Enyô and Eris gazed upon the opposing forces. The three brothers alongside their sister, Dēmḗtēr, felt an unrelenting pull as they sensed a concentrated source of their essences. The gods came to a pause around them; attention shifting to the cause of such actions.

Standing almost unseen from the direction in which the opposing forces were to meet were five godlings. Each draped in the strangest of cloths, unbothered by the tension in the air. One of them, female presenting, was absently growing flowers with the slight wave of her hand while another, male presenting, played around with little mice that scurried between their feet.

Kore—Persephónē gazed down onto the earth as her new husband-king, Háidēs, whispered into her ear. It was still a strange sight to Apóllōn to see her ghastly pallor alongside the crown of bones with asphodel flowers woven through it.

He turned his attention back to the godlings, taking note of the maiden that was tossing a ball of wind?—no, it was a ball of lightning between her hands. The hue of her eyes, concentrated on the approaching warriors as they were, was familiar as every bastard that their Father sired.

The wrath of the Queen Mother washed over them all; equal in strength to her Husband's mighty storm. It would have been exhausting for Apóllōn to deal with if not for the sight of confusion on Father's face. "It is impossible. I know each child I have sired and she is unknown to me as she is to you."

Hḗrē was equally confused and equally elated. He wasn't attached to this child, so there would be no issue with her death. As she locked her eyes onto her target, the last two children looked up to the heavens.

If Apóllōn was a mere mortal, this would be the moment that his breath was to be stolen from him. He could still feel the others recoil. It was as if Erebos had poured his essence into their hair. The two were similar yet so different in appearance and one glance at their eyes… at the divinity that streamed through their veins reminded him of his and his beloved sister.

Eyes the color of blue and green fluorite seemingly pierced their immortal essence. Divinity ranged strongly within them; a sense of something more that was shared between the two. And though Poseidón favored his hair the color of sea form and his eyes never one single shade; none could deny that he was their sire.

The call of the ocean… the call of Pontus was strong between them. And when they looked away, the gods regained breath.

Aphrodítē looked over each of them; something familiar drawing her attention. "Who are these half-lings," she questioned. Each had power that flowed through their veins that placed them as strong as Ahkilles was prophesied to become. The familial love, while not the usual focus of her domain, satisfied her completely. It settled her in a way that she had not known as she gazed upon them.

Voices that drew power from necessity echoed around the room. "Five of the twelve," they stated. All turned to look upon the Moirai as they said: "Our fingers spew vast ichor as we weave a tapestry that covers them from sight of any that gaze on them; especially Phoibos Apóllōn for his foresight cannot be allowed to see their future."

Klotho pointed to the demigoddess with curly brown hair that was loc together with flowers weaving through it. "Earth Mother. Corn Mother. Mistress of Food. Hail, Katie, daughter of Dēmḗtēr Hôrêphoros." Blades of grass swirled through the air metamorphosing into a sickle that 'Katie' grabbed ahold. With the flowers woven into her hair, she looked like a dark-haired mortal mixture of her mother and her sister. Her skin was a beautiful bronze as a boiled fava bean. "Katie, an aggrieved form of Katharos meaning purity."

Dēmḗtēr's eyes had widened in shock. Though she cherished Persephonê above all others, she made a point of knowing all her children. "M-my daughter? HOW? I do not recall conceiving her."

She gained no answer as the Moirai moved on to the next child. With shadows wrapping around like a cloak with bones and pomegranate seeds merged into a crown, it was no doubt who fathered him. Atropos spoke fondly as she announced, "The Rich One. The Silent One. God of Riches and God of the Dead. Hail, King Nicholas of Castellan, son of Háidēs Nekrodegmôn." His black sword seemed to freeze the air around them as he swung it around lazily. The skeletal animals rubbed against him as if they were mere pets. When Hêlios' sun passed him by, his skin glistened in richer color than even the most ripe olive.

Háidēs smiled gently as he looked at his son, "He will grow to be a fine warrior. When he is ready, I will make him the general of my army." There was a secret hidden in his eyes as he looked over the group.

Persephónē gazed upon her stepson, "A truly astonishing feat to secret away a child for so long, Husband. None of the council knew of his existence yet his soul sings with great power. He will need to come to our home where he shall feast on the food of the underworld to gain strength as he resembles nothing but bones."

Apóllōn cast a suspicious glance at them both. He remembered Huákinthos' words of Háidēs' being the new kingdom's patron. He was not surprised by his son being the king. (Though he would have expected Poseidón's son to be ruling the land with either Katie or his half-sister as his bride.)

While the newlywed couple spoke softly to each other, Lakhesis pointed out the daughter of Ζεύς. "King of the Gods. King of Olympus. Father of Gods and Men. Hail, Thalia, daughter of Ζεύς Hypsistos." Her hair was as dark as the clouds in one of their shared Father's thunderstorms. Her eyes were as piercing as the lightning the king wield.

Ζεύς cast a critical glance over the girl. Most of his half-blood daughters tended to not have divine power. Only Helénē had gifts—gifts that she did not tap into. Yet this one… this Thalia, named so similarly to her sisters, Thaleia of the nine gold-crowned Mousai and Thaliê of the three Kharites, had the build of a warrior.

He noticed Hḗrē smiling wickedly in the corner of his eye. He had no knowledge of how this Thalia came to be, but she was still very much his daughter. He took in the glances of the others who gazed upon her as if Himeros had dipped his wing desire into the nectar that graced their hall. Yes, she was still very much his daughter. There was no one worthy enough for her. "Artemis," he called out, eyes dark with final judgment. "You shall claim her for your hunt. She has the build of an archer and the look of a huntress."

And maybe this will soothe the ache of losing Kallisto at his own hand.

Hḗrē's features twisted in rage as she turned towards her husband. Apóllōn tuned out the familiar yelling and curses she spat. He had long since learned they would be repetitive. He didn't think anyone, but he himself noticed the pleased smile that appeared on his newly discovered sister's face. She twisted her spear in between her fingers as she spoke with Háidēs' and Dēmḗtēr's children.

All three Moirai spoke once more, "Earthshaker. Storm bringer. Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus and Ariadnê. The Twin Swords. Children of Poseidón Pelagaios."

The Destroyer and the Most Holy.

Perseus was shifting on his feet as if he needed nothing but the touch of the wind to throw him into the battle as he calmly spun his sword through the air. Whereas Ariadnê fidgeted with her bracelet, eyes closed as she tilted her head to the side listening to some unseen force.

All five stood tall and proud; stood worthy to be blessed with divine power from the Kronides. Apóllōn gazed over them, sure that their arrival meant chaos for Olympos. His attention was momentarily drawn back to the battle when Huákinthos yelled a battle cry and charged. He longed to move to protect his beloved, but something compelled him to stop.

Poseidón's daughter was looking to the heavens again. Her eyes seemed to speak a language of their own, "Dangerous. Lethal. Watch. Learn."

He was still staring when she walked away.


Word Count: 2835

Words to Know:

Poseidón Pelagaios - Poseidón Of the Sea

Ζεύς Hypsistos - Ζεύς, the Supreme/ Most High; basically, Ζεύς, the King of the Gods

Háidēs Nekrodegmôn - Háidēs, the Receiver of the Dead

Dēmḗtēr Hôrêphoros - Dēmḗtēr, the Bringer of the Seasons

Apóllōn Boêdromios - Apóllōn, the Rescuer

Athênê Eryma - Athênê, the Defender

Aphrodítē Ourania - Heavenly Aphrodítē

Athênê Koriê - Athênê, the Maiden

Phoibos Apóllōn - Apóllōn, the shining, pure or bright


Things to Know:

1) I chose Katharos to be Katie's full name because of it's meaning and the play on words since Kore meant "maiden"/"pure". Katie is supposed to be represent Persephónē 2.0.