Chapter 262

Hiccups POV:

It's been seven days since I got Chara back from Arachne and in that time a lot has happened, starting with my wives trying to kill Arachne for what she did to Chara. When I told them, I'd decided to give her a chance they thought I'd gone mad and actually smacked me a couple of times to try and snap me out of any possible trances I was put in by Arachne. If I was in a trance then I no doubt would've been brought out of it but since I wasn't under any form of mind control, all it succeeded in doing was giving me a headache. After that, they agreed to give her a chance, but they never left her alone with the kids and Brant never went near her without his spear ready to use and his glare on her. The only one who was near calm around her was Chara and even she was a little uneasy being left alone with her which is why she was never allowed to be alone with her or any member of the family.

There were some good things that came out of bringing her with us though such as Chara honestly wanting to continue her lessons in weaving, giving her a new hobby that's none violent and something she could do without her brother who liked to use his free time to get stronger. According to Arachne, she had the potential to rival her skills as a weaver from before she had been turned into a spider and Chara seemed to enjoy weaving in her room. Along with this, Arachne had allowed her to use her own silk to weave on her loom and after feeling one of the sheets made from that silk, I knew it would be helpful since although it was soft as a cloud it was strong as any Viking leather. This meant it would be a major big seller with nobles and foreign traders who were in the business involving clothes, sheets and other such things since they were comfortable but strong. Arachne claimed she was happy to supply as much of her silk as she was asked meaning we'd have a large supply of it and when it's weaved into sheets, they could be sold for a high price.

Now we were back in the city of Athens with my family remaining on my ship while I went back to the forge to meet with Hephaestus to discuss Arachne and possibly ask about the snake that entered the eye of the dragon since it felt different but other than that, nothing. Right now, I was making my way down the streets towards the forge while my family was out exploring the city and Arachne was back on my ship under the watch of the dragons in their section of the ship since her coming into the city would no doubt cause a panic. It was then I arrived in the forge and heard the familiar sound of a hammer striking metal and walked into see the all too familiar face of Hephaestus in his mortal form, hammering away at a hot piece of iron, shaped like a swords blade. He turned to me with a smile on his face as he said.

"Well look who's back from his vacation in the countryside." He dipped the sword into water making steam rise from the bucket. "And how was it, have a good time?"

"Not unless you consider fighting monsters to save your kidnapped daughter a good time." He turned to face me fully.

"What in the name of Zeus happened?"

"One of Athenas past punishment victims decided to make an appearance and get revenge on her through me." He gestured for me to go on and I told him everything that happened from the moment Chara was taken to the moment I took Arachne under my care and when I finished, he sighed and sat down.

"You know I'll need to report this to Zeus?" I nodded.

"I understand but if he asks for Arachne to be brought before him then I'd like to be there with her." He nodded.

"I'll let him know but, in the meantime, feel free to use the forge while I go take care of things." I nodded. "And don't let your guard down when you see Athena as Arachne is not a good subject to bring up around her."

With that said he disappeared leaving me alone in the forge to work and as I did, I couldn't help but let my mind wonder to Arachne since to be honest, I felt Athena had gone too far with her punishment and others suffered because of it. It was like what happened to Medusa who was once a mortal but was raped in the temple of Athena after she ran there hoping for protection and instead was punished by being turned into a gorgon who then took the lives of countless victims. Just because Athena has some anger issues, countless others have to suffer, and I was going to make that clear to her when I saw her again.

1 hour later

I was still in the forge working on some new weapons and had just finished wrapping the handle of a freshly made sword in leather, completing it. It was then a familiar wind blew past me and I sighed as I closed my eyes before saying.

"Hello Hermes, I take it the gods want to talk to me, so they sent you to come pick me up." The familiar voice of Hermes answered from behind me.

"Sharp as ever Hiccup but I've come to expect that of you." I sighed and turned to face the messenger of the Greek gods who held out his hand.

"Let's get going then." With that said I took his hand and closed my eyes at the bright flash that followed and once more I was standing at the end of a familiar hall that would lead to the meeting room of the Greek gods before Hermes turned to look at me.

"I'll be waiting for you inside." I nodded and watched him rush in at blinding speeds before I followed and made my way into the room where all the gods were waiting upon their thrones before I bowed to Zeus and said.

"Lord Zeus, I am honored to be in the presence of both you and your fellow gods once more."

"Rise Hiccup, as we have things we must discuss about your latest visit to our land."

"I take it Hephaestus told you about my encounter with Arachne?" He nodded before Athena said.

"Don't worry, she will be punished for what she did to your daughter." I turned to look at her.

"It's alright, I've forgiven her and after a talk, I invited her to live with me and my family on my island." She growled.

"Why would you do such a thing to one who took your daughter and robbed her of her memories?"

"I did it because she'd been more than punished enough, having all her dreams stolen from her after you not only destroyed her loom and work but turned her into a giant spider."

"She deserved it for her arrogance and insulting the gods with that repulsive tapestry."

"Well then tell me, how many innocent people were you intending to have suffer due to the actions of one person." She stood up glaring at me.

"How dare you accuse me of causing suffering to the innocent because of one mortal." I could see the fury in her eyes but I stood my ground and said one word.

"Medusa!" She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Because of your punishment given to a woman who sought protection in your temple, countless innocent people met their doom at the glare of the woman who you turned into a gorgon."

"She defiled my temple!"

"She was forcefully raped in your temple when she hoped you would give your protection to save her from Poseidon who was charmed by her natural beauty." I noticed Poseidon looking down in shame at this.

"She made a piece that was an insult to the gods."

"She did it to remind you that even you gods aren't perfect and not only did you destroy both it and her loom which I think was punishment enough, you turned her into a spider which in addition to taking away her dreams of being a weaver, you also took away her dreams of meeting a man and having a family." I clenched my fists. "To be honest with you all, I agree with the concept of her creation since gods like you forget how your actions effect the mortals who worship you." Athena roared in rage and stood up while giving me a glare that could kill a man with weak heart, but I stood my ground.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE ACTIONS OF US GODS!"

"I'm not questioning, I'm pointing out facts that the punishments you give out to a single mortal have consequences for those who have done no wrong." Athena turned to Zeus.

"Lord Zeus, this mortal has clearly shown great disrespect by bringing my just punishments upon mortals into question and must be punished." Zeus stroked his beard with his eyes closed in thought before he opened his eyes and placed his hands back on the arm of his throne.

"There is going to be punishment, but no punishment shall be given to Hiccup." Athena turned to Zeus in shock. "He is not wrong when he claims that the punishments you have given, have had an effect on innocent mortals, many of which lost their lives in attempt to end the lives of the ones you punished." He stood up. "Athena, you are to recreate the work you destroyed in your rage and return it to Arachne as an apology for allowing your anger to control you when you are meant to be above allowing our emotions to control us." Athena growled before glaring at me but then paused and held out her hand.

"I sense a sliver of my power within the item you hide behind that eyepatch." I raised an eyebrow before realization hit me.

"I think it's that snake that entered the eye of the dragon, I think it was one of the snakes belonged to Medusa who you turned into a gorgon using your power." I reached up and had the eye of the dragon come out, into my hand. "I was hoping Hephaestus would be able to tell me if it did anything to the eye." Athena took it from my hand and examined it.

"The magic within the snake that was pulled in, is fighting with the magic that lays within this strange item which is also what drew it in." She handed it to Hephaestus who began examining as I asked.

"Should I be worried about using it in the future?" Hephaestus stroked his beard before looking back at me.

"I'm sorry Hiccup but it looks like it'll need to go back to the land where it came from and examined by the ones who know more about it." He passed it over to Hermes who turned to me with a smile.

"Don't worry Hiccup, I'll let you know what they say as soon as I can." I nodded as he took off but before I could say anything I noticed a palm sized spider on my arm but this spider was light blue with a glowing light purple hourglass symbol on its back as Zeus said.

"A summons from the fates." As soon as he said that, the spider turned into strings of thread that flew off into one of the gaps in the wall. "They wish to meet with you Hiccup." I nodded knowing it wouldn't be smart to turn down a summons from those who were said to be the very incarnations of destiny.

"How do I get to their lair?" Zeus stood up and ordered.

"Follow me!"

His thrown sunk into the ground before the wall opened up to reveal an exit which Zeus made his way out of with me following closely behind him. As we walked, I took a look around and had to admit the place was incredible and without a doubt a home worthy of the gods with a single temple for each of them. We weren't stopping at any of them though since from what I could tell, we were going to a very tall tower at the top of a tall hill with stairs leading up to the top. When we reached the top there was a pathway with grass lining the sides with three trees that were five feet away from each other on either side. What was amazing about this though was the trees would continue to wilt with their leaves turning orange and then being blown off the side of the mountain, leaving the trees bare before the leaves near instantly grow back and then they would wilt again. Zeus stopped when we were ten feet away from a small stairway that led up to the towers entrance before he turned to me and said.

"This is where we part ways for your meeting with the sisters of fate." I nodded.

"Thank you for guiding me here lord Zeus."

"It is simply my duty young Hiccup and I shall still be right here when you've finished your meeting with them."

I nodded and then walked up the stairs to the tower where the doors opened allowing me in before they closed behind me and everything went black for a few seconds. Then the room was lit up in an ocean blue light, allowing me to look around and I had to say the tower was interesting to say the least. There were multiple fifteen-foot-tall support beams holding up ledges that had more support beams holding up their own ledges with this pattern appearing to go on for so long that it seemed to be endless. The thing about these supports though was that they were completely wrapped up in thread that would lead from on to the other as the supports slowly spun. Along these threads there were a few spiders like the one that was used to let me know of the fates wanting to summon me, but I knew neither the spiders nor the threads were normal. It was then a voice from above me said.

"Welcome to our tower Hiccup Haddock."

I immediately looked up at the ledges and on the first one I saw three women standing on it, each with black hair and wearing black robes but other than that it was hard to see them in this light. What I did know however was one looked to be five years old, the second looked to be my age and the third looked to be an elderly woman. I knew these were the sisters of fate, Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos, in that order of youngest to oldest in appearance and none of them were ones you wanted to mess with. (AN: Picture fates from 'Blood of Zeus') I bowed to them as I said.

"I am honored by your summons sisters who guide the fate of all living beings." Clotho was the one who replied.

"You may rise Hiccup Haddock as we are sure you are curious to know our reason for summoning you here." I stood up and nodded as they floated down.

"I can't deny that I am curious to know why the ones who weave the threads of fate wished to meet with me." Lachesis was the one who answered.

"We're curious about you, the mortal champion who's been messing with the fates of others." I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Atropos answered.

"Time is always in motion with the fates of all living beings constantly shifting due to the choices their owners make." She then gestured to some threads that were intertwined. "Often peoples fates intertwine with each other but yours is a little more complex than any others including those of your predecessors." They gestured to a thread with many other threads wrapping intertwining with it before Clotho said.

"This is your thread and it is often splitting, which is when your decision will affect your fate, but the interesting thing is how when your fate changes, so does the fate of countless others with many even coming to an end." Atropos then said.

"It is unusual to see so much of such things from a mortal, even if they are a champion." Clotho then said.

"We simply wished for you to know this so that in the future you will remember to be careful of the path you choose." I nodded as Lachesis then said.

"You better head out now as there are many paths ahead of you, but you shall not be able to take any of these paths if you remain here." I smiled and gave one last bow before leaving the tower and meeting up with Zeus who asked.

"And how was your meeting with the fates?"

"Interesting!" I left it at that, and he accepted before I was escorted back to the place where the other gods were and this time it included Hermes who had a smile on his face as he said.

"Good news Hiccup, your eyes going to be just fine but there is something you need to know." I raised an eyebrow as he held out the eye of the dragon. "They claimed that the magic it was able to pull in from the serpent has now settled and granted it some new abilities that you'll need to be careful of until you are able to master it." I took the eye from him.

"In other words, keep it sealed beneath the patch when around other people until after I know how to control its new powers." He nodded as I put the eye of the dragon back in and knew immediately it was different when the power flowed into my body. "How do you feel?"

"I feel the power is different, but I can't tell what it can do now." It was then Hephaestus said.

"Knowing you, you'll have it mastered in a week." I smiled at him.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." It was then Zeus said.

"Well you won't be mastering it here but back in the mortal world and remember, we're trusting you with Arachne." I nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on her from now on lord Zeus, you have my word." He smiled.

"I have no doubt about that but just to be safe, Hephaestus will construct something that shall allow you to know where she is and what she is up to at all times." I nodded, completely understanding his concern. "And now it's back to your world we send you to continue with your life and so you may master your eyes new abilities." Then with a flash, I was back in the forge and sighed while rubbing the eyepatch that covered my eye.

"Best see if I can find out what abilities this thing gained thanks to the new magic."

Nightfall

The day had slowly given to night and it had been a day I spent in the training mirror which I'd brought with us to see if I could figure out what new abilities the eye of the dragon had which I hoped wouldn't result in the mental scarring like last time when I discovered its abilities to see through things and saw my parents naked. When I learnt about what abilities it held, I was impressed but also a little scared since the eyes power to help in battle had increased from it simply allowing me to see and see the weak points in my opponent's bodies. All I had to do was expose my eye and focus it on someone who was looking at me and that person would turn to stone in seconds for ten minutes to three hours making it perfect for when I'm spotted by an enemy and want to stop them from warning his comrades or going up against a strong monster that I needed to take down fast. Sadly, this was also a dangerous ability since it's during their time as stone when the victim can be easily killed by simply shattering them, so I decided it best to only use this ability on monsters or in emergency situations.

Now though my family members were on the ship with the kids sleeping, my wives preparing for bed while I was on the beach, smoking my dragon pipe, laying against Toothless while looking out at the sea and thinking about my future while also wondering if I was doing the right thing by bringing Arachne back to my island. I admit she would be helpful in supplying her silk and acting as a guardian for the kids when me and their mothers were busy with something while also being a good defender for the island. I knew she'd good at caring for Chara since she was teaching her how to weave while also watching over her with Brant keeping an eye on them the entire time, not wanting his sister to be taken from him again. I had to admire how protective my boy was of his sister, but the problem is that when he wasn't watching them, he was training not only his body through hard work but also his mind through intense meditation techniques under my ninja's supervision. Although I admired my son's determination to become stronger, I couldn't help but worry about him over doing it again which is why I ordered my ninja to keep a close eye on him.

It was then my moment of peace was ended by Toothless raising his head and growling making me stand up and release my star sword while smoking my pipe till the eyes were glowing and I'd be able to breath flames. It was then a familiar voice said.

"Easy there, no need to shoot the messenger of the gods." I sighed and signaled Toothless to calm down as I stood up and turned to the owner of the voice who was none other than Hermes.

"Sorry Hermes, he's been a little on guard after what happened to Chara." Hermes smiled and shrugged.

"I understand, just came to drop off the necklace for Arachne." He tossed me a golden pendant followed by a golden web with a red ruby in the middle. "And here's the item that accompanies it and is to remain with you." He tossed me another item that I caught in my real hand.

"Thank you, lord Hermes."

"My pleasure and there's one other thing." He tossed me a crystal ball with moving smoke within it. "Slam that into the side of this islands mountain and see what happens, it's our way of saying sorry for all the trouble." I nodded before he gave me one last smile and took disappeared while I looked down at the orb, shrugged and turned to Toothless.

"Well we might as well see what this thing does or else, I'll be up all night wondering what it is."

He crooned and nodded before we walked up to the side of the mountains wall and I slammed the orb into the side releasing the smoke that covered up a part of the wall as the sound of stone breaking filled the night. Slowly though the smoke seeped into the mountain with only a thin wall of it covering up a small section of the wall as the sound of more stone breaking happened from within the mountain. This went on for a few seconds before the smoke extended towards me and dropped a single scroll onto the ground in front of me. I picked it up and saw that it simply read 'We thought it was time you had a house here in Greece!' and then the smoke cleared to reveal a large Greek archway leading into the mountainside making me smile and turn to Toothless as I said.

"Looks like we just got a new house in Greece bud." He crooned before I yawned. "You know what, exploring the new place can wait till tomorrow since I think we need to get to bed now." Toothless growled and nodded before we headed back to the ship to get some sleep.

4 days later

It's been four days since my meeting with Hermes who came to drop off the items and, in that time, not much has happened outside of me giving Arachne the pendant that was shaped like a spider and had a ruby imbedded in the abdomen. When I placed it upon Arachne, I didn't know how it was going to help me keep an eye on her until I picked up the golden web with my prosthetic that pulled it into the arm. After that I could actually make the ruby come out of the palm of my hand and it would show me Arachne wherever she was and if I focused, then it would allow me to see around her but it could also make the necklace give her a very powerful and painful shock. I discovered this painful ability by accident and it was easy to tell Arachne was not the least bit happy with it and neither was Chara who was being given her weaving lesson at the time and was not happy with it being ruined by Arachne's screams of pain.

Then there's the new house within the mountain which had been fully explored and impressed me since it was nice and was going to be a good place for my family to stay when we visit Greece. When I first entered through the entrance I found myself in a long hall with grey marble floors and walls with indents in the walls that were lined with white marble and had large black vases on short pedestals on them. In between these indents were white marble pillars that held up the ceiling and these pillars were smooth to the touch with gold vines carved and imbedded into them. There were of course various open archways leading to rooms or stairs that lead to the various places around the mountain and the rooms weren't disappointing.

The first room I checked was through the first door on the left and found it to be a library which had a window in upper part of the wall at the far end. This window wasn't big enough to light the entire room but it shone light onto a head sized crystal resting on a white marble pedestal in the center of the room which reflected the light into various crystals that were embedded into the upper walls that then lit up the entire room. Along with this these crystals would absorb the suns light and, in the evenings, they'd brightly glow, lighting up the entire room so I couldn't even tell it was night. Beneath the window was the fireplace with the frame being made of white marble and the sides were shaped like Greek soldiers standing to attention. Then there were the shelves that were made of pure white marble and covered all the walls to the point that there wasn't a bit of wall to be seen. There were also six red clines with golden frames, so we'd be able to relax and read whatever books I decided to use to fill the shelves of this library.

The door opposite to it led to a short black marble hall which lead into a very large room that I believed to have been none other than the dragon dens. This room looked to have been carved out of the mountain since the stone that the room was made of was made from the same stone that made the mountain. There were things that showed it wasn't naturally formed though like how smooth the stone had been made and the pillars imbedded in the wall that held up the roof. Between these pillars were wide ledges where the dragons could roost with some of these ledges having piles of hay for them to rest on. In the center of the room was a large fire pit and on the four sides around it was the feeding stations that were quite impressive, design wise. The outer part was in the shape of a large ring that was holding fish for the dragons while the middle of the ring was filled with water for the dragons to enjoy. At the back of the room though was a large entryway that led up a tunnel going up in a slope with a trapdoor leading outside on the other end so the dragons could fly out whenever they want.

Following that there was another door on both walls a few feet away from the doors leading to the den and the library with one final entryway at the end of the hall. The second door on the left lead to the kitchen made of white marble with a counter up against the left and back wall that's made of bricks, stone and a black marble top where we could prepare the food for cooking. Hanging above it were hooks with various cooking utensils and tools along with a few free ones that I could later use for dried plants that are used for seasoning. There was also a gap in this counter which had a fire pit that had a large pot above it so I'd be able to use it and on the right side of it was a metal sheet so I could cook my food using the firepit beneath it and on the left of the pit was another open fire pit for me to roast large animals on. Across from all this against the right wall was a fountain pouring into a bowl shaped pool that went up to my waist in height with the water constantly being pulled into a hole in the middle of the bottom so I'd be able to do the dishes. On either side was a door with each leading to a different type of storage room with the one on the left being ice cold having multiple shelves for food and hooks to hold meat. The other one also had multiple shelves, but this room wasn't cold, so it was used for dry food like bread and fruit which didn't need to be frozen.

There was also another door on the other side of the room, across from the entrance which lead to a dining room where we could all eat our meals. This room had walls made of light pink marble with six tall white marble support beams holding it up and against the back wall was a window that reached my waist in height and went from one end to the other, giving a lovely view of the ocean. Built into the floor of the center of the room was a long rectangular white marble table with multiple wooden chairs for everyone to sit at with there being more than enough for my family. In front of each chair was a gold plate along with gold knives, forks, spoons etc. so we'd be able to serve up ourselves dinner when it was time to eat. What was most surprising though was how circling the table were six golden tripods made by Hephaestus which were used by the gods to distribute food at gatherings and to describe them, they were made of gold and had flat circle shaped heads that reached my waist in height, four wheels that spun around the bottom and a long stand connecting the top to the bottom. This would save us a bit of time when it came to the job of bringing the food in so we'd be able to get to our meals a little faster which is something that would be nice after a busy day.

Then there's the door that stands opposite to the door leading to the kitchen which lead to a flight of stairs that went down into what I at first thought to be a basement. Turns out it was an underground forge and an impressive one at that but either way I was grateful since it meant I'd be able to get some work done on private projects without people staring at me through the window like in the city. There was an anvil in the middle of it with various stands and shelves lining the walls, except for the back which was lined with various molds that had hooks above it holding the forging tools. In the middle of this wall was the forge which was five feet wide and ten feet tall with a roaring fire within it to melt down the metals in the various buckets on either side of it.

The final door on this floor that was at the end of the hall, lead to another flight of stairs with these stairs leading up which is where the bedrooms are. When I first got up the stairway I was greeted by a double door and walking through it I was greeted by a long white marble balcony with two white marble flowerpots on either side of the door. Going down the balcony was a long pink marble path with three tall pillars on either side of it and on the edges was a white marble railing that only enhanced the beauty of the balcony. At the very end was a platform with two steps leading up to it and on this platform, in the center was a white marble bathtub, square in shape with a single pillar a foot away from each corner. It was a nice place to take a bath since I'd be able to enjoy a soak while looking out at the ocean with the city of Athens in the distance to provide a nice scene.

Then there were the other rooms on the second floor with there being two doors on either the right or left walls with them being opposite to each other and a single door against the far end. The guest rooms each have two beds with white blankets and pillows and wooden bedframes along with a single side table in between them with a jug of water and two goblets on either side of it. On the other sides of the beds were side tables that had candles and on the opposite wall, facing the beds was a mirror that was ten feet wide and four feet tall with openings beneath it to hold clothes. Against the walls facing the doors were windows that are five feet off the floor and reach a foot away from the ceiling while also going from wall to the other. The only difference in these rooms were the views since while the rooms on one side gave the view of Athens in the distance the other view was a view of the ocean.

Then came the main bedroom which was through the door on the right halls far side and this room was without a doubt one that was made for comfort in luxury. There was large bed at the back with white silk blankets with golden lining while the bedframe was also gold and by that I meant real gold instead of gold painted wood or metal with a thin white curtain coming down on it with the center being hooked to the ceiling. The bed was resting on a one-foot tall platform which like the rest of the floor was made with pure white marble with a white marble table on either side of it. On the left side of the room was a window that took up the whole wall, reaching from the floor till it was just a head taller than me and above it was a relief depicting my defeat of Chronos and then circling around the upper part of the walls with reliefs depicting other adventures here in Greece but not the ones they called my twelve labors. Along with this against the wall by the door was a marble table with a bowl of fresh fruit and above it was a mirror that was as long as the table and reached just beneath the reliefs. Finally, there's the door on the other far side of the second floor which lead to a staircase which went up to the surface of the mountain top so we'd be able to reach the top.

Besides that, it's been quiet with all of us just enjoying a little down time, enjoying our new house but despite the peace, there was something that I couldn't shake from my mind and I knew that no matter how much I tried to shake it off, I'd have to deal with it. The problem is I wasn't sure if it was time or if it was too early to do what I was planning on doing since although it was something I wanted to happen, it was also something I didn't want to happen. These were the thoughts that plagued my mind as I stood on top of the mountain while looking out at the ocean and took a breath knowing that when I got back to the island, I'd need to deal with it but for now, I should just rest and enjoy the peace.

AN: And here's the latest chapter with Arachne's fate being officially decided and Hiccup finally getting a home in Greece while leaving a little teaser of what is to come in the next chapters. Anyway, I'm back at work which is busier than ever which is to be expected for the beginning of the year with how busy the call centers are so it's going to take time for me to get back into the groove but I will try to update once a week. For now though, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and will continue to enjoy the story since I really am trying my best to keep things interesting. Till next time, have a nice day and review kindly.