Demeter's Story

“Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.”.
― Homer, The Iliad

---

The city of New York bustled around the raven haired goddess in it's usual hectic fashion. She watched as the sea of faces bustled around her, even taking the occasionally elbow to her shoulder whenever someone stumbled too close to her. The Titans would likely be in the home she had purchased for them, taking the majority of the money out of her mortal bank account to pay for it. While Cronus had been grateful to her and even went as far as to offer her a place at his side in the upcoming battles; Eris much preferred to watch her schemes from behind the lines.

Her thoughts were briefly interrupted as the gentle ringing of her Blackberry began.

"Hello?" She answered sweetly. The voice on the other side cleared their throat before replying.

"Eris?" The hearty and almost uncertain tone behind Deimos's voice made Eris roll her eyes. "Who else would it be idiot. Did you think Aphrodite would pick up my phone?" There was several moments of silence before her brother responded once more.

"Geez, I can tell you're in a bitchy mood this morning." Eris's left eye twitched but she let the comment pass with a sigh. "What do you want Deimos?"

Another pause, though this one was quickly accompanied by a nervous laugh."Actually, I just figured I'd tell you Epimetheus wrecked another car.

"WHAT? I told you to watch them you fucking imbecile!" She screeched. This made several mortals around her give her a second glance, but the looks never lasting longer than a few seconds.

As she made her way further into hustle and bustle of the city, her voice soon became droned out by the sound of buses screeching to a halt, angry patrons displeased with their meal, and those hollering at a taxi to stop.

---

The men and women who wandered into Ambrosia were as engrossed in her bouquets as much as Persephone herself. Near the large glass show window where several of her favorite floral designs sat, Persephone herself held up a single white tulip in hand and offered it to a young male customer. "These are our best sellers. Tulips are the the text messages of the flower world. Simple enough to send to friends,but they can be misinterpreted if you don't know the meaning behind the colors."This made the girl laugh. "Well I just need a flower to send to my girlfriend to apologize." He admitted sheepishly, turning his gaze away from Persephone's pale blue.

"This is the flower for you then. White tulips symbolizes forgiveness. Though I doubt sending her just one of these will be enough. It depends on what you did actually, though I wouldn't dare wish to intrude on a customers privacy." A shimmering smile emerged from her full pink lips and the boy all but melted on the spot.

"Ah, I...I told her we would go out but I ended up playing Call of Duty all night and I forgot to call her." She blinked rapidly before letting a tiny chuckle escape her lips. "You're going to need a full twelve bouquet for that then. You're the fifth boy to come in because of that video game."

She lead him to where the register was, and knelt behind it to grab the wrapping as well as the other eleven flowers for his gift, as he stuck a hand in his pocket in order procure his wallet. "That will be twelve fifty." She placed they finished creation gently onto the counter. The subtle smell of the wandered through her olfactory senses and left her breathless. Every creation of hers left their own mark on the shop and she was proud of each and every single one.

While the boy handed her the money, Persephone's eye wandered outside of the stores window and into the crowd of people outside the shop. Her heart skipped a single beat as she spotted a tanned dark haired individual through the window with a striking resemblance to someone dear to her heart. "Hades?" She whispered, before putting a hand up to her mouth to catch the words that had escaped. Of course it wasn't him, but the similarities between them was enough to cause her heart to stir.

"Mother? Can you come out and help me with the last few customers ?" Persephone's harmonius voice rang out, hopefully reaching the ears of her mother.

Demeter's peaceful humming came to an end once she heard the sound of her daughter's voice call out from the front of the store. "I'm coming darling, just give me a moment to finish up here." Her raspy voice responded.

The start of Spring was always a joyous occasion for the Harvest Goddess. The moment Demeter's eyes watched Persephone's heavenly visage appear before her on the thawed ground of spring was a time the flowers and harvest would grow once more. The mortal legends of why the leaves would fall from tree's and snow would spread across the land were all true, to a certain degree. Without her daughter at her side, the goddess lacked both energy and sympathy for the humans during these months. Without her power, their crops would not grow nor would any plants for that matter.

Demeter smiled softly and pressed her palm onto the dark soil in front of her. The seeds she had scattered moments ago began to dig themselves into the soft soil, and the planter which enveloped them began to shake. As Demeter raised her hand higher and higher into the air, the tiny little seeds underwent a metamorphosis if which she had seen many a times. When she was finally finished a planter of black eyed susans were blossoming quite lovely before her.

"Perfect". She purred in a delighted voice, reaching a single finger to stroke one of the many petals of the plant.

Remembering her Persephone's plead for help she picked up the planter and headed towards the front of store. She watched as her daughter spoke cheerily with several customers. The minute Demeter's eyes caught sigh of an attractive young man, her gaze flickered between Persephone and the man. She sauntered over towards where the man was standing ; looking idly at a vase of orchids Demeter herself had put on the shelves just that morning.

"Well good evening young man. I'm Demeter, co owner of Ambrosia along with my daughter ." She wiped her hands on the sides of her rust colored apron in order to take most of the soil off her fingers before reaching to shake his hand. He seemed a tad bit surprised, but friendly enough that he took hold of her hand and gave her a firm handshake in return. "Wonderful place you have here." He noted cheerfully. Demeter let out giggle, and then turned a hand to point towards Persephone . "Oh, I'm just an old woman helping out. She's the creator of this place. My daughter you know.."

When the man turned to see who Demeter was gesturing towards, the goddess couldn't help but notice the sudden interest light up in his eyes. "Bait set." She thought to herself, as a naughty expression briefly passed over her face before it was replaced with her usual motherly smile." Oh yes. Quite accomplished, and single as well haha!" She gave a quiet laugh and patted the man on the shoulder, but he barely looked at her as he registered the words she had spoken. "Single? Huh.." He trailed off, now intently staring at the whimsical blonde .

"Come, I'll introduce you to her! Persephone darling, there's someone here I want you to meet. Ah..what's your name dear?" She asked him quickly, snapping her fingers as if it would help him find the words easier to speak. "Robert." He answered, fixing his tie quickly as Demeter lead him towards where Persephone was standing.

"Darling, this is Robert." She announced, pushing the male forward in a way a stranger probably shouldn't after only meeting minutes ago. She barely bothered to say anymore, but gave her kin a tiny wink before she walked away to allow the two young ones to speak in private. Matchmaking for Persephone had become much more frequent in the past years that she now considered it a hobby. At one point she had even been willing to strike up a match between the girl either Hermes or Apollo, but decided against it. They were better than Hades (albeit not much), but the possessive God would have likely struck up some pity war over it. No use having such senseless violence.

Hades - Dmitri Ruslan

The basement of Madame’s

Vzzzzrrrr!

AAAAAHHH!

The underground basement of Madame’s was dark. A sole bulb hung in the concrete chamber, illuminating in a cone of white light a porcelain bathtub where a man donned in plastic stood. Standing around the man were men in various suits. Some faced the staircase to the upper floor, while others watched the one exit. Within the tub that was filled halfway with water was a man dressed in a black T-shirt and khakis, floundering in a pool that was quickly turning sanguine. As he choked on blood and water, the plastic man would lower the chainsaw in his black rubber-gloved hands and slice through his limbs. The man’s thigh parted in a spray of blood that splattered his apron. Strips of khaki, flesh, and human gum leapt onto his splash mask and pelted his shoulders, adding more meat to his suit.

The plastic man had already cut slits into the man’s biceps, and he had removed his left forearm when he made an attempt to pathetically reach out and beg for mercy. The bloody man screamed and flailed about like a panicked fish, splashing red water across the floor. His cries were drowned out by a mouth-full of water that would rush down his throat, water which swiftly mixed with white and pink chum as he coughed and spewed his guts.

The chainsaw hummed, purring in the plastic man’s hands as he watched the suffering victim from behind the dark, rectangular lens of his mask. That was enough. The plastic man held the chainsaw to his left, and one of the suited thugs promptly stepped forward to take it from him. He then held the same hand out and one of the thugs deposited in it a cell phone. Grasping the phone in his glistening, rubber fingers, the plastic man lifted his mask with his free hand, revealing the face of a fatigued mafioso.

How long has it been since he last seen his spring flower? She had once filled his being with a warmth foreign to those of The Underworld, and like a fire having dimmed, the spark had fizzled out the night he gazed upon his bed. His bed had been empty, and therefore, it was unfit for him to sleep in. Since Persephone left his company, Dmitri had been working tirelessly. Every now and then he would nod off during transportation between hits and collections; and even when lounging in Madame’s, the mafia boss could be found slumped comfortably in a chair asleep. Without Persephone, his heart was black and his mood so bitter that even his henchmen were affected. The work became harder, the boss became difficult to please, and his victims found no mercy.

Dmitri’s eyelids were dark and his lower lids fat from lack of sleep. His half-lidded eyes stared across the room into the darkness while the dial tones chirped in his ear. The blood that coated his gloves and the phone found the side of his face, hair, and ear. The blood rolled in thin streams down his neck as his lips carelessly remained unturned. The other end picked up.

“Hey Freddy where are you? You was supposed t’ah be back by nowz! What the hell are ya doin’?”

Dmitri’s raven brows pinched a little as a clever glimmer appeared in his honeyed eyes.

“Taking a bath,” he answered.

“What? Who the fuck is this? Your fuckin’ dead whoever ya arez!”

Dmitri said nothing more. He held the mobile phone out to the paddling Fred as his shrill screams passed like ice into the receiver to chill the man on the other side.

“Oh god; Freddy; oh god; fuck; okay seriously, who is this?”

Returning the phone to his ear, pleasure tugged at the corners of Dmitri’s lips. “’I’ am a man not to be fucked with. You, however, sent one of your thugs into my lovely establishment and tried to steal my girls by promising them better pay. I will admit that I was expecting more from the Galeti family; instead, I find them always pawing at my door.”

Drawing the phone inches away from his lips, Dmitri irritably muttered, “I can’t hear myself.”

He held out his right hand as one of his thugs placed a pistol into it.

“Is it cocked?” Dmitri asked on an unenthusiastic tone.

“Yes Boss,” the thug promptly replied.

Freddy’s eyes swelled from his sockets when he saw the mafia boss direct the gun at him. Through sputters, the man’s screams rose in hysterical octave until three, loud pops silenced him. Quiet descended upon the basement in a veil and Dmitri eased his head back, closing his eyes, and sighing in relief. He basked in the serenity for five seconds before he turned from the tub and in his plastic suit crackled in the direction of a bathroom.

“Clean it up,” he ordered over his shoulder.

The tainted water was streaming through the bullet holes in the tub and Freddy’s legs could be seen kicking in their death throes. The phone was returned to Dmitri’s ear and he could hear the man sobbing discreetly on the other end.

“If he means that much to you, you can personally come and get him. Bring me 50,000 dollars and I’ll give you the body in a fancy bag free of charge. If you come sooner, I’ll throw in the chainsaw and gun I killed him with. They have his DNA all over them, so what would I need with them?”

“FUCK YOU!”

Dmitri stopped before the bathroom as two suited thugs stepped behind him, and with latex gloves, began removing his apron and splash mask. The mafia boss tossed his head back as laughter flooded from his throat to resonate deeply throughout the chamber. He bit his remaining chuckles behind amused rows of perfect teeth as he continued, “My, my; don’t you ever learn? You already tried to fuck with me. Why would you do it again? I know; why don’t you round up your whole spaghetti-munching family and meet me on the outskirts of Jersey City, Hackensack River Waterfront, at midnight to end it all? Let’s just get it fucking over with because if your god damn family keeps sending rats my way, I’m gonna come over there and then ‘I’ will fuck your lives up. I won’t even take your fucking Chef Boyardee of a restaurant when you’re gone. I’m gonna burn it down and piss out the mother fucking flames. How about it Galeti? Am I gonna see your goons around here again? I’m running out of patience, and I’m running out of bath tubs. Give me your answer.”

There was a long silence on the other end. Dmitri had been scowling deeply, his temper having briefly taken hold of him; but with the silence, he forced a twitching smile. “Take your time. You’ve already taken five hours of mine.”

As Dmitri was stepping out of the plastic suit, the Galeti boss reluctantly spoke, “You’ll have your money.”

Click.

Wearing a long and proud smile, Dmitri lowered the phone from his ear and held his hands out as the gloves and phone were removed from them. He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him as he prepared for his shower. Outside the bathroom, holding a freshly-pressed suit was Bernard, Dmitri’s right hand. His phone sang in his pocket, ringing like a bell before he dunked his hand into it and retrieved it. He brought it up to his ear and calmly said, “Yeah?”

“Hey, Demeter’s at it again. She got another guy for Persephone,” the thug reported.

Bernard’s eyes widened with dread upon hearing the news. The drama the boss faced with his business was nothing compared to what would happen if he caught wind of pretty boys talking to his dame.

“I’m not going to tell him. He’s already in a bad mood. Shit, who am I kidding? He’s been a bad mood since she left. Just get rid of him as soon as you can,” Bernard nervously instructed.

Tell me what?

Cold, icy fear shot down Bernard’s spine and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He swore he heard the shower water running, and it was still running except that Dmitri was no longer in it. The mafia boss stood in the doorway. The bathroom door was agape and his form was nude and dripping. Hot water drops dripped from the black, bladed ends of his hair to collect like crystals against the chiseled wall of his abdomen and the thin trail of hair that divided it.

A thug walked over and handed the boss a towel and Dmitri ruffled his mane with it. Bernard timidly faced him and ran a hand back through his hair.

Shit! he thought. Now he had to tell him. “It’s Demeter. She’s found another one.” He refrained from saying “for who” knowing full-well that Dmitri was capable of correct assumption. He also didn’t feel comfortable saying Persephone’s name in front of him. The boss’s love for that woman was a sickness.

Dmitri lowered the white towel before his eyes as they stared sharply like amber daggers at Bernard. Bernard tensed as those beady eyes seemed to rip through him like spears. It was never safe to be the bearer of bad news, especially when any day could be your day when you worked with such a high-risk individual. Persephone wasn’t here to quell his temper either and she wouldn’t be here for several months.

“Get rid of him!” Dmitri snapped. He then reached out to snatch the phone from Bernard and without bringing it into his ear, he roared into the receiver, “KILL HIM! NO; BRING HIM TO ME! I want to know what son of a bitch had the iron fucking balls to cross me again today!”

The thug on the other end jumped in startle when he heard the boss’s voice explode from the phone. It should have been expected.

“Y-yes, Sir!” the thug replied.

He slapped his hand on top of the roof of the black Ford and three other thugs stepped out to cross the street to Ambrosia. They passed through the shop on an unrelenting pace and two of them looped their arms with Robert’s. The young man glanced at the strangers in fright.

“Hey! What the hell’s going on?” he cried.

The thugs didn’t say a word to Persephone or to their hostage as they hauled him effortlessly out the back door and into an alley. The black Ford screeched to a halt before them, and a black bag was drawn over Robert’s head before he was shoved into the backseat. The vehicle then left as quickly as it came.

Dmitri had looped the towel about his waist and was leaning against the doorframe. His anger was running hotly through his veins, exciting him to rap impatiently against the wall with the backs of his fingers. The phone was against his ear and he was calling his sweet sister. When she would answer, he wouldn’t even greet her. Instead, he got straight to the point.

“You fucking bitch; if you hadn’t been blessed by The Fates to give birth to the love of my life, and if said love didn’t give two shits about your existence, I would have had your ass rotting in a garden somewhere long ago. You keep finding men for her, and I’ll keep dusting them. She won’t blame me. She’ll blame you. After all, she knows me quite well. She knows that I’ll fuck up any asshole that dare touches, looks, or even speaks her name. You’re killing them not me. Don’t think that you’re safe behind your fucking ward. I may not be able to see her, touch her, talk to her, and hear her sweet, sexy-fucking-voice, but I can see, touch, and talk to YOU bitch! You know what I’m gonna do? Let me tell you what I’m gonna do when she comes back here since I know that you’re always interested in what goes down in The Underground. When it’s my turn to have her, I’m gonna strip her naked—literally rip her fucking clothes off like an excited boy does a Christmas gift, and I’m going to bend her over and…”

Dmitri went onto explain his dirty intentions with a heated smile. “I’m thinking about it right now. In fact, I’m whacking off right now as I envision it. It’s going to be suh-weet!”

Click.

The mafia boss hung up just like that. He wasn’t interested in arguing with his sister. The man was busy and he didn’t like his time wasted. Hearing Demeter’s voice was a waste of time. He handed the phone back to Bernard and snatched up his suit.

“Get me another suit,” he told his right hand. He was going to need another one after dealing with Robert.

size=95]"Hyperion. Have you found any of them yet?"

The Titan of Light gave a nod, and held up his hand with three fingers raised. "Only Athena, Demeter, and her flowery lass Persephone. We have yet to find your other children."

“Those three be damned. It's Hades, Poseidon and Zeus I want you fool.” Cronus cursed. He and his brethren were newly risen and as clueless and new born babes to the world and age they were brought into. Despite Eris's many explanations, they still had yet to use anything involving "electricity". It was all a bunch of hocus pocus to him and his kin, though a few of his brothers were already anxious to learn more.

Cronus stretched his long limbs and sighed. A week had passed by already and they had only found three Gods, and one wasn't even an Olympian. Just Demeter's pup who posed no threat to Cronus and his lackeys unless one of them suddenly developed an aversion to flower, or allergies.

Hyperion patted his brother on the shoulder lightly. "Don't worry Cronus. We'll find them. My children are searching the skies as we speak. "

Cronus scowled but said nothing. His brothers feeble attempt at reassuring him helped little to ease Cronus's worries, but he gave the Titan a nod regardless. Yelling at his siblings would gain him nothing but more enemies, and he couldn't afford that at the moment. The Fates had already saw to screw him over once by allowing his Rhea to trick him and end the Golden Age of which he had ruled.

"Now that I think about it, where is my lovely bride..."

"Hyperion. Have you seen Rhea? " He asked, finally making eye contact with his brother after an hour of avoiding his gaze. The Titan shook his head and the scowl that had been slowly disappearing from Cronus's rugged face appeared once again. These imbeciles couldn't do anything. "Someone find her for me and tell her I wish to speak with her here shortly. We have many things to discuss, my wife and I."

With his last declaration the Titan Lord strode past his sibling and wandered into the master bedroom of the house Rhea and himself had claimed as soon as they came to their new home. Tiredly, he sat down on the soft brown quilt that covered the king size bed and laid his head in his hands, thinking tiresome thoughts as he waited for his wife to join him.[/size]

The fur was soft underneath her the pads of her fingers. The poor creature was caught was in pain, her labor having lasted longer than usual. Artemis pat the doe gently, trying to reassure her though touch that everything would be fine. Considering the time of year, it wasn't strange for the goddess to have encounters like this when she was doing research in the area. She found the miracle of life to be fascinating, one of natures great gifts.

"Shh," She whispered soothingly, her hand still moving against the deer's fur. "Almost there." And the doe was, just a few moments later and the final push gave way to the release of the fawn. It was a male, one who would hopefully grow strong in the next year and have children of its own by the following spring. Quietly saying a prayer for both mother and child of her patron animal, Artemis watched quietly as the pair left.

Still despite the joy of the day Artemis felt as though something was…off. Uneasiness sat in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't place her finger on anything for certain though. A soft beeping erupted from the watch she used to keep track of her schedule; her shift was over for the day. Pushing the feeling to the fringes of her mind, just to keep it as a reminder to be prepared for anything, Artemis ran.

It didn't take long before she made it to a building located on the far outskirts of the city. She gracefully made her way though the doors and into the office. "Well, hello there Em, find anything interesting out there?" One of the men in her office called as she passed his desk to her own. She shook her head; though her tolerance for men had increased greatly over the years, this particular coworker was rather flirtatious so she tried to keep her interaction with him to a minimum. With a few more minutes to finish up the last of her work she clocked out.

Her thoughts lead her into the city, she wanted to visit Persephone and see if her cousin would like to grab some food with her. It didn't take her long before she found herself walking down the street where Ambrosia was located. Artemis honestly hated the city, the smog filled air smelled terrible to her and the gigantic metal buildings made her feel claustrophobic. Even still she tolerated it every once in a while.

Opening the doors to the flower shop, she was almost knocked over by two men dragging a third between then. Judging by the car and the look of two bigger men, Artemis could only guess that Hades had something to do with this particular incident. The brunette woman just shook her head and ignored the incident, it wasn't her concern after all. Artemis purposefully made her way over to the counter, hopping up to sit on it once she saw Persephone behind it.

"Surprise dear cousin, I have decided to grace you with me presence this lovely afternoon." She announced, rather teasingly. Artemis noticed Demeter out of the corner of her eye, sending a respectful "hello" over to her aunt as an afterthought.

So much had managed to happen in only a few minutes that Persephone could feel her head spinning. Firstly, her mother had decided to play Cupid again in introducing her to another mortal man. The poor fellow named Robert tried to speak to Persephone, but she shook her head and tried her best to get the poor fool to leave before anything happened to him.

Of course it didn't go as planned.

One moment Persephone was begging for the young man to leave and the next ; men in black suits were sauntering in as if they owned the place and locked arms with Robert. "Oh please, you don't have to take him! Think of his family!" She pleaded frantically to no avail as the men ignored her and walked back out of the shop with the young man in tow. The few customers who were left in the shop quickly left in that instant and Persephone did not hesitate to switch the green open sign on the window to closed. She turned on her heel and her pale face became flushed with blood and rage. "This is your fault! She hissed, pointing a finger at her mother. "That man is going to end up dead mother. Your senseless matchmaking that you feel compelled to do every time I come to Earth to spend time with you has caused another mortal man to lose his life."



Demeter had watched the proceedings with a cool and collected expression on her face. Only when her daughter dared turn to her in rage did her expression change to one of surprise. "You're blaming me for this? Do not forget that I am the one who bore you and cared for you centuries before that man even entered your life girl! Her tone was laced with both frustration and anger . The tree's outside the shops began to shake and the wind picked up to sudden gusts each time her voice rose. "Am I the one with such possessiveness over someone that I would kill another person simply for speaking to her? No! That is your husband Persephone, not I . He's a monster."

Persephone's eyes widened and she could feel the anger intensify and beg for release from her tiny body. "He isn't a monster, he's a man. Any man would dislike his wife speaking to other men in such a way."

The sound of a bell twinkling to signal a customer made Persephone jump , but it was only beloved cousin. She forced herself to smile and nod her head in greeting to her cousin before mouthing "sorry" for the argument she was about to hear.

A snort of derision escaped Demeter. "The fact you believe that so easily shows how much he's changed you. Normal relationships don't work like that my dear. Normal men who have enough confidence in themselves don't feel the need to act like such " The beeping of her phone briefly halted her criticism of Hades. "Speak of the Devil and he shall appear" She murmured as she glanced at the red flashing name written in Greek across her phone. She answered the phone by pushing both the answer button and the speaker button so Persephone could listen as well.


“You fucking bitch; if you hadn’t been blessed by The Fates to give birth to the love of my life, and if said love didn’t give two shits about your existence, I would have had your ass rotting in a garden somewhere long ago. You keep finding men for her, and I’ll keep dusting them. She won’t blame me. She’ll blame you. After all, she knows me quite well. She knows that I’ll fuck up any asshole that dare touches, looks, or even speaks her name. You’re killing them not me. Don’t think that you’re safe behind your fucking ward. I may not be able to see her, touch her, talk to her, and hear her sweet, sexy-fucking-voice, but I can see, touch, and talk to YOU bitch! You know what I’m gonna do? Let me tell you what I’m gonna do when she comes back here since I know that you’re always interested in what goes down in The Underground. When it’s my turn to have her, I’m gonna strip her naked—literally rip her fucking clothes off like an excited boy does a Christmas gift, and I’m going to bend her over and…”

Persephone had the grace to look embarrassed by her husbands words in the presence of her cousin and mother, even if a pleasant warmth ran it's way from her head to her toes from her hearing them. "I suppose I shouldn't buy a new outfit if it's just going to get ripped off anyways" The flush in her cheeks only grew brighter as her husband went on to explain exactly what he was going to do after her ripped her clothes off, which she might add was not something she wanted her Mother to hear.

“I’m thinking about it right now. In fact, I’m whacking off right now as I envision it. It’s going to be suh-weet!”

Though Persephone should have been used to her husbands uncensored way of speaking, she still let a nervous giggle escape from her lips before she quickly slapped her palm over her mouth.

Demeter didn't bother replying to the vulgar words her brother was spewing. Instead, she threw the phone against the wall and used her now free hand to grab on to her daughter's thin arm. "You are NEVER to see him again. Do you understand me?I will... I will petition your father to take back his command. We can find away around this somehow. We have months before you even have to return to the Underworld." Demeter's heart fluttered at the prospect of keeping her daughter with her for an eternity. Maybe some day she would allow her to marry again, someone with a gentle heart and who would treasure her as she deserved.

She yanked her arm out of her mothers hold and took several steps back. "Are you mentally deficient? She shrieked, shaking her head in disbelief at her mother brief loss with sanity.

Demeter blinked. "Mentally deficient? Persephone this is what we've been waiting for! All we have to do is give our case to Zeus and this time he'll have to agree to our terms."

"Our? OUR? This is all you. Unlike father, you, and most of the Immortals besides Hera I have a strong belief in my vows and love for Hades. Maybe Hades was right. Perhaps years without being with a man has left you bitter." Her anger and sadness overwhelmed her, but she instantly regretted the words as soon as she said them.

SMACK!

The harvest goddess's hand swept across her daughter face so fast that Demeter herself was shocked. A redness where she had struck immediately lit itself across her face like wild fire. "I...." She was at a loss for words and her hands trembled as they hung beside her waist.

Physical pain was not something Persephone was used to, especially in her mortal form. She cried out in both surprise and pain before she backed away from her mother ; her cool hand pressed against her now warm cheek. "I think...I need to spend some time by myself for a change. I need time to think." The springtime goddess did not look into her mothers matching blue eyes as she moved towards the door. "Artemis, will you join me?"

For once Demeter had no words to give and would only stoically watch as still as a statue as her daughter and niece left her alone in her shop.

The moments that Artemis read Persephone's reply of 'sorry' she knew she may have just walked into some kind of trouble. A moment later, Demeter confirmed it with voicing her complete dislike towards Hades. Artemis knew who her aunt was talking about even without the mentioning of his name. Hades had always been a sore topic for the elder god, in fact in all her years Artemis had never heard Demeter udder a single kind, or even neutral, sentiment about the god of the Underworld. Artemis understood of course, who would like the man that took away their precious daughter, but one would think that her hatred would lessen over the millennia that had passed. Then again, Artemis wasn't one to criticize when it came to holding grudges.

She noticed Demeter take out her phone and flip it open. All but two-seconds later, the angry voice of Hades was put on speakerphone. “You fucking bitch; if you hadn’t been blessed by The Fates to give birth to the love of my life, and if said love didn’t give two shits about your existence, I would have had your ass rotting in a garden somewhere long ago. You keep finding men for her, and I’ll keep dusting them. She won’t blame me. She’ll blame you. After all, she knows me quite well. She knows that I’ll fuck up any asshole that dare touches, looks, or even speaks her name. You’re killing them not me. Don’t think that you’re safe behind your fucking ward. I may not be able to see her, touch her, talk to her, and hear her sweet, sexy-fucking-voice, but I can see, touch, and talk to YOU bitch! You know what I’m gonna do? Let me tell you what I’m gonna do when she comes back here since I know that you’re always interested in what goes down in The Underground. When it’s my turn to have her, I’m gonna strip her naked—literally rip her fucking clothes off like an excited boy does a Christmas gift, and I’m going to bend her over and…”

Artemis tried to keep a straight face, but despite her best efforts she could do nothing except close her eyes and shake her head slightly. Her face, by now, was completely red. By the end of Hades rant, Artemis was soundly mortified. Being a virgin goddess, Artemis had never been…intimate with a man. Well, besides Orion and that hadn't gone very far before his untimely death.

The smack that seemed to echo throughout the small shop caused the young goddess to look up. It was quite evident by the look of things that Demeter had just hit her daughter. Artemis still remained quiet, but she felt very awkward to be there at that point.

"I think...I need to spend some time by myself for a change. I need time to think. Artemis, will you join me?" Eagerly the brunette hopped off the counter and followed her cousin out of the shop. Before exiting she gave her aunt a departing nod, her face straight and not showing any really emotion.

They walked for a while in silence. Artemis had never had a fight with her own mother and wasn't sure what she could, or rather should, say to ease Persephone. "So…" She said as she moved closer to the blonde woman. "Are you really flexible enough to do all those things Hades mentioned?" Defaulting to teasing was always a distraction and hopefully the subject change would get a laugh out of Persephone, take her mind away from the fight for just a little while.

ATHENA


It only took approximately twenty minutes for Athena to calm the crowd down and have everyone what they needed before she started cleaning up around the store. She paused as she realized how dreary her store looked. She sighed and shook her head; she needed to go get something to brighten it up….flowers! She smiled and waved to her assistant. Her assistant nodded back at her and took over the counter.

“I’m going to get some flowers, I’ll be right back” she called as she stepped out of the building. She entered the flower shop just as Persephone and….Artimis?…where leaving. She smiled politely and headed for the counter.

“Demeter dear…are you alright?” she asked noting how pale the goddess looked. She placed her hand gently on Demeter's and immediately knew about the entire situation.

The memories flooded through her, the boy Demeter tried to hook her daughter up with, Hade's less than happy response.

“You fucking bitch; if you hadn’t been blessed by The Fates to give birth to the love of my life, and if said love didn’t give two shits about your existence, I would have had your ass rotting in a garden somewhere long ago. You keep finding men for her, and I’ll keep dusting them. She won’t blame me. She’ll blame you. After all, she knows me quite well. She knows that I’ll fuck up any asshole that dare touches, looks, or even speaks her name. You’re killing them not me. Don’t think that you’re safe behind your fucking ward. I may not be able to see her, touch her, talk to her, and hear her sweet, sexy-fucking-voice, but I can see, touch, and talk to YOU bitch! You know what I’m gonna do? Let me tell you what I’m gonna do when she comes back here since I know that you’re always interested in what goes down in The Underground. When it’s my turn to have her, I’m gonna strip her naked—literally rip her fucking clothes off like an excited boy does a Christmas gift, and I’m going to bend her over and…”


and then heir argument, and Persephone angry response.


"Our? OUR? This is all you. Unlike father, you, and most of the Immortals besides Hera I have a strong belief in my vows and love for Hades. Maybe Hades was right. Perhaps years without being with a man has left you bitter." Her anger and sadness overwhelmed her, but she instantly regretted the words as soon as she said them.

SMACK!

The harvest goddess's hand swept across her daughter face so fast that Demeter herself was shocked. A redness where she had struck immediately lit itself across her face like wild fire. "I...." She was at a loss for words and her hands trembled as they hung beside her waist.

Physical pain was not something Persephone was used to, especially in her mortal form. She cried out in both surprise and pain before she backed away from her mother ; her cool hand pressed against her now warm cheek. "I think...I need to spend some time by myself for a change. I need time to think."

“Oh dear….” She murmured and looked around.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked as she started helping customers, even though it wasn't her shop. Soon the shop was empty. She faced the harvest goddess and waited patiently.

Hyperion walked down the hallway from where he had been thinking, these however were not idle thoughts one thinks when bored, and these were the thoughts of war. Eris had brought his brothers and sisters back from their slumbers, but for what reason? He continued to walk at quickened pace and out of the house and onto the wet grass the sun shining brighter with every step he took. Hyperion didn't want war and to be honest could care who was in charge, he looked around slowly before changing into his human form, Cronus would go into one of his rages if he saw him "lower himself by being a human."

He wondered quietly why his brother wanted to know where the Gods where, at first he thought it was for a treaty of peace, but now it seemed different like Cronus was preparing for war. He walked down the street without fear of being attacked, none of the Gods and Titians other than Cronus knew he was still kicking, he had just disappeared and for a while, he liked it that way for a while before coming out of hiding only to find this... he shook it out of his mind, he had other thing to plan and thought a good book and some flowers might cheer Cronus and his wife up.

He slowly made his way down the street and stopped at a book store and then stopped in front of a bookshelf holding a face reference dictionary and flipped through the pages then something caught his eye and he smiled and walked over to were the cashier was and handed her the money for the book, he had found Zeus. Hyperion walked out onto the cold street, he shivered before making his way down the street and he quickly counted the mortal money he had been given by Cronus for the time being, one thousand mortal dollars, not much in human terms.


He quickly moved down the street while looking for a flower shop to buy some flowers for his wife and Rhea once he met up with Cronus again he give them to her, it would cheer her up. He finally made his way down the street towards the business end of New York hoping to find some flowers and he finally stopped in front of the most little likely place, the words on the sign read clearly and Hyperion was glad no one knew he was still alive, the letter on the shop spelled out very neatly, Ambrosia.

He was silent and was about to walk away when he saw the Gods inside, well check another one of the big three of my shopping list he thought and walked away quickly and got some flowers from another store and moved of back to Cronus. He burst through the door of the house moving with purpose before knocking rapidly on Cronus is door, and then saying quietly “I’ve found them” he waited for Cronus to answer while holding the flowers tightly, my you will look like such a great warrior to Cronus he chuckled to himself waiting.

] "Just because I'm a patron of virginity doesn't mean I'm a prude…or not curious."

Persephone raised a thin sculpted eyebrow up before giggling quietly. "Well, you know the old saying; curiosity killed the cat , but satisfaction brought it back don't you? Perhaps you should be a bit more curious cousin. You might like where it leads you." She replied, a naughty expression appearing over her delicate angelic features.

While their waitress returned with Persephone's coffee and Artemis's cocoa and pie, a thought crossed her mind and her fingers snapped together suddenly. "Excuse me, do you think you I could have a piece of your apple pie to go? " Her mind flashed to Hephaestus, deep in thought and in his shop working his long hours as usual. The poor dear probably not eating a thing throughout the day. At least she could get him something sweet to eat as a snack, even if it was only dessert.

"No problem miss, I'll have it ready for you to take when you're finished." The waitress replied before leaving the two ladies once more to themselves. Persephone took a sip of the soothing caffeinated beverage the waitress set in front of her and smiled as the hot liquid made it's way down her throat.

"Perse, have you felt anything strange lately?"Artemis asked her, as the young Huntress glanced out one of the many windows in the cafe. "I mean, it's just this uneasiness I'm getting. Something just feels off, it's like the energy isn't flowing the same." She took a minute to consider this as she stared back into her sisters crystal blue eyes.

"The energy ?" She asked thoughtfully, taking another small sip before speaking . "I can't say I'd be a good judge of it at the moment Art. Every time I leave the Underworld I feel a bit off. Whether it's because I'm used to be with Hades or having to get used to breathing the smog called air here." She chuckled, leaning back into her chair and crossing her right leg over the other in a single smooth motion. "I wouldn't worry too much about it hun. It's probably not anything worth worrying about. " Even as she reassured her, Persephone couldn't help but to scan thorough her own thoughts and memories to see if anything was out of place. Besides the argument with her mother, things had been as normal as Immortality would allow.

The shrill beep of her phone alarm made Persephone jump in her chair. Patting down her dress pocket, she pulled her phone out and checked the time. Twenty minutes before she was set to visit Heph. "Artemis, thank you for coming with me here. It brought me clarity believe it or not. You should come by the shop more often and keep me company. I'm not into the idea of spending five more months with my mother." The thought of it made her let out a tired sigh.

"Keep in touch alright?" She scooted her chair back and stood, fishing into her pocket for her wallet and pulling out a crisp hundred dollar bill. She enjoyed tipping well here, and the staff knew it. She wouldn't be surprised if the servers had argued over who was take her table today. "Take care hun." She said with a small wink before walking back towards the entrance and picking up a simple white box with a pink bow on the hostess's stand meant for Heph.

Even as she made her way back onto the busy streets, she clutched the simple white box close to her waist as if it held something of high value. "Taxi!" She called out, waving a delicate manicured hand into the air to wave one of the many yellow cabs to the curb. She could have called for a limo, but she enjoyed the inconspicuousness of taxi's. Made her feel less Godly and more human when she was riding in them, despite the slight odor many of them held.

When one finally stopped for her, she bounced inside until she found a comfortable position to sit . Walking would have taken her a good half hour before she reached the Master Smith's home, but with taxi she would arrive ten to fifteen minutes depending on traffic.

---

"Thank you." She murmured as she climbed out the back of the taxi, dusting her dress off in order to look a bit more presentable before she walked into brother's work shop. She paid the driver his fare and watched as he started off without another word. She couldn't blame him for taking off so quickly. They were in a less than desirable area, known for the majority of New York's high profile crimes. Persephone watched as a scantily clad women in fish nets walked across the street where Persephone stood. Knocking on the drivers side window of an old blue van, she watched as she woman waited for the man inside to open the door and invite her in.

The man inside was portly. Inflamed acne covered the majority of his otherwise pale face. Persephone held eye contact for a few seconds before she spun on her heel in the opposite direction. Maybe Hades was right. I should just take the limo... When she made it towards the warehouse Heph worked in, she knocked on the large door before speaking. "Heph? I'm a little early, but I'm coming in." The small keypad on the side of the door which required a four digit code was swiftly taken care of as Persephone pounded the numbers in, waiting for the click of the door before pushing it back and allowing herself inside.

The room was ominously dark until she walked further towards Heph's studio and felt the warmth of his fire caress her skin. Schematics,maps, directions, and diagrams littered the workshop. Drawings of new and old designs her half-brother had created filled the room, and Persephone could practically feel the creativity pulse around her. How could his wife not see how incredible her brother was? To choose someone like the vicious God of War over Heph's kind and gentle heart? The only conclusion she could ever come to was that Aphrodite had a case of Bad Boy Syndrome. She preferred the excitement and passion over the pure love Heph could give her and that thought saddened the Springtime Goddess. Life, even an Immortal life, was simply not fair.

When she finally spotted her brother, a peaceful smile broke out across her face . "There's the man I've been searching for! How have you been dear?" She questioned softly. While she waited for his reply, she spotted a vase full of limp daisies she had left there almost two weeks ago during her last visit. Barely clinging to life,they clung to the vase and drooped over the edge. She pressed her fingertip to one of the stems of the flowers and felt her power leave her body and enter the tiny body of the plant before her. A few seconds passed and the drooping daises were dying no longer; now standing straight and tall as the day Persephone had brought them to him.

"They would live longer if you stayed somewhere with a bit of sunlight Hephy." She sat on a small stool near one of his workshop benches, and stared curiously at several of his plans. When her eyes glanced over a single sheet of paper, they caught sight of a single signature she knew by heart. "Was he here? Oh he was, wasn't he? I can sense it, is he alright Heph? He isn't too grumpy is he?" She realized she was practically throwing questions at him every second but she couldn't help herself. Anything involved with her husband made her speak a mile a minute.

.

Apollo

A solid baritone voice attempted to make light of his ailment, Apollo recognized it as his own uncle, a fact confirmed when he mustered the strength to gaze upon his bemused face. The Far-darter did not think it jovial, and rewarded Poseidon with a light scoff in contempt having only added to the irritability if anything. All the while the pulse in his brain did not recede by any amount.

Another voice reached his ears which he knew to be another elder kin. Truthfully he had no intention of entering the shop, but the offer was made face to face and though he cared little for interacting with his kin, he should at least feign politeness. That, and in his current state it would at least be better to rest where he was welcome. By now the migraine finally began to recede, so straightening himself as best he could and lightly nodded.

Once inside Apollo found the nearest chair and plopped in it, then resumed rubbing his temples. “Sorry about intruding, I’m usually never this piqued. I swear there something in here splitting my brain open like a fault line making a magnitude seventeen.”

He waited patiently for his tea to arrive paying little head to what else was being said in the room by whoever as his symptom began to grow again, and his temples were massaged more feverously still in vain. Soon enough however the beverage was before him and he accepted it from Demeter, and thanked her.

He must have gulped it all down in one go and placed the cup on the nearby coffee table, and waited longer still at rest, again paying no heed to whatever conversation that might have been taking place.

Then all at once, as if the final strike of a hammer and chisel were made against the dam of his mind, agony soared through all of its recesses. Apollo found himself clutching the arms of the chair in a death grip, his entire body flexed and frozen as he bit back his tongue. His eyes became wider than dinner plates, and all color including that of his pupils vanished, replaced by an intense white light shown out in beams. Anyone who knew of Apollo’s “gift” of prophesies would recognize a vision by him, and as he was the only one experiencing it, all one could do was wait until it was finished.

The heavens were ablaze! Mangled corpses littered a ruin world as spires of earth erected themselves splitting open mountain and skyscraper. The seas boiled in furious hatred as the blue was drowned in the blood of man and beast alike. Fire rained down upon the damned though all innocent of the crime they were accused. But this was not the realm of Hades; no, a few diminishing landmarks were recognizable as that of this very city that the gods made their residence.

And from the sky fell a great ball of fire, and as it approached the earth Apollo found that it too was a familiar shape. It was the palace of Olympus itself! Architecture of Old buckled and crumbled becoming as burning ash, immolating the multitudes of those who were unfortunate as to survive this long in this new dying world as it met its fate with the earth tearing it asunder.

Apollo could also see in the remains of the streets among the bodies strewn indiscriminately the forms of his brethren, ripped and torn as to be almost be unrecognizable, but he knew. His father and king who’s hide was now tanned and split, the lord of the seas emaciated and bone dry as if the life were taken from his body literally, and even Hades, who now was no more than a statue of ash could be seen curling himself around another, in vain protecting his fair wife and love now a shadow of Creation same as he.

They were not alone, all of them were there, the Far-darter himself counted among them. But the sight that truly horrified him, the image that would forever burn within his immortal soul was that of his dear sister, impaled on a pike as beast, vermin and maggot betrayed her pure flesh consuming her with greed and malice, hunger never to be sated.

He wailed in furious agony at the sight coupled with the splitting of his brain and the splitting of the world around him, “NO!” It was a roar and a cry that reverberated throughout the humble shop splitting the ears, and curdling the blood of all who dwelled within. The Far-darter writhed in the chair as he wailed, clutching the armrests so tightly that the wood began to splinter under his fingers and would eventually be broken.

This lasted for about a minute or so, until the light from his eyes dimmed and color returned to it was well, his mouth falling deathly silent and ajar. His gaze was no where for a small moment, and his body was completely unmoving, one could almost swear that death embraced him in that moment, even his skin was a sickly white. But after a while his fingers lightly twitched, followed by a shaky hand and soon the quaking spread all through out his body. Apollo gazed at his hand, observing the shaking with utmost fascination, until the thought occurred that he must steel his own nerves. He clutched his wrist with his other hand, though still quaked.

When the quaking died down and his skin flushed back with color. He then suddenly remembered that he was not alone in the room, and knew that they would be starving for an explanation. He tried to let loose his tongue, but at first nothing could escape, as if there were some invisible barrier. Eventually however he gradually managed to make speech. “I,” he fell silent again briefly before he continued in the softest voice though clearly audible for the rest of the room lied mute, “This…has never happened to me. My visions, they always happen when I command it, always, but this…”

He took another moment to collect himself, then managed to say, “Everything, everyone…everything was eviscerated, everywhere.”

He leaned forward as if they had not heard him an reiterated in the voice of a tortured phantom whispering from the bowels of Tartarus, and in this voice his statement was absolute and directed to the well being of his brethren in the meaning, “Everything.”

Hyperion stood up straighter "I found Zeus working at a human company, his name now is Brandon Powers... he wasn't hard to find." Hyperion gestured at a human newspaper with Zeus's face on it and in bold lettering it said "Brandon Powers does it again" Hyperion smirked "Zeus has been busy in social light lately. While you were sleeping I was watching the Gods and I've lost track of how many humans Zeus has slept with."


"Now finding Hades was a bit trickier, but like his brother they both have egos the size of Mount Olympus, I've tracked him down to some recent gang sighting’s around this area...." he said calmly like an assassin pointing out his targets on a map he had placed on the table.



"Also Hades owns a nice restaurant and a human strip club" Hyperion sighed, his nephew had turned out edgy and maybe it was time for a face to face talk though Cronus would like to have one at the edge of a blade instead of peace. "I also have tracked down his wife and Demeter, Athena, Artemis and Apollo and... Poseidon at a flower shop downtown, if we act now we could catch four of them right now...." he said before silencing himself, he wanted peace now war but he was born a soldier and would die a soldier he guessed.


Hyperion walked away from the table for a minute and looked at his brother "must this end in blood brother?" he said looking at Cronus with a faraway look in his eyes as he paced back and forth. He stood still looking out a window out into the world around him "If we are to stand against the Gods brother we must stand as one..." He said turning to face Cronus before sitting in a chair to the side of the room "but I must ask you brother is this war necessary?" He had just done somthing no Titian had done before, questioned Cronus, but still he wasn't going to back down from this topic "yes they wronged you but then again you tried to eat them... you tried having revenge once brother and it failed because we could not stand together, revenge does not work! you need to rally the others with the strength to go on and fire their spirts with the true justace not petty revenge..." he said in a almost pleading voice

ATHENA

Athena nodded in response to Demeter’s reply. She understood that they weren’t friends, come to think about it Athena didn’t have any friends really, she didn’t allow herself to get close to anyone not since…not since Pallas. She shook her head and tears burned at her eyes as the memory burned through her.

Pallas, her best friend when she was young, was the daughter of Triton. They had become fast friends when Triton started acting as a foster parent to Athena. Triton raised her alongside his own daughter. Both being raised as ‘military’ children they sparred a lot, unfortunately during a friendly fight between the two goddesses, Zeus stepped in not understanding they were sparring and protected Athena and Pallas was mortally wounded. Athena held her as she faded away into nothing and she never forgave herself (She never really forgave Zeus either.) Out of sorrow and regret, she created the palladium, a statue in the likeness of Pallas and took on her name out of respect. Ever since she refused to really let anyone in. She shook her head and forced herself to calm down. She looked around and realized that Poseidon and Apollo had entered the building.

“Oh, Hello Apollo, Poseidon, how are--.” She hesitated as her phone rang. It was her assistant. Something must be going wrong. She sighed. Humans sometimes. She shrugged and shot them an apologetic look before she rushed out.

Her nephew had accepted her offer for tea, and even that small gesture made Demeter feel slightly better. Her nephew was not known to be as social butterfly among the Immortals, so his traveling to Persephone's shop and visiting was something of a surprise to her. She could count on a single hand the times Apollo voluntary visited the shop since they arrived in New York.

"Well, glad you seem to enjoy Earl Grey.." She chuckled lightly as she watched her nephew gulp down the entire contents in the small silver tea cup she had put before him. When she reached to take back the cup, her hand stopped short as Apollo's human form shook and his hands clawed into the rests of the chair.

"Apollo?" She said, her face now filled with concern as she bent down to one knee in order to look at the younger deities face. She had known Apollo to have visions, but never had she seen his body contort so fiercely . Her heart fluttered briefly and she reached a hand out brush the hair from his face, but she stopped herself halfway. It was not wise to touch one who was in a vision. Those who traveled between the planes of the mind and future were unpredictable. While she knew Apollo would not purposely hurt her, while he his mind was elsewhere there would be no telling of what his body would do.

It would seem to be only minutes before the young man let out a blood curdling "NO" that sent the surprised Harvest Goddess shuffling back and sliding onto her butt . The tile floor was cold on her exposed legs, but it did little to bother her.

"Apollo, what did you see?" She questioned, pushing herself off the ground.

“This…has never happened to me. My visions, they always happen when I command it, always, but this…”The Sun God stammered. Demeter's eyes scanned his face as if searching for more answers to his statement.

The boy seemed to take a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak once more. “Everything, everyone…everything was eviscerated, everywhere.”She exchanged a look with Poseidon before scrunching her forehead; her face contorting into a quizzical expression. "Everyone? Did you see what caused it Apollo? "Normally she wouldn't have pressed him so urgently for information, but with her daughter above ground and away from her, she needed would require a less vague answer.

Before he could reply, she turned to Poseidon. "Do you believe we should alert Zeus of this brother? I'm sure he would wish to hear what Apollo has seen and take the proper precautions."

---

“Silence!” Cronus roared. “Too long have we allowed these false Gods to rule in our own kingdom.You wish to speak of peace with my usurpers Hyperion? If that is your wish, perhaps you should join them if your craven heart bleeds for the fools so deeply. You are right, we did try to have revenge once but that was years ago and mistakes were made that will not be made again. It is time the mortals placed their faith into a different kind of being. It is time they listened to the voice of the Titans.”

His own voice rang in the dining hall and with such power behind it that not one of his brethren around him uttered a word in reply. Cronus cast a stern eye in the direction of Hyperion to address him once more. "I thank you for your information, but I refuse to listen to your words of peace. Speak any more of it and you and I will share more than just words brother. "

He cleared his throat and fixed his gaze onto the newspaper Hyperion had held in his hands. "We will not place an attack immediately. Instead, we will let them know of out presence in a dignified manner. Let them tremble and panic ."

Oceanus considered his brother's words as he stroked his bristly white beard. "You mean to send one of us to alert the Gods of our presence? Why not simply spring a surprise attack brother? We would quickly overpower those seen at the flower shop."

Cronus gritted his teeth before turning towards his elder brother. "I shall send two titans, and they will not harm a single hair on any of the Olympians. Walk past them in a street, wave, do anything to alert them of your presence but do NOT take action against them. I want them to fear us. It will spread like an infection if we let their fear of us fester for a long enough time."

With a murmur of agreement flooding the room, Cronus finally allowed a smile to flicker across his face. "Now, I ask that two go to ...make their introductions to Immortals at ..what's that flower shops name again?" He inquired, snapping his fingers for someone to remind him of the name.

"Ambrosia.." Theia replied.

"Yes, Ambrosia. I require two of you to go. Hyperion you will go and Oceanus shall follow closely behind. Remember...not a hair on their heads harmed."

Oceanus gave a polite nod before rising from his chair. Cronus turned a final time to Hyperion . "Do not fail me brother, or you will wish you had remained in Tartarus" With the final warning spoken, the Titan Lord would raise a hand and wave impatiently for the two to go and attend to their task.

Hyperion nodded before heading off after Oceanus. It would be a long walk, and no doubt Oceanus have some new insult to throw at his younger brother after that scene with Cronus, he just kept moving forward down the street and turned off at an allyway before moving down onto broadway and fifth street. He looked around at all the humans in the square and kept moving, Cronus was right, a God would not cry over his body in death so why should he cry over theirs...because they're you family echoed in his head before he brushed it off "not any more" he muttered before turning down a side street to flag a cab.


The yellow car slowly pulled up infront of him and he stepped in waiting for Oceanus to get in before he gave the driver the destanationthe cab moved through the busy crowed streets and made its way like a snake down back allyways, New York's building seemingly looming over the Titian as he look around before chuckling to himself Cronus didn't get out much but he knew he didn't like the fact that these building were just as imposing as him.


Hyperion looked around himself as Cronus words bounced around in his head, You wish to speak of peace with my usurpers Hyperion? If that is your wish, perhaps you should join them if your craven heart bleeds for the fools so deeply. He rolled down the window not only to clear his head but escape the smoking reak of the car, he needed a drink after this.


After a while of driving the car slowly pulled up in front of the flowershop, he allowed his clothes to change into a military uniform before he gave the driver the money before moving towards the flowershop. He moved toward the window and looked at all the flowers taking in all the colors before heading inside. He made sure Oceanus fallowed him in as he moved forward toward a group of sunflowers and looked over them for a few minutes before smiling and turning to Demeter "Are those sunflowers for sale?" he asked quietly.

Poseidon

A confused look appeared on the God’s face at Apollo’s outburst and a rare frown marred his brow. His eyes flickered from his sister to his nephew for a moment, and only when he was sure that this vision was over did Poseidon make his way over to the counter, pull a piece of paper and pen from it and scrawl a message in his thin, looping handwriting.

“Apologies. We will be closed for half an hour or so due to a family emergency.”

“Don’t say we never tell the humans the truth.”

Pacing over to the door, he stuck it over the ‘open’ sign and moved back to his two other Olympians, sliding himself up onto a table and crossing his arms. He pondered his sister’s question before nodding in silence for a long moment. “Zeus should know of this. Even if our little nurse is just a little tired, any unwanted vision filled with apparent death and obliteration is far from something to be ignored.”

His gaze shifted back to Apollo, concern apparent in his grey eyes. While one of only occasional seriousness, he was not one to ignore the link between the apparent consequential meeting of the Gods in this little flower shop and the appearance of this horrifying vision to his nephew. It has hard to justify fate as a God, but over his millennia being alive, Poseidon had come to believe that there was at least something akin to it playing its strange hand in the goings-on of both the mortal and immortal worlds.

Rifling through his pocket, he found his phone and pulled it out, flipping it open and pressing a few buttons with fingers too big for the tiny buttons. “What’s our eternal leader calling himself these days? Max Power? No, that’s too ridiculous, even for him. Ah, here we are. Brandon Powers.”

He hesitated a moment before dialling. “Apollo, you should really be the one to tell him. Catch.”

Without really looking to see if his nephew had caught the phone or not, he turned his attention back to Demeter, intending to ask where Persephone was. But at that moment, he heard the shrill beeping of a text message being delivered to his phone. Despite himself, Poseidon grinned. “Twenty dollars that’s Zeus. He has a ridiculous knack for timing.”

Demeter nodded in agreement to her elder brothers words. She watched as he threw his own phone towards Apollo so that the younger God could explain to his father his vision.

The rapid beeping of her own phone and Poseidon's made the Harvest Goddess raise a brow and pull her own out from the inside of her dress pocket.


Zeus want's us all at the manor for a dinner. No exceptions guys. Don't ask me what the hell for because I don't know and I don't care, just be there. "I'll take a ten, you're half right my brother. It's our Messenger God commanding us to attend a family dinner." Demeter pressed a finger to mouth in thought, rubbing her lower lip gently.

"I suppose I'll need to lock everything up, before we go" She murmured. While she stood deep in thought, two men ventured into the shop despite the sign her brother had planted in front of the store. One of the them; he wore a primly pressed military uniform that contrasted with the smile he gave Demeter. "Are those sunflowers for sale?" He questioned, turning towards the few golden flowers Demeter had put up on display.

"They are but I'm afraid were closed."

She lifted her eyes and met his own and in mere moments, her body became stone. Petrified as if by Medusa's own gaze, she could not move even to strike at the man before her. A small laugh of disbelief caught in her throat as she continued to stare at the man. All divine creatures had a certain aura to them that mortals did not possess. The aura of the Gods was a brilliant shade of gold to herself, though she never bothered to ask what it looked like to the others. This man before her had no gold aura.

He was a Titan and he shone brighter than the others.

"Hyperion." She finally stammered, unraveling her tongue and finding her words at last as she shoot a look towards her nephew and brother. She wrenched away from where she had been standing and walked towards the door to the entrance of Ambrosia. She lifted the stores main key from her pocket and pointed towards the exit while looking towards everyone inside. "There is nothing for sale here for you or your brother Hyperion. I know neither how or why you stand before us; nor do I care, but you need to leave. At once." She was neither a powerful god nor a particularly dangerous one , but being a mother had made her strong and she feared nothing but the safety for her child.


Persephone...., oh damn the River Styx. What if there were more than two Titans out and about? What if one of them found her? The voice inside her head was screaming and it took all her strength not to scream out loud as well.

They needed to go home. Now.

Apollo&Hyperion

She pressed him for answers, understandably with no frugal amount of concern. Had she let him speak however there would be no reward of information, Apollo of course had not seen what triggered the cataclysm. All that he knew was that unlike every other vision he’d experienced, this one wasn’t some distant probability that had a decent chance of never coming to pass, it was all to real as to be imminent if nothing was done. His elders in the room concurred that their king should be informed of this, practically a given course of action considering.

Poseidon tossed his phone at his nephew who reflexively caught it with restored dexterity, the symptom that had been burdening him was now all but erased, no doubt a result of his vision finally breaking out into his consciousness. But before he could speak with his father the device received a text from that very god. “Looks like I owe you twenty then,” Apollo replied to his uncle, permitting a small grin to briefly grace his features.

The Sun god took the time to compose a text directly to Zeus, his thumb was near the send button when two men entered, which he found strange considering Demeter had just completed closing the shop. At the sight of them she became petrified, and Apollo observed that like other immortals they had possessed auras that identified them. However Apollo, though spent little time with his kin in recent times, still knew all of them, these Immortals he didn’t recognize in the slightest.

Demeter seemed to recollect herself however and ushered them out with no frugal amount of distain, the venom in her voice was quite palpable.Hyperion said nothing, but the grin upon his face did not leave even as he motioned Oceanus to follow, the message sent. After they left Apollo had a raised brow, and for the first time since his arrival at the shop stood on his feet questioning, “What was that all about? And why did you call him Hyperion? Hyperion’s gone like all the other Ti- “The chill returned to his blood, the sentence need not be finished. There was a mystery to his vision that his elder queried him not a few minutes ago, now the answer was self evident.

The Old Ones had returned.

“Uranus have mercy,” he uttered. And for a moment a great sense of despair was welling within him, but as it neared to illicit a scream akin to what he’d let loose previously it halted. The feeling not only receded but was being replaced by another. His gaze became steeled and his free hand collapsed into a tightly held fist. An aggression was welling up to the surface now, the fear transformed.

Before he knew not that enemy, what circumstance brought upon the ruin he saw and his brethren slain. Now however there was a face, there was an enemy to fight, and enemy that his elders had defeated once before. The Far-darter would be damned if he let his kin fall prey to them.
He’d be damned if he let Artemis be feasted upon and violated.

The Far-darter made a few additions to his text, and pressed send. He spoke aloud to his elders in the grimmest of tones, “Lets go, we’ve got a lot of things to discuss.”

When “Brandon Powers” received the message, it would say the following. "This is Apollo, I received a vision that under no exaggeration concerns the fate of us all, mortal and otherwise, and I know why.

The Old Ones are on Earth again.

This is no prank, no jest, when we all meet for dinner, it will be to discuss preparations for war make no mistake.

I hope you’ll have a plan Dad.”

---

It wasn’t long before returned to his leader, and bore the news, “Our little message has been sent, to say they were surprised to see me would be an understatement,” he chided, a little proud of himself for exacting the results desired. His face transitioned into a frown however, what would transpire next was still something he didn’t want.

“Sir, I will only ask this once more, but are you sure you want this?”

Hyperion smiled at Apollo, and looked at the sun "your doing a good job kid, I really d..." he said sadly before saking his head but as he did he caught a glance at Apollo's phone and then looked at them with a forlorn look, he had the look of a a man that was trapped by honor and you could see he hated what he was doing.

Then he quickly moved outside and away from that damn flower shop Oceanus following quickly behind him. He waited until Oceanus had goten far ahead of him before punching into a brick wall and backing up tense, why? the question echoed in his head slightly before he kept moving, Cronus was after all a impatieant man. Hyperion sighed to himself, he felt like he was working for the mob, with his brother ruling over him like Hades would his henchmen.


Hyperion reached the gate of the house the titians were living in before pushing in the door and making his way inside and through the front door, before presenting himself before Cronus "well brother I have delivered your message to the Gods and I come with news... Zeus is bringing the Gods under one roof for a dinner they will be going to Brandon Poweres Mansion to do it."

Hyperion stood up beffore pacing " I don't know the exsact time of this dinner but it will be happening" he looked around at the other titians who were talking amongst themselves "tonight Zeus will call his court together and they will eat, Brandon Powers has many butler's and maids, I am sure we could sneak in if needed we'd just need to hide are aura long enough to do it" he looked at his brother " as a soldier and a genral of an army and bound by honor to you, this would be the perfect time to strike."

“Lets go, we’ve got a lot of things to discuss.”

Now that was an understatement, but Demeter nodded her head in agreement nonetheless. With a few nervous glances towards her brother and nephew, Demeter hastily flung the door open and removed herself from her daughters shop.

There was a thick fog around surrounding the city. It felt ominous and appropriate for the arrival of their Elders. It's like the beginning of those horror movies Persephone forced me to watch.

Stagnant air meet her nose and the Goddess shuddered. "Taxi!" Demeter hollered, flapping her hands in the air like a mad woman. She possessed few earthly possessions, and though none of them were a car. Usually she would have walked towards her destination but the sudden presence of the Titans made her think twice about it.

Before one taxi pulled over to let her in, She swore she could hear voices drifting around her. Drifting through her as well, which sounded odd even to her, but it was how exactly how she felt. Something grim and dark traveling through her human body and straight to the mortal soul she held within her.

"There's a big tip if that meter never goes under 70" She offered, slipping into the backseat.

---

When the taxi dropped her off in front of the house her heart swelled with relief. "Persephone will be inside. Safe and whole just like she left." Her thoughts were becoming more prayer like by the minute. For a moment in the cab she actually considered asking Zeus to send her in the Underworld for awhile until they dealt with the Titans.

The thought didn't last long however. As she strolled casually through the thick door frame, passing both Athena and her brother without a wave, she dropped her purse to the ground and began calling out her daughters name.

"PERSEPHONE? ARE YOU HERE? PERSEPHONE?"

No response , and Demeters heart began to beat rapidly. A nervous chill spread over her body, and Demeter's last bit of sanity for the day began to wither away. When she spotted Hermes wandering around the house the emitted a shrill yell over towards the youngest Immortal.

"Hermes, is my daughter here? Why hasn't she come to greet me yet, something must be wrong! Go find her boy."

Her tone grew less worried and more angry as she continued speaking, reaching over to shake the boys shoulders as if that would help him find the answer easier.

---

Patience was not something Cronus was known for, and his was growing thin with every loud ticking of the dining room Grandfather clock.

His anger subsided the minute Hyperion and Oceanus returned from their task and stood before their younger brother. “Our little message has been sent, to say they were surprised to see me would be an understatement.”

Cronus chuckled slightly but his momentary mirth fell flat the minute Hyperion questioned him once more. "Am I sure? Dear brother, I was sure the minute I devoured my children. I was sure the moment they rebelled against me and cast me from my rightful throne."

He stood out of his chair and threw his fellow titans a smile so full of malice that it hardly seemed like a smile at all.

"I'm more than sure "

Oceanus stood from his own chair and clapped his hands delightedly. "What's our next move then Brother?"

Cronus chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Action." He declared at last before stepping away from the table he and his kin had sat around and waving a hand to order his brothers and sister to rise along with him. "Theia and Iapetus, with me. It's time we left a mark while my children are away rejoicing in their mortal lives. Hyperion, lead us once more to Ambrosia."

Epimethius shot a scowl and challenged his Uncle." Again to the flower shop. Uncle, what do you hope to achieve by going there?" Cronus was in too much of a good mood to scold his nephew, but he allowed a response. "They don't expect us back there again. More than likely they've all left anyways to report to Zeus of our sudden appearance in their world."

A confused expression made it's way on the Titans face."So..?"

The Titan Lord sighed and attempted to elaborate. "So we're going to be the first to attack while they've scampered off to tattle on us idiot."

Rapid blinking of his blue eyes made the Titan look even more moronic. "But how are we going to attack if none of them are there?"

River Styx, this boy is still an idiot."Just shut up and watch the news, alright? His deep voice ended the chance of Epimethius asking any questions

"Let's go.." He barked hoarsely, before he crossed the threshold of his new home and the mortal world.

---

Ambrosia was a sweet little shop, painted with all the colors he imagined a delicate flower like his granddaughter loved the most.

Such a shame it was going to burn.

"Theia! Hurry up with that gasoline, I don't have all fucking day for this." The Titan bellowed, watching as his sister poured two containers they had taken from their garage around the shop. "Get it everywhere. I want enough fire to light up the city. It's going to make big news boys and girls, big news." While his sister headed his command, he turned towards where the his elder brother was standing, looking on as if the whole affair bored him.

"Done." Theia dropped the last container and wiped her hands on the sides of her jeans, looking toward Cronus for further direction. He gave an approving nod before signaling towards his brother to bring in the last step.

Two struggling bodies; one male and one female, were dragged inside by the Titan of morality. He threw the two wiggling creatures onto the ground and watched along with Cronus as they struggled to free themselves of the rope binds which held their hands and feet. "What the fuck are you doing! Let us go you fucking psychos." The female of the two hissed, still wiggling much to Cronus's amusement.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Cronus declared as he stepped over the two humans and towards his brothers and sister. When all four were together outside, he would take out the small silver lighter he had found in the house days before. Eris had spent a week explaining the magic the human world has created, but nothing fascinated him as much as fire.

When he switched the lighter on and flung it through the glass window he had shattered previously to get into the shop, he watched as the screams of his hostages began even before the gas met the flame.

The fire engulfed the shop and Cronus let out a hoot of joy. His hands clapped together in excitement and he gave a shove towards both of his brother and sister in excitement. "See how it burns? So quickly! These mortals might be useful after all." Already he could hear the sounds of other come closer probably wanting to investigate what was happening. The screams of anguish from inside the building were fading as the tiny shop fell to the flames.

"Let's go home."