Well hello there! Sorry for disappearing there guys. After pushing to chapter 400, I decided to give myself a break until the New Year. Someone should've told me to have something written BEFORE that though, cause I had no words for this chapter by the New Year. Odd.
Anyway!
Honestly, this 'arc' is only going to last a few chapters, so let's get it on. Not much we have to discuss!
Enjoy!
"Did you get all that?"
Simon blinked at the screen displaying Damien's face, who looked dead-serious.
"Did I get that?" Simon asked, "no, the hell I didn't! What are you talking about?!"
"I've had it all transcribed for later," Macbeth said from his left. "We can go over it once we've done what we came to do."
"Should wait until we're all back at the guild," Damien noted, "I forgot a lot of it, I bet."
"Please say you're kidding," Simon hissed.
"I'm not," Damien replied. "Want me to get the Archbishop in here?"
"Please do not," He groaned. "God, this is unreal."
"Gods," Damien corrected, 'there's a lot, apparently. Also, uh, should probably give this guy Aether a prayer or something."
"I'm not praying to some God I've never prayed too before," Simon replied. Damien shifted at this.
"Given how much we'll need his help, you may want to rethink that." He said, "by the way, have you heard from Natsu's team yet?"
"No," Simon's Dad said from his right, crossing his arms. "They've been quiet so far, but I imagine they're already on their way home by now."
"Right," Damien agreed, "Well, I'll let you go now. We'll discuss when we all get home."
"See you later, man," Simon replied. The screen went dark, Damien signing off.
"Did anyone catch all of that?" Sorano asked.
"No," Erik replied, rubbing the back of his head. "My ears are ringing." Simon didn't have anything to say, honestly. The fact that Damien had essentially told them the origin of humanity, dragons, and the world itself was insane. How was he supposed to digest this before they met The Olympians?
Speaking of that, his eyes were drawn to the window ahead of him, revealing their destination before them.
All in all, Mt. Othrys was unimpressive, though he guessed that was sort of the point. It sat in a mountain range with countless of it's brothers and sisters, camouflaged well in the outback of Minstrel.
Simon had only been to this country briefly when he'd been travelling this his Dad before, but he'd never been this far South down it's border. Mountains rose to the sky all around them, none standing out from one another. The only way he knew Mt. Othrys was in front of him was because Hera had told them so.
"Any more word from Hera?" His Dad asked to voice his concerns. Macbeth shook his head.
"No," he replied, playing with the red beads in his hair. "She's been quiet since this morning." Hera had directed them this far, but so far today she hadn't said a word. This made Simon antsy, there were too many lives he wouldn't allow to be lost here.
"Nervous?" His Mom asked from beside him. He scowled.
"Yes," he replied, "especially because we have more people than I thought we would."
"Was that a dig at us?" Katsuchi asked from somewhere behind him.
"it totally was," Tetsu agreed.
"Come on, you guys say you're heading to see The Olympians and we can't come? Nah, I want to look them in the eyes." Katsuchi added. Simon rolled his eyes and looked back at the rag-tag team of tag-a-longs.
There was five of them in total. Katsuchi, Tetsu, Azzie, Takara and Jason. When they'd heard the plan, they'd asked Simon if they could come along. He'd been hesitant, but ultimately it wasn't his call.
Naturally, his Mother allowed it instantly.
"Simon just doesn't want to admit he needed to B-Team to back him up," Tetsu said.
"B-Team?" Simon asked, raising an eyebrow at them.
"Yeah," Tetsu replied, "you and your friends are obviously the A-Team, so that makes us the B-Team!"
"What about me and the older generation?" Erza asked.
"S-Team," Tetsu answered easily, making her laugh.
"It's only fair we come," Azzie said, speaking up as she played with her purple hair. "I...I want to talk to them as well. We deserve that much." Well, he couldn't argue that. It wasn't lost on Simon that the entirety of the 'B-Team' had been hurt by The Olympians in the past. That was obviously part of the reason they had decided to come along, which he respected. This whole thing just made him uncomfortable.
For their own part, Takara and Jason had kept to themselves the whole ride here. Takara looked a little more easy-going, but Jason had locked up like a bank vault. The closer they got the more pale he became, which told him all they needed to know about his nervousness.
"Well keep your eyes open, B-Team," Simon's Dad said, "we'll need your expertise." Another few moments passed in silence before a buzz sounded off in the Bridge.
"It's Hera," Macbeth noted.
"Patch her through," Simon's Dad said. In the next second Hera appeared on the screen before them, watching them. Hera was a relatively attractive older woman, with silver-coloured hair that fell past her shoulders and bright golden eyes. She wore many golden rings on her fingers, and rings around her neck. The only way Simon could tell she was an older woman was her eyes, which had an undeniable age to their gaze. Hera regarded them all silently for a moment, before she opened her mouth.
"Seems you found the place, alright," she said.
"Almost," Simon said, "where are we landing?"
"Nowhere," Hera replied, "everyone stand together. You'll be teleported inside our base."
"We're supposed to trust you?" His Dad demanded.
"If you didn't trust me you shouldn't have come all this way," she said. "So, gather up. It'll take a few seconds." Her face disappeared at this, making everyone exchange nervous glances. Regardless of the threat, they gathered together and stood as close as they were comfortable with, Simon squished between his Mom and Dad. After a few seconds of silence, a light blinded him. It took a few more seconds to fade, but once it did he found himself in a cavern.
"Seems no one lost any limbs," Hera's voice said from nearby, "teleportation can be so dangerous." Looking over, Simon saw that the only other person in the room was Hera herself. She stood across the cave from them, regarding them quietly.
"You alone?" His Mom asked.
"I figure having guards strapped with weapons would be an unwelcome sight," she said, "there is enough tension as there is between us. I thank you for coming, Fairy Tail. I was worried you would not show."
"Thought about it," Simon replied, "but you said you had something to share with us."
"I do," she said, "would you be so kind as to follow me?" Hera waited for no response, turning and walking from the room. The group followed after her wordlessly, keeping there eyes open for any sign of a trap. Simon was restless. After all, the last time The Olympians had sent them a request for a meeting, Nashi had died. He didn't want that to happen again.
After following Hera for a few minutes, they happened upon a door. It opened at a flick of Hera's wrist, and they walked inside to find a room with a table, chair surrounding it.
"You're welcome to sit," Hera said, "we have much to discuss." Hera moved and sat at the head of the table, watching them all expectantly. Everyone quietly moved to sit down on either side, eyes never leaving Hera once. Once everyone was seated, Hera wrapped her hands together.
"Now, where shall I begin?" She asked, "I think I know. I imagine the beginning would be best. I don't know how much Zeus was able to tell you, but I'll do my best to explain ourselves."
She sighed at this.
"It was many years ago in Pergrande," Hera started. "Myself, Zeus, and the rest of the elder Olympians were members of a wizard guild called Shimmering Sentinel. At the same time as this, there was a family in Pergrande. A family that had incredible prophetic powers. But it was a selective power. Only the women of this family had the power, and no more than once at a time. They were highly regarded by the nobility, and they had averted several disasters with their power. Yes, they were strong. Once upon a time, the previous holder of this power foretold of a Great War coming. She could give no more details at the time, and as time went on she passed away.
"As luck would have it, one of her grandsons had a baby girl born soon after her death. And this girl had the power as well. At four years old she gave her first prophecy." Simon recalled all of this from what Zeus had told them.
"We know this," he said.
"I see," Hera said, "so you know the current holder of this power foretold of Nashi Dragneel standing before a ruined city, of a girl with a checkered scarf holding back the darkness."
"We do," he replied. Hera nodded along quietly.
"I understand," she said. "It makes sense Zeus tried to explain himself once it was too late. Speaking of which-"
Hera bowed her head slightly.
"I'd like to offer an apology to you all. I do not expect it to be accepted, nor do I even want you to. It is not a request for forgiveness, it is a show of remorse, of empathy. Do you understand?" Simon wanted nothing to do with this woman's apology. He wanted to spit on it and tell her to jump off these mountains. He kept his mouth shut.
"We understand," his Dad said. "Keep talking."
"As you wish," Hera said. "Now, I wish to explain our plans further before we get to what we came here for. You see, the power of this 'Oracle' to predict was infallible. Her fore-mothers had never once been wrong in their foresight's. So naturally, Zeus, myself and many others took her words as a warning. Other in the guild did not think so. This caused a splinter in Shimmering Sentinel, an exodus of many members. This was the beginning of The Olympians. The family of The Oracle believed our plight was just, and followed us to Fiore to begin our plans. As I'm sure Zeus told you, The Oracle had a vision around five years ago, one where she saw Nashi Dragneel giving her life to defeat the King of Bones she saw in her nightmarish visions. It was then we realised that contact would do us no good. Watching from afar we know none of you would accept any such plan. It would be of no use."
"But you see, we did have other plans before this. I'm sure you remember our proxy guilds, Phantom Dove and Devil advocate. These were, how you say, backup measures. Phantom Dove had been tasked with the creation of an Anima Cannon, one capable of ripping a hole into Edolas. This magic-less world would neutralise the King of Bones, and leave him powerless. This was our most promising back-up plan. The second was Devil Advocate, a small test group to see if we could create Demon Lord-esque soldiers to combat the darkness."
Hera looked pointedly towards Katsuchi, Tetsu and Azzie.
"It was a mistake to put the traitorous Hades in charge of that research," she said. "He and Kronos did unspeakable things we never knew about. I wish to extend another apology to you three. We have wronged you as well."
The trio were silent, but Hera didn't wait for a reply.
"No matter how hard we worked, The Oracle's visions never changed. She never saw this evil King being dragged into a different dimension, nor a squadron of Devil's holding back the darkness. We knew these plans weren't going to work, and as such the work on them was abandoned. We were left no other choice then to commit to the plans we carried out against you. Again, I am sorry."
"That's bullshit," Simon's mother growled, her magic flaring. "The excuses of cowards taking the easy way out."
"If you wish to debase our actions as easy, you are free to," Hera said coolly. "The fact remains that what we have done, what we were prepared to do, is more than you, Erza Scarlet."
"How so?"
"We were willing to sacrifice Nashi Dragneel's life," Hera replied. Simon stared at the table as silence descended on ythe group. They had no come back for that. After all, she was right.
"I did not bring you here to argue about our actions," Hera said after some time. "No, as a matter of fact, I didn't want to invite you here at all. You see, that was The Oracle's idea."
"You're fortuneteller wanted to talk to us?" Erik asked, "why is that?"
"I ask myself that as well," Hera replied, "but she spoke very little of why it was necessary. What she did say, though, was that she had another vision. The clearest so far, and that she needed to speak with Fairy Tail."
"So where is she?" Simon asked.
"She is waiting," Hera said, "but before she speaks with you, I want to clear something up. The Oracle had nothing to do with our actions towards you. She had no say, she only told us the visions. Please, if you are to understand anything I've said, let it be this; She is innocent of our crimes." Simon narrowed his eyes at her, but detected no lying. Hera looked genuinely concerned they would blame The Oracle.
"Let us hear what she has to say," His Dad said. Hera nodded, and raised a hand to snap her fingers. As she did so, a section of the wall nearby opened, revealing two people. One, Simon recognised as Apollo, the other he could only assume was The Oracle herself. The young woman had silver coloured hair, which flowed down her head like water. Her eyes were bright gold, but she looked to be in pain. They entered the room quietly, The Oracle wearing a simple looking white dress.
"This," Hera said with a gesture, "is The Oracle." The woman gave them a weak smile.
"Hello," she said. "I am The Oracle, although I'd prefer you call my Pythia. That is my name." Simon noted the softness of her voice, and the way she carried herself. Either she was a master of hiding the threat she poised, or she was an innocent young woman. He bet on the latter.
"Hello," His mother greeted, "My name is Erza, Hera says you called us here yourself."
"I did," Pythia replied, playing her with hands. "There was no other option. Time is short, and all must be revealed now before the deck of cards is laid bare." The girl had an odd way of speaking, he noted.
"What did you want to say?" Simon asked her. Pythia took a shaky breath at this.
"There is an order to things," she said, "and I must start with this; I am not who I said I was. My fore-mothers were not who they said they were. We are not simple Seers. Far from it." Simon tensed at this.
"What are you, then?" He asked, prepared to fight if anything happened. Pythia gulped, meeting his eyes.
"I am not a Seer," she said. "I am a Demon Lord takeover wizard. I am the mortal connected to Mezevera, The Mistress of Time."
Silence came over the meeting room, Simon's mind working a million miles a second. He glanced over at Hera, and saw the old woman's eyes had widened. She had never been told that.
"Pythia," she said, "why did you never say so?"
"I was sworn to secrecy by Mezevera," Pythia replied. "She makes a pact with every woman in my family who is granted her power. In exchange for her ability to see through time, we are not to reveal ourselves for what we are. This pact had three conditions, all of which have been fulfilled."
"What were they?" Sorano asked, an eyebrow raised.
"The first was I had to foresee a great King rising from an eternal slumber," Pythia said quietly. "The next, I needed to confirm the existence of a pink-haired girl with a checkered scarf. And finally...I needed to have another vision. The one I had very recently, after Poseidon's death."
Everyone waited for her to speak up.
"I needed to foresee a battle," she said, "a battle that would decide the fate of this world. A battle involving humans, dragons, demons and Gods. A battle to decide if our existence will continue as is, or if we will become like cattle, awaiting the slaughter." She took a deep breath. "I have foreseen this battle, and the last condition as been fulfilled. Mezevera's power had shown be that the time of this battle is now, and it is now we reveal ourselves."
No one spoke for what felt like an eternity, but it actuality it was probably only a few seconds before Pythia continued.
"That is not all my latest vision showed me. I was shown the epicentre of this battle, and I saw a man. This man, I have never seen him before. But he wielded a ring. A ring made of gold and the finest, most beautiful center jewel I have ever seen. As I watched him wield this ring, a voice spoke to me."
"What did this voice say?" His mother asked. Pythia watched them confidently for the first time since they met, looking determined.
"No mortal strength will be enough," she recited, "humanity will not stand a chance without Aether's Ring."
"Aether's Ring?" Meredy asked, "what the hell is that?" Simon's brain pricked at him, warning that he'd heard that name before.
"Aether," he said aloud, "that was the God Damien told us about, remember? The God of Space."
"The one who gifted mankind the ability to use magic," his Father said, "I recall. What is this about a ring?"
"I know no more about it than this," Pythia said. "Only what I saw." Simon frowned.
"Why can we never get a straight answer from those Demon Lords?"
"It is forbidden," Pythia said. "One of their Three Laws states they cannot share their knowledge of the divine. Our father Anhkseram made them swear it so." He sighed. Typical of the Gods.
"What about the man you saw?" Azzie asked, being the first of the 'B-Team' to speak up so far. "What did he look like?"
"I can see him very vividly," Pythia replied. "He was a man with tanned skin, his hair was maroon, cropped short in a strange fashion. I cannot see his eyes, for they are wrapped underneath some cloth. On one hand he wielded the Ring, the other was shooting out a purple substance."
Silence came over the room once again.
"That's fucking great,"Simon hissed.
"Do you know this man?" Pythia asked. Simon scoffed.
"I know we're shit out of luck."
Again, sorry for the brief disappearance, but it happens to us all, you know? I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!