Moving Forces

“Ana! You need to wake up now!” She wakes up slowly, immediately she turns to the mirror she keeps by her bed. She gasps aloud as she sees that her eyes are glowing white. But even as she studies them, the glow fades.

“What is it Ana?” It’s Sammy. What’s he doing here? Usually Darren wakes everybody up.

“Oh, nothing, I just had a weird dream.” Ana stands up and starts pushing Sammy out of her room.

“A weird dream?” Sammy repeats, struggling, “you should probably tell Darren about it. You know what he said about dreams being dangerous.”

“It’s no big deal; it had nothing to do with Aether, anyway! Now let me change!”

“But Ana!”

“Get out, you little perv!” she finally pushes Sammy out the door and slams it behind him. “What was with that? My eyes were glowing like Aether’s. Maybe it’s just because he saved me. Or maybe it was Ganny!” Ana smiles brightly and changes into her fighting clothes, most of the Resistance wear the same type. The small bits of detachable armour scattered around the outfit randomly. Over the back of both hands, shoulder guards, and all around the boots. Not exactly protective.

As Ana puts each in their place, she wonders why they even bother. According to Darren, it’s mostly to look cool. ‘If you need armor to avoid getting injured, then you have no business on a battlefield.’ That’s what Darren always says.

“Darren was so crazy.” Ana says. “Now he’s just mean.”

Ana’s stomach rumbles, so she makes her way to the Bakery.

“Hey Krista!” Ana calls out upon entering. “Krista?” she repeats after getting only silence for an answer.

“Krista’s already at the Great Hall, where you should be now.” Ana yelps and turns to see Darren, sitting at a table with his feet up. “Krista is quite adept with a knife, don’t you think? All those years of professional cooking probably helped. She’s incredible to watch.”

“Yeah, she’s great. You’re really lucky to have her.”

“Despite my scars, you mean?”

“No, that’s not what I...”

“Oh well, still. Listen, I passed Sammy a bit ago, and he told me you had a ‘weird dream.’ Is that true?”

“Yeah, but it isn’t anything to worry about.”

“Who’s worrying?” Darren puts his hands up. “I’m just…inquisitive. Was it a bad kind of weird, like a nightmare? Or did you find it more pleasantly weird?”

“I dunno, it was just weird.”

“Would you care to tell me about it? I may be able to shed some light.” Darren gets up and stands before the small girl.

“No, I can’t really remember it; it kinda vanished as soon as I woke up. I just remember it was weird.”

“Oh, one of those deals. I hate dreams like that, don’t you?” Darren pauses for a moment, and then raises his hand and strokes Ana’s cheek, making her cringe. “I’ve told you this before, but you are adorable.” Naturally, Ana rears back and throws a punch at Darren, but he only catches her fist and throws it down.

“Relax,” he says, dropping his hand. “I’m just voicing an observation. Like you said, I’m really lucky to have Krista. I’d never try anything with you. But I can’t help but think that it must be driving Aether crazy.”

Ana’s eyes go wide, “What do you mean?”

Darren smile becomes a natural one, “I get feelings, remember? I don’t know what’s between you and Aether, but I know that it is not going to be easy for him to decide.”

“What does he have to decide?”

Darren starts circling Ana, “A strong, beautiful girl whose intelligence is comparable to that of her mother, the very goddess of wisdom. Then he has the adorable, yet also strong girl who is already head-over-heels for him. Truly a difficult decision.”

“Wait, he likes Solution?” Ana asks, and Darren chuckles. Despite what Aether himself had said, Ana had still been in doubt.

“You didn’t know? Oh, that’s so cute. Find you’re a bit jealous?”

“No, I don’t like him!” Ana yells, and Darren laughs loudly.

“Please, Ana. I can tell that you do. You display all the physical signs: pupils dilated, increased heart rate; and your breathing grew shallow at the first mention of him. All obvious signs of…attraction. Not to mention your overreaction to the very idea of him being anything more than a friend to you.”

“It isn’t like that!” Ana insists, “I could never like a traitor like him!”

Darren puts his head in one of his hands, “Ana, you and I both know that he isn’t a traitor.”

“You mean, you were lying?” What is Darren doing?

“Obviously, how else was I gonna get these people on my side? I want Aether destroyed, and these people aren’t going to help me do it unless I convince them that he needs to be. Now get going, I’ve got something to do.” Ana makes her way toward the door, watching Darren fearfully. “Oh, Ana?” he calls when she reaches the exit.

“What is it?” Ana says, clenching her hands.

“This probably goes without saying, but if you tell anyone about this I’ll kill you. You know about what happened to Shin? I could do worse to you.” Ana gasps loudly and Darren chuckles. “I hear you’re skilled in archery, I’d like to see it for myself.”

Ana heads out of the Bakery to the Great Hall, terror evident on her face.

When Ana leaves, the shadows in the corner condense, revealing the form of Erebus. He leans against the wall and crosses his arms, armour revealed by the shifting of his dark cloak.

“That went splendidly.” Erebus says.

“Even better than I had hoped.” Darren agrees. “Did you catch the fear in her eyes?”

“She was all but paralyzed.”

“Where did you go?” Darren asks as he turns to Erebus.

“Oh dear, all the humor has faded from your face.” Erebus remarks.

“Where were you?” Darren asks again, slowly.

“I told you, I had an errand to run.” Is Erebus’ answer.

Darren’s already stern face darkens more heavily. “You look different.” he notices aloud.

“Alright. The power of Hades is now under my command.”

“The death god?” Darren asks.

“No, no, not technically. Though he rules the dead...so I suppose.”

“Is that all you came for?”

“No, as I’m sure you noticed, Ana is no longer under my control.”

“My control.” Darren growls.

“Your control is mine.” Erebus corrects. “In any case, we’ve lost her to Aether’s power.”

“Morpheus?” Darren asks.

“Probably. I’d assume Aphrodite as well. So my question is,” Erebus lowers himself into a seat near where Darren stands, “What do you plan to do about it?”

“Simple, I’ll work her so hard she won’t have the energy to think.”

“Hmm, not a bad plan, but what happens when Aether inevitably brings her to him? The result will be a stronger, more skilled fighter joining Aether against you.”

“Don’t you mean against you?”

“Even so. I would recommend you employ fear, but that is the tactic of a fool. A kingdom built on fear is doomed to fall.”

“So, convince her?”

“No, she won’t trust you.” Erebus closes his eyes, “It could be fun to simply watch her and see what happens.”

“You are more concerned about what’s fun?” Darren seethes.

“Spare me that nonsense.” Erebus says. He spreads his hands in the air, “I’m eternal, I don’t have to worry about anything.”

Darren’s eyes grow black, and anger burns within him. Despite the power he gifted Darren with, this man tortured him. “Get out.” Darren says at a whisper, his teeth clenched.

“Ooh, I like that expression, Darren.” He leans closer and his smile spreads wider, “It suits your scars.”

Darren’s entire body flashes as light is absorbed into him in a single moment. “Get out!” he screams. When the lights flicker back to life, Darren finds himself alone in the Bakery.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

I sit up slowly, and rub my eyes. Despite the experience, I was sleeping, and I feel rested.

“So, how did it go?” Aphrodite asks, “I can still feel Ana’s love for you, and it’s stronger now.”

“I managed to purge her of Erebus’ power.” I feel my arms, though the wounds are gone, I can almost feel the numbing pain of the beast’s claws.

“That’s great!” Aphrodite says. “Do you think we’ll get the effect we wanted?”

I shake my head, “I only managed to purge Ana, and she will be protected if Darren tries to corrupt her again. However, what I did is not going to be contagious. Ultimately, my mission failed.”

“But you saved Ana. That’s something, is it not?” Morpheus says. “Now come, we should go tell Zeus what happened.”

“He’s right,” Aphrodite says, appearance shifting to Solution. “Zeus needs to know.”

We all stand and start heading back to the throne room. On our way I see a tree, a gnarled thing with two large green bushes growing at the top of it. I go over to it and place my hand on the bark.

“That’s an olive tree.” Morpheus tells me. “Used to be the most common sight in this area. You’re looking at one of the two hundred of them left in the world.”

“Two hundred?” I repeat. Has Erebus had that much of an effect on the world? I start stroking the tree. My eyes reach up and see clusters of small green fruits. I pluck one and bite into it. My teeth tear through it easily until they become painfully aware of the seed in the center of the fruit. I eat around it and spit the seed out into my hand. The taste, I realize, is terrible. Immediately I spit it out and wipe my tongue with my hand.

“Yeah,” Morpheus says, laughing, “You asked for that.”

“What is wrong with it?” I ask, still trying to get the taste out of my mouth.

“Nothing, you’re obviously just too stupid to appreciate it.” I hear an annoyed voice say. I turn and am met with a vicious glare from the girl who seemed to be wearing grass before. Her clothes are different now. A shirt that is little more than a tube covers her chest and midriff. Dark green leggings frame her legs down to the calf quite nicely. Around her ankles are circlets made of flowers. Her feet are bare. She has short brown hair and green eyes. She would be pretty, were not for the expression on her face. I believe ‘bitchy’ is how Darren would identify it.

“Would you please identify yourself for me?” I ask her.

“I’m Demeter, goddess of the harvest. I’d say ‘pleased to meet you again’, but you insulted the only work I’ve had for years. So you can forget that.”

Does she mean the tree? “My apologies, I was just expecting it to taste better.”

Her eyes get wide and she smacks me upside the head. “You jerk!” she says, “I’ve been working on this tree since Erebus destroyed all my gardens. It’s the best damn tree on Olympus!”

Rubbing my head, I turn and start to walk away. “I apologize.” I say over my shoulder, “We should really get going now, though.”

“For what?” Demeter asks Morpheus.

“We need to tell Zeus what happened.”

“Why, what happened?” she asks.

“Come with us and you’ll find out.” Aphrodite replies, all but pulling Morpheus away.

“Hold on,” Aphrodite says, stopping suddenly. “Shouldn’t you go check on Solution?”

I narrow my eyes. “Why?”

“I dunno, just do it. We can tell Zeus what happened.”

“You live off of my discomfort, Aphrodite.”

She smiles, “I admit, it is a plus. But really I think you should make sure she’s okay.”

“Alright, fine!”

They head off and I go to find my room. Olympus’ layout is oddly perplexing; all the pathways intersect and snake off; seemingly without a pattern. A lovely place to be lost in, sure, but I do not have the time. I cannot explain, but some kind of dread is tickling the back of my mind. I turn around in circles until I see the throne room; easy to spot, given its size. My gaze follows the paths leading from it until I see the tower at the top of my building.

Oh, I understand now. You find your way around this city by looking up at the various towers and temples that rise up all around the place. Now that I have figured this out, navigation should be much easier.

I quickly get to my room and upon opening the gate, an unsettling feeling comes over me. I look in but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Solution is just as I left her, sleeping peacefully. I wonder if she is better yet. Perhaps I should try to wake her up. I shake her shoulder, but she does not stir. I try calling out, and she sits up and hits me. She then lays back down and falls back to sleep.

“Okay, I will leave you here, then.”

I head back to the throne room and find Zeus waiting for me on his throne with Aphrodite, Morpheus, and Hermes on the floor below him.

“Aether,” Zeus says, “would you care to fill us in on what happened?”

“Gladly, I successfully entered Ana’s dream, and while there, the corruption in her took the form of a monster. I fought the beast.”

“Did you win?” Hermes interrupts.

“With Ana’s help, I managed to subdue it. Instead of destroying it though, I infused it with my power. Thereby purging the corruption from Ana and at the same time protecting her from further danger.”

“Well, great!” Zeus says, “Do you think this will affect the rest of the Resistance?”

“Sadly, no. I was barely able to purge Ana. Saving the rest of the Resistance is going to be much harder than we thought. I do not have the control that Erebus does. I do not know how to make my power infectious.”

“So what is next?” Aphrodite asks.

“I do not know.” I answer.

Suddenly the ground starts shaking so much we all fall to the ground.

“What the hell is going on?” Zeus yells.

The ground shakes again, harder this time. Zeus is thrown to the floor form the force. As he hits the floor he springs up and runs out of the palace. I follow him and do not stop until we reach the gates of Olympus. Through the gate, I can see dozens of monsters, just like the one I fought in Ana’s dream. When the beasts see me, they grow agitated and start pounding against the gate. The gate, however, is magically reinforced, so each blow sends out a shockwave throughout Olympus.

Zeus, Ares, and Hermes arrive at the gate and stand next to me.

“How well is this gate protected?” I ask Zeus.

“That depends on how powerful those things are.” He replies, crossing his arms.

“Should we do something?” I ask him.

“We could kill them all.” Ares offers.

“Do you ever think of anything else?” Hermes asks Ares.

“What else could they be here for than to kill us?” Ares says, “I say we get them before they get us.”

“Good thing you aren’t in charge then.” Zeus says. “I say we wait and see if they can break through the gate. If they do, have at them. Until then, we keep watch and try to find out what they are. Speaking of which, anybody have any ideas?”

“They look exactly like the monster that attacked me in Ana’s dream.”

“So we have terrible beasties via Erebus?” Hermes asks me.

I do not reply for a few moments. I can feel something from these beasts. Hostility, they are targeting me and they want to rip me apart. “I think that is exactly what they are. And they are after me.”

“If they belong to Erebus, then I’m afraid Ares is right.” Zeus says.

“ALALE ALALA!” Ares yells out, he pulls out his sword and jumps over the gate. He disappears behind the multitude of creatures, and all we can hear is him yelling for more.  A couple of the beasts go flying, vanishing in air as something rips them apart.

In but a few moments he is screaming again, but now they are screams of pain. One of the beasts rears up, and we see Ares flung from its mouth, back towards us. He lands at our feet, golden blood covering him. He looks up at me and winces.

“Those things,” he says. “Are tougher than I thought. Those b******s took my sword.” He closes his eyes and fall unconscious.

“We should get him to Apollo.” I say.

“No need,” Zeus says, “he’ll heal on his own before long.”

“Yeah, but he’s a big baby when he gets hurt, he won’t be fighting again for at least a couple days.” Hermes says.

“Even compared to my weakest mortal child,” Zeus says, “he is by far the biggest disgrace. Hermes, go tell the others that we are being attacked by beasts that could bring down Ares. But before you do, bring Solution to the throne room. I’m concerned she may be in danger otherwise.”

“Would it not be better to hide her?” I say, “If the beasts are after the gods, and they get to them, Solution will be in danger.”

Zeus shakes his head, “For one thing, those beasts are Erebus’ creations, as a child of Erebus, they can probably sense her. For another, if those beasts do break in, the gods will be able to at least try to protect Solution.”

“Do what you must.” I say.

“Give us some faith, Aether,” Hermes says, “We’re the gods, we’re powerful enough to protect Solution, and ourselves. Thanks very much for the concern by the way.”

“Get going, you.” I say, as I push Hermes.

Zeus and I stand there for a few moments, watching the beasts. Eventually Zeus sits on the ground, and I do as well. Zeus apparently gets bored, and lies down.

“Do you think those beasts will break through the gate?” I ask him.

“I dunno.” He replies, eyes closed, “The gates’ protections were created by very strong magic. And even without the magical protection, that gate could withstand a nuclear blast.”

“What is a nuclear blast?” I ask him.

“I mean that even without the magic, that thing is damn near impossible to break down. Only Erebus himself could break his way through. Those things don’t stand a chance.”

“They are projections of Erebus’ power. They might have the strength to do it.”

“Then I’ll activate my master bolt and destroy them.” He replies, “For now, I’m napping.”

“Your master bolt?

Zeus holds up his right arm and there, tracing his forearm, is a golden marking in the shape of a lightning bolt.

“The mortals always thought that the master bolt was a weapon that I could hold, like Poseidon’s trident. It was created by the same creatures that made the trident, but it’s a completely different thing. It’s basically a magic tattoo that gives me mastery over lightning.”

“Sounds more convenient than a staff.” I say.

“Much.”

ɂɂɂ

 

“Damn it.” Darren says, chugging his coffee. The heat of it burns his tongue, but he pays the pain no mind. Krista is behind the counter, talking to Lucas about what Darren doesn't even care. 'If they knew.' He thinks to himself. He brings the cup back to his lips and winces as the steam prickles his nose. He swigs the bittersweet drink and savors the flavor as it burns down his throat.

“Be careful, Darren.” Krista calls. Darren raises his hand and immediately drops it to gesture ‘whatever’. Lucas nods at Krista and then leaves the Bakery.

Krista all but runs to Darren and seats herself on his lap. He takes another drink of his coffee, all but ignoring the pretty girl now playing with his dirty blonde hair.

“Y’know,” Krista says, “Even with the scars I can read your face.”

“That so?” Darren responds.

“So…tell me what’s wrong.”

“You know damn well what’s wrong.” He replies.

“We are following you.”

“It isn't that same.” Darren situates himself so that he and Krista can both be comfortable. “They used to love me, now all they see is some monster they’re too afraid of to rebel against.”

“I know you aren't a monster.” Krista says.

Darren looks into the black pits that made up her once dark green eyes. No one, even Krista herself, has seemed to notice them, making Darren wonder if he had done more than simply convince them of Aether’s betrayal.

“And I thank the stars I have you to notice.” Darren says before bringing his lips to the girl’s cheek.

“Think we should go train?” Krista asks.

“Later.” Darren whispers, tilting her head so he can kiss her lips.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

The sound of tearing metal jars me out of a near sleep trance. I look over at the gate and see a quickly growing crack down the middle of it.

“Zeus, the beasts are breaking through.”

Zeus sits up quickly, “Oh s**t!” he says. He gets to his feet and I see his golden marking start to glow. From his hand comes a bolt of lightning that he shoots straight up into the sky. The effect is so loud I have to cover my ears.

“What is that?” I ask him.

“That’s my signal to let the other gods know to prepare for battle.”

The bolt glows again and he aims his hand towards the gate. With a flash of light, the gate bursts open and the creatures start to pour through. Two are immediately destroyed by lightning.

“Behold Aegis!”  Zeus screams. He rips away the sash that covers his breastplate, and immediately several of the monsters freeze in fear. No, it is more than that, they are now entirely solid! The power of Aegis literally petrifies all who behold it. No wonder Zeus keeps it hidden.

Zeus brings his hands together, and both of them crackle with electricity. He runs for the monsters and starts punching them; with each blow, a beast is destroyed.

And I could not even destroy one with all my might. I am about to turn and run to the throne room, when the bearded man appears before me.

“Here!” he says as he thrusts a new staff into my hands. It looks just like my other one, but it is colored white and made of polished metal rather than wood. Near the bottom of the staff I see a button, just like in Ana’s dream. I push the button and the staff elongates into a spear.

“Morpheus told me about that being in your dream.” He tells me, “Hephaestus, if you don’t know.” He pulls twin hammers from his belt and a fire explodes to life around each of them. He begins to attack the beasts, and just like with Zeus, each blow is another beast gone.

I hear odd sounds, like metal scrunching, I look at Hephaestus’ legs and see the metal bracings crashing around themselves. Perhaps it is gear to help him walk.

I am about to thank him, when a beast starts charging straight at me. I react quickly, and spear the beast in the head. However, it continues to push against me. So I push the spear deeper into the beast, and twist it around. Through the beast’s neck I see the head of the spear break through. The beast stops charging forward, so I pull the spear out. That is when it  hits me with its head. I go flying backwards, and the beast jumps on top of me. It is about to bite my face, when out of sheer impulse I scream.

Immediately the beast and two more erupt into pillars of light. I look at my reflection in my spear and as expected my eyes are glowing. As the adrenaline pumps through me more quickly, white lines trace my face, forming intricate designs. I look down at my arms and see them covered by the same lines. They extend into my spear, and confidence fills me.

I charge forward and as I slash one beast with the spear, it contorts in pain. Another strike and the creature goes down. Running through the fray, more and more of our enemies go down. My spear becomes a blur of glowing metal.

I look up for a moment to take in the field and see the herd thinning. My fears were for naught it seems. As the thought crosses my mind, I see more beasts pour through the gate, snarling and snapping their jaws. At a glance I guess around two hundred more face us now.

“We are doomed, rightly and truly.” I say in despair.

“Come on Aether!” Zeus screams. He drives his fist into the snout of a beast, obliterating it. “Perk up, this is the most fun I’ve had in years!” He laughs in delight as more beasts go down by his hand.

I take down another of the beasts and as I see it vanish, I feel its existence ending. A small thrill goes through me when I realize this, and a grin comes to my face as I kill yet another.

The grin spreads into a smile, and I begin to laugh like a delighted child. I sprint forward with my spear now engulfed in light. One of the monsters stands in my way, so I stab it through the heart, and it erupts into a pillar of light. On impulse, I put my hand into the pillar, and it forms into a large ball. My smile widens even further as another beast pounces at me.

“Zeus is right, this is fun!” I yell. I throw the ball at the monster and impale another behind me. The energy ball is still there, floating in midair. I move my arm through the air and the ball follows it. I move the ball all around, destroying the monsters on impact. I think I am beginning to lose myself. But who cares? This is all too much fun!

I throw the ball along the ground, where it rolls and knocks the monsters into oblivion. With my spear I stab and slash the beasts without even thinking. I turn in circles as I fight, and move my feet almost like I am performing a murderous dance.

As I twist and turn to kick one of them, my left leg erupts in an odd sensation. I look down and see one of the beasts’ jaws wrapped around my leg.

“Damned beast!” I hiss. “Get that out of your mouth, it’s mine!” I stab the beast through the head, and it lets go. However, it is still standing, so I stab it again. I stab it again and again and again and again and again. The beasts have no blood, and I cannot tell whether or not they feel pain. But the more I stab the more pleasure I get from it. And the beast starts to vanish more and more with every strike.

I look into its eyes after about the ninth stab and as I do I sense the pain in them. A shaky breath works its way into me and as the beast dissolves my senses return. I look around the battlefield and realize that despite the power of these gods, we are heavily outnumbered. I hear screaming and see Hephaestus go down under five or six of them.

An idea comes to me; I study my staff more closely. I focus my power into the staff and when I do I feel a surge of energy returned to me. This metal has been absorbing my power, and amplifying it. I look over at Zeus and see that he is still fighting. I see now why he is the king here. He is the most powerful being on this mountain.

Several of the beasts surround me, drawing away my attention. I try to fight them. But my mind is elsewhere.

“Aether!” Zeus yells. I turn and see him raise his right arm at me. “You know what I’m thinking!” he says and a blast of lightning comes at me. I turn my staff towards the blast and as it travels through it and into my body my vision blurs. I can feel the lightning coursing through my body, it should be destroying me but instead I can feel it moving around before returning to the staff now with its power enhanced tenfold.

I focus my energy and pour it into the spear. Its already blinding glow grows even brighter. I can feel the electricity trying to escape and oblige it by stabbing the spearhead into the ground. The energy forms a ring of white light around me and spreads out in a burst of power. Upon touching it, each monster is immediately destroyed.

My eyesight goes white for a moment and I fall to my knees. When my vision clears I can see my staff lying on the ground next to me, no longer glowing and shrunk to two feet. Around me I can see no trace of the monsters, not even the grass shows any sign of struggle. The adrenaline fades from my blood and with it excruciating pain burns in my leg. As I grab my spear it lengthens back to a four foot weapon, which I hang limply from, hardly able to stand. Zeus comes over to me and claps me on the back.

“We did it, Aether!” he hoots. “For a second there I thought we were going to lose.”

“For a few moments, I did as well.” I say, before falling to the ground.

“Hey, you alright?” Zeus says.

“I will be fine.” I mutter weakly before passing out.