There are no strings on me, Ariadnê thought as she tied a blindfold around her eyes. She felt more relaxed than she had in months. Having Hermês around was like a breath of fresh air, but she also felt a little stressed because she could not tell him the truth.

All of them relaxed so easily in his presence.

She did a few light stretches, sensing more than seeing divine energy around her. She wished that she would be able to have a little privacy.

Hermês was always there whenever he was free. He smothered his children in love and twisted words until they were giving him information whether they knew it or not.

(Thank the Moirai that Chris could sense the manipulation. He couldn't fight against it. Not truly. But he could redirect it or vaguely answer.)

Though the way Hermês and Ariadnê effortlessly befriended each other had captured everyone's attention. The gods that lived above them and the ones that lived below them and the ones that lived around them alongside the mortals that lived with them.

Some people thought she would be his next lover, but after she flipped a man over her shoulder... they were having doubts.

No one really knew that it was not like that. Sure, intellectually, her family knew it could happen. It was Ancient Ellada and rights for women was not even a concept. (The twelve of them had fun when people began to realize that it was very much a concept in Castellan.)

But in reality, Ariadnê was just having fun. She and Hermês danced around each other, never giving the other an inch. She knew him. She would never assume that she knew everything about him— (He was a god and she a mere mortal.) — but she knew enough to keep him on his toes.

She unsheathed the sword that Hermês brought her. It was made from adamantine; the real metal of the gods. It was one of a pair. Percy had the other. They were gifts from their Father. Real twin swords. She had promised Percy that they would practice with them together.

And they did. But she also wanted to do a little work with them by herself. He had agreed when he told her. (He then asked her if she thought that these would have sentience to them like Riptide and Stormsurge.)

Ariadnê sighed, pushing all other thoughts away. She and Clarisse were going to do some hand-to-hand combat training once the older one finished her morning jog. Though they may just skip it because it smelled like Katie was baking Sherman's Pie. Ariadnê had nearly proposed to the boy's mom the first time he brought some back to camp in the first timeline. (Of course the boy had to ruin the pie when he made the recipe from scratch, placed poison in it, and then delivered it to one of Luke's catches.)

Sensory training would be better if she had someone to actually train against, but beggars cannot be choosers. She focused on getting used to the sword before doing the small training routine that Artemis created for her when she was learning how to fight with Hermês' kerykeion (or caduceus as it would come to be called),

She felt barely the smallest whisper of the air around her before she felt another weapon block her sword. She let the block sit before the smell of strawberries invaded her nose. She stepped back before descending into a bow, "Greetings, Lord Hermês."

There was the small sound of him snapping his fingers before the blindfold fell from her face. She almost jerked back from how close he was to her. The hue of his eyes made her weak in the knees as he traced along her facial features. "Hello, Ariadnê."

She resisted the urge to step away from him as her newest sword hung awkward in her hand. "I see that you are enjoying your gift," the god states. She could feel his leg knock into the sword. She nodded her head jerkily, unable to stop looking into his eyes. "It is a work of beauty and fine craftsmanship. I have nothing but compliments to the forger."

Hermês hummed before he tilted her head upwards with his finger. "Tell me, princess," his voice was saccharine sweet. "Why do I have the feeling of loving you when we have only just met?"

Ariadnê gasped, feeling the divine power pull at her soul. He was so close. Hermês had always been so unfairly pretty even for a god. She was always flustered around him and Apóllōn. It had been easy to fall in bed with him despite knowing that she could never have him completely. (And when she let herself feel, it had been just as easy to fall in love with Apóllōn.)

But they had never turned their power on her. Not like this.

She struggled against it, a part of her crying out because it's like she cannot refuse. She was used to how his power felt when he was fishing for information. This was stronger than she had ever felt from him and she was panicking a little on the inside.

She jerked back, a bright light pulsing between the two. The sword in her hand, hissed and she shuddered as she could hear its thirst for blood. She felt something build within her, circling her in anger. It was almost like a cyclone. Another hiss of approval rang in head and she looked at the sword.

Oh.

"I name thee Kuklôn," she muttered, watching as that light around her sank into the blade. Ariadnê looked up to see Hermês watching her. She cleared her throat, shifting on her feet: "We knew each other in a past life, mi 'lord. I am sure of it. It is by the Moirai's design that we meet again."

The god stared at her silently. His eyes moved from her to the sword in her hand. "I have never met a mortal that I had not sired that was able to weave deceit and honesty together so effortlessly." He moved closer to her, Kuklôn hissing within her head. She both hated and loved how she could not even feel threatened in his presence when she knew he could kill her without a thought and there was no affection— no prophecy that could stop him. He looked her in the eyes, curiosity burning within moved even closer, taking her hand in his. "Just who are you, daughter of Poseidôn?"

Ariadnê did not bother to reply as she stared back at him.

And yet— a shudder moved through them both as the voice of Klôthô whispered in their ears.


Ariadnê was in Hermês' temple on Olympus, carefully stuffing the letters he wrote the children in his cabin at camp. She already had a pile for the ones that Apollo "wrote" for them.

Hermes shifted on his feet behind her. A trickster he may be; he wasn't one to break his Father's rules. He could not be the second favored son if he lost favor with his Father. "We shouldn't be doing this," the god stated. It had to be at least the tenth time in the past hour.

She was just glad he had stopped with the long rants that were accompanying those words as his panic increased. "It's against the Ancient Laws for gods to interact with their children."

"Are you really interacting with them," she replied, sarcastically. She placed a smiling turtle sticker on a letter bundle for little Ana. "Or am I just giving them these random letters that I found with their names on them?"

"It's forbidden."

"Sometimes, rules need to be broken."


Hermês could not help but to be amused at the little demigod sitting before him. He had never thought he and the girl would be so close, but now— Now, Ariadnê could be found with him on various occasions helping him with his deliveries. That was, of course, when she was not running around doing missions for camp, spending time with her friends, chasing her brother's shadow, or training with him and his brother.

That brought him to that moment now as the young girl ranted and danced treacherously close to cursing his brother's name. She swore up and down and around again that Apóllōn was out to get her.

"I got sunburned," she screeched as she harshly smacked tape to the box in front of her. "Me. Sunburned! I'm naturally tanned, I wear my sunscreen, and I have his essence flowing through me like blood. AND I GOT SUNBURNED?"

Hermês was the god of the "babelisation" of language. He taught mankind their many tongues. Despite that, he could not fully understand her when she began to speak the language of the sea. Much like its ruler, it was too unpredictable and ever changing.

Though he could tell from the scowl on her face, the words she was speaking were completely unflattering about his brother. He thought about that that his brother had him deliver to her. He thought of the way their interactions were not as hostile as they once were.

He smiled teasingly at the child, "Why won't you just admit that you're in love with him and be done with it?"

Wow. He didn't know her face could turn that red.


Hermês glanced at the girl, lying in his arms. She was curled into his arms, nothing covering her but a thin sheet of the bed they were occupying. Her body was marked with bites of love as bruises bloomed prettily on her tanned skin.

This would be the last moment he would be able to hold her like this. Themis was already recalling the gods that were still loyal to the House of Ζεύς. Árēs and Athênê were already preparing them for war.

And soon, the sixteenth birthday of Ariadnê and Perseús would be upon them. One of them would lead them to either glory or shame. He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. A part of him was pleased when she gasped and grasped at him as his manhood pressed against her once more.

But—

"Ariadnê, please. Protect Travis and Connor."

If he were a more mortal... and a lesser man than he was... he would beg and plead for her to protect all his children. He would get on his knees and cry for her to let no harm befall them.

But he wouldn't.

He couldn't.

He knew how much it still hurt her to not be able to have saved his son. She'd die before she let anything happen to the two of them.

"I will. I promise. I swear it on the River Styx."

Thunder rumbled in the background.


Ariadnê went looking for Hermês after she reluctantly escaped Apollo's embrace.

He was sitting on crumpled stone outside of the throne room as he gazed down the mountain. It was just one of the many repairs to be made, but Hermês didn't seem to be focusing on that.

Her heart ached for her friend and former lover. She climbed onto the stone carefully, refusing to look down the mountain to sit beside him before laying her head against his arm.

She could feel the tension seeping out of him the longer they sat there to just be—

(They tended to forget that just because the gods had mortal forms... they were not mortal. Sometimes they just needed to be the divine energy that they were composed of.)

Almost twenty minutes passed, in which Hermês had tensed once again after a few minor gods had walked past them. The Twin Archers and Dionysos had all come out looking for the last of their chaotic squad to find them sitting together. The three of them gave her a thankful smile before disappearing to fix their own areas.

"Thank you," the god whispered. She did not know that his gaze was firmly on a woman that had forever lost her child after seeing his death chase her throughout the years. His poor May. At least Luke would finally have some peace.

"It wasn't me," Ariadnê admitted. "I wanted to kill him even though I knew it would make you hate me. If it weren't for Chase—"

She wrung her hands in her lap, and he reached over to grasp them. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles as he looked at her. His eyes were filled with pain, but he had a small smile on his face. "But you didn't. Luke had to make the choice himself."

Ariadnê could feel her own tears welling up. She reached out to trace her thumb across his cheek. "I think he knew how much you loved him in the end."

The eyes of the god slipped close; a single tear slipping down his face. "No matter how much I loved him; it didn't change his fate." "Sometimes even Love is not enough," she whispered as she pressed her forehead to his. "His fate may have been inevitable, but you have other children. Like Travis and Connor and Chris." "You're right," he told her. He wrapped her into his arms and she knows it's his way to assure himself that he was still within the realm of the living. She had only witnessed the powers of Hermês Khthonios as the guide of the souls of the dead to haides once. It gave her nightmares that only the god before her had been able to erase until she befriended Nico and the little ghostly entourage became a norm. She did not want to see what he saw of the deceased surrounding them at that moment. She leaned back to look him in the eye, "Luke was the hero, and that is all that matters." Hermês smiled beautifully at her, "You're a hero too."


Ariadnê threw herself out of his hold as she was breathing heavily as she fell to the ground. Hermês stood above her, shock and confusion painting his face. He blinked slowly as if he was in a trace, whispering, "Starfish."

The girl froze on the ground, breath caught in her throat as she stared at him in return. She could feel Clarisse's presence closing in just as she could feel more and more gods settle their eyes over the two. "How–" It sounded like she ran her vocal cords over sandpaper and finished it off with ghost pepper. "How do you know that name?"

"Ariadnê," he breathed, stalking forward. She didn't even have the chance to move away before he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her up and into his embrace. She didn't have a chance to blink before he was covering her mouth with his own.

Ariadnê had immediately tensed, but she was also so used to this feeling. She was used to being in this position so she relaxed just as quickly.

A minute barely had a chance to pass before a light filled with power that was older than even the gods covered the two. They were flung away from each other, frozen in place. Ariadnê pressed her fingers to her lips. She watched as the light sank into Hermês, his mere presence becoming overpowering before it faded away.

The god before her blinked slowly.

And like the burst of a balloon filled with water... the moment passed.

"Keep your secrets, little one. I will find out. I am a god," he said as he turned his gaze to her. His eyes flicker upwards in a way that she would have missed if she hadn't been watching him so carefully. "It makes it more fun to discover."

Her smile was shaky as she looked at him. Her body was tight with nerves and tension. What was that? "It is just as fun to keep one guessing."

Hermês flew away and Ariadnê—

She turned to the side, and threw up.


Percy watched over his sister as she dove into one of the streams outside of Sweet Silo. Her tail flashed once before she dove deeper out of view of the mortals, sensing her head over to the grove. She had been spending a lot of time around Hermês as he decided that she was the best way to uncover their secrets.

And apparently, she could only use his children as distractions for so long. (Not that it stopped any of them. If she timed it right, he would spend an entire week with his kids and she could promptly go wherever she pleased without worrying about him right beside her.)

(Percy remembered the first time she realized that he was stalking her was when some idiotic man tried to forcibly proposition her within temple hill. She had thrown him so hard that he cracked his head on the stone outside of Artemis' temple. Hermês had appeared beside them with a terrifying smile and told him that he had achieved a special visit with Lord Háidēs. Ariadnê was both pleased and pissed about that.)

The younger twin stared at the river, already knowing how she was going to react to Annabeth's newest proposal.

It was a shame since he knew that his sister had finally gotten over whatever issues she had with the other. He sighed before he turned on his feet and headed for Gleeson's Grove.

(He still does not understand why they chose it to name it after the trigger happy satyr, but Ariadnê and Clarisse looked as if they would commit murder if they tried to change it.)

(If he was being honest, he preferred the satyrs of their time much more than the ones that surrounded them now. One of them had tried to touch Thalia's breasts. She electrocuted him so badly that even the hell pups would not eat the remains.)

Percy knew that the gods were agitated about their grove. He heard enough suspicious complaints about that from the minor gods that lingered throughout the kingdom. Ariadnê tended to stare blankly as if she were looking through them, unnerving the gods who would scamper away from her. Percy, however, shrugged and told them that it was like that when they got there.

The feeling of eyes watching him fade away as he crossed the border. Ariadnê was pulling herself out of the water as he walked deeper into the cave. She allowed the water to affect her as she was wringing the element out of her hair. She looked at him, raising a brow as he drew closer.

Ariadnê huffed as he told her, "A meeting has been called." He followed after her as she marched to her own cubicle. He was silent as she changed out of her damp clothes into new ones. He passed her two scrunchies from her dresser and watched silently as she pulled her hair into two minnie mouse bows.

"Do you know what it's about," she asked. He really did not want to be the one to tell her, but he figured that coming from him... it'd be enough to soften the blow. He laughed nervously. They were not as close as they used to be before discovering they were demigods. It was during those days that one could not be seen without the other.

(Percy had his suspicions because they had done everything together until that year when their Mother accepted that admission to Yancy Academy for him and Saint Joseph's All Girls Catholic Academia for her.)

Everyone had commented about how the two of them were so in sync when they fought side by side. How the two of them easily earned their titles as the Twin Swords, but they were the ones that noticed how deep the disconnection was between them.

He pulled her into a hug, and she looked at him in suspicion. "We received an official invitation from Sparta." She stiffened in his arms. "We're supposed to choose who would be our representative." She hugged him back and his heart ached for her. Her head laid on his shoulder, "Who chose me? Why me? Clarisse would be a better option."

He licked his lips, thinking if he should tell her the next part before sighing. "You were personally requested." She flinched before muttering, "I don't want to go."

Percy pulled back to look at her, "Arkadia wants someone to visit also." She grimaced. He wondered if that had anything to do with her avoiding Hermês. "What?"

His sister pursed her lips, "I've been mentally reconstructing a timeline. Somewhat of a timeline. We are after the Great Deluge."

"The Great Flood that's in just about every religion?"

"Yeah. It was this whole thing where Ζεύς took on the form of Artemis and slept with her favored handmaiden, Kallisto. The girl kept it a secret from Artemis because she didn't want to leave her side, but she was pregnant. One day they went to a stream to bathe but Kallisto wouldn't join them until Artemis looked at her and discovered the truth. When she asked why she kept it a secret after breaking her vow, Kallisto snapped back and said that it was Artemis who had done so."

Ariadnê walked off to dig around some papers. "You know everyone thought the two were sapphic in our timeline. Anyway, Artemis got mad and cast her out by transforming her into a bear. Fast forward, Ζεύς places her in the stars." She found what she was looking for, spreading them out for him to see. Those calligraphy lessons that she had with the gods clearly worked wonders because his dyslexia didn't give him too many issues. "Fast forward, some more, the father of Kallisto was Lykaôn. The first werewolf. He pretended that he didn't know that Ζεύς seduced his daughter and decided to 'test' Uncle's divinity. He killed his grandson, Akcas. Zεύς' son. And attempted to feed him the boy. In his anger, Ζεύς killed all fifty sons of Lykaôn and Lady Gaea breathed life back into Arkas. And the region was renamed Arkadia."

Percy took note of a name he hadn't heard in awhile. "And Tántalos?" Ariadnê shrugged, "He should be dead by now considering that had happened during the whole Haidês kidnapping his wife thing. But yeah, after what Lykaôn did... Dad and Ζεύς let the rain pour from the sky and let the river and sea flood the lands. They let out their best storms, and a very few mortals survived the encounter."

She ran her hands over her face, "Either way, the river-god that lives there is the Father of Dáphnē, turned into a laurel Dáphnē. When I start backtracking what I could remember of the myths and what the gods told me... Dáphnē was the sister to Huákinthos. Of course, Hermês told me that it was another female named Dáphnē that was his sister. But they're here at the same point in time."

And Percy understood her issue then. Either country she visited... she had the chance to run into one of Apóllōn's most famed lovers

"So we just keep Cupid... Érōs away from him?"

She rolled her eyes, "Apóllōn was never shot with an arrow. That's a roman retelling from that asshole Ovid. No, he actually liked Dáphnē. And in a way, his anger and jealousy worked well. She would never go into the town, nor consort with the other maidens; but she got together a large pack of hounds and used to hunt. She gained Artemis' favor."

Ariadnê pulled him alongside her as they headed back to the kingdom. She switched to english as soon as the eyes of the gods landed on them, "There was this random dude who was in love with her and decided to trick her to gain her affection. He started hunting with her, grew his hair out long and wore feminine clothing to present as female. Sunshine was pissed so he gave her and her friends the idea to go to the streams to bathe. Creepy stalker dude wouldn't strip and change and the others had immediately gotten suspicious. They tore his clothes off, realized he was a guy, and then they all killed him using their daggers and spears. The gods took away his body and Apóllōn moved to seduce Dáphnē who saw him coming so she took off running, pleading for Ζεύς and Gaea to hide her from sight. She thus became a tree and Apóllōn took branches from it to always wear in his hair in dedication to her."

They paused at the gates. Percy turned to look at her. She raised a brow as he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "You fell love with a simp."

She scowled playfully at him as he laughed. He tapped her nose before taking off running. She immediately gave chase.

The two of them laughed and giggled as they chased after each other. Under the eyes of the deathless gods, they performed daring feats as they moved across the streams as if they were surfing.

They stumbled towards the palace doors, continuing their race to the throne. It was that moment that they were glad that they did not use living people as they sprinted down the halls. The undead had given them space to run freely.

Percy looked down as he felt something wrap around his waist. One of Ariadnê's whips of water threw him back down the hall as she sprinted past him.

Cheater.

He swiped his hand through the air before blowing out and watching amusedly as she slid and tumbled over the now frozen floor. He skated right past her as she collected her balance. They laughed loudly before each reaching for the power inside of them.

(Thank Nico for explaining the skill to them.)

The hallways faded from sight as they turned their bodies into vapor. It took concentration to travel through the water within the air to appear in their respective seats. They solidified at the same time, twin expressions on their faces as they stuck their tongues out at each other.

Thalia and Nico rolled their eyes at the two of them. Nico was used to their bouts of childishness since he had to spend a lot of time training them.

It was nice to see.

Annabeth gave the twins a pointed look as she said, "Now that we're all here." Percy smiled at her innocently, taking delight in the way she playfully rolled her eyes. Ariadnê didn't even spare her a glance as she gestured over for one of the wines that Katie created.

(Nothing of substance as wine grapes will not be invented until Dionysos was reborn, but she made do with other fruits, waters, and nectar. And such—the drink was only for the half-divine or the gods that asked for it.)

She threw it back quickly before having another cup fixed. The others looked at her in concern, but she waved them on. "We received official requests from Sparta, Athens, Arkadia, Crete, Delphi, and Thebes."

Rachel shrugged, "I can go to Delphi whenever we're ready. I'd love to meet Pythia." Ariadnê grimaced a little, "Crete is more your speed, Thalia. It's where Lord Ζεύς was hidden and raised by Mother Rheia." She switched quickly to english. "It was also one of the places that was considered Sunshine and Moonbeam's birthplace."

"I thought that was Delos?"

"I did say it was considered it. Not that it was."

"Okay," Annabeth said, looking between the twins. "Rachel for Delphi. Thalia, are you doing Crete?" The huntress looked around before nodding her head, "Yeah. I'll go there."

"I want to go to Thebes," Ariadnê stated. She could go there then loop back around to Sparta if they were that desperate for her. Thebes was where Hermês' lover, Amphion, had ruled with his brother and wife, Niobe. And if it was timed correctly, then Niobe would be getting ready to insult the Archer Twins.

Ariadnê wanted Apóllōn to see her outside of insulting Huákinthos and pretending that he did not exist so long as the prince was around. It was also out of the way of Dáphnē. A win-win situation if anyone asked her.

"You were personally requested for Sparta," Percy reminded his sister. She shrugged, "I will travel to Thebes first then return to Sparta and then return home." And she also knew that Hermês only loved two mortal men truly. Amphion and Krókos. She would like to meet at least one of the men whose presence would stick with the god for years to come.

(She would like to save him.)

She turned to look at Chase before he could reply, switching to english, "You cannot go to Athens." Ariadnê paused, "This conversation would be a whole lot easier if we were at the Grove. I am not about to keep switching languages."

Everyone exchanged looks before nodding. They all reached out to grab hands, grimacing lightly as Nico reached out for the nearest shadow. It was only for a second but the chill still did not leave their systems. Will handed them all some ginger that he kept with him for the nausea. Ariadnê took hers quickly before rushing over to her cubicle and grabbing the white board that had been brought back with them.

"Like I told Percy, I've been reconstructing somewhat of a timeline. It's actually really surprisingly easy when you start from the damn Trojan War and was getting fucked six ways to sunday by the gods that lived during it."

"Ari," they groaned and she smirked. She wasn't one to usually boast about her relationships, but they were trying to send her to Sparta. She had every right to make them uncomfortable. Well not really, but she was still going to do it.

"Anyway, in the Trojan War, Niobe is mentioned by Akhilles to Priam. Niobe is the queen of Thebes that had insulted Leto about having more children and was killed by the Divine Twins. Personally, I feel like Niobe should have had a better hobby, but that's just me. Anyway, Niobe is also married to Amphion, is a lover of Hermês and she is also the daughter of Tántalos."

The group of them except Nico, Rachel, and Chris. They all remembered the temporary camp director. Ariadnê nodded her head, "Yeah. But get this... Tántalos is also the great-great grandfather of Theseus. His son, Pélops... the one he tried to feed to the gods had a son named Pittheus who had a daughter named Aethra who is Theseus' mother. Theseus and his best friend, Pirithous thought that since they were sons of Ζεύς and Poseidón, pledged themselves to marry daughters of Ζεύς. Theseus chose Helénē of Sparta, and together they kidnapped her, intending to keep her until she was old enough to marry. Pirithous chose Persephónē. They snuck into the Underworld to kidnap her, but the power of the realm exhausted them and drained their life. They were stuck there until Hēraklēs came. He freed Theseus who begged Persephónē to forgive him, but they had to leave Pirithous because the realm shook when they tried."

They all winced. Nico especially as he knew how his Father would react to someone trying to steal Persephónē away. Katie grimaced because she really did not want to know what her Mother would do to someone else trying to kidnap her sister.

"Wait he kidnapped her until she was old enough to marry? How old was she?"

Ariadnê shrugged, "Like seven or eight but she was already renowned for her beauty." She didn't say anything at the looks of disgust the others were given. "Yeah yeah. We all know pedophilia don't really existence at this time. Everything is fair game to people once you hit marrying age."

"She was seven," Percy snapped. Ariadnê scowled at him, "Yeah. I know. Her brothers rescued her. I'm not ignoring the fact that our half-brother was planning to groom a child into marriage, but I'm also not focusing on it because like hell am I letting that happen again."

She shook her head, "But aside from all of that, Hermês cared a lot for Amphion, not just as a lover, but as a friend also. If I could save him from his wife's hubris then..."

"You're changing the timeline," Chase pointed out. Ariadnê turned to glare at her, "Isn't that what we plan on doing anyway?"

They shared looks before shrugging. She did have a point. "Okay," Annabeth agreed. "What's this about me not going to Athens?"

"Has Daedelus been born yet?"

They looked at Nico who shifted uncomfortably. "He was born a few weeks ago. Still not a child of Athênê. You go there and they will kill you," the boy admitted. They hummed. "Percy should go to Athens," Nico said. He didn't back down when they turned back to him. "They're reasonably scared of your Father. They wouldn't give you a hard time because let's be honest, who wants to piss off the stormbringer and earthshaker?"

The twins snorted, "You'd be surprised." Ariadnê remembered telling Benthesikymê about her childhood with Gamy Gabe and her Father had overheard. He had called Uncle Háidēs right on up and demanded the most vilest torture that could be bestowed upon him and then requested to send him through rebirth so that he could give his second life reasonable torture.

Ariadnê didn't even hide how pleased she had been by that.

Percy shrugged, "Okay. I'll go to Athens. So that leaves Arkadia?"

"We'll go," all three sons of Hermês exclaimed. "Dad was born in Arkadia on Mount Kyllene, so it is only fair that we get to visit."

Ariadnê hummed, "You know Ôriôn should still be alive too."

"The one Artemis was in love with," Katie questioned. Thalia and Ariadnê and Will scowled. "She was not in love with him."

Ariadnê pursed her lips, "I know that the kids were the ones punished when gods broke their oaths in our time, but to them... it's the better alternative because the consequences if they broke their oaths now are much more severe and on them..." She shook her head, "There is nothing strong enough; not even love, that's strong enough to have them break their vows."

"Didn't Ζεύς swear an oath when he married Hêrê?"

"Uncle had already loved and desired her for over 300 hundred years before he married her. And afterwards, anytime he stepped out was due to the fact that the children he birthed were needed to fulfill prophecies and Aphrodítē was mating the gods to mortals. It was the entire reason that the age of half-divine ended with the birth of Aineíās."

"How do you know all of this," Travis groaned. His head was hurting trying to remember the little details so he didn't understand how she could.

"Best friends with Hermês who is also a god of memory and in a relationship with Apóllōn who is also a god of knowledge while also having his power within me. They lived through this age so yeah... they made sure that I knew a lot to be able to survive until the great prophecy and afterwards."

The daughter of the sea frowned at the ground, losing herself to her memories before shaking it away. "Anyway, Ôriôn dies around this time also. He was a giant Born of Gaea and an oxhide soaked with the urine of Ζεύς, Poseidón, & Hermês that Hyrieos raised. A very handsome giant and hunter. His first wife had been killed by Hḗrē for daring to compare herself and claimed that she looked better than the queen. He spent his time chasing after the Pleiades when they went hunting with their mother through the lands of Boeotia. They prayed to the gods to help them and Ζεύς placed them amongst the stars. Ôriôn then goes on to fall in with Merope, the daughter of Oenopion who has the same name as one of the Pleiades. He killed all the wild beasts of the island and brought the spoils for dowry, but Oenopion refused the marriage. So, he gets drunk and tries to rape the girl in her sleep. But her dad prayed to Dionysos who had some satyrs lure Ôriôn to sleep then her Father blinded him."

Thalia nodded her head, "I remember this. An oracle told him that if he went east and exposed his eye-balls to the rising sun then he would get his sight back. He went to Lemnos, where Hephaistos gave him a guide. And when he got his sight back, he tried to go back to get vengeance on Oenopion, but the man hid from him. So when he couldn't find him, he went to Crete where he started hunting with Artemis."

"He was killed by Artemis because Apóllōn tricked her," Annabeth started but then she furrowed her brows. "But there was also some recordings that he was killed by a scorpion sent by Gaea."

"The second one is true," Will stated. "It was Ovid that claimed that Father tricked Aunt Artemis into killing him. But the most common hellenes stories is that Gaea killed him for claiming he would kill all the creatures of the world. The other is that he was killed for challenging Artemis to a discus match. Others say that Artemis shot him as he tried to rape Oupis, a virgin who had come from the Hyperboreans."

Annabeth nodded slowly, "And considering that it was the scorpion that was placed into the stars with him then it was most likely that Gaea killed him."

"He was killed in Ogygia which now I remember is another supposed birthplace of Artemis. The island exists outside of time and space. So it didn't follow the same laws that Hḗrē claimed to keep Lētṓ from giving birth. Artemis shot him with her arrows at the same time the scorpion struck."

The children of the herald hummed. It was Travis, the son of the arkhos pheleteon whose smile was filled with cruelty, that answered them all. "Well, brother dearies, it looks like it's time to initiate Plan 504 Part 4."

The rest of the group shivered at the way his brothers' matched his expression. They were not touching that at all.

Annabeth cleared her throat, turning to look at Ariadnê, "You will have to get over your, um, issues with Huákinthos." The latter's eyes narrowed dangerously, "There aren't any issues." Besides, she plans on having Apóllōn see her in a space that where Huákinthos does not matter.

Nico cleared his throat, looking around at them all: "That's besides the point. We need to work out what we plan to do with these alliances. What do any of these places have that we can equally trade?."

Katie hummed quietly, "We cannot spare our treats. Ambrosia and nectar still belong to the gods despite Háidēs and Hestia providing us a lot. It's partially why Tántalos was punished."

"Maybe we can do an exchange service with the soldiers of Sparta," Clarisse mused. "They do have a wonderful army. They did win the Trojan War."

Ariadnê scoffed despite her fondness for the kingdom, current prince notwithstanding, "Through trickery."

"Still won though," Clarisse shrugged.

Rachael tapped her fingers on the table, "I mean, they're gaining the attention of children of the Olympioi. That should be honorable enough, right?"

Nico was already shaking his heads, "No, the royal family lines descend from Uncle and Prince Huákinthos is Lord Apóllōn's lover."

The sea princess sneered at Nico's answer before trailing her gaze around the room. "And Arkadia is where Hermês was born. Crete is where Ζεύς was raised and married Hḗrē. Delphi is Apóllōn as he is Delphi. Athens had Daedaelus now. Thebes is going to end up as a ghost land after what Niobe does."

"We could always trade in weaponry or cloths. Maybe even some fruits," Rachel stated.

"It'd have to do," Annabeth sighed. "We'll have to see what they're willing to trade to make sure it's of equal worth."

"Before I forget again," Ariadnê stated. "Hermês called me Starfish. That's what the god from our time called me. He grabbed my hand then I heard Klôthô's voice and suddenly it was a trip down memory lane. And then he called me Starfish."

They all shared looks of alarm, "What? What do you think that means?"

She shrugged, looking at Chase, "I don't know. He seemingly forgot about it in the blink of an eye."

The blonde furrowed her brows as she looked around at everyone. "Keep an eye on it," she ordered Ariadnê before turning to the others, "And everyone else, watch out for the others."

The meeting adjourned shortly afterwards.


Ariadnê could cry.

Her bags were packed for her trip to the foreign kingdoms. It would be the first time that they ventured out of their lands. She didn't count the Sparta-Athens war. It wasn't like they stayed there long.

No, she would be leaving Castellan behind for months. In one kingdom, she would do her best to save Hermês' paramour and then in the other, she was going to have to watch the love of her life swoon over another person.

She only consoled herself with the fact that the prince was going to die soon. She'd have Apóllōn all to herself, other unimportant lovers notwithstanding.

They still had no understanding as to why Hermês called her by that nickname. The Moirai won't answer their calls despite the fact that Percy and Ariadnê have seen them personally.

[She'd never forgive them for making Percy believe that his life string had been clipped which meant that she was going to wither away also.]

A friendship that transgressed time and space. She wondered if it was a sign that the future had not truly changed. That would make sense they had not done anything substantial to the timeline. Or was this like one of Drew's stories where the characters were displaced through time while their loved ones were searching for them?

She hoped it was the second choice. She wanted her Hermês and Apóllōn back.

Ariadnê turned to look at the picture of her and Hermês on her vanity. She wished she could talk to that version of the god. Her best friend. He wouldn't have all the answers, but he would have enough.

A shiver ran through her body as her instincts awakened within her. The ground rumbled through no fault of her own. She rushed out of her cubicle, out of the grove, and out into the land. Her eyes flittered around as fast as a hummingbird, trying to gain an understanding on why the citizens were running for their lives.

She bent to the ground, pouring her power into the earth and opening the gateways to the underground bunkers. It was only mere seconds later that she could feel the others doing the same.

Ariadnê ran.

Her gaze caught onto the sight of Travis sprinting towards Silena's Eatery with his brothers on heels. The barrier around the kingdom was flickering as if something was trying to force its way through. She rushed over the drawbridge, summoning her sword as she caught up to the others.

She and the others froze when a large hand punched its way through the barrier and through the roof of the restaurant. A large beanstalk pierce through it like the world's biggest splinter. Ariadnê's gaze followed the hand back to the sky.

If she was a lesser person, she would have screamed at the sight above her.

Katie rushed out of the restaurant, pulling a body behind her as tears streamed down her face. Each step left Oleander flowers blooming in her wake. Another hand came through the barrier. Katie did a sidestep, turning on her foot, twisted her hand and the flowers rushed to meet the others, before she turned back around and kept running all without stumbling. Ariadnê grimaced because she knew those flowers were so poisonous that even Cabin Four used gloves when dealing with them.

Ariadnê blinked when she saw Zagreus armed with lightning bolts and a collection of toys. She frowned, "Oh come on!" She set her up at the titans, mentally cursing the Moirai. When they asked the Moirai for guidance, this was not what they had meant.

Travis wrapped his girlfriend in his arms as she pushed Zagreus to stand in the middle of their little circle. The rest of their family immediately joined them, eyes darting from the weeping form of Katie, to the alarmed form of Zagreus, and the enraged titans tearing their barrier apart.

A large foot flattened Silena's Eatery to the ground.

It was years of battle training that had them all instinctively dodging the giant club that had been aiming for where they were standing. Each of them drew their weapons while Rachel rushed off pulling Zagreus with her.

Hḗrē had done it.

With Thalia so firmly protected within Castellan and intended to join the Hunters, she was untouchable. And sure, Hḗrē could walk in just like any other god as seen when they watched their court proceedings, took part in their celebrations, or dined within Silena's Eatery. (Or like those that took a ride on the Flow of Love around the kingdom.)

But there were too many eyes on them, and none of them liked letting Thalia out of their sight if they knew that Hḗrē walked through the kingdom. They all were too well protected for the Queen to try her hand.

Thalia was protected so long as she was inside the kingdom. And sure, Hêrê could enter just as any other god. But too many eyes were on them and they were too well protected for the queen to try anything.

Fortunately for her, Ζεύς had another child that she had been wanting to get rid of that spent so much time with them.

The rest of them lost themselves in the fight of defending their home.

With barely a thought, the defenses that they kept around the kingdom attacked, slowing some of the titans down.

Ariadnê rolled under feet and punches as she sidestepped weapons. Her mind blanked into a smooth canvas as her focus was only one the battle before her. A staff slammed against her sword. The shock wave knocked everyone back at least ten feet. She breathed through her nose as the titan pressed down against her.

She breathed heavily, concentrating on the power within her. Like a flipped switch, she sank under the weight as her legs turned to liquid allowing her to roll out of the way. The ground cracked under the force of the titan's full strike.

A Titan yelled. A wall of force slammed Thalia through the air. She sailed backward about three hundred yards and smashed into a temple of Artemis. The girl stood with a growl, lightning crackling around her body like the world's widest jacket. She spat out blood, ate a piece of pure ambrosia before she started shooting arrows in quick succession. She had to give the healing time to heal the bones in her body before she laid waste to the enemies before her.

Ariadnê snarled, launching herself into the air; dual-knives glinting in the light of Hêlios' sun. One of the titans flailed awkwardly and crashed into trees as she held on as best as she could while he thrashed.

A growl rising to a yell sounded around her. She peeked her head around from where she was holding on by her knife to see that Will had shot a glistening silver arrow into the titan's left eye. The titan whined and reared back to strike, but Will rolled aside.

Zagreus and Rachel had gotten held up at one of the entrances where the god was furiously striking back with the bolts of lightning in his hand.

Ariadnê would not be defeated. She twisted her knives deeper into the skin before yanking them away as she let herself fall backwards. A flower petal morphed into a slide for her as she came down. She made a mental note to thank her later.

She wasn't even surprised when the monsters came out to play.

She turned back to the battle. Her instincts took over. She dodged and stabbed and rolled, but the monsters were endless. She ended up back to back with Chase at one point. Ariadnê fought like she'd never fought before-wading into legions of dracaenae, taking out dozens of cyclops with every strike, and destroying empousa.

It still wasn't enough. It seemed for every titan they managed to defeat another one showed up.

At one point Chris was next to her, bonking snake women over the head with his battle axe he must have picked up from the ground. Then he disappeared in the crowd, and it was Katie at her side, conjuring vines and squeezing the monsters until nothing was left but the smell of mint.

One titan stomped his foot, and a wave of pure force blasted them backward. Ariadnê cried out as she landed on her shoulder. She could feel it popping out of place.

Thalia had somehow managed to stay on her feet around the titan. The hue of her eyes had darkened like the sky during a storm. There was a cut bleeding on her cheeks that oozed with blood that she didn't bother to wipe away.

Her fists clenched around the air and every instinct that she had screamed danger.

"Tell me," her smile was filled with blood. "Do you know what happens when you add electricity to heat?" She didn't give the titan a chance to process that question, instead launching herself directly at him. The child of lightning wrapped her hands around the horns of the titan's helmet.

Ariadnê could feel the power building in the air. In her head, she could see raging thunderstorms. Lightning storms flashed behind her eyelids as the strength of a derecho storm pushed at her heart. The very air was stolen from her lungs as the power continued to build itself up.

And then Thalia howled. Her eyes sparked like the very element she controlled. An aura of energy surrounded them, growing brighter and brighter. Ariadnê shut her eyes and felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister her skin and crack her lips.

She pushed past it. She needed to defend her home. She had to be on the move before any of the others gained some sense. The others had the same thought as Thalia didn't even stop with her attack. Ariadnê concentrated as best as she could as she intercepted some of the lighting, biting back her cries as it fought against her and changed its directory. That was going to leave marks. She ran up the beanstalks that Katie was summoning and launched herself off of them to throw daggers at whatever idiot was on the other end. She landed with an earth shattering quake that was mimicked in strength by her brother and Nico as he opened their earth up under their enemies feet.

Somehow in the midst of it all, they lost sight of Zagreus and Rachel.

Until an ear-piercing scream emerged through the white noise.

Until something dripped onto their bodies burning with divine power.

Slowly, turning their heads upwards... they were met with sight of Zagreus' body mauled and ripped to pieces. A quick glance showed Rachel had been knocked unconscious.

It was a beat of silence as they all processed the information. The wrath that had overtaken them could have forced the Protogenoi into compliance.

There was something within them all that started to crack around the edges. It was something familiar to Ariadnê as it was a power that burned so brightly that a part of her feared it. Bloodlust rang throughout their souls and the unneeded promise to soak the ground in ichor rang through their minds. The wind picked up around them, blowing monster dust away as the smell of the ozone began to crackle throughout the air. The shadows drew longer, slowly morphing their colorful kingdom into a replica of Erebos.

Ariadnê took a breath to center herself as she closed her eyes.

They were glowing when she opened them.

And then-

They charged.


WORD COUNT: 8,710

WORDS TO KNOW:

arkhos pheleteon - prince of robbers

THINGS TO KNOW:

1) Hyrieus was the eponym of Hyria in Boeotia, where he dwelt and where Ôriôn was born.

2) The Homeric hymns to starts with stating how Hestia, Artemis, and Athênê are immune to Aphrodítē's powers. And then it goes (paraphasing): "As for all the rest, there is nothing that has escaped Aphrodítē: none of the blessed gods nor any of mortal humans. She even led astray Ζεύς. Even he is deceived by her, whenever she wants, as she mates him with mortal women with the greatest of ease, unbeknownst to Hḗrē , his wife. She was the most glorious female to be born to Krónos and Rheia. And Ζεύς made her his honorable wife. Ζεύς put sweet desire in Aphrodítē's spirit—desire to make love to a mortal man, so that not even she may go without mortal lovemaking and get a chance to gloat at all the other gods, with her sweet laughter, Aphrodítē, lover of smiles, boasting that she can make the gods sleep with mortal women, who then bear mortal sons to immortal fathers, and how she can make the goddesses sleep with mortal men. And so Ζεύς put sweet desire in her spirit—desire for Ankhísēs." And the end of age of half-divine ended with the birth of Aineías.

COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR:

1) Since this deals with ancient greece and its culture heavily, I focus on topics from Homer and Hesiod. Anything from a roman poet or a poet that wrote while under the roman empire does not hold any weight for me even if they were greek. That's mainly because a Roman is not going to be trusted on a topic about Greece. You'll find me using other poets like Ovid, Virgil, and Nónnos if I want to add drama or something that they proclaim resonated with me and the story that I'm weaving. But honestly, Nónnos' Dionysiaká is basically fanfiction of ancient greece. (I'm really not a fan of it.) Ovid's metamorphoses were written for entertainment value and as a mockery to those that worshipped the gods that somehow gets treated as fact. (See: Medusa's story because Hesiod details a different account.)

2) Theseus was a horrible person. No wonder Dionysos hates him. Like that's not even his only offense. You have what he did to Ariádnē, then what he did to his son, Hippolytos. Then in one version, during Hēraklēs' ninth labor, which was to obtain the Girdle of Hippolyta, when he captured the Amazons' capital of Themiscyra, Theseus was his companion and he abducted Antiope and brought her to his home where he would then later abandon her to marry Phaedra, Ariádnē's younger sister. Antiope was furious about this and decided to attack them on their wedding day. She promised to kill every person in attendance; however, she was slain instead by Theseus himself. Ovid mentions that Theseus killed Antiope despite the fact that she was pregnant.

Gods Named:

Benthesikymê - One of the sea nymphs, a daughter of the god Poseidón. Her name means "deep wave" and she was the wife an Ethiopian king named Enalos "the man of the sea." Apollodorus notes her as a child of Poseidón and Amphitrítē.

I mentioned this in reply to a comment on Blessings for Khaos so I'm just going to place it here also.

One more time... since this deals with ancient greece and its culture heavily, I focus on topics from Homer and Hesiod. Anything from a roman poet or a poet that wrote while under the roman empire does not hold any weight for me even if they were greek. That's mainly because a Roman is not going to be trusted on a topic about Greece. And for the greek born into the Imperial Roman era, well, the education would be heavily influenced by both cultures but leaning more heavily towards a roman way of thinking.

If you read my story Surface Pressure (which I do plan to rewrite for a better articulation), you'll see that I write about the differences between Greek gods and Roman gods because there are very key differences to them. They are not the same gods. Iūnō and Iūpiter were twins whereas Ζεύς and Hḗrē were only siblings. Honestly, the only common denominator that they have is Hēraklēs and Aineías. But those differences are something that I'm going to expand on in the rewrite.

While Hḗrē is Ζεύς's seventh wife in Hesiod's version, in other accounts she is his first and only wife.

In the Iliad, the pair are described as having first lay with each other before Krónos is sent to Tartarus, without the knowledge of their parents. Ζεύς implies their marriage was some sort of elopement in the Iliad. According to the Homeric poems, she was brought up by Ôkeanos and Têthys, as Ζεύς had usurped the throne of Krónos; and afterwards she became the wife of Ζεύς, without the knowledge of their parents.

a recurring theme that comes from modern scholars and something that Rick touches on and makes fun of is the drama that surrounded the Ancient Greeks. It's something the characters note also, like Annabeth says on their fall to Tartarus that the gods love tragedy, but when you look at the lines in the Odyssey.

Ζεύς says:

"Ah how shameless – the way these mortals blame the gods.

From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes,

but they themselves, with their own reckless ways,

compound their pains beyond their proper share."

Those lines come from Book 1 around line 37. Humans tend to blame the gods for their miseries, but humans are at fault by making their own lives a misery through reckless behavior. It's interesting because even in modern times, it still happens except the blame is laid on the feet of the Devil.

It's not a secret that the gods interfered with the affairs of mortals, but they could influence decisions, but they were chained to the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction; and Ζεύς, as well as the other gods and man, had to submit to them. For example, look at the Trojan War. The gods were heavily influencing the war, but despite it all, Apóllōn, Árēs, Aphrodítē, Lētṓ and Artemis all fight for Troy except Troy had been prophesied to be defeated even before the Golden Apple. Paris and Hekábē were supposed to die the day he was born or the kingdom would be destroyed except Priam killed his sister-in-law, Cilla, and her son Munippus who had given birth that same day. Even in Book Four of the Iliad, Ζεύς promises Hḗrē that Troy would be destroyed then in that war because he could have intervened and had the Argives leave with Helénē which brings implications that Troy would be destroyed at a later date for the simple fact that Paris was returned home, and you can understand why when you look at his comments. Paris is arrogant because he is a prince, he has Helénē as his trophy wife and he has the support of Aphrodítē. I can definitely see him making a snide comment and having the kingdom destroyed at another point. They cannot fight fate as seen when Huákinthos was killed Apóllōn couldn't heal him no matter what he tried. They can manipulate it as seen when Apóllōn convinced them to allow his lover, Admetus, to live past his time even though he died at a later point.

Now I say all this to come back that Hesiod clearly stated that Hḗrē is Ζεύς's seventh wife. But you come to the Homeric Hymn to Apóllōn and you read about Hḗrē going after Lētṓ.

"Only Eilithyia, goddess of sore travail, had not heard of Lētṓ's trouble, for she sat on the top of Olympus beneath golden clouds by white-armed Hḗrē's contriving, who kept her close through envy, because Lētṓ with the lovely tresses was soon to bear a son faultless and strong."

There is no mention of Árēs actually so that part comes from Kallimachos, Hymn 4 to Delos which came after Homer. Now, the oldest of the Homeric hymns were probably written in the seventh century BC, somewhat later than Hesiod and the usually accepted date for the writing down of the Homeric epics so again, really when it comes to the marriage, I would go with Hesiod. But also, in Homeric texts, Lētṓ is shown standing next to Ζεύς in the absence of Hḗrē almost in the manner of a married wife, and not just one mistress among the many. Hermês also calls her "a bride of Ζεύς " in the Iliad. So why did Hḗrē go after Lētṓ in the Homeric Hymns if Lētṓ was married to Ζεύς first... could it be that she was pregnant since they "lay with each other before Krónos is sent to Tartarus, without the knowledge of their parents"?

I do believe that the two of them hurriedly to marry because she could not be seen as "tainted". The stylization of all these sources were created by—and mostly for—men. And a common theme in most reports is the subject of a woman's virginity. They were largely seen as property to men. Everything revolved around legacy. Hestia remain a virgin. In Theogony, Dēmḗtēr is considered Ζεύς' fourth wife, so Persephónē wouldn't be considered illegitimate for either of her parents. And that brings the question if Hḗrē was pregnant, who would be the Father? She's not married. Who took the daughter of Krónos to bed? Who impregnated her without the knowledge of her parents or her brothers? The lack of dowry could have been interpreted as proof that no legitimate marriage occurred, so if she was pregnant then her child would be illegitimate. But a dowry may have been occasionally overlooked if a bride's family connections were very favorable and Ζεύς was her brother, so it nulls the need for a dowry when he is the King of the Gods. Now that also brings into mention that Hḗrē was worshipped and held importance before Ζεύς from sources that I remember, and they share the title of being rulers over the Gods of Marriage in equal importance. As the goddess of marriage, she would be the one people looked to in regard to legitimacy of children. Thus, an elopement to legitimize her pregnancy and to take away any shame.

Pseudo-Apollodorus writes about her hatred of Hēraklēs and Dionysos because they were products of affairs BUT going by the word of Hesiod and Homer, Hermês was also a product of an affair and yet, Hḗrē did not go after him. Ζεύς is well-known as having a lot of children in Ancient Greece and yet, these two are the ones that she goes after? Why? Because they had divine rights and were destined to join the Olympians... join her house. Hḗrē is the goddess of marriage, women and family, marital harmony, and the protector of women during childbirth. What shame would have been brought to her if demidivine children that were the products of an affair by her own Husband were to join her House without due cause? Do they deserve these divine honors that are foretold in their fates? She does everything to discredit them. Dionysos' myths are filled with him having to prove his divine blood, prove that he is divine and that he is worthy of the worship of a divine being. Hēraklēs' labors were designed to kill him or hold him back until he reached old age before he could prove himself (and that's without mentioning that in the Iliad when Alkmḗnē was about to give birth to Hēraklēs, Ζεύς announced to all the gods that on that day a child by Ζεύς himself, would be born and rule all those around him which was Argos. Hḗrē then has him swear an oath that the child born that night to a member of the House of Perseus (a child by Ζεύς himself) would become High King which is how her candidate Eurystheus got the throne because she caused him to be born prematurely at seven months because she was the patron-god to Argos and it would've been an insult if her kingdom was ruled by an affair baby.)

Ancient Greece is so interesting to look at if you read cultural into the cultural interpretations to get an understanding while also acknowledging the modern lenses that you read it through.

Anyway, to sum it all up, I believe that it was a courtship of love that was sped-run due to pregnancy and that man's love of drama confound what may have been closer to the truth.