Chapter 14

Zeus stood on a mountain overlooking Greece. The Olympians hadn't ruled in two thousand years, but Greece still felt like home to him. Hearing a footstep behind him, he turned.

A man stood behind him. As Zeus faced him, he inclined his head slightly.

The man was six and a half feet tall, well-muscled, with piercing black eyes. A scruffy black beard covered his chin. He wore a brass helmet on his head and a bronze breastplate covered his chest. Bronze greaves covered his legs and feet. In one hand, he held a bloody spear. The blood-stained bronze blade glistened wetly in the morning sun. In the other, he held a shield made of brass.

"Ares," Zeus said. "Thank you for coming."

Ares nodded stiffly. "When my king calls, I come," he said his deep voice causing pebbles to roll down the mountain.

Zeus clasped his hands behind his back. "The woman is proving unreliable. She cares for her son too much and not enough for the mission. To add to our problems, Thanatos has returned. He has allied himself with my enemies."

Ares nodded, a troubled expression on his face. Brushing his dark hair out of his eyes, he tightened his grip on his spear. "What would you have me do?"

"The woman may yet prove useful, along with that abomination she calls a son. For now, Thanatos is the greater threat. I want you to find him and kill him."

Ares frowned. "Nyx and Erebos will not be happy."

Zeus waved a dismissive hand. "They have abandoned us just like Hades, Poseidon, Hera, and the rest of them. If they wanted their son to live, they should have chosen to stand with their family."

Ares nodded slowly. "Thanatos will not be easy to defeat. He is powerful."

"Was powerful," Zeus interrupted. "He invested a lot of his power in the Deathly Hallows. He will be easy for you to deal with."

Ares scowled but nodded. "I will do as you wish father."

Zeus nodded briskly. "Good," he said. "You may go."

As Ares vanished, Zeus sighed in relief. Soon, Thanatos would be dead, and he would have one less obstacle to returning the Olympians to their former glory.

As he thought of his family, he frowned. So many of them had left or given up. Only Artemis, Athena, and Apollo stood with him. The rest had either fled or given up their immortality to live human lives. He glanced in the direction of Mount Olympus. Perhaps it was time for him to visit Hecate. She had been a titan after all. She could prove useful.

In a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, Zeus vanished.

**ACC**

In a swirl of shadow, Harry fell to the ground and bounced several feet. Rolling over, he looked up at a laughing Luna and Lily. Thanatos walked over and offered him a hand.

"Thanks," Harry said as Thanatos pulled him to his feet. "Remind me why I can't apparate?"

"The fae nor the immortals liked apparition. For one thing, you have no idea what you'll be apparating into. Secondly, a lot of witches and wizards have left pieces of themselves behind when apparating. You remember splinching, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "I never did it myself, but apparition is useful. I mean you can appear almost instantly."

Thanatos nodded. "It is also very disorienting. That is why the fae and immortals have a different method of teleportation."

"Can you teach us as well?" Lily asked.

"Yes. Wizards use to rely on elements and energy to teleport from place to place instead of apparition."

"Cool," Lily said smiling widely.

"Can you explain how it works again?" Harry asked.

"The key is to summon an element or aspect you are comfortable with. You then merge with that element and use it to create a localized portal where you want to go."

"It's that easy?"

Thanatos shook his head. "Don't get overconfident. You must have a clear vision where you want to go. You must be able to see that place in your mind as if you were already there. Then, and only then, can you create a portal to that location."

"So, how do I find out what my element is. Mum's is wind. Does that mean mine will be wind to?"

Thanatos shook his head. "Not necessarily. You are not your mother or your father. You are your own person."

Harry frowned. "Mum hasn't really trained me with aspect magic. I know the aspects are light and shadow, but that's all I know."

Thanatos placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be teaching you how to use aspect magic this summer. You don't have to worry about that."

They were interrupted by a burst of green fire. Harry glanced over at Lily and Luna. His eyes widened.

"Luna?" he asked. "Where's Lily?"

**ACC**

Lily looked around. Where was she? Noticing the statue of a man holding a thunderbolt on one of the buildings in the distance, her eyes widened. "Wow," she whispered as she walked towards the building.

As she drew closer, she realized the buildings looked like temples spaced across the mountaintop. Giant palaces stood behind the temples. Counting them quickly, she counted twelve. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Where was this place?

Seeing a swirl of shadow out of the corner of her eye, she sighed in relief as Thanatos appeared.

"Thanatos," she cried wrapping her arms around him. "What happened? Where is this place?"

Thanatos hugged her tightly. "Thank the Lord, I found you. Come on, let's get you out of here. I'll explain when we're back at Argante's cottage."

In a swirl of shadow, they both vanished.

**ACC**

No sooner had Thanatos and Lily disappeared, than there was a flash of lightning. Zeus appeared near his temple. Looking around Mount Olympus, he scowled.

He hadn't visited this place in a hundred years. When he'd last come here, Hecate was still guarding their home. He could still sense her presence, but it was old, like the smell of a house that had been shut up for too long.

"Hecate!" he called. "Are you here?"

Only his own voice answered him as it echoed across Mount Olympus. Reaching out with his senses, he scanned the entire mountaintop for any sign of her.

His scowl deepened as he leaned back against one of the tall marble columns supporting the roof of his temple. It was clear to him that she had left, but where would she have gone and why did she leave?

Hecate had always been a loner, only associating with Persephone and Athena. The only time she'd ever stepped into the affairs of the other Olympians was when Demeter's grief at the loss of her daughter had threatened to kill all of humanity.

"She's not here," Zeus murmured. "She has abandoned me, just like everyone else."

In a flash of lightning, Zeus vanished.

**ACC**

"How did you find me," Lily asked as she sipped some apple juice in Argante's kitchen.

"I tracked your soul," Thanatos said.

"You can do that?" Harry asked where he sat next to Luna.

"Some beings can," Thanatos said. "I was Death for the Greeks for a long time. I learned to track the souls of people. I've kept up with that ability for those that I care about."

Lily blushed slightly. "Thank you. If you hadn't come for me…"

Thanatos reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "When I am around you three it reminds me what it was like to have my children again. It's painful, but at the same time, it feels good, like letting out a poison that has plagued you for a long time." He stared into Lily's eyes. "How did you do that?"

Lily blinked at him. "Do what?"

"You not only flame traveled, but flame traveled to Mount Olympus. I'm sure you've never been there before. How did you get there?"

Lily blinked at him. "I don't know. I just tried what you told me. Since my hair is red, I focused on fire. When I saw green fire, I just stepped into it."

Thanatos nodded slowly. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how cool it'd be to be like you and have seen so much of the world."

Thanatos paused. "Trust me, immortality is overrated. Even when your close to other immortals, time can begin to feel… wearisome after a while."

He stood. "Well, I think that's enough for today. We'll pick up tomorrow. At any rate, Lily you are a prodigy in this form of magic anyway."

Lily's cheeks turned pink. "Thank you, sir."

Thanatos nodded. "I'll see you three later. I need to go check on something." In a swirl of shadow, he vanished.

"What do you reckon that was about?" Harry asked.

Luna turned to Harry and Lily. "He suspects something."

"How can you tell?"

"The look in his eyes when you disappeared. It was like he recognized something."

"I guess he'll tell us when he figures it out." Harry murmured.

**ACC**

Thanatos appeared back on Mount Olympus. Looking around, he saw Ares standing near the table of artefacts. As he watched, Ares ran his hand along the spear on the table before turning to face him.

"You came," he said his face and posture giving nothing away.

Thanatos nodded to him. "I did. It has been a while since any of my family contacted me."

Ares nodded. "You know most of the Olympians are gone?"

"I have heard. Although, Hecate couldn't tell me what happened to them."

"Most have chosen to begin new lives. I think they rather enjoy not having to be responsible for mortals. Some have chosen to give up their immortality entirely, sacrificing their memories and power to start a totally new existence."

Thanatos nodded. "I thought that would be the choice. We were never gods to begin with. Powerful immortals yes, but there was nothing divine about us. None of us were worthy of worship."

Ares didn't say anything, merely gazing at Thanatos. "You are weaker than you once were."

Thanatos nodded. "I gave up much of my power to protect my children."

Ares grinned. "The Deathly Hallows. Only an immortal could create objects that powerful." His grin faded. "You are only as powerful as one of the fae royals. You are no match for my father now."

Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "No, I suppose not. Do I need to worry about him coming after me?"

Ares looked out across Mount Olympus. He smiled as he gazed at all the temples and palaces where the Greek gods once lived. Not looking at Thanatos, he spoke.

"My father has sent me to kill you."

Thanatos didn't move. He still looked just as relaxed as before. "I see," he said quietly.

"I don't want to kill you," Ares said in a voice so soft Thanatos could barely hear him.

Thanatos didn't speak. He could sense the turmoil inside the god of war.

"I was always the hated god," Ares continued. "I was the god of war, courage, and bloodshed. I gloried in slaughter and suffering, and all the other gods hated me for it. My own father called me a coward and he was right. I didn't mind watching other people suffer, but I didn't want to suffer myself. In a family of jealous, petty, self-serving immortals, I was the worst."

Thanatos still said nothing. This was something that Ares had been holding in for a long time.

"I stole my brothers wife because she was beautiful and I wanted her. I, like most of our family, was loyal to nothing and no one accept my father." He paused and laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't have been loyal to him if he hadn't been so much stronger than me. Do you know what it's like to realize that both your parents are disappointed in who you are? It's even worse when you realize that they have every right to feel that way."

Still, Thanatos said nothing.

"Aphrodite left me a few hundred years ago. She said I wasn't exciting enough for her." He snorted. "The goddess of love was really just the goddess of lust, greed, and self-gratification. I don't know why I was surprised. She cheated on Hephaestus with me. I should've known that she would grow bored with me someday. It wasn't like she nor I didn't take other lovers."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Thanatos asked softly.

"Because you were always kind to me," Ares said. "You never hated me, and you knew what it was like to be hated. You were the reminder that even the deathless gods would have to face death someday."

"I just did my job. You are the one that saved me from those chains when Sisyphus bound me."

Ares snorted. "I freed you because when no one died in war it wasn't really war."

"I knew that, but you still freed me."

Ares let the spear fall out of his hand and clatter on the ground. "Do you think it is possible for an immortal to seek redemption?"

"I did," Thanatos said. "If I can do it, anyone can."

"You built a family, friends, and you even had a home. Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Your mortal family. I mean they died and left you alone for all these centuries."

Thanatos shook his head. "I always knew that they would die long before I did, but I have hope that I will see them again someday."

"Hope? How do you know that we even have souls?"

Thanatos shrugged. "Why wouldn't we? If mankind has souls, why wouldn't we have the same gift? We may have power, but we are no greater or wiser than man. Our actions over the millennia have proved that."

"We are older."

"Perhaps, but we still were created beings."

Ares laughed. "You believe in the God of the mortals. You believe that he cares about us, even after everything that has happened to you. Why would he care about his competition?"

"That's assuming we were competition. I have to believe there is something greater, something more than this life. To contemplate that life just ends and we cease to exist is too horrible to consider. The thought of never seeing my family again is unbearable."

Ares sighed. "You've become an idealist in your old age."

Thanatos grinned. "A little idealism isn't a bad thing, so long as you don't allow it to become the whole of your personality."

Ares picked up his spear and turned away. "My father will keep coming after you."

Thanatos blinked. "What?"

Ares glared at him over his shoulder. "I'm not gonna kill you. I'm tired. Maybe your right. Maybe, just maybe, we can be redeemed. If that is the case, there's a lot of blood on my hands. I don't know if they can ever be washed clean, but I'm gonna try. I want a better life. I want a life that is more than just war. I'm tired of being hated. I want to do something that matters."

"I… thank you."

Ares nodded. "Zeus wants to restore the Olympians to their former rule. He views you as a threat to that. Only a few members of our family stand with him. I will not stand with him, but he is still my father. I will not raise a hand against him either. I'm leaving. I want to be left alone. I'm not participating in this war."

The spear in Ares' hand vanished. He picked up the bloody spear from the table. "I'll take this. I don't want anyone using my power in this war." In a flash of light, the spear became a walking stick with a bronze knob at the top. Ares nodded to Thanatos.

"Good luck, your gonna need it." With those final words, he was gone.

Thanatos stared at the spot where Ares had stood. He hoped the god of war could turn over a new lief and have the life of peace he desired. With one last look around, he vanished in a wave of shadow.

**ACC**

Zeus hesitantly stepped into the cemetery, wincing as the wrought iron gate clanged shut behind him. He strode through the graves as if he owned the place but was careful that he didn't step on any. From what he heard, the caretaker would be very angry if the graves were disturbed.

As he walked, he wondered why Ares hadn't returned. Surely Thanatos should be dead by now. His son was many things, but weak was not one of them. Thanatos was barely stronger than a faery king now. Someone so weak would be child's play for Ares to defeat.

"Can I help you?" a voice said behind him.

Turning, Zeus saw a middle-aged man standing there. His face was slightly lined, but his black hair didn't have a hint of grey. He looked strong, as if he'd lift a life fool of hard work. His dark eyes shone with contentment and a peace of mind Zeus had rarely seen.

Zeus cleared his throat. "I'm looking for someone."

"Are you? May I ask who?"

"My younger brother."

The man frowned. "I'll need a name before I can tell you if he's buried here."

Zeus shook his head. "He's not buried here."

"I see," the man said scratching his chin.

Zeus stared deep into the man's eyes. "They say he's the caretaker at this cemetery."

"Do they? Who are these people that say such things?"

Zeus didn't answer his question. He continued as if he hadn't heard him. "Rumor is that the caretaker guards this cemetery. No teenagers are allowed to play pranks or knock over tombstones. Everyone likes the caretaker. From what I've heard, he's stern, but kind."

The man sighed. A Bident appeared in his right hand. The bronze tines glowed faintly, and an icy chill seemed to emanate from the weapon. "What do you want brother?"

"Hades," Zeus said unable to hide the relief he felt. "Listen, I need your help."

Hades was already shaking his head. "No."

"No? what do you mean no?"

"I mean I'm not helping you. You, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis are on your own. Did you really think none of the other Olympians would realize what you are doing?"

"You could get your power back. You could be worshipped again."

"Mother warned us against seeking worship. Don't you remember? She said that worship was like a drug for beings like us. It gave us power yes, but it also made us hunger for that power." Hades smiled bitterly. "Fortunately, I never received much worship, and I never had a very prestigious position among the gods. I'm done Zeus. I'm happy. I have a wife and a young son. I have a family that loves and depends on me. I have what I always wanted. I'm not giving that up."

"You and Persephone could come back. Bring your son with you."

"Persephone is happy here. She was never happy in the Underworld." He gestured around them. "This place, it suits both of us." He paused, as if he were thinking about something. "Tell you what, I know one of your servants is Tom Riddle. I have a gift for you and him."

"A gift?"

"A gift," Hades confirmed. He held out an open palm. A swirling red mist formed in his hand. Slowly, it took the shape of a humanoid snake about the size of an action figure. Zeus's eyes widened in horror as the creature opened blood red eyes.

"What is that?"

"A piece of soul. I acquired it about two hundred years back." Hades ran one finger along the creature's scaled head. "It appears before the world was reset. Your servant made horcruxes. Fortunately for us, he didn't go that route this time, but that fractured piece of soul was still damned to limbo. Take it," he thrust his hand toward Zeus.

Zeus's lip curled in disgust. "What do you want me to do with that?"

"I don't care, but I'm tired of having it in my house. It exists because of you and your plans. Take some responsibility for once in your life."

Zeus reached out and took the tiny bit of soul in his hand. He shuddered as the cold scales of the thing touched his skin. There was something wrong with this thing. Looking down at it, he winced when it grinned at him, revealing needle sharp teeth. He looked back at Hades. "Where is Poseidon and Hera?"

Hades shrugged. "We don't talk. Don't come here again. The less I'm reminded of the old days the more I like it."

Before Zeus could say anything else, Hades had vanished.

**ACC**

The woman straightened when Zeus appeared in the hotel room.

"You've been gone a long time Milord," she said stretching and rubbing her tired eyes.

Zeus frowned. He liked it better when those below him bowed when he entered a room. He turned to the portrait where Voldemort sat. "I have something of yours."

"Do you?" Voldemort asked curiously.

Zeus held out the bit of soul. "This belonged to you in the previous world. I think it only right it was returned to you."

Voldemort stared at the tiny creature in Zeus's hand, his reddish blue eyes widening in horror.

"No," he said shrinking back against the frame of his portrait. "I made horcruxes?" He turned to his mother. "Did you know about this?"

The woman glared at Zeus. "No," she said. "How long have you known?"

She didn't see Zeus move. He struck her across the face with an open palm, knocking her to the ground. "Remember your place, mortal," he hissed.

The woman sat up, wiping blood from her lip. "My son was damned to an existence of torment because of your plans. You assured me this time things would be better. I've Worshipped you my entire life. I've done everything that you asked, but this," she gestured at the tiny creature writhing pitifully on the floor. "This is too much."

"This thing could give us knowledge that we didn't have before," Zeus said. "It has memories of the world while the curse was active."

"That's assuming it's still sane," Voldemort said. "I'd like to know what I was thinking when I decided to break my soul. If you're suggesting I merge with that thing, the answer is no. I've already lost my body. I'm not losing my sanity as well."

Zeus's eyes narrowed. "You will do as you are told, sorcerer."

"Wait," the woman said hastily. "Give me a year. I think I can sift through this things mind."

Zeus paused. "You think you can read it's memories?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. Once that's done, we can put it out of its misery. Oblivion is better than this."

Zeus shook his head. "You have a year." Without another word, he vanished in a flash of lightning.