Convincing Háidēs had been surprisingly easy. After he finished raging against the fates and cursing the council, he had been quite calming. He had even apologized to Thalia for his role in her transformation (though not without cursing Future Ζεύς and Hḗphaistos to the deepest pits of Tartarus for killing his lover and the death of his daughter).
He agreed to be their patron and it was like webbed lines shot from under him. Katie, the twins, and Thalia all shuddered at the feeling of their uncles' power. Wrong. Wrong. Death. Not the sea. Not the sky. Not nature. Bones. Cold. Dark.
It was over as soon as it started.
Háidēs had taken one look at their ghost trio and gave them an even more solid form. Nico had given them the power to be able to lift things and move around. Silena was able to knit and crochet whatever she wanted. But what Háidēs gave them was as close to a physical body as possible. A small pomegranate tree was added to the grove for the ghosts only.
"The age of the half-divine would come to an end soon," Ariadnê warned. "I know not when it started back, but I do remember not only from our studies but from the gods themselves that at one point… there were no half-bloods born."
Annabeth furrowed her brow, "I remember that, but I didn't think anything of it. I mean look at us."
Háidēs stared at the blonde, "I know not of when this will happen, but you are the biggest puzzle of it all. Your very existence is an insult to the chaste goddesses. It would not be a surprise if they were to kill you."
Ariadnê grimaced. "And like Apollôn, Artemis was the goddess who brought sudden death to infants, girls and women, for she was not only the protector of girls, but also by contrast their destroyer." She looked at Annabeth in an almost protective manner, "You will have to be extra careful in your dealings."
"I don't understand. Daedalus was–is–whatever. He's my brother!"
Nico shook his head. "I looked into it when I was sneaking into the underworld. His mother is Alkippe and she is still alive."
Háidēs raised a brow, "Alkippe is the daughter of Árēs. Halirrhóthios had ventured to Athens to cut down the olive that had grown out of the spear of Athênê. As he raised his ax, it fell out of his hand and mortally wounded him. He caught sight of Alkippe and deflowered her. Árēs caught him at it and slew him. Naí, Árēs was put on trial for that. All theoi were in attendance and the Twelve Olympian Major acquitted him of the crime."
"So," Clarisse drawled. "Daedalus hasn't even been born yet."
Nico nodded. "Daedalus will receive the art of craftsmanship from Athena. After years of imprisonment and hiding away in his labyrinth, it's no wonder he would believe that he was her son."
"But—"
Taking pity on her, Háidēs said, "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. Maybe Daedalus will be the first."
Annabeth looked a little reassured though not too much. Her mother's pride was strong and they were changing the future. Would she accidentally keep herself and her siblings from being born?
Ariadnê turned back to the others, tapping her fingers alongside her throne, "Ζεύς cast sweet desire to be joined in love with a mortal man, to the end that, very soon, not even she should be innocent of a mortal's love; lest laughter-loving Aphrodítē should one day softly smile and say mockingly among all the gods that she had joined the gods in love with mortal women who bare sons of death to the deathless gods, and had mated the goddesses with mortal men."
She looked at her uncle as she continued: "There will be a mortal man. Uh, Ankh–"
"Ankhísēs," Silena appeared in a ghastly form at her side. "Ζεύς will fill Mother's heart with sweet desire for Ankhísēs who had a shape similar to the deathless gods. Mother saw him and fell in love. She came here to Kyrpos then ventured to Paphos. The Kharites bathed in her with heavenly oil such as blooms upon the bodies of the eternal gods-oil divinely sweet, which she had by her, filled with fragrance. And Mother put on all her rich clothes, and when she had decked herself with gold."
Her hands clenched into fist, thinking of the mockery that happened to her mother. "They lain together and Mother could tell instantly that she would be with child. She awakened him at once. She told him that he was dear to the gods: and he shall have a dear son who shall reign among the Trojans, and children's children after him, springing up continually. She named him Aineías."
Ariadnê raised a hand to placate her friend, "She said that if any mortal man asked him who birthed his son… Well I quote: 'say he is the offspring of one of the flower-like Nymphai who inhabit this forest-clad hill. But if you tell all and foolishly boast that you lay with rich-crowned Aphrodítē, Ζεύς will smite you in his anger with a smoking thunderbolt. Now I have told you all. Take heed: refrain and name me not, but have regard to the anger of the gods.'"
"And he told," Háidēs sighed. The two girls nodded. Ariadnê told them: "Ζεύς Astrapaios heed the cries of Aphrodítē Dios thugatêr and smote him where he stood. It was those actions that cemented her acceptance as to be called his daughter."
"Wait," Chris stated. "She's not?"
Silena shook her head with a fond roll of her eyes, "She was born of sea form after well… after the Titans castrated Ouranos. She took on Diônê and Ζεύς as her parents."
"Didn't she have a child by Ζεύς," Katie asked.
Ariadnê shrugged, "We already know that deities do not have DNA in the same way that we do." She tapped her fingers against her throne once more, "And I've come to realize that the Mist still exists just not as strongly as it does in our time."
"Really?"
She nodded, "Aphrodítē got wounded during the Trojan War only because Athênê took away the mist from the eyes of mortals so that he could recognize the god and the mortal." The children of Castellan all frowned and Ariadnê felt a spark of bloodlust within her. The Trojan War was bloody and revered throughout history. The mortals in the future were able to see that the war happened as the Mist did not clear it away.
She wanted to be a part of that and have her name known for eons to come.
"We'll deal with when we get there," Percy declared.
The main issue came when Ariadnê, of course, asked about Apóllōn. Háidēs had given her a strange look until he had been so helpfully informed that the two of them were lovers in the future.
"Ahhh, well from what I believe, I think he was courting one of Hḗphaistos' daughters. She had created an arrow that when swung a certain way can transform into a sword."
The god had been more than a little concerned when the small girl casually flicked her wrist and the aforementioned weapon appeared in her hand. "I'll show him a sword."
Háidēs had raised a brow before squinting at her, "You do realize that you are physically only thirteen years of age. You may have the mentality of a seventeen-year-old, but you're not. I do not know what your tales tell you, but you are simply not old enough for Apóllōn."
Ariadnê had a hard time believing since she knew about Apóllōn and Hermês' both sleeping with Chione when she was fourteen.
Travis thought she was going to gut Háidēs right then and there before this look of hopelessness seemed to seep into her expression. Logically she knew that she was currently too young for a relationship, especially one with the most beloved god, but she still had hope.
"Let's—Let's just focus on the plan," she muttered as she sat back in her seat. She had been distracted for the rest of the meeting, but she continued to pitch ideas. Háidēs had placed a small hellhound pin near the castle. They would be trained up to defend the land.
He also gave them the warning that while they had good defenses to counter an attack. War would still come to their doors as other kingdoms try to express their dominance. He left after that small warning to go back to chasing Kore.
Ariadnê hadn't been for anything else, instead just went back to her room. She let her buns down and let her hair flow around her face. She looked at herself in the mirror. Choking back a sob, she finally let everything settle in her bones.
Her family. Her life. Her everything was gone. She was a child again. She was a child again. In a time where, females' rights were nonexistent. In a time where the myths believed that the gods were obsessive, predatory, and controlling.
She knew them. She knew they were different from what the myths painted them as, but she was still so scared. She didn't even have her father or Hermês to turn to. There was her brother, but he had his girlfriend. Even if they were still so new in their own relationship, he had his best friend. Clarisse had Chris. The Stolls had each other. Nico and Will were much too young. They would and wouldn't understand. Rachel and Thalia had each other as the eternal virgins. Katie was much more focused on the nature of the world than relationships. Even Silena and Beckendorf had each other.
She had no one.
Except—
No. She wasn't going to bother Luke. He made his choice and she made hers.
And it led her to many of her relationships.
Her first kiss? Connor.
Her first time (with a male)? Hermês.
Her first time (with a female)? Clarisse.
Her first real love? Apóllōn.
Tonight, she will cry her last tear. Tomorrow, she will take on the world.
Though when the next day came, there was a sense of something wrong in the air. Ariadnê's gaze flickered over the room before she emerged from the cubicle. From what little she could see; it was still early morning. The sun wasn't even shining.
Yet, it was cold.
It was freezing.
She pulled the little robe that Silena made around her tighter before venturing out of the cave. Her jaw dropped as she looked out at the world. Katie and Will were going to have a fit. Everything was dying.
But that couldn't be right? It was too soon. There were still weeks to go before Kore ventured towards the Underworld (but didn't Nico say he saw Érōs' arrow down there? Did they speed up the time?)
But it also shouldn't be possible. The grove was protected. Dēmḗtēr was strong, yes. She had worshippers all across Greece. She was one of the first six.
But she was not stronger than Háidēs and Hestia combined. The eldest two of both genders. Hestia, herself, was the strongest of them all.
A small kitten-like sneeze escaped her before a blast of warm air soothed her. Ariadnê blinked to see the hearth roaring with power. Life came back to the grove and subsequently the kingdom.
"It seems as your plans to open up to the public have been pushed back, child," Ariadnê turned to see her Aunt tending to the flames. She made her way over carefully. A mug of tea or something was placed in her hands as the chill seeped away from her bones. "Tell me, what is on your mind?"
Ariadnê furrowed her brow. She didn't really like talking about her problems. Everyone else usually had bigger problems than her. Even now her problems weren't that major.
"Your problems are not lesser than anyone else if you struggle with them."
Ariadnê frowned before turning back towards the fire. "As much as I do not believe that, there are grander problems. Uncle has made his move days before it was time. We have already started to change the future and now it is a race against the clock. My problems are less than the fate of the world, dear Aunt."
"Háidēs' choice was his own, my dear."
Ariadnê snarled. This was another reason their family was so torn apart in the future. "He spent his life alone in the darkness. It is the kingdom that he rules. And our own family tossed him out as the world labeled him cruel. Everyone knows the story, Ζεύς took the sky, Father the sea. They handed him the underworld and once again, darkness welcomed him. Yet Persephonê saw how he was shunned. She knew the stories but never ran away. Hestia, there are many times when he will ask why the underworld is where she stays. She is the only light he will have in a world that takes everything that he loves. You all should let him be happy for a couple of months before Dēmḗtēr takes her back to upperworld."
She stood up to go back to her cubicle. Her words dripped with disappointment. "You all, especially Dēmḗtēr, will condemn Uncle for his actions. The story will be so twisted and butchered until the only thing people would remember is that Háidēs took her away. They will say he tricked her into eating the seeds. But no one will remember or mention that it is Érōs who shot him with an arrow. No one will remember that Ζεύς gave him permission to take her. No one will remember Askalaphos who will tell Háidēs that Persephónē consumed the fruit of the Underworld. My beloved will gain your sympathy, yet my Uncle shall gain your scorn. So, tell me Aunt Hestia, how are my problems grander than those before me. I've made peace with my issues. It's time for the rest of you to deal with yours."
Ariadnê went back to her room just to get on the bed. A small jar caught her attention that had not been there before. As she moved closer, she noticed something inside, a small pomegranate seed and red ruby sat side by side.
She smiled softly before laying back in her bed. She was in no mood for anything else.
She sighed to herself when she remembered that Erôs shooting Apollôn was a roman retelling. It had no substance in greek lore.
She also grimaced as she realized that she made it seem like Persephonê had wanted to go to the Underworld. She had been kidnapped, but he did what was currently culturally accepted by getting the permission of her Father. It didn't make it okay, but culturally— it made sense.
The weeks passed quickly as Dēmḗtēr's rage covered the earth. It had seemed like Hestia had taken Ariadnê's words to heart. She reached out more to Háidēs. The kind goddess that she was. She was so different from the goddess that Ariadnê first met. This Hestia was more stern and stubborn.
She kept her kind words, yet when she wanted them to listen, then they listened. She ventured to the Netherlands with her brother and she learned to love his land. With the flames of Greek fire burning, the place was beautiful as the light bounced off the jewels of the kingdom.
Even now, she could see the effects of Kore. Her powers over springtime warped as she was in the land of the dead. Where she could once make bridges of flowers and petals, now she could only weave branches and thorns. But that didn't stop the young goddess.
She decorated everything she saw whether it be with rubies and gems. Fields of asphodel flowers covered the land. Nico didn't visit anymore. Apparently, he gets sick with too much floral.
Walking into the throne room, she lays eyes on her brother and niece. His throne of bones woven together now have little flowers and pomegranates flowing through it. Her black throne was in the shape of a flower petal gilded in gold with flashes of dead souls being pierced by thorns depending on how the flame flashes.
She looked different in the light of the Netherlands. Her skin was slightly pale yet still had a rosy tint. A crown of bones weaved with flowers rests atop of her head. The two said nothing to her and just smiled as the next group of dead entered the chambers. Hestia took her place at their hearth as she watched over the souls pouring in from Dēmḗtēr's rage. It wouldn't be long before Kore was found, but for now, Hestia would enjoy the little time they had allowed.
Ariadnê and Percy had been swimming in the river when they first caught sight of the naiad. She had blinked at them in shock before the twins hurriedly swam away. It had only been a few weeks since Dêmêtêr stopped her Grainzilla phase after all.
They shut themselves off into the grove. The twelve of them peeked out as more naiads and nymphs and satyrs ventured into their lands. The dead welcomed them all and Silena played an excellent hostess. They could tell that the nature spirits were nervous due to all the death magic in the air, but Silena easily distracted them from it all.
Ariadnê smiled slowly, her eyes glistening like jewels "Naiads and nymphs are huge gossipers. It won't be long before word gets out about the country." She looked at the others, "Are you ready to shut down Greece?"
Percy smiled back at her, "As if I'll have it any other way."
WORD COUNT: 2,982
WORDS TO KNOW:
Ζεύς Astrapaios - Ζεύς, Lightning Maker
Athênê Koriê - Athênê, the Maiden
Aphrodítē Dios thugatêr - Aphrodítē, the daughter of Ζεύς
COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR:
1) Funnily enough, we aren't actually told that Ankhísēs was blinded by Ζεύς. That was actually something that Virgil mentioned. Neither Homer nor Hesiod mentioned any blindness, but I suppose the fact that Aineías speaks of his Mother being Aphrodítē, and not many being that surprised, it could be assumed that Ankhísēs spoke about it.
2) The lines that Ari speaks to Hestia comes from urbanpoetry on tiktok. I love their poems.
