New York City

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.

Hephaestus – Anton Gallagher

Anton’s workshop.

Anton was seated at his work desk with a thin pair of glasses on his face. In his one hand was a glass cutter, and in his other was the small sculpture of a woman with no face. The faceless woman had her hand skyward and her leg extended as though she was twirling. Her hair flowed down to her shoulders in thick ripples and her dress flared to her dance. Anton was carving her from black, volcanic glass, and he was focused—as usual. He was immersed in thought, reminiscing over his uncle’s advice.

Those two would fuck on your damn desk if you gave them the chance and they wouldn’t give two shits if you were watching, you know why? It’s because they both know that you’re not going to do shit about it.

The blacksmith scowled and set down the statue he was working on. He removed his glasses and set them upon the desk as he closed his eyes and tried to clear his conscience. If he kept thinking such negative thoughts, then he would make mistakes. He had been working on it as a break from the list of orders he had to fill.

There’s the man I’ve been searching for! How have you been dear?

Anton opened his eyes; his brows rose in surprise as the familiar voice settled on his ears like a breeze. He glanced at her to confirm her presence as she wandered over to a vase of wilted daises that had caught her attention.

“Persephone?” Hephaestus queried. She was always so unexpected, but he could never hide the appreciation that curled at his lips. He enjoyed her visits. She was the only deity that came to visit him without need of his services. When she spoke about the neglected flowers, Anton’s smile became sheepish. “Sorry. Perhaps I’ll make a special lamp for them.”

His sister was immediately side-tracked by a certain signature on a recent receipt on one of his work desks. She bombarded him anxiously with questions about Dmitri, and even through her embarrassment, Anton still smiled. Her love for their uncle was surely amazing if not a miracle.

Anton stood from his chair and walked toward his fireplace to stretch his legs. With the modifications he made to his cast, his left leg was assisted by robotic hinges and sensors that sensed when he was in motion and would mimic the natural movements of a human leg. Wzzz…thump, Wzzz…thump, instead of the usual clap or thud of human footsteps was the sound that followed Anton wherever he went.

He stopped before the fireplace with his hands resting upon his hips. His silhouette cast a long shadow across the floor, emphasizing his height as he stood like a giant before the burning pyre. Its orange glow bathed his skin in bronze and thickly outlined the masculine cuts in his jaw. Upon his chest was a solid-blue T-shirt with torn sleeves. It was stained with streaks of oil from the countless times he had wiped his fingers on it, and clung loosely to his torso, lightly tracing the brick of his abdomen. Black, vintage jeans rode down his long legs to hover above black, steel-toe work boots. His ensemble was rather down-to-earth for being a wealthy blacksmith. It showed his humility.

With the content smile still softly upon his lips, Anton answered Persephone’s inquiries: “He was here to pick up a gun I had made for him. He didn’t seem grumpy as he did extremely tired. I notice that when it is spring and he is unable to be with you that he doesn’t get much sleep. When you’re both together, Hades is livelier and happy. He gave me advice today, and as he explained your relationship, I could see that his love for you has no bounds. You are truly blessed by The Fates or…” Anton’s right brow twitched as he made a disturbed face. He recalled what his uncle did to steal her heart. “Er…never mind.”

He rested a hand on his mantle and leaned upon it as he stared sullenly into the fire. “I will never know love like that because I refuse to fight for it. Outside my shop, I tend to find only sadness. My mother abhors me, my wife doesn’t love me, and the other gods don’t see me as their brother or nephew. I am their blacksmith and they only visit me when they need something made. Hades told me that if I ever hope to change my situation then I need to be willing to fight or leave my shop. My wife has not seen me since I made this mortal form for myself. She hasn’t even seen it. Perhaps she hasn’t visited me because she still sees me as the monster she left behind? Here, I am lost in my assumptions, but I am happy, and it is peaceful.”

You don’t seem happy…

Large, metallic footsteps thumped across the floor as a twelve-foot machine stalked into the firelight. It resembled a Cyclops with its one glowing, green eye darting between Anton and Persephone.

“You sound pretty miserable if you ask me,” said Brontes. The colossus then reached his hand over to Persephone and greeted, “Hey girlfriend, slap me some skin!”

A single, blue eye followed by ten fingers appeared on top of a shelf as Steropes piped, “Hey! Persephone’s here!” He then waved at her from behind the shelf, his eye turning pink as he greeted bashfully, “Hi…”

Anton frowned irritably. “Brontes and Steropes, can you leave us, I’m trying to have a private talk with-”

“PERSEPHONE!” Pyracmon screamed. The golem exuberantly stomped over with his red eye wide and fingers glowing a hot-orange. He jumped up and down twice before the stool she was sitting on, causing the shelves and every un-stationary object in his shop to bounce. “It’s nice to see you again!”

Anton turned from the fireplace to face the bots. He glared at the three of them and ordered, “Go back to your posts!”

Brontes rested his mechanical hands upon his hips and then cocked his hip to the side. “Not until YOU change your attitude. Do you know how much it rains in here? Ugh, the forecast is never sunny just stormy with a cold front called Depression. If you call this happiness, then honey, you need to get out more.”

Pyracmon nodded vigorously, “I agree.”

“Seconded,” said Steropes before he timidly ducked behind the shelf.

Anton clapped a hand over his face in shame. Even his servants saw through him.

Rhea

Rhea sat silent to one side of Chronus as he addressed their brethren, she did not volunteer anything to the gathering knowing her husband would not welcome her input. He still did not trust her and in truth she could not blame him, she had tricked him after all and regardless of why she had done it she still felt sadness at losing his trust. As her husband informed her brethren of the first step in his plan to destroy the Olympians she observed her fellow Titans and their reaction to their leaders words. His brother Hyperion looked uncomfortable which was unsurprising given Chronus's reaction to his plea for peace, Oceanus's expression was unreadable only reacting when he was told he would be getting the Olympian's attention.

Allowing the Olympians to see them was typical Chronus behaviour, she had seen him do similar to his enemies before and she knew he thrived on the fear it generated. But this time she doubted that such tactics would work on Zeus and those who followed him, they were powerful beings in their own right and had had a great deal of time to adjust to the world around them. She would never admit this to any of the other Titans but she had her own secret doubts that the Greek gods could be defeated. If they could not defeat them she had no doubt that Zeus would not simply imprison him a second time, no this time she was sure it would be nothing but oblivion for her and her brethren.

Ares

Ares sped through the streets breaking numerous speeding laws and not caring one bit, he knew he could handle any policemen who made the mistake of confronting him. besides he was safer at this speeds than most humans, with their slow lumbering reflexes, were at the lower speeds. Vehicles and people flashed past as he raced through the city streets but he ignored it all urging the bike to go faster and then faster still. Yet no matter how fast he rode he could not escape the tension inside him, the persistent sensation that there was an enemy out there, one he should be fighting. Yet Ares had no idea who it was or where they were yet he just knew that there was a threat out there. One that had not been there until recently, Ares growled low in his throat, once he found who was behind this threat they would beg for him to grant them oblivion.

The vibration in his pocket signalled that someone had messaged him, he pulled over to the side of the road and flicked his open. When he saw it was Aphrodite he smiled for the first time in hours. he snapped the phone closed and spun the bike around so it was facing towards the goddess's apartments. He set the bike in motion and with a roar of its engine he sped back the way he had come. It did not take long for him to arrive at the upmarket, higher class apartments where Aphrodite had made her home. He parked the bike and rode the elevator to his lovers floor, all the while he was picturing her face and imagining crushing her to him. He told himself he only needed to see her in order to work out his issues with her lovemaking and yet deep down in the part of himself he subconsciously refused to acknowledge he knew he had truly missed her.

He knocked on the door trying not to be too impatient for her to answer.

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.

Thanks to the wonderful New York traffic the drive back to her apartment was taking longer than usual, forty minutes longer to be exact and the fare meter on the drivers dashboard wasn't making the situation any better, it's not that the fare would be a loss to her but she would rather spend the money shopping; wouldn't any woman? Glancing at her wristwatch she released an audible sigh, resting her head against the window, watching as the world past by; Aphrodite liked mortals she really did but they were always on auto pilot, they should really take the time to- oh what was that saying- yes, they should really 'stop and smell the roses.'

Aphrodite had always thought humans silly; no more so than those in the twenty first century, she had lived a very long time and she failed to recall a time when humans annoyed her so. Not only were they petty and wasted time, like they would live forever but their music annoyed her. Although she had to admit the shopping in the century was far superior to the other.

Lost in her thought, it was only when the cab came to a stop did Aphrodite realise she was home, paying the fare as well as a tip, she got out, grabbed her bags, there she noticed Ares bike parked outside-someone seemed eager. Not being able to help the smirk, she walked into her apartment building, hiding her smile, she didn't want Ares to think she was actually happy to see him, no she wouldn't do that she was far to prideful.

As the elevator doors opens, her blue orbs immediately narrowed on the god of war. There he was stood by her door in all his glory-damn him, why did he have to be so irresistible?- if she had been an ordinary woman, this would have been the moment where she glanced into the nearest reflective surface, yet she was no ordinary woman, she was Aphrodite the Goddess of beauty, she knew she was beautiful, even after a ten hour flight. "Ares" she greeted, accompanied by a small nod and the barest hint of a smile "how have you been?" She asked walking past him to open her door "come in" she uttered walking inside.

“He was here to pick up a gun I had made for him. He didn’t seem grumpy as he did extremely tired. I notice that when it is spring and he is unable to be with you that he doesn’t get much sleep. When you’re both together, Hades is livelier and happy. He gave me advice today, and as he explained your relationship, I could see that his love for you has no bounds. You are truly blessed by The Fates or…”

Persephone smiled gently as she let her brother speak. His voice and manner was gruff, but his honesty and sweetness was refreshing among the Immortals.

She watched him walk towards the fireplace and gaze into the flames. Persephone dangled her feet off the metal chair and swung them like a child, back and forth as simply as a metronome. Her gentle blue orbs fluctuated between staring at Anton and at the crimson embers burning brightly in the hearth. The fire flickered wickedly every once in awhile; the flames crackling to make the only sound in the room until Heph began to speak again.

"I will never know love like that because I refuse to fight for it. Outside my shop, I tend to find only sadness. My mother abhors me, my wife doesn’t love me, and the other gods don’t see me as their brother or nephew. I am their blacksmith and they only visit me when they need something made. Hades told me that if I ever hope to change my situation then I need to be willing to fight or leave my shop. My wife has not seen me since I made this mortal form for myself. She hasn’t even seen it. Perhaps she hasn’t visited me because she still sees me as the monster she left behind? Here, I am lost in my assumptions, but I am happy, and it is peaceful.”

Before she could mutter even the tiniest words of comfort to her gentle giant, a voice called out from behind the shelves. The large golem emerged from his work, and stood before both Heph and Persephone. “Hey girlfriend, slap me some skin!” Brontos greeted, and Persephone swatted her own tinyhand against the metal golems own. Two more greetings from Anton's other colorful creations, and Persephone raised a hand to greet them as well. "Brontos, Steropes, and...wait where is..?" “PERSEPHONE!” The sound of her name roared throughout Heph's workshop; the source of the sudden outburst coming from the final golem, Pyracmon. While the golem bounced enthusiastically before her, she giggled.

"It's nice to see you again." Pyracmon said in his usual friendly manner. "It's nice to see all of you again as well." She chirped, shooting all three a smile; even the shy Steropes who hid behind the shelves.

She watched the four banter, and the golems all voice their agreement about Anton's recent depression. Persephone clucked her tongue and lifted her petite body off the metal chair.

Her legs moved her towards where the mortal Heph stood before the fire, a grease stained hand covering his face from her view. She gently reached forward to remove the hand from his face and her lips spread thinly into a smile. " Your friends are right Heph. You aren't happy, and there's no reason to reassure yourself or anyone around you that you are. Especially me. You should know by now I can see right through you." With the last few words, she gently prodded his chest with her pointer finger, her smile still resting on her face.

“I am no Athena” she told him, “but I think I could spare some wisdom for my favorite brother." Her hand moved up towards his face, inches from touching it. Her hand hovered over the Smith Gods face as if she was casting a spell on him. His mortal form was handsome, but it did not suit his current attitude. "You must have confidence my brother. If you don't believe enough in your own self, Aphrodite will continue to walk all over you."

Persephone wrinkled her nose at her half-sisters name in habit. Though she may have played some role in her eternal love for Hades, the mere passing of the woman's name over her tongue still left a bitter taste in her mouth after the many years of watching both her and Ares make a mockery of her brother.

"First, don't be anyone but yourself, because you are truly a gift brother."She held up a single finger and quickly took a breathe before continuing. "Secondly, have the confidence that no matter what your mortal or Immortal form may look like, you are a talented craftsman and an excellent man. Those who can't see past your looks don't deserve the gift of being your friend.A second finger rose and Persephone's smile widened." Thirdly, don't give a single fuck about what your mother or any of our kin say." A third and final finger stood with the others, and Persephone giggled. "Oh, I don't usually curse. That made me feel a bit naughty." She admitted, turning towards the three golems and shrugging her sharp shoulders back.

Zeus – Brandon Powers

Olympia (The Electric Company)

Brandon had folded pieces of paper into the shapes of paper llamas and was stacking them in a cheerleading tower before his laptop. He had one more to place on top as he leaned close to the base of the llama pyramid and carefully inched the final llama toward the top. He held his breath. His brows were knitted and his eyes tense with focus. He managed to complete the task and slowly leaned back. Smiling in success, he threw his fists into the air and exclaimed, “Oh yeah!” He was the best.

Sitting back in his office chair, he crossed his arms behind his head and glanced at his laptop. An hour barely crawled by and there was still pages of emails he had yet to read. Glancing back at his llama pyramid, he couldn’t believe that that was the only thing he had accomplished. Frowning, Brandon reached into his trouser pocket and removed his cell phone. He flipped through his contact list to Hermes and tapped in a text:

Inform everyone that dinner will be at my mansion at 8. EVERYONE will be there. I won’t take no as an answer. ☺

Tucking his phone back into his pocket, Brandon sat forward in his chair and clapped his laptop closed. He then picked it up and placed it inside his suitcase. Closing the lid, he slid it off the table as he rose from his chair and headed straight for the door. The llamas remained stacked in their position as he walked out of his office.

Cynthia had called Hermaine and told her of the evening dinner arrangements. She still didn’t know who the girl was, but she sounded too young to be any lover of Mr. Powers’s, unless, he was into young girls. He was a pervert after all. The secretary was on Facebook and scraping a nail filer along her nails when her employer emerged with a stride of purpose.

Lowering her filer, Cynthia sat up in her chair. “Mr. Powers?”

Brandon stopped and faced the voluptuous secretary. “I’m heading out for the rest of the day. I got a family reunion to attend. When can I see you again?”

Cynthia blinked. “Umm, well, I work Mondays through Fridays…”

“I’m not asking about your hours. I’m asking when can I see you again?”

Cynthia stared blankly at her boss until his question finally clicked. Her cheeks glowed and she clutched her nail filer nervously. “Oh my gosh, um, oh my gosh!” She dropped her nail filer and hid her flushed face behind her hands. Her boss was seriously asking her out? It was so unusual.

Brandon rested his hand upon his hip and sealed his grin behind a smile that was so mischievous, naughty, and playful. If she didn’t give in, she would have to upon taking in his panty-soaker 3000. Cynthia parted her fingers a few centimeters and upon taking in the look he was giving her, she closed her fingers and then slid them down her face until they just revealed her green gaze. Lowering her hands, she set them in her lap and tried to squeeze her lips into a straight smile, but could not.

“Aren’t you married, Mr. Powers?”

Brandon arched a brow. “I can’t marry a woman that I feel would try to steal my money.”

“Yet you want to go on a date with me?”

“Maybe I trust you?”

“I just met the boss I’ve only been working for for over three weeks today, and you already trust me?”

“You want to give me a reason to doubt you?”

“N-no.”

“What time do you want me to pick you up?”

“Wait, didn’t you ask ‘when you wanted to see me?’”

“Now, I’m asking ‘what time?’”

Cynthia’s hands returned to her face to hide the amused smile that curled on her lips. He was so bold, and she couldn’t believe that she actually liked him already.

It’s only a date, she thought.

“What’s good for you?” she asked him.

Brandon frowned as he grasped his chin in thought. “Hm…the reunion should be over by…9, so how about 9?”

“All right; 9,” Cynthia agreed.

Brandon pumped a fist and pointed a finger at her. “You won’t be disappointed!”

As her boss scurried out the door, Cynthia sat back in her chair and stared at her Facebook page.

“What the hell did I just do?” she muttered softly to herself. A dinner date with Brandon Powers—THE Brandon Powers. It was frightening yet exciting. What was she going to wear?

Hermes

(Heading back to the Mansion)

"She [Maia] bare a son [Hermes], of many shifts, blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle rustler, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a thief at the gates."

The Messenger God hummed a harmonious melody as he made his way home.One blue headphone stuck into his left ear and the other bouncing off his chest with every step he took. The small messenger bag that hung across his chest was filled with snack foods for the upcoming football game he would be watching at the mansion. Sixty inches of flat screen was all his for the day and he couldn't have been more excited. Seeing the familiar yellow roof of the mansion he shared with his fellow immortals in the distance, Hermes picked up his pace and he easily passed several humans as he maneuvered along the sidewalk.

He felt the vibration of his phone against his chest as he made it to the front door. He reached a hand into his breast pocket and read the small lettering out loud to himself. "Inform everyone that dinner will be at my mansion at 8. EVERYONE will be there. I won’t take no as an answer." Hermes read. He rolled his eyes the minute he saw where the text had came from. "Well there goes my night." He grumbled.

"Zeus, why the fuck can't you just tell them yourself. You're the billionaire with a fucking 4G plan." The god cursed, not bothering to text a reply back to his father.

As he pushed the stained glass door open into the extravagant manor he called home, he scrambled through his contacts list . Everyone was in there , but one name among the list made his mortal body chilled straight to the bone.

"Sure Dad, lemme just send a text to Uncle Hades . Sorry about your wife having to leave you for six months. Want some steak?" He sighed and continued looking through his contacts. When he spotted the Springtime Goddess's name in the "P" section of his Droid Aria, he began typing the first text for Zeus's summons.

"Heya puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurty lady,

Dad wants us all to meet up at the manor for a dinner or something. Be there or be square. If you need someone to escort you, give me a call and I'll fly over ;D.

P.S: No getting out of this either, or Dad will be pissed.

As he sent the message, a sudden ominous feeling passed over his body. Maybe being so familiar with his uncles wife wasn't the safest of options, but it sure was the most amusing. He clicked the button for a group text message, clicking on Demeter, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo, Hera, Hephaestus, Athena, and finally Hades (after a few minutes of deep breathes and careful rewording ).
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.
He clicked the send button and slid his phone back into his pocket. He had expected to be drinking a beer and munching on barbeque chips while he watched his favorite team play and fail miserably. Instead, he was now forced to attend his father's dinner party and pretend to play nice with the rest of the Olympians.

With his task finished, Hermes went to rummage through the kitchen and find something edible and full of fat he could snack on before the dinner.

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.

ATHENA


Athena felt her phone vibrate on her hip just as she hit the door of her coffee shop. She sighed and pulled the phone out of her pocket and read the text from Hermes.

“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”.

She rolled her eyes. She didn’t get summoned by anyone, not even the all-powerful Zeus. She yawned and stepped into her shop, only to stop dead. There was a man, with a gun, trying to rob her store. HER store. Cleared her throat to get his attention. He whirled around the gun pointed at her chest.

“On the ground now!” he yelled. Athena just smiled.

“I will give you one chance, and one chance only, leave now.” She stated as she walked carefully towards him.

“Are you insane bitch? I said on the ground!” he said and waved the gun at her. She shook her head and tsked.

“I gave you a chance” she said with a kind smile before she grabbed his wrist and twisted. The gun went off right by her head and she heard it hit the wall behind her and ricochet. She felt the man’s wrist snap as she swept his legs out from under him and pinned him to the ground, the gun hitting the ground to her left. Suddenly the room was abuzz with movement and noise. She looked around as people clapped and whistled. Athena just smiled. The cops rushed in and she was pulled away from the man.

“Athena, honey your bleeding!” her assistant said as she stared at the gaping hole in athena’s shirt and the red that was around it. Athena shook her head and pulled away from the younger woman. She made her way outside and into the crowd so that she could change shape unnoticed.

Maybe she should to see her father tonight….since she wouldn’t be able to go back to her shop until the police where done…

Athena hailed a taxi and was at the mansion in no time. She stepped out of the taxi and switched back to her original form as she made her way up the driveway. She knocked lightly and waited for an answer.

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?”

Hades – Dmitri Ruslan


The boat bobbed as Bernard manned the oars. Dmitri was standing with his hands tucked comfortably into the deep pockets of his black coat. Before him was a man with his feet in a bucket of cement and his arms bound behind his back by what appeared to be ropes, but to the gifted eye they were actually snakes. The snakes’ fangs had sunk into the hostage’s wrists and they had no intention of releasing him. Two more henchmen sat next to the hostage, while the remaining thugs stayed on the shore to guard the vehicles.

Dmitri and his men rowed out to the center of the Long Island Sound. The mafia boss drew his hands from his pockets and in his right was a mini humidor. He popped it open and removed a cigar. With clippers, he clipped the end over the side of the boat before he returned it to the box and tucked it away. Dmitri then snapped his fingers and the friction between his thumb and index finger lit the tip of his thumb on fire. He waved his burning digit beneath the end of the cigar and puffed gradually before he shook his hand and extinguished the flame.

Grasping the cigar, he held it away from his lips and sighed pleasantly. “Aah~, I just needed something for this glorious occasion. Remove the bag.”

One of the henchmen sitting next to the captive snatched the black bag from his head. The captive was an older man about in his fifties with a bristly chin and thinning, blond hair. His outfit described an editor or journalist that worked in an office somewhere: his outfit being comprised of a white dress shirt and slate-grey khaki pants that was held by black suspenders. After his mild startle, he lowered his gaze to the boat floor as a long, stubborn frown tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Hello Uncle,” Dmitri greeted. “I’m actually surprised to see you here. I thought for sure that the Titans weren’t stupid enough to think that they could sneak out of Tartarus without my knowing. Now, how you did it, is what I’d love to hear.”

“Go fuck yourself. If you think I would sell out my family, then you’re the fool!” Crius growled.

“Hold that thought…” Dmitri slid the cigar into the corner of his mouth and he reached into his inner-coat pocket to remove his new pistol. He glanced over it briefly, recalling if he had cocked it. Usually, he always had his weapon ready to fire. Directing it at Crius’s left shoulder, he switched the safety off and squeezed the trigger as a thunderous bang resounded. The titan’s arm popped like a blood balloon, completely disintegrated.

Crius shrieked in agony and wildly began thrashing about as the blood-drenched thugs restrained him.

“Woo! Holy shit; there’s blood fucking everywhere!” Dmitri exclaimed in excitement. Some had sprinkled his face, coat, and sunglasses, but the thug that had been sitting to the Titan’s left was the most drenched. Grasping his cigar before it fell from his lips in his laughter, Dmitri bent over in his mirth and said, “You’re fucking soaked!”

The thug smiled despite his face being red and dripping with human syrup. “It was a nice shot, Sir.”

“Of course it was. Cauterize his wound before he bleeds to death. I’m not finished with him.”

The blood-covered thug breathed in deeply. His chest expanded and his cheeks billowed with a fire that glinted from his nostrils. Parting his lips, he spewed a hot stream against Crius’s shoulder. The other thug slung his arm beneath the titan’s throat to hold him still as he convulsed and kicked. The tissue and blood curdled and hardened in a black, smoking cast. Crius was sweating beads and panting heavily while Dmitri straightened and observed the smoking crater in Crius’s side.

Parting his lips to speak, the mafia boss was interrupted by the sound of a random duck.

Quack! Quack! Quack!

Dmitri’s eyes narrowed as he returned the cigar to his mouth and reached into his coat pocket to remove his cell phone. It was the ringtone he had set for Hermes since he found his nephew to be unbearably annoying. Tapping and sliding his finger across his touch screen, he gazed at the text message that came up and scowled.

Zeus wants us all at the manor for dinner. No exception guys. Don’t ask me what the hell for because I don’t know and I don’t care, just be there.

The tip of his cigar gleamed, bathing his face in orange, and reflecting in his black shades. Smoke escaped from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth in a breath before he returned it to his pocket.

“Don’t command me you little shit,” Dmitri grumbled.

Drawing his hand from his pocket, Dmitri returned to business. “So…where were we?”

A scream of bloody murder was next to interrupt the mafia boss and its random resonation startled Bernard. He glanced at Dmitri curiously to see his boss reaching into his pocket to once again retrieve his phone. That ringtone was the one he set for Zeus because sometimes his brother made him want to fucking scream. With unenthusiastic eyes, Dmitri regarded the text:

Are you coming to dinner? ☺

Dmitri’s right eye twitched at the emoticon. He tapped in a response.

I’m busy.

You’re always busy. ☺

I’ll go whenever I’m not busy.

So never?

Exactly.

…

Dmitri glared up at the sky as he noticed black clouds gathering overhead. Baring his teeth angrily, he bit down hard on his cigar and angrily replied:

Look, asshole, I’m busy with something important and I don’t have time for your stupid dinner!

The clouds dispersed.

Persephone will be there. ☺

So what?

I’ll remove the ward until midnight, but you and her must stay at the mansion.

Dmitri lowered the phone and stared off into the fog. His brows knitted in thought as he contemplated the deal his brother was making. It annoyed him that he couldn’t steal her away for the night and take her to a restaurant that would purvey food more worthy of her palette, but he hasn’t seen his spring flower in awhile and this may have been his only chance.

What time again?

Nine. ☺

I’ll be there.

☺

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Dmitri removed the cigar from his mouth and smashed it out against the side of the boat.

“Change of plans gentlemen. I don’t have time for this interrogation. I have a dinner date with my wife,” Dmitri announced on a proud smile.

The henchmen applauded.

“Bernard, I’m sure you can deal with this scumbag. Torture him until he squeals, and if he never does, throw him over the side. I’m sure he’ll enjoy his slow, seven-day drowning descent back to Tartarus.”

Bernard released the oars and replied, “Yes, Sir. Enjoy your evening, Sir.”

Dmitri smirked and stepped into Bernard’s shadow. The mafia boss began sinking into the boat floor with the ease of an elevator. The thugs watched their boss’s descent until he was no more.

Artemis took her time finishing up her snack, trying to relax as she looked out the window of the coffee shop. Thinking back to what Persephone had said caused the goddess to frown. It was obvious her cousin didn't feel anything askew with the world and Artemis wondered if she was suffering from a touch of paranoia. It had been relatively calm for a while know and in the brunette's mind, something bad was bound to happen soon.

Finishing the last sips of her still warm hot chocolate, she stood and pulled out a few additional bills for a tip. Even though Persephone had left one early she would have felt rude just leaving without giving anything. As she stepped through the doors of the shop she looked to the sky, the moon would be rising soon. She could feel it and frankly being in the confines of the city made her feel far away from it.

It took but a few moments for her to actually leave the city. Her house on the outskirts of Rochester, New York was situated far away from surrounding any surrounding humans. The Shawangunk Ridge was a beautiful place to live and gave the goddess easy access to hunting.

As she climbed the stair to her home, the sound of barking reached her ears. A smile turned her lips when she opened her door and was happily greeted by her dogs. All of them assisted her in hunting, but there were just so many, Persephone had once teased that she was hoarding the animals. Of course the moment she stepped over the threshold her phone went off.

The jungle was the sound of the wind so she automatically knew that it was Hermes who had texted her. Sighing she took out her phone and flipped it open. Zeus wants us all at the manor for dinner. No exception guys. Don’t ask me what the hell for because I don’t know and I don’t care, just be there.

"You've got to be kidding me." She mumbled to herself. Artemis had literally just left the city. Cato, one of her more dependent retrievers, bumped his head against her knees and whined. Bending down she screeched the dog behind its ears. "Sorry, guys. Have to leave again." She made sure that their food and water was replenished before heading back out once more.

On the bright side, she'd be seeing Apollo. Artemis could not recall the last time she had seen her younger brother actually. The two had been so close but lately they had been seeing each other less often. She missed him terribly. Even still, she took her time in actually reaching Zeus' estate.

She saw Athena standing by the large door and frowned. Taking out her cell phone she looked at the time. 8:56. She was early and there was no way that any of her kin would be early. Considering the history Artemis had with both Athena and Hera, who was possibly at home already, she decided she'd wait farther away from the house and wait for one of the others to show before making her way to the door.

Hephaestus – Anton Gallagher


His hand was peeled from his face by Persephone’s warm and delicate little fingers. The smith stared down at his little sister. Her face seemed to glow on its own with her gentle and caring nature. Her smiles, even the slightest ones, always brought warmth to his core like...spring. His gaze only lingered briefly on her face before it fell to the floor beneath his feet and her slender finger that prodded his chest. Anton raised his head when Persephone raised her hand and held her palm before his face.

After Persephone offered her advice, Brontes clapped his metal hands together as they resounded like church bells.

“Mhm, he’s rubbin’ off on you darling,” Brontes noted. “Better be careful, you won’t be innocent for long.” The golem teased with the flick of his wrist.

Anton was silent and musing over all that Persephone had told him. Deep down, he knew he should have heeded her advice, but on the surface he was afraid. No one but Persephone could see through his grotesque immortal form to the god he truly was.

A soft, happy electronic jingle filled the vicinity around Anton. The three golems did a little jig as the smith curiously reached into his jean pocket and removed his cell phone. Steropes was bobbing up and down behind the shelf, Pyracmon was moon-walking in a circle, and Brontes was swinging his hips to and fro. The golems immediately stopped when Anton ended the jingle and regarded the text message from Hermes:

Zeus wants us all at the manor for dinner. No exception guys. Don’t ask me what the hell for because I don’t know and I don’t care, just be there.

The news made Anton pale a little and he turned back toward the fireplace. “Father’s having a dinner. It’s mandatory that we all go it seems.” Anton shook his head, he couldn’t convince himself to go. “I can’t do it. I have too many orders to fill.”

The smith turned around and walked past Persephone, planning to get right back to work. Brontes stretched his leg out and stepped into his master’s path. “We can handle it. We are your apprentices after all.”

Pyracmon walked over to stand next to Brontes, his single, red eye having narrowed coolly. “Didn’t you make us for that reason? We can cover the shop. So go have fun!”

Anton frowned up at the two golems standing in his path. “I won’t say it again.”

Steropes walked out from behind the shelf to stand behind Anton. He gazed down at him with his coy, blue eye.

“If you go to the dinner, you can finally show Aphrodite the new you. You won’t have to talk to her, but she’ll have to notice you,” Steropes encouraged.

Brontes nodded. “Yes; and Persephone will be there. She won’t let anyone ruin your day. Right, girlfriend?” Turning his green eye on the belle, Brontes added, “Maybe you can talk your evil husband into beating the crap out of anyone that dare speak ill of Annie?”

Anton blushed in embarrassment. Annie, really?

“I just want to go back to work,” he said sullenly.

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."

She winked at Brontes. "I've been stuck with him for centuries. It was only a matter of time before he rubbed off on me."

The brief sound of Anton's cellphone playing a contagious tune made Persephone's ears perk up. “Father’s having a dinner. It’s mandatory that we all go it seems.” Heph said, answering her unspoken questions of who was texting him. "Why did he message you and not-." The chiming of her own phone interrupted her. Clair De Lune played softly before Persephone plucked the phone from the inner pocket of her dress.

"Heya puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurty lady,

Dad wants us all to meet up at the manor for a dinner or something. Be there or be square. If you need someone to escort you, give me a call and I'll fly over ;D.

P.S: No getting out of this either, or Dad will be pissed.

She raised her eyebrow and gave an unladylike snort. She doubted that was the message the Messenger God had sent to everyone, including her husband. He did so like to flirt with her, but he played a dangerous game. She just prayed he had enough sense to keep his little quips to himself while they were at the table. All it would take was another Immortal to report him to Hades, and the poor little God would be sent to Tartauras, with his pretty white winged shoes attached to his feet.

"Idiot." She mumbled before slipping her phone back into her pocket and turning her attention back to her friend. "I suppose I should get going then. Wouldn't want Dad to get his panties in a twist if either of us turned up late." The thought of being surrounded by Immortals left her stomach in twists. Artemis,Apollo, Hermes, Heph, and Poseidon....they were the only Immortals Persephone could handle. Each different but loved the same by the Springtime Goddess. Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Hera, her father and the rest she preferred in small doses.

When Heph started with his excuses for not going, Persephone stepped up to agree with his golems. "No exceptions means no exceptions big bro. You're coming with me, and that's final." She didn't want to boss him around, but the guy needed to get out. She didn't dare ask him how long he had been cooped up here.

"Oh by the way. I left you a little something to cheer you up in the box over there." She had nearly forgotten the pie she had brought him that sitting all by it's self on his desk. When she went to walk towards where the entrance to his shop was, she stopped in her tracks. Hearing no whizzing or clanking of his leg behind her, she spun on her heel to face the God and cross her arms.

"Heph."She tone growing softer, the look she often saw in her mothers eyes slowly matching her own as she stared toward her sibling. "Aphrodite and your mother will get to see you in your new form. It's the best time for you to show your new form off to everyone." She uncrossed her pale limbs and held a hand out towards him, palm up and waiting for his hand to be placed over her own.

She was sure it would probably take more words of encouragement for him to gather his courage while they were in the car, but they had enough time before they would arrive at the mansion. With any luck Heph might actually have a good time tonight. While waiting for the God to take her hand, her mind wandered and stopped at the thought of her beloved.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of him attending the feast, but she knew it was useless to think about. Likely he would not attend and she would be forced to endure her Mothers pitiful stares and Hermes lurid glances.

Optimism Persephone, optimism! She gently chided herself, still smiling at Heph although it was now becoming more forced with every thought being weighed on her mind.

Hephaestus – Anton Gallagher

Anton’s workshop.


No exceptions means no exceptions big bro. You’re coming with me, and that’s final.

Anton’s brows rose at Persephone’s declaration. “What? Weren’t you just leaving on your own accord?”

Oh by the way. I left you a little something to cheer you up in the box over there.

“I got it!” Pyracmon exclaimed. He charged toward the little white box only to be intercepted by Brontes who thrust his hand out against his chest. He had snatched up the box and held it out of the red golem’s reach.

“If you touch this gift with your hot hands, there will be nothing left for master,” Brontes reminded.

Pyracmon gazed at his glowing fingers and replied, “Oh yeah.”

Brontes delivered the box to Anton. He held it carefully pinched between his thumb and index finger. Anton took the gift and pulled the lid off by its pink bow. Inside was a slice of Dutch apple pie topped with a dollop of whip cream.

Ooooo… the golems chorused.

Anton smiled and said, “Thank you, Sis.”

Heph.

Steropes fled behind Brontes and said, “You better go. She sounds mad.”

Brontes plucked the gift from the smith’s hands and reassured, “I’ll put it in the fridge. You can enjoy it when you get back from your fabulous evening.”

Anton stared at Persephone as though she didn’t know what she was getting him into. He didn’t want to upset her, but he also didn’t want his peaceful night ruined. Anton breathed a sigh of surrender and regrettably walked over to where his sister stood.

Aphrodite and your mother will get to see you in your new form. It’s the best time for you to show your new form off to everyone.

The smith uttered no reply. He had fled deep into his self-conscious as he mentally began building fortifications. Nothing but nightmares of the future were playing over and over in his head. Laughter…that’s all he heard and saw. Everyone was laughing at him. He was making a big mistake. He just knew it.

Zeus's Mansion.

Brandon stood before the mirror on his dresser drawer sliding on a tight, grey long shirt over his defined torso. He had black dress pants at his hips and matching, leather shoes. A thick, silver neck lace hung about his neck, only adding more style to the already stylish god. Afterwards, he turned his head left and right, inspecting his jaw for blemishes or razor bumps. He had to look nice for his date dinner.

“Won’t this be exciting? The family’s finally coming together after so many years. I get to see how they’ve all grown,” said Brandon to his lovely wife.

Hera leaned against frame of the doorway that connected her bathroom to their bedroom.Her eyes dimmed as she watched her husband primp in front of his mirror with a cool expression carved onto her face. He looked as flawless and arrogant as always, though he masked it with such a cheerful disposition that even Hera was fooled at times.

She did not share her husbands excitement for the dinner he had planned. It was just another meeting that flaunted his children before her. The products of his many indiscretions.

"Oh yes, I'm sure it'll be quite lovely. I'm positively giddy." She replied, feigning excitement and tossing her husband a tight lipped smile.

Brandon glanced at Hera from the corners of his eyes while he sprayed himself with cologne. He wasn’t as dumb as she may have thought. He knew how much she disliked his other children. Hell, she had made it a point that he would never forget it when the affair happened. How was he supposed to know that all of his lays would secretly get pregnant and bestow upon him beautiful children?

“Hephaestus and Ares will be there,” Brandon informed, trying to mention only her children. Although, he was forgetting one on purpose.

“Our crippled child and the God of War? You say these names as if it will bring me comfort.” Hera replied. A shadow fell across her face. He can bear such beautiful children and yet the only children he grants me are cripples and fools. Such a burden the wife must carry. She thought bitterly, turning her face away from her husbands figure.

She straightened up and walked delicately towards the vanity of her own close to Zeus's dresser, sitting gently on the small stool and staring deeply into her own reflection.

"Will all our brothers be joining us this evening, or will it be the just the Sea God who graces us with his presence." She questioned.

She was making things difficult as usual. The way she spoke about Ares and Hephaestus wounded him a little. “Ares is an excellent warrior and Hephaestus an amazing inventor. Look what he did for Olympia. Business is booming! We’re number one in the consumer report.” Brandon clenched his fist and little tails of electricity flicked between the cracks of his fingers. A competitive grin was fixed on his face as he growled, “Take that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs! Take it right up the ass!”

Resting his hands on his hips, Brandon threw his head back and filled their bedroom with his triumphant laughter. Quieting his self-celebration, he answered Hera with a long smile. “I managed to get Hades to come. I said he could be with Persephone for this one night, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Of course Demeter may be sore about it, but hey, she has five months still to go.”

She loathed and loved that smile. " I'm aware of their abilities." She answered, brushing her ebony hair with long strokes, occasionally reaching a tangle and digging the brush into her scalp to fix it . She lifted a strand and twirled it between her fingers as she spoke. "You invited Hades as well?" Surprise overlapping her usual bored tone. " Are you sure that's wise ? What if he makes a scene?"

She dropped the hair she was holding and twisted her head away from the mirror to stare directly towards her husband. His laughter still echoed throughout the room, which only made the Goddess roll her green orbs up towards the ceiling and round before bringing them back to her husbands freshly shaved face.

"I'm sure Demeter is going to enjoy listening to your explanation on why her daughters kidnapper is among us." She would enjoy listening to it as well. She liked neither Hades nor Persephone, but his possessiveness over the girl annoyed her to no end.

Brandon forced a grin—and he had loved this woman once? He fanned at her pessimism dismissively.

“Everything will be fine. It’s not Hades I’m worried about, but Demeter. My brother wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his night with Persephone. I’m sure he’ll be like a tamed lion.”

He stepped behind Hera and intimately rested his hands upon her shoulders. “You worry too much.”

His assurance would do little to contain her worry. " A lion is still a lion, no matter how tame it might be for a moment. Whatever you say though dear." She mumbled, putting her brush down and puckering her lips before her mirror. Was she not beautiful enough for him? Once there had been a time she even rivaled Aphrodite's beauty but it seemed not even her looks were enough to keep her husband faithful.

His warm hands pressed against the cool flesh that covered her delicate shoulders. She allowed him to linger for a moment, savoring his touch before she brushed his hands off and stood once more.

She sniffed the air. "You smell musky. You must be having quite the night if you put that much cologne on. Lucky girl." Her smile was a mixture of venom and honey, and before her husband could reply she brushed past him and made her way towards her closet to find an outfit to wear for the evening.

Her words rendered a crippling blow to his ego. She put up such a front that their bed may forever be cold. Brandon had quickly retracted his hands and held them up in surrender when his first wife brushed past him. His smile became sheepish as he watched her glide over to her closet.

“What are you talking about?” Shaking his head, Brandon strolled over to the door, trying to make his getaway seem as normal as possible. “I’m going to go check on the dinner preparations.”

Slipping outside, he closed the door behind him and frowned. His eyes narrowed irritably as he thought, And she wonders why I look at other woman…She’s already kicked me to the curb.

Hera watched as her husband walked off, leaving her to go handle the party preparations. The moment his figure vanished from the room, she allowed herself a small sigh before falling to her knees in their closet. Shoes, coats, and dresses were all organized neatly around her yet she was still a mess. I love him and I hate him. May the goddess of love burn in the fiery hells for the days she's put me through with that man. She cursed before bringing herself to a standing position.

It was easy to be a frigid bitch to him. It was harder to show her softer side, especially when he continually made the same mistake over and over again. Shaking her head, she pushed several dresses aside and peered into her closet, rejecting everything she saw without even bothering to try it on.

She already wanted the stupid affair over with.

The door was opened for Athena by a being that materialized from water vapor. A man as white as a cement statue and comprised entirely of cloud smiled briefly at the young goddess before he evaporated on the air. Brandon was descending the marble staircase when he saw one of his beautiful daughters, punctual and hopefully ready for the occasion.

“Athena!” Brandon greeted. He approached his…daughter. She was rather a conundrum. She hadn’t been born by normal means but yes, she was still of his creation. He stepped toward her with the intention of embracing her in a welcoming hug. “I was just about to check on dinner. You’re early.”

Brandon's phone hummed in his pocket. He had set it on vibrate in the case that he needed to secretly take a peek at it during dinner. After breaking his embrace with Athena [if it happened], Brandon reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone to see a message not from Cynthia, but Apollo.

Really? he thought. This was why he told his children to go directly through Hermes, so they wouldn't get in the way of his mortal business. I'm changing my number.

Pulling up the text, Brandon frowned as he read to the bottom.

The Titans? he pondered in silence. But Hades would have told us...


Brandon turned away from Athena to hide the disturbed look that had ruined his joyful mood. The idea that his father was free again spooked him. How many of his children would he try to gobble up this time? They weren't even born when the Titanomachy occurred. To them, it's a mere war story. Preparations for war...no. No war. The boy was overreacting. He would need however to talk to his brothers and sisters in secret when they arrive. This matter shouldn't concern his children.

Closing his eyes, Brandon pulled himself back into the mood of things and sighed his concerns aloud. He faced his clever daughter and graced her with a pleasant smile. “Sorry about that. Make yourself at home. Hermes is here somewhere if you need company. The others, I’m sure, will be along soon.”

“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."

Hermes

(Still chilling at the mansion)

Hermes chewed on a piece of carrot he had snagged from the kitchens while the staff hurried about to get ready for Zeus's banquet. Usually he hung out in his room until he was called out to eat and talk with his siblings and Dad, but he hung around the main room to check out his siblings. Hearing the doorbell rings, he craned his neck and watched as his father walked over to the door and let in his sister Athena in the home.

"For the Goddess of Wisdom, you'd think she'd be smart enough to bring her own key." Hermes chuckled, waving a hand at his sister in greeting before turning his head back around. Better than remaining idle, he picked up one of the many remotes laying around and clicked the power button. Some weird foreign shit was on, so he quickly switched between channels until he landed on the news.

An anchorman with a grey suit stood before a burning building, smoke rising up into the already grey skies.

"As you can see behind me, a popular flower shop on 4th street has caught fire sometime between 8:53 to 9:00pm. Firefighters are still trying to put the fire out but we've been given no notice of the flames dying down any time soon. Firefighters have yet to identify the cause of the fire, but more news will be shared soon."

Hermes thick eyebrows scrunched together. The shop looked familiar somehow, but he wasn't really able to pick out where he knew it from. He wasn't exactly a guy that brought a girl flowers.

Or had a girl to bring flowers to for that matter.

The anchormen held up a hand as someone seemed to be speaking into his earpiece.

"Mhm. Ok.

This just in, security camera footage from a neighboring stores shows six people entering, but only four people leaving the establishment. It's likely that two of the individuals remains will be found once the fire has been completely put down.

This is KH5 news with Robert Lee at Ambrosia, back to you John."

Hermes leaned against the wall. "Ambrosia..." Where had he heard that name before?

"PERSEPHONE? ARE YOU HERE? PERSEPHONE?"

Demeter cried out for her daughter, sounding less like a Goddess and more like a shrieking Banshee.

"SHIT!" He cried, nearly falling on his ass as the thought came to him of whom owned Ambrosia. That was the tiny little store Persephone owned along with her mother. Before he was able to get a grip on what was happening, Demeter came running at him demanding answers for things he had no idea about.

"Whoa, lady. Jesus, you need to take a chill pill and calm the hell down. I'm sure she's fine alright? Just go get a drink or something and ease up a little." He took a few steps back and raised his hands up in case his aunt decided to get a little handsy with him.

Poseidon

“I’ll meet you guys there,” Poseidon said, taking his phone back off his nephew and heading out of the little store with a little wave of his hand.

Something worried him about this, but moreso than just a little vision fit from Apollo. What bothered the Sea God was how little he could remember about the Titans. Seeing Hyperion was like seeing a very, very old acquaintance; one whom which you could not remember the origin of your meeting. This lax recognition was causing another frown to furrow his brow, and a cloudy expression to mist over his eyes, changing their colour from a deep blue to a stormy gray. As he paced down the increasingly busy New York sidewalk, he tried time after time to picture the last time the Titans had been around and each time met a stone wall of resistance that baffled him. Perhaps it was because he had cast it out of his mind for so long, and so many, many things had occurred in the meantime. How was he supposed to remember a millennia’s worth of cataclysmic events when the monotony of human life had crept over him like a lazy blanket? With this in mind, it was little surprise that Poseidon found himself walking past a dozen or so taxis and into a dingy little bar by the name of O’Malley’s.

Without paying much heed to the other inhabitants, all who seemed to be nursing pints and keeping to themselves by trying to seek some solace in the amber liquid. He sat down at the bar, called a pretty blonde bartender over and pointed at a bottle of dark liquid on the back shelf. “I’ll have some of that, please. Keep the change.” He pulled the first note out of his pocket that he could find, ignoring the denomination and giving the liquid a sniff as she placed a glass down in front of him.

“You picked the worst one,” she said, smiling as he recoiled from the overpowering aniseed smell.

“Thank you for telling me that before,” he said, shaking his head.

“Tough day?”

“I’m going to a family meeting. It helps to have the edge taken off, my dear.”

---

Half an hour or so later, Poseidon watched out of the window of the taxi as it rolled up to Zeus’ mansion. Despite himself, he grinned. Most of the other Gods lived in relative modesty, doing anything but draw attention to themselves. Not the King of the Gods, however. It was just preposterous to thing of such a thing. “Here will do, driver,” he called through the glass window, shoving a collection of notes through into the man’s hand.

Making his way towards the mansion, he spotted his brother and Athena talking somewhat near the entrance. Taking a moment to smooth down his clothes, he gave a lazy wave of his hand and a lop-sided grin. “Better late than never. Has Hades turned up yet? I could do with a laugh or two.”

Rhea

Rhea paced back and forth along the small gravelled path in the garden, around her the garden had not changed since she had visited it earlier. It was still the same peaceful, serene place filled with lush plants and the background noise of animals living out their lives. But unlike earlier the surroundings were doing nothing to ease her mind or put her into a lighter frame of mind. Above her the sky directly above the house had turned an ominous grey and the clouds had gathered becoming thicker and heavier. Rumblings could be heard within those clouds and it was clear that soon there would be a storm raging in the sky, yet if anyone looked up they would see that the rest of the sky was relatively clear. Rhea was so attuned to the world around her that it reacted to her moods and her dark mood was reflected in the growing storm above.

Her husband had not yet returned from his jaunt to the foolish Olympian's flower shop and the longer he was gone the more anxious Rhea became. She was confident that nothing would happen to him especially since he had not gone alone but she disliked not knowing what they were going to do. Her husband was not a subtle man and he was determined to announce their presence in the most dramatic way possible. Whilst she knew her husbands thirst for vengeance ran deep she had hoped with time that she could have convinced him to stop at merely punishing the younger gods for their disobedience, after all how could children understand they had done something wrong if they were not punished? But whilst she was all for disciplining their unruly children she was against sending them to oblivion, no matter what they had done they were still her children.

Yet as she pictured her husband's face when Hyperion had told them that he had found the Olympians Rhea felt her hope deflate all over again. There would be no peace, no ruling with the Olympians accepting that they had much to learn and that the Titans were always meant to rule. Her husband would not stop until every single one of them was dead and she as the loyal wife would have to aid him in seeing this through. She had no doubt that if she betrayed him again she would have no second chances. With an angry sigh Rhea gave up pacing and walked back inside the house glaring about her as though her fellow Titans were to blame for her husbands actions. If any of them had any sense they would make themselves scarce until she felt better.

Ares

Ares smelled Aphrodite's intoxicating scent before he heard her and he took in a deep breath relishing the flowery scent that was uniquely hers. After another moment he heard her footsteps coming down the hall and he turned as she approached her apartment door, he exhaled sharply as he took in the sight of her. Even after returning from a journey she still looked incredible to him and he felt desire flood his system as she brushed past him to open the door to her apartment. Waves of blonde hair, lustrous and glowing with life, tempted him and he felt the strongest urge to trail his hands through their length and then use it to pull her to him for a kiss, He restrained the urge as he knew Aphrodite would not appreciate it particularly when he was still standing in the hallway where anyone could see them. Frankly he couldn't care less if her crippled husband spotted them as he knew he could easily beat the lesser god down, but he also knew that it bothered Aphrodite and for her he would do anything. So he did his best to not be too blatant about their affair and contented himself to having her all too himself whenever he could.

He stepped inside the apartment as she invited him in, her voice sending shivers up his spine. His eyes darkened with lust as he watched her move about the apartment. His feelings for her were such a tangle that even if he had had experience on how to recognise love he most likely would not have understood that that was what he felt for the goddess. Ironically she being the goddess of love made her the perfect one to seek advice and clarity from and yet Ares could not do such a thing for he was too used to appearing strong and unbeatable in essence what he believed a God should appear to be. Though he had siblings and both a father and a mother Ares had never felt particularly loved by many of them. His mother Hera was not a forgiving woman and made it plain that she thought little of him as did many of the other gods. In response Ares had simply become more determined to be better than his siblings at his god hood.

Irritated that he had allowed dark thoughts to distract him and also that the almost unbearable tension was still present he strode towards Aphrodite. He pulled her to him roughly and simply held her to him. He rested his head on her hair and sighed deeply, oddly though he felt desire for her and wanted to pick her up and take her to the bedroom he found that at that moment his first need was to simply hold her. Somehow she comforted him just by being there, though he did not understand why that would be. The sound of his phone beeping and of another phone, Aphrodite's, also beeping interrupted his moment of peace. With a growl of frustration he let go of Aphrodite with one arm though continued to hold her too him with the other, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He rapidly scanned the text and scowled.

"Our great and glorious leader has summoned us to dinner." He finally said his voice revealing his disgruntlement. "So much for some time alone."

The taxi was too fast-paced for Anton’s tastes. The driver drove through the city as though there were no obstacles hindering his chosen path. They ran intersections; came close to swiping other vehicles; and instead of taking fault for being a reckless driver, the driver opted to throw curses out the window. One mortal missed getting hit by the leather of her purse. The side view mirror had ripped the back right off her shoulder. She was on her cell phone and had stepped off the curb seconds late of getting clipped.

Anton watched in wide-eyed horror the young lady’s bag go flipping into the intersecting street. He was gripping the oh-shit bar and clutching the shoulder-strap of his seatbelt in constant reassurance that it was on as the vehicle lurched, swerved, and made abrupt brakes. It was bad enough that he was crammed into the backseat, and he was glad with his decision. With how transportation was going, shotgun was suicide.

“He should slow down,” said Anton uncomfortably.

"It's all right." She chirped cheerfully as she applied her favorite coral lipstick to her smooth plump lips. "It's New York, everyone drives like a maniac." She pursed her lips together as if preparing for a kiss before she slipped her lipstick back into her purse and directed all her attention towards her brother. The poor thing looked ready to fly out of his seat if they hit so much as a pot hole.

"Have you thought of what you might like to say to your wife or mother before we arrive?" Persephone questioned, a lazy smile climbing it's way across her face. "It might do you some good to practice with me, if you'd like." Though I have no idea how to play the part of a whore who cheats on her husband every chance she gets.

At the mention of his wife and mother, Anton’s expression softened with doubt. “I’d rather not. There’s no use rehearsing for something that may never happen. I just want this night to end quickly so that I can return to my shop.”

When the taxi bounced, Anton tensed and his hand gripped the utility bar so tight that he nearly ripped it from the ceiling.

“That is, if we survive the trip,” he added.

"Heph, if you talk to them now you can get it out of the way. Then you can go back to your shop and tinker to your hearts content."She smiled for him, so sweetly. “I won't push you however. Do as you like big brother." You can lead a God to water, but you can't make him drink it She thought to herself, chuckling slightly before turning from her brother and peering out the window.


It was raining again The water was trickling down from the skies to create puddles round the city. People walked and talked around her and Persephone envied them. How simple there lives must be. No jealous mothers, or criminal husbands. She was quiet, even when the vehicle bumped and bounced her around a bit after turning a corner. If one looked close enough into the blue pools of her eyes, they might see a hint of sadness, even as a smile graced her angelic face.

Anton listened but returned no answer. As usual, Persephone offered sensible advice, and surprisingly, Hades had as well, but Anton felt only cowardice. He feared being wronged thrice, and he was bracing himself for not just the could-be car crash, but for an emotionally anguishing night. His worst nightmares were going to be gathered in one place, and he was prepared to put on his best act. The smith’s poker face was at times better than his sculptures’.

It was when he teetered on the edge of sliding into deep meditation that he noticed Persephone had fallen silent. His malt ball eyes rolled over to his half-sister as she stared out the window; and the way she sat a seat away from him, it seemed like there were miles between them as the golden light of the street lamps swept over her. She brought to his mind a princess trapped in a tower. Was she really as miserable as he?

Anton glanced down at his hand on the seatbelt and slowly uncurled his fingers from around it. He reached across the seat and rested his hand upon her soft shoulder in a warm and comforting touch. He didn’t smile much, but the slightest hint touched the corners of his mouth at that moment.

“He’ll be there. Zeus did summon everyone.”

The look Anton gave her, as well as his touch was full of gentleness. She would gladly have hugged him for his tender words, but a part of her could not fully believe him. It was almost too much to hope for. " I hope so, though I'll believe it when I see it." She admitted, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling as she continued to stare out the window.

When she closed her eyes, it was Hades she saw, pacing in the Underworld and ordering Bernard around in his usual bossy manner.
He was always frowning, but his face would give way and turn into a smile when she was around. She wanted to take him in her arms and bury her face in the crook of his neck that she fit so perfectly into. She wanted him to speak with the dark voice she had grown to love; whispering sweet words to her that none but she would ever hear.

She squirmed a bit in her seat and her cheeks grew hot; a pink glow blossoming. She would have asked the driver to hurry up a bit had Heph not been there. He looked ready to jump and she didn't have the heart to make him any more anxious then he already was. "We should be there soon at least. Hopefully Father hasn't gone too overboard with the menu."


Zeus's mansion.

When the taxi pulled to the side, Persephone took a glance at the meter and clicked her purse open to take a few bills out. "Here, though next time you should avoid the pot holes. Some people actually prefer not to bump their head while they're sitting back here." She chided before placing the bills in the drivers hand.

The driver snorted and waved a hand to signal both of them to get out, and Persephone took no time taking her brothers hand and pulling him out with her. He was as solid as stone, and it took all her strength to pull the giant out of the bright yellow car. "Come on Heph, work with me here buddy! It'll be fine."

The taxi drove off, leaving Persephone to continue pleading with her brother. She held tight to his callused hand, wrapping her delicate fingers around his. Her heels clacked against the cement as they took the long route up from the driveway and towards the house, where she saw the flashing lights of the television reflecting off the large bay windows.

She continued dragging her reluctant prisoner along with her, walking up the steps to the front door. She flashed her brother a grin before placing her other hand onto the door handle and twisting it open. The smell of freshly baked bread and other delights the chefs were making hit her immediately. She finally released him, using both of her now free hands to brush the wrinkles out of her dress.

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" She teased.


After she managed to get him out of the taxi, he dragged along behind, the whirr and thump of his leg trying to keep up with the swift clap of her heels. The closer they came to the house, the colder he felt as fear gripped him and excited an outbreak of goose bumps across his arms. They reached the door and his sister’s reassurance still received no answer. The smith had started autopilot.