 
Lost Hope |   
 |

---|---|---

Lost Hope

Iniriba GreyMyst

Copyright Sabrina Grauman 2014

Published at Smashwords

To my Family

My Inspiration and Motivation

To my husband

Because.

I want to thank everyone who had a hand in helping make this book the best it could be. Thank you all so much for your support in this. It would not have been possible with out you! Enjoy!

Jared Buck

Anthony Diaz

John Francis Grasso

Jessica Smith

Special Thanks to these writers who answered my Questions along the way!

My NaNoHarpy Jennifer Sights, Author of Divided, an Elena Ronen Novel

Sarah Jayne Carr Author of Revealing Hamilton, A Jackrabbit7 Novel

Michael R. Hicks Author of In Her Name SciFi Series

Contents

Cover Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Author Notes

Chapter 1

Hope tossed the days trash into the large teal bin behind the shelter, turned and wiped her hands off on her jeans. Miss Jenny, one of the local homeless ladies, stumbled around the corner of the large brick building that was Hope House. A shelter for homeless men and women.

Jenny's old worn out cloths were covered in dirt and worse things, her unwashed, pale hair hung in lank strands from under her weathered knit cap.

"Miss Jenny, how are you today?" Hope asked waving to the other woman.  
Jenny waved with one grime covered hand. "I'm good. I found some shoes. Practically new." Jenny stopped her cart next to the bin a few feet from where Hope stood. The sickly sweet smell of stale sweat and urine rolled off Jenny like a heat wave. She pulled the shoes from the cart, swinging them back and forth for Hope to look at.

Jenny's rheumy eyes took on a brief focus as she watched her face intently. "See? Practically new. You like shoes, Ms. Hope?" She asked, putting the shoes back into the cart.

"Not nearly as much as you do," Hope said with a laugh."Those are going to look lovely on you. Would you like to come in for something to eat?" she asked pointing to the rear door of the shelter.

"Can I bring my things?" Jenny's eyes narrowed as she looked at the other woman. She already knew the answer. It was almost a game to her now. For the last several years since Hope took over the building as a shelter, She and Miss Jenny had an ongoing battle to get her to let go of her shopping cart. She never said yes, and Hope never stopped asking.

"No cart, I don't have enough room for it next to the cots." Jenny began to dig through the trash bin shrugging me off as she examined the garbage. The sounds of the music from the dance club next door started sending the bass vibration through the air. The evening had grown darker in the few minutes they had been outside.

The light outside the rear door of the shelter flickered to life and cast a round glow in the long shadows of the back alley. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?" Hope asked once more. "Mark is making apple pie for dessert." she teased, hoping that would work. The homeless woman's rummaging ceased and she looked over at her again.

"Oh, apple pie?"

"Yup." she replied.

"Can I bring my cart?"  
Hope let out a deep sigh. "Tell you what, I will let you bring the cart inside on one condition, you have to agree to talk to a counselor. Alright?"

Jenny's eyes showed a brief moment of pain. "No deal," she said, taking her cart and walking out into the black night.

* * *

Hope spent the remainder of the evening helping Mark, her right hand man and the largest person she had ever met. They spent most of the time helping feed the homeless as they shuffled in through the door.

You could tell the people who were new to the streets from the people who had been transient for a while. They stood a little straighter, there was a little more light in their eyes.

Their hope was something she loved to see. Hope mourned a little every time she saw the faces that no longer carried that look. The people who were so far past hope that they just survived. They no longer lived but did not know how to give up. Part of her felt that these people were stronger than she was. Even in their misery they clung to life.

She wasn't sure that if she was ever in their shoes she could stand a day, let alone years of daily misery.

So she ran a homeless shelter. Hope wanted to help as many people as she could. Keeping their spark of hope alive. Her dad said it was just part of who she was.

The meal was finished early. The regulars at the shelter all knew Hope had big plans for the evening and helped clean up the tables and get the cots set up for emergency sleeping places. Sometimes the shelter had entire families that needed a bet for a few nights as they waited on their situation to come together.

Tonight was no different. A young mother with a pair of twin girls about four years old stepped through the front door. Her girls were dressed in silky pink pajamas. Their dark hair done in tight rows of braids ending in pink beads that clicked together as they peaked out from behind the My Little Pony stuffed toys they clutched tightly in their tiny hands.

Hope stepped over a cot that still lay folded on the floor. "Please come in." she said kneeling down to make eye contact with the girls.

She said, "Hello, my name is Hope. How are you ladies tonight?"

Each girl said something in reply but the words were muffled by the stuffed toys. Their mother said, "My name is Melissa. These are my girls. We need a place to sleep for the night. The women's shelter was full. They said I could try coming here."

With her best smile Hope said, "You certainly can." holding out her hand invitingly, "Is there anything you need help with beside a bed?"

With a sigh of relief the young mother broke down in tears. Hope was use to the unburdening of fears and listened to her as she spoke of her situation. Sometimes people just needed someone to help them and not judge them.

Chapter 2

As she locked the door to her office ready to head out for the night her stomach turned in knots thinking about Jenny and Melissa. She promised herself to allow Jenny in without any conditions next time she saw her. Maybe she would have better luck getting her the help she needed. As for Melissa, Hope knew she and her daughters would be fine as soon as the womens shelter had room. In the meantime Hope would make sure they had space at Hope House.  
The short hall from her office to the dining room was dark, split by the light coming through the closed kitchen door. She could hear Mark humming, the bass of his voice carried easily through the thin walls as he washed the dishes.

Cracking the door open, Hope leaned in. "Goodnight, Mark." she shouted so he would hear over the sound of the music playing through a pair of black stereo headphones on his large, bald head. She could still smell the apple pie lingering in the kitchen.

He waved with one hand covered in soap suds the other he used to remove the headphones. "You heading to Dora's party?" he said.

"Yeah, I want to get there before the other guests arrive," she said.

He bit his bottom lip then said, "You be careful, girl."

"I will, thank you." she said her brow creasing in curiosity at his worry. She headed down the hall. Mark was always looking out for her. Like the big brother she never had growing up. His out of place unease had her wondering what was bothering him. She shrugged it off heading for the alley. Any other night she would have taken the time to ask him what was wrong but tonoght was a special occasion. Her best friend was having her 25th brithday and she did not want to miss it.

Heading out the back door to her car parked behind the building, she took a deep breath of the night air. Brine from the Puget Sound just down the hill gave it a slightly fishy smell.

The alley was totally black but for the small circle of light from the tiny bulb by the back door. The street light overhead buzzed with electricity trying to connect with a light bulb that wasn't there.  
Broken glass crunched under foot as she made her way to the corvette parked on the far side of the alley.  
Taking a set of keys from a side pocket, she slung the garment bag that held her evening dress over her shoulder. Music from the dance club thumped dully through the red brick of the building next door like a heartbeat caught in the masonry.  
The flash of the lights as Hope hit the unlock button on the remote was like lightining in a cave. Momentary blindness from the spots in her eyes made it so she had to feel her way along the window of the car down to the door handle.  
The sound of gravel and glass crunching behind her gave her a second of warning. Hope turned to see what had made the sound. A split second was all the time she had to dodge the darker black blur of a fist heading straight for her face. Hope moved to the side, swinging the garment bag at her assailant as she went sliding along the side of the corevette. She heard a muffled curse as she ran back to the door of the shelter, the island of pale yellow light a refuge in the darkness of the alley.  
More crunching glass and another figure materialized from the darkness.

He was bald and looked like he was wearing some kind of head gear that curled up and over his pointed ears like horns. Loose fit denim pants hung low like a gangster on his waist. "Hold still, bitch" he took a knife from somewhere at his back. His voice was higher than I had expected.  
Pulling glass from his bleeding knuckles, the first man stepped into the circle of light. He tossed the bloody fragments in her direction. Hope felt them hit her in the face like bloody bits of rain.  
Hope turned and beat against the door of the shelter. The sound of her fists pounding against metal reverberated through the ally like machinegun fire, Desperately willing Mark to hear her through the music of his headphone, She started to shake, the night air freezing the sweat on her back.  
The pair drew closer and Hope raised her own hands in a weak attempt at self defense. Her father had given her some martial training when she was growing up, she doubted it was going to be enough to save her from these two.  
The one with the knife swung the blade out in an arcing slice aimed for her throat. It was an easy dodge to the side while reaching up to grab his wrist, twisting his entire arm and putting pressure on his extended elbow. The dodge brought her closer to the other man who landed a heavy crunching blow in the womans ribs. Red fire lanced through her side as a sickly wet crack vibrated through her from her ribs snapping.  
Hope crumbled to the pavement taking knife boy with her as she fell. She released her hold on the one with the knife, cradling her rib cage with one arm and leaning against the rough brick of the building with the other shoulder.  
Knife boy got to his feet. She had injured his arm when they fell. He cradled it against his chest glaring at her.

His friend laughed. "You pussy, she hurt you?"  
"Just shut the fuck up man."

The door was only a few feet away from where she leaned against the wall. Scooting along the ground sent waves of searing pain shooting through her chest and up her back. Her vision started to fuzz around the edges.  
The assailants moved in from either side. Hope could no longer reach the door. Overwhelmed with fear and pain, back pressed so hard against the brick she felt the mortar between them. She screamed.

Chapter 3

Loud and long, she screamed in pure desperation. As the echo of her cry faded in the alley, the sound of rattling metal filled the darkness. It gained clarity as a brown and grey blur flew from the darkness crashing into the attacker with the knife as he stood in shock just a few inches from where Hope lay helpless and sobbing.  
Jenny used her cart to slam the man in to the brick. Over and over, she smashed at him until he had stopped moving and slumped to the ground in a bloody heap of tenderized meat. Her breath came out in heavy gasps as she stood over the still form.  
"You bitch!" The other man shouted in a sound that could only be described as a goat like bleat. He lowered his head charging at Jenny, sending her flying across the pool of light and out into the darkness with one punch. In a rage he followed. Hope heard the dull thud of fist against flesh and the fading cries of the woman who had risked her life to save her. She could see just vague shapes in the darkness the taller shadow of the man leaned over, beating the helpless woman.  
Hope tried to stand up only to be sent back to the ground as red pain filled her vision. White spots dancing in front of her eyes as she toppled over. Her back slamming against the door of the shelter, she gave one last feeble cry for help with ever ounce of strength she had left in her.

Hope felt something inside her burst open and a warm wind flooded through the alley from where she lay on the pavement.  
The thug stopped his beating and turned to look at her. His eyes wide and wild. She felt the door open and was pushed gently out of the way. A huge hand reached down touching her gently on the neck, She watched the blurred form of Mark stand and turn to the other man. "Stupid satyr. You're goat meat."

She slipped into darkness.

Her ribs were on fire. The overwhelming pain brought her back up from the darkness of unconsciousness to the dimly lit alley behind the homeless shelter.  
With a groan, Hope rolled onto the side that was not radiating agony trying to sit up.  
"Here let me help," a male voice said.

Hope felt hands curl around her arms, gently lifting her from the ground and to her feet. Looking up, she had to stifled a gasp of surprise.  
Denim blue eyes peeked out from behind a curtain of sun bleached hair. The gasp sent pain stabbing through her ribs again. His strong hands still held her up as a sagged from the pain.  
"I need to get to the hospital," she said, leaning heavily back against the cold brick. I seemed to be getting well acquainted with the back wall. she thought to herself. Once she felt she was steady he let go of her arms, his hands hovered at her sides to make sure she would not fall again.

"We'll get you some help as soon as I know it is safe." The stranger said, glancing up and down the alley. Hope followed his gaze and caught sight of the still, black form of Jenny just out of the reach of the light.  
A surge of horror pulsed through her, sending her stumbling over to the still form that lay in the center of the alley, just out of reach of the light.

With trembling hands , Hope reached out to see if Jenny was still alive, one soft touch on her swollen face. Tears streaming down her cheeks, falling to mingle with the blood on Jenny's mangled face. "Oh Miss Jenny," she whispered.

Hopes vision swam for a moment.

Miss Jenny had been 25 and high when she was raped by a room full of frat boys. Her family said she deserved it.

Hired as a stripper for the party, drugged, used then dumped in an alley. The world saw a dirty old woman too stoned to take a shower let alone hold a job. A woman who had given up hope.

These days she wandered the streets of Tacoma with a shopping cart full of everything she owned. Muttering to herself as she dug through dumpsters, never taking a hand from her cart. Broken from that long ago trauma she would not let go, even in her sleep.

This all passed through her mind as Hope gently touched the swollen cheek of the other woman.  
Jenny's eyelids fluttered briefly, then opened. She looked at Hope, her brown eyes clear as she smiled up at her through the ruin of her face.

In a movement Hope thought impossible for Jenny's broken form, the beaten woman reached one battered hand up, grasping lightly, like a feather in her palm. A soft sigh escaped her lips as her eyes moved to the other side. The stranger hand knelt down opposite Hope holding Jenny's other hand in his larger one. Hope had never noticed how tiny and fragile the homeless woman was.  
"We going to get help," Hope's voice broke as she choked back her grief, "You'll be ok. You can stay at the shelter until you get better,"

She started to babble. Jenny looked back up at her. Her eyes were clear and Hope knew she was no longer in pain.

Another soft sigh from the homeless woman and the light that was Miss Jenny faded from her gaze.  
"That's done," the stranger said standing up and wiping his hands off on the front of his jeans.  
"How can you say that?" Hope gasped, fist clenched at her sides. Burning rage at his flipant sounding attitude sent Hope to her feet, ignoring the pain radiating from her broken side.  
His hand came up and he leaned back. "That came out wrong. I'm so sorry Hope. I just meant that she is not suffering anymore." He said gesturing at Jenny with one hand the other still raise in defense.  
Hope blinked at him and looked back down at Jenny's body. "You think so."  
"I know it."

The welcome sight of Mark lumbering around the corner broke her thoughts away from the tragedy at her feet. "Oh thank god," she said. Stumbling forward to be caught up by the larger man.

The world started to grey out again from the pain,and she swayed in his grasp. Mark rushed to picked her up like she was a small child and carried her to the door where she once again leaned against the brick.  
"You alright Miss Aries?" He asked keeping one beefy hand on her shoulder. Hope patted his hand with one of her own and just shook her head concentrating on keeping the pain from pulling her back into darkness.

After a moment Hope said, "I think my ribs are broken. Can you ca ll 911?"  
The big man glanced at the stranger who still stood next to Jenny's body. His fist on his chin, eyebrows drawn together in a deep frown. He was unbelievable attractive, sending a word of caution running through her mind.

Shaking his head the newcomer said, "No, we need to keep her safe, maybe Aphrodite can help."  
"Now wait just a minute," Hope said getting angry again.

Mark nodded at the other man and said, "Medusa is close. She has a fondness for the girl," What the hell were these two talking about? Hope wondered as she watched the men try to decide what best to do.

The other man nodded and said "You're right. She might be able to help"

"Now wait just a damn minute," she said again, "I am going to the hospital. Who the hell do you think you are?"  
He stepped casually over the body. Hope felt something pushing, like a strong wind against her face but there was no breeze in the alley way. The pressure built as he approached until her ears popped. When he was just a few feet away she could feel the heat of him against her skin like a lovers carress. His aura was thick and sweet, like honey. She felt like a bug caught in golden amber overwhelmed with the sweetness of his presence.  
Mark stepped in front of her and the pressure eased enough for Hope to catch her breath.

"She don't know" he said.

She saw the big man tremble as he faced the smaller man. The thought crossed her mind Was he scared of him?

The two men squared off and locked eyes for a moment. Mark looked away first stepping out of the way.  
"We are going to see Medusa." the stranger said. Turning to Hope he held out a hand, "You can call me Thane."

Chapter 4

Medusa lived in down town Tacoma in a ritzy penthouse overlooking the Puget Sound and the Glass Museum. Not far from the homeless shelter. Hope watched her reflection in the black laqured paneling that lined the hall. The thick beige carpet muffling her foot steps. Giant mirrors alternated on the wall and life like statues posed in alcoves every few feet. Hope stopped to look at one of the statues for a moment as Thane walked the long hallway ahead of her.

The statue was of a woman in her late 30's. Her hair was caught up in a braid and she was dressed in a business suit. As Hope leaned in for a closer look at the detail on the statues face, the eyes turned to look at her then blinked. Hope let out a small squeak and ran down the hall to Thane who stood woth one hand raised up ready to knock on the plain black door at the end of the hall.

"Thane, the statue moved." She clutched his arm tightly. "Her eyes. they looked right at me then blinked." He could see her pulse was racing from the big vien in her neck. She had to take deep even breaths so that she wouldn't pass out again.

"I told you we were going to see Medusa. Of coarse the statue moved. They're alive." He said matter of factly.

She tried to will her heart to stop racing. "How can they be alive?" she asked just as the door opened, an elegant older woman stood leaning on the door frame.

"Because I don't kill people dear." she said. Her voice was melodious. Her skin was a shade of dark brown, like milk chocolate, completely flawless.

Medusa dressed in bright African style with a hair wrap to match the pattern of the dress.

She held out her hands to Thane and waved them at him "Get over here and give me a kiss, you" she said. He reached down and scooped the smaller woman up into his arms giving her a firm kiss on her lips making her giggle like a girl half her age. Hope felt the heat rise in her cheeks, she totally understood how the older woman felt.

After Thane had set her back down on the floor, Medusa turned to the young woman standing in the hall and waved her hands beckoning her like she had at him. "And you must be Hope. I haven't seen you since your first birthday. My goodness you are beautiful!" she said.

Hope had always felt like she was the ugly duckling. With plain brown hair, average skin and muddy hazel eyes, she didn't even stand out being too tall or short by modern standards. She was average all around.

"Thank you." she said, not sure how to react to this woman she had just met who stood gushing over her like a long lost aunt.

"Oh don't be like that honey." Medusa said and grabbed her in a tight squeeze. Hope whimpered in pain, bighting her lip to keep from screaming in the other womans face.

Holding Hope at arms length Medusa asked "Thanatos, what have you been doing to this girl?" She kept one arm around the injured girl gently ushering her into the penthouse.

Windows everywhere. The floors where dark hard wood covered in furs and carpets. Elegant wood furniture sat in neat arrangements around the room. Off to one side was a neat kitchen done in black and brushed steel appliances.

"Come in and sit down. I bet you have a dozen questions and no answers. Am I right?" Medusa said as she helped Hope to the couch that dominated the large room.

Hope gingerly took a seat on the couch and Medusa sat down next to her keeping a hold of Hopes hand with her smaller one. Medusa's hands where very warm, it felt like warm water flowing up over her wrist and against her aching side from where the older woman gently stroked her fingers.

"Thanatos, stop hovering and sit down, or better still get drinks please. Feel better dear?" The pain from the broken ribs in her side had eased off.

Eye wide, Hope's jaw fell open. "How? What...what did you do?" she stammered.

Thane looked at Hope, one eyebrow raised in quary and she waved her free hand at him to go ahead and get the drinks.

Each time Medusa called him Thanatos, something nagged at the back of Hope's mind. She couldn't quite place her finger on what it was that nagged at her. She decided to leave it and ask Medusa a few other questions.

"Actually, yes, I have a ton of them. I am really not sure where to start." she said.

Medusa gave her hand another gentle pat, sat back against the cushions of the couch and said, "Here, why don't I help you by answering the question you asked outside my door. Then maybe you will have had a chance to put your thoughts in order."

Hope nodded in agreement.

"The statues in the hall are alive because I don't kill people, contrary to popular belief." Medusa said " They are in a state of suspension, giving them time to overcome some trauma or until some cure or other is found for them. Most are women who were abused and would otherwise have broken and killed themselves if not given another option."

Hope's eyebrows rose as the other woman explained the statues. Her mind went back to Jenny and how this woman might have been help if Jenny was still alive. If only she had known there was this kind of help nearby.

"How do they know to come to you?" Hope asked.

"Some don't." Medusa replied. "I am a trauma counselor specializing in rape victims. If a woman or man in my care shows real need, then I reveal myself to them and offer them an alternative to the one they may have been contemplating."

"So your ability can be turned on and off?"

Medusa laughed, the sound was homey like a grandmother in the kitchen, "I guess you could say that, sweetheart. Thanatos, where is my drink?" she hollered toward the kitchen, "I swear that boy is slower than slow sometimes." she said turning back to Hope.

"I heard that Med." Thane called form the kitchen. He came around the counter with a tray and glass pitcher with what looked like tea with a few ice cubes floating in it and glass cups.

"Set it down here hun and then sit down." she said patting the sofa.

Thane planted himself in the chair closest to Hope and started to pour the tea. "Hope was attacked by a pair of satyr." His tone was serious as he looked at the older woman for information.

"That is bad news. I didn't think Moros had that much power left outside the Box," her brow furrowed in deep thought while she released Hope's hand to take the glass that Thane offered her. Hope took the opportunity to move away from her and bumped into the arm of the couch.

Thane's brow was furrowed in thought, "Are you sure it is him? We haven't seen any movement from his supporters in centuries. Not since..." he glanced at Hope his voice trailed off leaving the thought incomplete.

"Who is Moros and what the hell is a satyr?" Hope asked them taking a glass from Thane, She nodded a thank you to him leaning forward waiting for an answer.

Medusa turned back to her saying, "Moros is your opposite. The god of Despair. Trapped forever in a magical box by Zeus himself. As far as I know you are immune to whatever powers he once had. "

"How does any of that help me find out who is trying to kill me?" Hope said, her hands starting to tremble as events from earlier begain to settle in her mind. Thane grabbed her free hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

Medusa raised an eyebrow at his possessive gesture then raised her eyes back to the other woman's face, "Because whoever is trying to kill you is under the influence of Moros. They are not themselves."

"How do you know? If this Moros guy has been in prison, how do you know he has anything to do with it at all?" her voice started to raise as emotions spun through her mind.

"We will find out who it is, Hope." There was determination in Thane's voice.

A knock at the door sent Thane to his feet, moving between the women and the door with one hand inside his long coat. Medusa rose from the couch and walked to the door. "Who is it?" she called out.

"I thought you had to buzz people in here Medusa." Thane said in a loud whisper.

Medusa waved at him to be quiet and cracked open the door. There was a loud cracking sound and wood from the door splintered inward. She was tossed back into the room from the impact of the door exploding. What was left of it, burst apart and a giant of a man stepped through the wreckage.

He was huge with beefy arms covered in thick black hair. His bald head brushed the ceiling there seemed to be round burns on either side of his head. A large gold ring hung from his nose.

Medusa lay in a heap at his feet. Hope couldn't tell if she was still breathing or not. Thane pulled a long sword from his coat. Hope had a moment to wonder where the hell it had come from before he stepped up to attack the giant.

"Hope get back and stay out of the way." he called to her as he lunged forward to slice at the giant with his sword. Hope leapt over the couch and sprinted for the kitchen. Amazed once more at the lack of pain from her side as she slammed into the hard wood of the floor behind the couch.

The giants gaze followed her as she made a sprint for the kitchen to hide behind the counter. The intruder let out a bull like bellow kicking up wood splinters as one foot dung deep into the floorboards. He lowered his head to charge at Hope, arms spread like a football player heading to tackle someone.

He was faster than either Thane or Hope thought he would be, crashing into the counter just as she landed behind it, skidding across the smooth marble of the floor.The man hit the kitchen hard, wedging himself between the island counter and the counter near the wall.

Jumping to her feet she headed back out to the living room where Thane stood with his sword raised out in front of him in a defencive posture. The speed of the giant had startled him as well.

"Thane! What do I do? And what the hell is this guy on?" Hope screamed from beside the couch unsure where to retreat. The huge man was between her and the door stuggleing to free himself from the tiny kitchen. Nothing but large windows were behind her.

Shaking his head he said, "Minotaur, I thought they were all dead." Thane ran into the kitchen, jabbing the sword into the back of the giant as he struggled to turn around in the small space between the wall and the countertop. One fist punched a hole in the wall the size of a mans head as he fought to turn his enourmous bulk around in the tight space between the counter tops.

Thane jumped up on the island counter top, looking for a better position to take down the minotaur.

Another bellow like an angry bull, caused the giant to arched his back trying to reach the smaller man who pierced his side again with the shiny silver blade.

Black blood oozed down his sides, the giant turned around sending more dry wall flying as another hole appeared above the sink. Thane had to leap over the huge fist as it flew past. Gaining a grip on the edge of the counter, the giant began to turn his massive form.

Hope had backed up to where Medusa lay on the floor and checked to see if she was still alive. Her headdress had started to come loose and her face was relaxed the fine lines and wrinkles of age smoothed out revealing how gorgeous she must have been when she was younger. Hope didn't see any blood anywhere her eyes grew wide as she search the other woman amazed that there didn't seem to be any major injuries. Hope had been sure that there had been gunfire and Medusa had been caught in the blast. She must have been mistaken.

Curiosity got the better of her and she leaned over to hook a finger under the wrap on Medusa's head.

"I wouldn't do that sweetheart." Medusa's voice was hoarse and she reached a hand up to pull the cover back down. She fumbled to sit up, Hope put her hands under the other woman's arms to help. Medusa's grip tightened and she pulled Hope to the side with one arm using the other to pull back the wrap from her head. At the same time she warned Hope in a quiet, firm voice, "Don't look at my face." then turned to the broken remains of her front door.

Snakes of all shapes lay in a twisted mass under her wrap. Dozens of them uncurling on Medusa's head and all of them facing the two men who stood in the doorway with guns in their hands. A sound like breaking stone cracked through the apartment, both gunmen started to hide their eyes but it was too late. It radiated out from their eyes and soon both men were the color of white marble. Arms half raised to their faces. From the kitchen Thane gave one final stab to the giant and he fell over wedged between the counters sagging with a final grunting sound.

Medusa tucked the last little snake up under her wrap and turned back to face me again. "Sorry about that dear." she said to Hope then turned to the kitchen "Thanatos are you still alive?"

"Is that suppose to be some kind of joke?" he asked stepping back into the ruins of the living room and wiped the blade of his sword with a kitchen towel.

It struck Hope then why she was familiar with the name Thanatos. It was the name for Death. Great. she thought sarcasticly.

Thane had put the sword away and tucked it back up into the long coat. Hope wasn't sure where or how but it did not fall back on the floor. She assumed some kind of magic was involved in. He walked to her side, looking her over. "Are you hurt?" he asked

"I am fine, Thane. What about you, and what the hell is that guy on? He is enormous." She could see a large pair of boot soles and one entire side of him around the counter island.

"That is not a guy." he said trying to catch his breath from the exhurtion of the fight between sentences.

"That is a minotaur. Very aggressive. I was not sure they even still existed." Turning to their host, Thane said "I am really sorry Med, but I need to get Hope somewhere safe. If the Demigods managed to follow us here with a minotaur there is no telling what else might have been sent after her. "

Medusa nodded and said "You're right, get her out of here. I knew there were dark things out there still. Minotaur were not on the list."

Hope looked at the penthouse in shambles around them. "Are you going to be ok? I mean aren't your neighbors going to call the police or something?" Hope turned a pleading gaze to Thane. "We cant just leave her here." she said pointing to the destruction all around them.

Thane looked apologeticly at Hope then back at Medusa. "I am sorry Medusa, my manners are gone. Would you like us to help you?" she laughed and waved him away.

"Just get our girl there somewhere safe and then call me. I will keep my phone handy." He nodded and held out his hand to help me through the debris. Hope took his hand and he squeezed it in reassurance. She warmed a little at having his comforting grip in hers.

They left the penthouse as Medusa was picking her way through what was left of her front door.

Chapter 5

"I am still not sure I can trust you," Hope said as they reached her car. "Other than Mark saying you are ok, I don't know anything about you."

Thane leaned against the car folding his hands on the roof. "Would it make you feel better if I told you I know your parents?"

"It might."

"Your father and I worked together a few years ago."

"My father has worked with a lot of people. It is part of his job." she said climbing into the car. Thane followed and soon they were heading down I-5 southbound.

Hope was freaked out by what had happened so far. Attacked twice by weird people and a bodyguard she was having naughty thoughts about regardless of only having just met him.

Her train of thought shifted as she recalled the rubble that was all that remained of the stone woman in the hallway. Her skin prickled, raising the hair on her arms. The unknown woman was dead now because someone was trying their damndest to see Hope dead.  
A buzzing sound accompanied by the vibrations of her phone nearly sent her through the door at 60 miles an hour. Thane was intently watching the road, a small curve at the corner of his lips.  
By the time she had dug the phone from her pocket it had stopped ringing. Caller ID showed it was Dora. She was probably wondering where her friend was. Hope was supposed to be at the party over an hour ago.

"Crap!" she said turning to Thane. "I was suppose to be at her party."

"That would not be wise." he said shaking his head.  
"I don't give a shit if it would be wise or not. I am going to that party." she could feel that wind rise inside her again. It was hot like a desert breeze, filling the inside of the corvette like an over in a matter of seconds.

Hope had the feeling Thane could feel it as well. The thought was confirmed when he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

He said "When did that start?"

She decided to play dumb. "What?" she said. She could feel the little crinkle between her eyebrows from her best confused face. It looked like he was about to say something then stopped himself.

Hope took the chance and said "Take me to Dora's party and I will tell you."

With a deep sigh he said "Agreed, but you must tell no one about the attempts on your life and you are to remain at my side the entire time." Hope was still a bit reluctant to have this stranger with her but decided she might be able to ditch him at the party. She would certainly be asking Dora's father, Humphrey Smith, if he had any information to give on the stranger who claimed to work with her father. Humphrey would know if that were true or not.

He seemed to know what he was doing and Mark had let him take the lead, allowing Thane to take her to Medusa. She trusted Mark with her life and he had deferred to Thane. She chose to give him the benifit of the doubt until her friend's father confirmed any fears.

They arrived at the party with little mishap. The drive to the house was quiet. Hope watched as the trees rushed passed as they pulled up the long drive to the house.

The valet gave them an odd look when he opened the door and saw neither of them was in formal wear. Hope recovered the garment bag with her dress in it from the trunk of the corvette praying that Dora was near the foyer to help her get it on.

She had no idea what Thane planned to do about his plain black jeans and t-shirt. She thought he still had some blood on them from the fight with the minotaur.

Hope spotted Dora watching from the window. Stepping out side, she waved franticly at her to hurry inside. Hope could tell when her friend got a good look at Thane, her eyes lit up, her gaze drifted from shoes to hair and settled on his face, a slight lift of the corner of her mouth the only indication she found him attractive.

"You are late and who is the hottie?" she asked still eyeing him like a prize buck. He took her hand kissing her knuckles with a light brush of lips. Hope's cheeks grew warm and the pit of her stomach headed for China. Her reaction confused her. How could she be jealous about a guy she knew nothing about?

"Miss Smith," he said "My name is Thane. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your father speaks highly of you,"

Dora raised an elegant eyebrow at Hope, her amber eyes full of questions the other woman couldn't answer. Dora shrugged and slowly took her hand from him.

"Can you help me into this dress?" Hope said pushing Dora into the house. They headed for the stair at a fast walk. Hope propelling her confused friend up them as fast as she could. Thane was left at the door watching the two women. The guard standing just inside the foyer cracked a grin.

"Women, I will never understand them." Thane said.

Twenty minutes later the women strolled arm in arm into the living room of the large, Southern Style mansion. It located just south of Tacoma with a gorgeous view of the mountain.

The living room was neatly furnished in grays and reds. A few of the party guests lounged on the L- shaped couch in the center of the large living room. One man leaned near the large fireplace that dominated one wall. Hope didn't recognize any of them.

A stunningly beautiful woman with flowing red hair sat with her ankles crossed. She was laughing with a blonde man in a stylish white suite and pink dress shirt.

Something about all the guests nagged at her. Like a de ja vu feeling she had seen them before though she was certian she had never met any of them.

The man at the fireplace was darkly attractive. Dark hair, dark suit. There was a touch of mischievousness in the way he watched Dora and Hope enter the room.

Hope turned so her back was to the stranger. With one eyebrow raised and a glint in her eye, she asked "Who is that?"

Dora glanced across the room and gave Hope a bright white grin saying "An investor daddy works with. I guess his name is Lucas Haden."

Hope mouthed "Sexy!" to her friend, turning back to watch him. He caught her gaze sending flames shooting through her. Her cheeks burned at being caught staring at him.

He glided across the room his eyes running from her ankle to the dark ringlets that framed her face. He did not bother to hide his attraction. One delicate eyebrow rose as he took her hand, laying a kiss on her knuckles. Heat rushed to her face again. Hope was sure her cheeks were bright red. She glanced down, hiding her reddening face.

Lucas had a heavy ring on his right hand. The stone was deep red reminding me of blood. Blood caught in the shape of a square stone set in silver white platinum. "Lady Hope," he said, "We have not been introduced. I am Lucas Haden. I work with your father." It seemed a lot of people worked with her father these days.

"Dad doesn't talk about work much. Do you know Thane?" she asked.

His dark eyes narrowed, "Thane and I go way back." he glanced over her shoulder as someone approached from the foyer.

"Don't we?" he said a little louder speaking to the person behind her.

She turned to see Thane standing in the doorway. Her heart leapt into her throat. Another confusing reaction to this strange man.

Dressed in a tuxedo and bow tie, he strode over to them with an easy grace she found alluring. Dora clutched her arm so hard, Hope thought she was going to leave a bruise.

The pain reminded her of the ribs that had been broken not two hours earlier and her friend that was now dead. She was sad and angry at him all over again. The anger fought with the lust pushing out the sadness. He was just so damn sexy.

"Thane," she said a bit more icily than she had intended.

"Hope." he bowed low, takin g her hand in his as if they were just now meeting. "How long have you been in here?"

Hope rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh "We are in the middle of my best friends house, with people who have all been checked for weapons at the door, Thane. What could possibly happen?"

Lucas chuckled. It was rich and deep, sending a ripple through her body. "Yeah Thane? What could possibly go wrong?" he said grabbing two fluted glasses of champaign from a tray as the waiter passed. He smoothly handed Hope a glass.

An older couple entered the living room arm in arm. "You were saying?" Hope heard Thane mutter to Lucas. Lucas just laughed again raising his glass in a salute as he went sauntering back to stand next to the fireplace once more.

Most of the guest stood as the older couple crossed the room with small head nods then casually returning to their seats and conversations as if nothing happened. Hope studied the couple, wondering who they were.

The man was tall and regal. Dark hair gone to grey, his skin was a deep sun worn tan. His smile was easy and open. There seemed to be a dark haze around him as Hope watched them cross the room.

The woman was amazing. Her skin was a flawless white like fine porcelain, rich brown hair hung down past her waist in long ringlets. Her dress was a deep purple that changed to a turquoise shimmer when she moved. Her eyes were the most shocking feature of all. They were a purple so dark as to almost be black.

As she watched these two, the room fell silent and all heads turned to the open arch of the doorway to the foyer. No one stood but the respect was almost as sincere as when the couple had entered the room. A gong sounded making Hope jump and squeak which earned her a head shake from Thane.

Humphrey Smith was a business man with excellent taste in art and music. He made sure Dora and Hope were able to enjoy some of the finer things in life, like going to opera and Classic Art.

He entered the room nodding to each guest with a smile. His cane with the golden anvil top in his right hand. Even with his ebony skin covered in burn scars he was not scary to me. Hope loved him like as much as her own father.

Dora opened her arms as he approached us. "Father," They embraced briefly, "Have you had the chance to meet Thane? I understand he is an associate of Mr. Aries."

Thane extended his hand which Humphrey returned his gesture. "Yes, I know Mr. Dullahan well."  
"Really?" Hope said with a touch of sarcasm in her voice. "Business or other?" Humphrey gave her a questioning look the made a pointed glance at Dora. With a small shake of her head, Hope let him know that Dora had no idea who this man was.

With that small movement Hope knew that somehow Humphrey was also involved with the Pantheon. Was he a god too? She thought to herself

"The cake is almost ready. Shall we open the gifts for the birthday girl?" Humphrey said.

He turned to the rest of the crowd just as Hope was about to ask him again about his involvement with the Pantheon. Irritated at having her question sidestepped, she made a mental note to ask him again later.

Humphrey ushured Dora to the center of the room, leaving Thane and Hope together by the wall.

Thane leaned in to speak quietly in her ear, "Did anyone else talk to you before I came in?"

"No," she replied just as quietly. Dora was unwrapping a small gift that was wrapped in silver paper with a bright pink ribbon. She couldn't see what it was from where she stood against the wall but judging from her friends expression of happy suprise it was cute and expensive.

Hope stole a glance at Lucas who still leaned against the fireplace as he spoke with the older man. They seemed to be arguing. Hope wondered again about Thane's comment. No one else in the room had even glanced her way when she had arrived with Dora. Almost as if they were trying not to draw attention to her in any way. A chill caused her spine to ache at the thought.

The gong sounded again, silencing the room once more. Humphrey stood with his hands folded over the top of his cane.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for attending this event. The day my beautiful daughter was given to me."

Dora blushed and hugged her father thanking those nearest them.

"Let me introduce you to some of the guests," Humphrey said holding his hand out to indicate the couple who had recently arrived. "This is Zacharey Taran and his wife Hera."

Hope's sharp intake of breath was stiffled by Thane's tug on her arm. "Yes, that is Zeus and Hera. Please do not draw attention to yourself." his whispered breath on her neck sent a shiver along her skin rainsing all the hair on her arms. Her body reacted to him in ways her mind was not ready to.

Humphrey continued around the room making introductions. "Tia Seabreeze and her associate Arron Heart." The beautiful red haired woman and the blond man in the pink shirt smiled warmly at Dora. She shook their hands saying thank you to each in turn.

"Dora, I know you have always longed for me to tell you more about your mother. So, after much thought, I have decided to arrange a meeting between you." her father said hugging her tightly.

Hope watched as her best friend began to cry. Her amber eyes filled with tears. She blinked and the tear started spilling down her cheeks. Hope smiled clapping her hands together for her friends good fortune. Tears glistening in her own eyes as she watched them.

Dora hugged her father tightly. She always talked about what her mother might be like. Humphrey never spoke much about her other than to say she was in another place. The girls always assumed he ment that she had died and was in heaven or whatever afterlife Humphrey happned to believe in.

When they were children he would distract them with other things when they asked questions he did not want to answer, but as they grew older he told thems it was just too painful to talk about. They accepted that and moved on with their lives never guessing that she might still be alive. Hope's joy for her friend was immence.

The crowd clapped then grew quiet again as Zacharey approached Dora with a small marble box in his hands. Humphreys smile was tight as he greeted him. "Sir, I did not expect to see you here tonight." The title was a bit more formal that Hope had ever head him use.

The woman in purple turned to stare directly at Thane. Her gaze was intense. The air around us grew thicker. It was like trying to breath in a sauna. Hope gasped for breath leaning against Thane. The moment their skin connected her ears popped and she could breath again.

Thane's grip on her arm was painful. "What the hell?" she said through clenched teeth. She tried to pull her arm from his grasp.

"We need to leave," he said staring at the man with the box. Hope turned as Zacharey handed the box to Dora.

"My dear, This gift is long over due." with a confused thank you, she opened the lid.

Chapter 6

At first the room was dead silent... then a torrent screams.

None of the other guests seemed to hear it. Hope slammed her hands over her ears so fast she felt them pop again as she began to fall to the floor. Thane reached around her waist helping her stand. She was paralyzed by the screaming voices.

Somewhere through the storm of sounds she heard his voice asking if she was alright.

Cracking her eyes open to check on her friends, Hope saw the the rest of the room did not seem to be effected by the unbearable noises coming from that small box. Everyone was staring at her. The odd pressure in the air built up again as every eye in the room focused on her.

A few looked at her with interest. Like she had done something they found intriguing. Through the pain of the sounds she noted the Tia and her companion as well as Lucas, were giving her the later.

Seeing her friend colapse in pain, Dora dropped the box, running to Hope's side. Humphrey used the end of his cane to flip the lid of the box shut, stopping the cacophony of sounds.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?" Dora gushed as she reached Hope. Taking her hand from her ears, she slowly stood with the help of Thane. He kept a grip on her elbows.

Straightening her dress, Hope nodded. "I'm fine. Just a sudden migraine. Can I lay down somewhere?"

"Sure, how about daddy's study upstairs?" with a nod from Thane she wobbled her way up the stairs to the study.

The study was wall to wall books. A bibliophiles dream. Parchments, scrolls leather bound volumes centuries old crammed every available space. Humphrey had accompanied them upstairs as Dora and Thane helped Hope to one of the cushioned chairs near a large fireplace.

As she lowered herself onto the chair, she pushed off the mound of cushions onto the floor in front of the quiet fireplace. Humphrey tapped his cane with the large silver ring he wore on his right middle finger.

"Hope, what happened before you got here?" he asked.

Thane stood with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, leaning against a roll top desk to one side of the room. Dora busied herself puffing pillows.

With a deep sigh Hope explained everything that had happened.

The attack in the alley, Medusa and the minotaur as well as the strange wind she felt. About half way through the tale, Dora sat down on one of the leather bound chairs that faced the fireplace. Humphrey stood stone still, fingers laced over the top of his cane.

When she had finished her story Humphrey turned to Thane with a raised brow.

"I was wondering why Warren let you anywhere near her."

Hope's mouth dropped open in shock "What do you mean 'let him'?" she said using air quotes with her fingers.

They ignored her.

Thane ran his fingers through his dark blond hair, letting out a deep sigh. "More important here, why did Zeus give Dora a banshee box?" Turning to Dora he asked, "Did you hear anything when you opened that small box?"

Dora shook her head, "No, there was nothing. Just a nice little jewelry box. Is that what gave Hope a headache? Opening that box?"

Humphrey hugged his daughter with one arm, "It's alright honey. You didn't know and I did not think it would effect you girls. It was my mistake. I should have known when Thane showed up here tonight with Hope."

Thane paced the room, his shoes quiet in the thick carpeting, "We learned that someone put a price on her head and had to move fast. We didn't think they new were she was until yesterday. I was talking with Hermes and he mentioned something about the satyrs acting restless. I thought I would check out the herd closest to Tacoma and followed a pair to Hope's work."

His words hit her like a slap in the face. "You mean you were there?" she surged to her feet grabbing him by his collar and shaking him as hard as she could. "You could have stopped that bastard from killing her? Where the hell were you when she was being beaten to death."

Dora and Humphrey pulled her fingers from the jacket of Thane's tuxedo. When he was finally free from her grasp, Thane stepped back away from her, bumping into the desk.

He looked at his feet, the wall, anywhere but at Hope. " I wish I could explain it to you..." his voice trailed off, deep sorrow filled his blue eyes with pain.

Humphrey let go of her when she relaxed her arms. Dora knew her friend well enough to place an arm accross her shoulders, holding her in place.  
"I need to return to the guests and so do you." Humphrey said taking Dora by the hand and heading to the door. "Please rejoin us when you are feeling better. Thane, good luck." with that he and Dora left them alone each deep in their own thoughts.

They rejoined the party about five minutes behind Dora and Humphrey. Dora sat in the center of the room again. The mystery box sat on the coffee table surrounded by a few other small gift bags. She was enthusiasticly opening another gift.

This one was wrapped in bright pink paper with a neon pink ribbon. It looked like a garment box. Hope stood near the door in case she needed to make another hasty retreat.

The woman named Tia was gushing something about the gift. Hope didn't pay much attention to what she was saying. She was looking for Zacharey and his wife, the man Humphrey had called sir.

Thane remained at her side. Her curiosity over what the hell was going on around her was overwhelming. She had to know more about that box and the noise it made.

Hope tried looking for anyone in the crowd that Dora was actually friends with. No one. She didn't recognize any of the people that were here. Catching Humphrey's eye, she beckoned him over with a quick wave of her hand.

"Humphrey, who are all these people? Shouldn't Dora's friends be here?"she asked him.

He looked at the floor then back up at her, "Actually, this is a special occasion. More than just her birthday but her coming of age."

Hope's eyes narrowed as she thought back to Medusa and her talk of Gods. "I invited you because you are her best friend." he sighed deeply, leaning heavily on his cane.

" Your parents thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the rest of the Pantheon."

"What do they have to do with any of this?" Hope said.

"They are on their way here now. They can and should be the ones to explain things to you. It is not my place" he said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice rising higher, breaking on the last word. Everyone turned to stare at her again.

All she could do was smile as heat rushed into her face. "Sorry." she mumbled turning to hide her face from the rest of the room. her hair was up in a tight french roll so she was unable to hide behind it. Hope cursed silently to herself.

"Thank you so much Aunt Tia. This is a lovely dress." she heard Dora say in a voice that she knew ment otherwise. Aunt?

Hope gripped Humphrey's arm tightly. "What the hell is going on? Aunt Tia? Who the hell are these people?"

Before he could reply everysingle one of the windows in the house burst inward, throwing glass shards at the guests.. Screams followed by a high pitched wailing sound filled the night are from outside the house.

The lights went out plunging the entire house into a inky black. Hope heard people moving around her. It was as if the world beneath trembled in terror and life itself let out a wail of despair.

The air in the room rushed out like opening a door into the vacuum of space. Glass and debris from the wreckage of the windows flew past their heads causing Hope to duck again and cover her face with her bare arms.

Thane struggled through the chaos to Hope's side, his tuxedo jacket over his head to brotect his face. SHouting to be heard over the wails and wind he said, "Are you alright?"

"Formal gowns were not recommended for the Apocalypse." Hope relpied sarcasticly, showing the long tear in the fabic under her arms.

By the time the wind settled, her arms were covered in deep scratches from bits of broken window. The room itself was much brighter as the moon shone through the huge windows. Somehow the room seemed larger.

Thane had wrapped his body around hers taking most of the damage from the glass. As she glanced around the living room, she realized that all the screaming and sounds of pain where coming from outside the house. Before her eyes could adjust to the darkness, Thane had her shoved through the foyer and out the front door.

"Thane, stop! We forgot Dora!" Humphrey was still with them. HIs panic at leaving his daughter behind was reflected in his eyes. Hope let go of his arm that she still held tight with one hand. The other was engulfed in Thane's.

"I will go back for her." HUmphrey said, drawing a sword from his cane. He turned to Thane and grasped his shoulder looking him in the eye. "Get her somewhere safe. I will call you after I get Dora."

"Humphrey, what about my parents? You said they were on the way here." the screaming she had heard grew louder as something with burning red eyes made its way toward them from the shadows of the yard.

"Maedads," gasped Humphrey, "Quickly now." he ran back into the house.

Thane pulled me across the gravel of the drive to where Hope's car sat. He hit the remote on the keychain, unlocking the doors. Not that it mattered with one window broken. Hope gathered the skirt of her gown around her knees and sank down into the passenger seat. Thane hopped up on the hood, sliding like he was on Dukes of Hazard, and was seated behind the wheel in a mater of seconds.

Curiosity grabbed her and Hope glanced out the window to catch a glimps of what was making the awful screaming noise.

The Maenad started as just a vague shadow of voluptuous curves and very long hair, She stepped into the light of the moon and Hope's jaw dropped.

Milk pale skin from head to foot. Her nude body moved like a predator, all sleek muscle and power designed to kill. She was one of the most beautiful women Hope had ever seen.

Blood red hair brushed the ground as she walked. Her glowing red eyes connected with Hope. There was nothing in them but an animal hunger. Tilting her head back the maenad screamed. Her wail was a high pitch siren call eminating from her blood red lips. Her mouth open wide showing a mouth full of teeth like shards of jagged glass.

The engine roared to life sending white light out into the darkness. The yard was full of creatures. Hope saw more Maenads, a Minotaur and a heard of satyr. They were all looking right at the corvette.

"Shit!" Hope was not sure if it was herself or Thane who spoke. The tires spun in the gravel of the drive for a moment. The single Maenad closest to them started running, mouth open, red clawed hands curved in front of her. She covered ground quickly with a loping gait.

"Hurry damn it, hurry!" Hope screeched. Tires caught forcing her back into the leather of the seat. Her mouth snapping shut as Thane cranked the wheel to spin them around heading down the long drive to the main road.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit." repeated over and over until the words just fell away as noise. The corvette blasted over a bump in the road sending them flying. Stars and tears filled Hope's eyes as her head connected with the roof.

"Put your seat belt on" Thane told her, keeping both hands on the wheel as they sped down the dark drive.

It took two tries before the belt finally clicked into place. Her head was spinning, the road ahead wavering while the edges of her vision alternated between grey and white. The road sped past, it's center line alternating between dashing and a steady white stream of paint. Her eyes lost focus and the world went dark.

Chapter 7

Thane unlocked the door and made a grand arm flourish bowing low. "Ladies first " he said. Hope rolled her eyes as she crossed the threshold and almost passed out again. She was expecting a small cheap motel room with a pair of queen size beds and a 70's style arm chair and tv.

The room inside was huge. Gauze draped from the ceiling over a king size bed covered with pillows and silk sheets. A large hot tub nestled off in a back corner was set in a faux waterfall setting and a giant flat screen hung on the wall opposite the bed.Hope managed to keep her head and turned as Thane shut the door.

"I hope you are comfortable on the floor because I only see one bed." she said putting her hands on her hips. "Where can I take a shower?"

It turned out there was a nice bath room complete with a standing shower behind the hot tub. Hope was able to get clean. Dabbing at the cuts on her arms with a washcloth. There were only a few shards of glass she needed to pull from her skin.

The hot water melted away any traces of blood and grime as well as doubts about her day. She thought she was handling things pretty well for a girl who just found out gods were real and monsters were out to kill her.

Hope also couldn't help thinking about her mysterious guardian, Thane.

Who was he? He said he was a friend of her, father but that didn't explain who he was, just who he knew.

She was filled with more questions and still no answers to the rest of the crop she had come up with throughout the evening. The questions about Thane she could answer now, the rest would have to wait.

With the towel wrapped tightly around her, she walked quietly back out to the main room.

Thane was on the edge of the hot tub sitting with his back to her. He had taken off his trench coat and tee shirt. HIs finger played idlely in the hot water running back and forth.

The skin of his bare back was a pleasant shade of tan with a sprinkle of freckles between the shoulder blades. Hope couldn't help but think of a cupcake with chocolate sprinkles. She wanted to lick the hollow between his shoulders. Thankfully he still had his pants on. she was not sure what she would have done otherwise. Probably passed out again.

"Was your shower ok?" he didn't turn when he asked and the carpet was so thick she was sure he had not heard her behind him. "I bought you some cloths. I thought you might want to get out of that dress."

"Yes. Thanks. Did you want to use it next?" He turned around and looked her up and down. The weight of his gaze was more than just a man lusting for a woman. It sent shivers along her skin. Her knees growing weak as her body reacted to his gaze. There was a heaviness to his eyes that made her tighten deep in her core. Like this man had seen so much more than she could ever imagine.

There was a loneliness there as well. She had a sudden urge to enfold him in her arms and smooth back his hair like a mother with a sick child.

"Who are you?" her voice was barely a whisper.

The loneliness changed to sadness then was replaced in an instant with the hint of humor back in place. "Me? I'm just a guy, and you are a hot girl in a towel" His grin stretched wide one eye closing in a wink. Just like that the mood was gone replaced with anger and embarassment.

Hope blushed and grabbed the bag from the floor, stomping child-like back to the bath room. She was not even really sure why she was so angry. He had not really done anything to deserve the level of animosity she felt.

The bath room had more than just a shower and she used the toilet. When she was finished she brushed her hair and teeth with the tooth brush and comb she found in the bag.

Leaning heavily on the edge of the sink, she stood staring at her refelction in the mirror. She was exhausted and could no longer think straight.

Her thoughts drifted to her parents, wondering if they were ok. "I hope they're alright." she whispered quietly at the stranger in the mirror. With the deep purple circles under her eyes, she did not recognizer her own reflection. For a moment Hope wished she could call Dora and tell her about her crazy ass evening. The thought was short lived as she thought of her friend left behind

With one last comb of fingers through her wet hair, Hope headed back to the other room.

Thane had produced a chair from somewhere and was sitting in front of the flat screen television watching a show with two attractive guys chasing demons. Hope sat on the edge of the bed watching for a few moments just letting her mind go numb.

She had remembered to grab some pajamas to stay at Dora's but that bag was sitting on the bed in the guest bed room. Since she normally slept nude, she was not sure how her bodyguard was going to react to the tank top and short shorts he had purchased for her as sleepwear.

At this point, she was so sleepy she didn't really care. She fell onto the bed. In moments she was dreaming.

Chapter 8

Hope was in a villa on the shore of a large lake or the edge of the sea. The sky was pale blue, the temperature was perfect. The balcony was white sandstone with chairs and pillows spread about to lounge and relax on. A gentle breeze off the water played with the tight ringlets in her hair. The house looked down over a small grape orchard that ran down to the edge of the water. Her clothes simple. A white linen shift floated on the breeze around her.

"There you are." Hope heard Pandora say from behind her. Dora wrapped her arms around her waist, squeezing tight. "I thought you might have gone off with Thanatos again, leaving me here to wait for you."

Hope turned, kissing Pandora on the mouth. Breaking the kiss she gazed into her large amber colored eyes. Hope loved her eyes. Beautiful, perfect pools of amber set in a face the color of coffee and cream.

"I thought about it but today is your birthday. How could I leave you alone on your birthday?" Hope asked. Her hands had wandered down to grasp Pandora's heart shaped butt giving it a firm squeeze.

"Want your present now or later?" Hope said, a wicked gleam in her eye.

Pandora's head fell forward onto Hope's shoulder and she laughed, a wonderful light sound that carried on the breeze. "How about some now and some later," she whispered in Hope's ear laying a gentle kiss on the side of her neck.

Pandora knew Hope loved to have her neck kissed. Letting out a deep sigh, Hope brought her hands up to move the straps of Pandora's dress off her slender shoulders. The gown fell to the floor in a flutter of fabric leaving Pandora beautifully nude. Even though she was human, Pandora had the body of a goddess.

Hope wrapped one arm around Pandora's slim waist, bringing the other hand up to carress her breast, running her thumb over Pandora's nipple.

The dream faded and Hope was left feeling unsatisfied and confused. She had never had that kind of relationship with Dora. They had never been lovers. Even during collage when most women were said to experiment they had never engaged in any lesbian relationships and yet the dream felt more like a vivid memory.

Hope lifted herself up on one elbow looking around the room for Thane. He was asleep in front of the door. He lay there with just a pillow tucked under the curve of his arm, his bare back facing the room. Once more she was overwhelmed with the urge to lick between his shoulder blades. The strong sexual vibe from her dream leaving her wanting satisfaction.

What the hell was wrong with me? she thought as she set her feet gently on the floor, so she wouldn't wake Thane.

Just as her fit touched the plush mauve carpeting, he rolled over and looked at her. "You're awake. Good. I haven't heard from Humphrey yet." he said as he rose up from the floor. "I'm getting worried."

"Can we call them? I have his cell number." Hope turned to the pile of cloths on the floor. "My phone has to be in here somewhere." She fumbled through the cloths looking for her phone.

The sound of Thane clearing his throat behind her made her pause in her search. Looking up, she saw he had her phone in his hand, one brow raised as he waved it at her.

"Here." he said,handing her the phone. "Try to call your father first. He and your mother were suppose to be heading to the party as we left. They might have a better idea of what happened.

Hope tried to call her dad. There was no answer so she left a message begging him to call her as soon as he could. She needed to know they were alright. That her friends and family were safe despite all the crazy shit that had been going on the past 24 hours was a mantra through her mind. She paced the room tapping her fingers along her crossed arms impatiently.

"Hope, just get dressed. We will go find out what happened." Thane stuffed a few bites of room service sandwich into his mouth. It was the first normal thing Hope had seen him do.

"Alright, are you sure it is going to be safe?" She thought about the red haired woman who had charged them as they drove off and added, "I need a weapon. If we are going back to the house, I need a way to defend myself." she said stuffing her dress into the bag of things Thane had brought in last night.

"I wouldn't mind some fresh cloths either." Hope said, glancing down at her bare feet. She had on yesterdays work cloths, stained and torn from the fight in the alley.

He tossed her shoes to her. "We'll stop at your place." His brow furrowed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I won't let anything happen to you. Not again." he said. "Get ready. I want to be on the road in five."

With that last cryptic remark, he was out the door, leaving her to finish gathering her thoughts.

Chapter 9

It didn't take long and they were pulling into the driveway of Humphrey's estate. The grounds were in shambles. Trees had been ripped up out of the ground and tossed at the house like sticks. Deep furrows were gouged into the gravel of the round drive. The house itself was a mess. Broken windows let the breeze pull the curtains out into the sun and shredded the fabric of the more delicate gauzy drapes.

Thane stopped the car near the front doors. One side of the door hung askew on a single hinge, the other was gone. Hope couldn't see past the edge of sunlight inside the door. The rest of the house was inky black. It felt like years ago and not just the night before, that they had sped down the driveway and waya from the monsters that had gathered on the lawn.

"There are no bodies." Thane said. Hope was not sure if he was trying to reassure her or just stating a fact. He climbed out of the car and opened the trunk to get her sword. The brief stop at home was enough for her to gather her courage and a few personal weapons.

Hope kept an eye on the open door of the house watching for any movement that might mean danger. Thane's gentle tap on the glass made her jump. She needed to calm down or she was going to be more trouble than she was worth. Taking a deep breath Hope opened the door and took the blade from him. Just having it in her hand slowed her breath and she relaxed enough that her heart stopped trying to beat its way out of her chest. She pulled the blade out with her right hand and held onto the scabbard with her left, ready to use it in defense.

There was no sound anywhere. Not even birds twittered nearby. They slowly made their way to the door. Thane took the lead, his own blade raised up ready to strike or block as needed.

They moved into the house. The foyer was clear except for a few black spots that smelled like burnt plastic as they walked past them. The living room was in shreds. Any fabric or item that could be cut to ribbons decorated the place like badly placed streamers.

"This place looks like a T.P. party gone wrong," Hope said as she turned over the remains of the satin pillows she had helped Dora pick for the room.

Moving up the stairs, they headed to the study. More black charred marks in the carpets along the hallway. The quiet was eery, causing Hope's skin to feel like it was trying to crawl off and run away screaming. Thankfully there was plenty of light throughout the house thanks to the huge windows everywhere. The doors to the study were closed several long, deep scratches were carved into the wood while the brass handles were bent and distorted.

Thane tried to open the doors but the handle wouldn't budge. "Is there another way into this room?" he asked Hope in a low voice.

"Not that I know of.' she said, "We might be able to jump from the balcony of the master bedroom." She took the lead heading down the hallway, caution in each step. Thane watched their backs as they made their way down the long hall to the next room. The door was untouched. Hope turned the knob, slowly opening the door. Thane moved her aside slipping past the door first then quickly pulling her in after him shutting the door silently behind them.

Humphrey's room was exotic. A large four poster bed sat against one wall, between two large bay windows that looked out onto a field. In the distance they could see Mt. Raineir shining white and grey in the summer sunlight.

The headboard was loaded with books to either side a carved likeness of the mountain nestled in the center. The plush comforter was deep crimson, black and orange like lava. Dark hardwood flooring was covered with black sheepskin rugs. They lay where you could curl your toes in the thick fleece when you crawled out of the bed. A large wardrobe that matched the bed sat against the wall nearest the door. The mountain on the carved double doors was Mount Saint Helens after it erupted in 1980. Its distinct cup shape making it easy to recognize. A walk in closet and large private bathroom complete with jacuzzi finished the room.

Hope and Thane managed to get to the study from the main bedroom. The windows had been broken leaving the room exposed. Thane went first to make sure there was no danger waiting for them behind the locked doors of the study. Careful not to cut herself on the broken glass, Hope brushed her hands off on her jeans as she surveyed the room.

Hope looked up at the large painting of Venus that hung over the fireplace. She was never able to tell if it was the original or a really excellent copy even after taking a few classes on the subject at college. Something drew her to it and she decided to try and get a better look, maybe calm her frazzled nerves at the same time. A small step stool was not far away near the large floor to ceiling bookshelves that lined most of the walls.

Pulling the stool over, Hope stepped up to better examine the painting. She was able to get a good view of the main body of the painting from on top of the stool.

The paint on the canvas was thick. Each brush stroke of the waves made the water look real. As if she could reach her hand into the painting and have it come away wet with seawater. Hope took a deep breath in and almost fell off the stool.

Brine.

The salty yet slightly green smell that only comes from seawater filled her nostrils. Hope glanced up at the figure of Venus. The painted thigh was round and smooth, no brush strokes. Hope followed the line of the figures body up to her face. Eyes bluer than a summer sky at noon stared back at her. Venus met her gaze, a small smile playing on her perfect lips.

Hope blushed. Venus still held one breast while extending the other for Hope to help her down from the mantle of the fireplace.

"Aphrodite," Thane said from behind. Hope grabbed Venus' hand and helped her down.

"Oh poor baby! Thanatos is this her?" Aphrodite brushed Hope's frazzled brown hair away from her face, lifting her chin with her other hand. Hope blushed again because Venus was still nude and amazing. She felt like the ugly duckling who had just been tarred and defeathered next to the goddess. It took a few moments more for her to recognize the women with red hair that Dora had called Aunt Tia.

Hope's pulse began to race as she looked into the bluer than blue eyes. There was a world of promise in those eyes. She felt like she was on the edge of a cliff and if she just take one step she would fall into a new world of pleasure and pain.

Just as Hope was reaching up to pull Venus in for a kiss, the spell was interrupted by Thane nudging the goddess aside and handing Hope a silver knife from the roll top desk.

"Take that and ignore her," he said with a pointed glance at Aphrodite. "She is trouble you don't want, trust me."

"Pooh, you are no fun." Aphrodite flounced her naked self onto one of the cushions and kicked her feet up in the air. "Were is Aries? Shouldn't he be here by now?" she asked as she studied her fingernails.

"We have not heard from him, Venus. And I expect you to behave yourself. Even you couldn't handle having Irene upset with you. Right now she tolerates you because she knows Warren would never take you back," Thane said.

Aphrodite scrunched her nose in distaste, "I do not understand what he sees in that woman. She is so boring. Aries use to be so much fun. PEace made him boring."

"Did you expect him to wait for you? He wanted commitment, Venus. Something you are incapable of giving to anyone."

Warren and Irene were the names of Hope's parents. What the hell was going on here? Every time she thought she might have her head around what was happening, she got new information that made her realize she was still absolutely clueless. It was pissing her off.

"You two can sit in here and bitch at each other until those things come back. I am going to find my family." Hope said, heading for the doors. After a quick examination of the door she discovered they had been locked from the inside. Unlocking them she fkung the doors open, heading back out into the empty hallway.

"Hope, wait." She ignored Thane's call as she stomped back into the master bedroom. She thoughts she heard him come in behind her. Turning to yell at him to leave her alone, she stopped mid sentance.

A satyr stood behind the door. Pushing the door closed with one cloven hoof he grinned a mouth full of flat teeth. Hope backed up against the edge of the bed, a scream building in her gut. Just as she opened her mouth to let it out the door burst in, slamming the satyr into the wall.

The satyr's horns smashed through the drywall and got stuck. He began to bleat loudly, his voice carried through the entire house. Hope covered her ears, the sound made her ears hurt.

Thane put his sword through the creatures neck, effectively dispatching and silencing it at the same time. Thane examined the room for any more intruders.

The door of the wardrobe was open. Not much wider than a thumb, but it had been closed when they had gone out the window to the study.

Hope opened her mouth to ask if there were any more things in the room. Thane covered her mouth with a hand and places a finger over his lips to caution her to silence. He moved the tip of his sword into the door of the wardrobe and began to push the door open. Hope moved so there was wall to her back rather than the open door to the hall.

From where she was standing, Hope got a perfect look at what lay inside the wardrobe.

It's freaking Narnia, was her first thought.

A dark wood of pine and maple under a twilight sky sprinkled with stars greeted her vision. Next to her, bright summer sunlight streamed in from the windows. There was light inside the wardrobe as well, but it was softer. Silver instead of the golden hue of sunshine.

A loud crash from the hallway outside the bedroom sent them both to the far side of the room. Hope's father burst through the door running through and slamming it behind him. Aries stopped short when he saw them in the room. It only took him a fraction of a second to asses the new situation.

"Get in, quick." he yelled at them, waving both hands franticly at the open wardrobe.

Thane hesitated only a moment longer than it took the other man.

"Aries?" Thane said stepping back to grab Hope's left hand, pulling her to the open door of the cubboard and shoving her, head first, inside.

"Hurry, damn it, they're right behind me." With one huge shove to her backside from Thane, Hope fell into another world.

Chapter 10

"What the hell was that?" Hope's breath came in shallow gasps as she struggled for air around the ball of fear in her chest. "That woman from the painting is still in the house!"

Thane urged her to put her head between her legs and stay calm. "She can handle herself." he said. Hope's father was busy doing something to a large tree with a hole in it. She could see the room they had just come from over his shoulder. He was fighting a satyr that was trying to come through the opening.

"Thanatos! I need you to close this." Warren yelled, thrusting his short sword through the abdomen of the satyr as another appeared behind the first. Hope watched as the room started to fill with horned goatmen. "I can't keep them back much longer." he said, punctuated by another thrust with his sword.

Thane glanced at Hope, his face full of worry.

"I'll be fine," she managed to wave a hand toward the tree and the struggle to keep the satyr on the other side.. "Go. Help him." she lay back in the grass looking up at the night sky while the sound of combat rose and fell beside her.

Hope's vision faded around the edges as she watched the patch of starlit sky through the trees above her.Colors danced in ribbons of light, wavering under an unseen force. She had never seen an aurora borealis except in photos. It was amazing.

The sounds of fighting had stopped. Hope rolled her head to the side and saw a woman standing between Thane and her dad.

She was tall and willowy. Her hair a rich dark brown the color of fresh turned earth that hung clear to the grassy carpet at the base of the tree. Her skin like cream and honey. She had both hands up on the trunk of the tree singing a crooning lullaby. The hole in the trunk grew smaller as if she was pushing the wood together to seal the rift in space. Hope could hear the faint curses from the satyr on the other side.

When the hole was sealed the woman stopped her song and turned to face them. Large amber colored eyes focused on Hope. She had to sit up carefully because she was still a bit woozy from almost hyperventilating.

Warren gave a small bow saying, "Gaia, terribly sorry for the intrusion. We needed an escape and well, the door was open" his familiar lopsided grin warmed Hope's spirits as he motioning to the seam in the trunk of the tree.

Gaia's delicate eyebrow rose in amusement. " It is well, Aries. Hephaestus and Pandora are already here. We were expecting you." she said. Her voice was melodic even without singing.

"Please gather yourselves and join us in the clearing." with that she walked through the trees, disappearing into the forest.

Warren went to kneel by Hope's side. "Are you hurt?" he asked, helping her to her feet. She wobbled a little but was able to stand on her own. She had to double take when she finally got a good look at him. His short strawberry blonde hair was stuck up in all directions, blood and sweat dripped from his forehead.

He radiated power. She wasn't sure how she knew what it was that she felt coming from him. She just knew that she was right. His aura felt red hot against the bare skin of her arms. Warren also looked younger somehow, though the crows feet were still around his green eyes as he smiled at her, he looked mid- thrities rather than the late fifties she knew him to be. Or at least thought he was.

The sword he had used against the satyr hung heavy in his hand was of Roman design. She knew what type of sword it was because her father was the one who taught her about combat and history. Black slacks and a red button down shirt fit loosely on his wiry frame. Warren was not overly muscled but he stayed fit.

"Yeah, I think I will be ok. Where are we?" Hope asked, brushing off the twigs and leaves that had stuck to her jeans.

"That's my girl," he laughed. "we are in Gaia's realm. If I know Gaia, Humphrey and Dora are just ahead with your mother." he said stepping into the darkness of the forest. Thane was still at Hope's side watching the woods as if waiting for something else to attack them.

"We had better catch up with Gaia," he said putting a hand in the small of her back, pushing to get her moving. Irritation crawled along her skin from where his hand lay. She pushed his hand away from her.

"I can walk on my own." Hope glared back at him for a moment before heading into the inky blackness under the trees.

The woods were not as dark as they appeared from the tiny clearing they had started from. Sparse undergrowth made walking easy. After a few yards Hope found her dad leaning against a tree waiting. The bright red of his dress shirt made him easy to spot among all the green and brown foliage. He was still dressed in his nice cloths. "Have you been here since last night?" Hope asked as Thane caught up to them.

Pushing off from the tree, Warren ran his hands through his spiked hair taking a deep breath. "Yeah, your mom and I arrived at the house in time to see your 'vette speed off into the dark."

"Shit." she said.

"Yeah," he replied, carefully stepping over a fallen log. "Was there a maenad chasing you? I think I hit her with the SUV."

Thane laughed. "I bet Irene loved that."

"She damn near punched me." Warren chuckled.

Hope followed over the log, both Thane and her father trying to hold out a hand to her. "Guys, I got this." she said, waving them off.

"How did you end up in the house? I didn't see your SUV when we got there."

"I pulled right up to a window around the back. Since they were all broken it was easy to climb through. Everything was at the door or near the living room."

"I tried to call you a dozen times. When we couldn't reach you, I made Thane bring me back to find you." Warren shot Thane a glance with a raised eyebrow. When Thane nodded, he burst out laughing. Something about Hope ordering Thane amused the hell out of him. He laughed until they were out of the forest.

One minute they were surrounded by trees, the next they were in a large clearing next to a lake. The water was so still it acted as a mirror to the sky above. The largest moon Hope had ever seen hung heavy in the sky among the bright stars. The aurora still bending and twisting its bright blue and green ribbons overhead.

The entire clearing was bathed in bright silver moonlight. A few yards up the beach was the yellow and orange glow of a campfire. Hope could see several people around it but not who they were.

Warren took off at a jog as soon as he spotted the fire. Thane and Hope chose to walk the distance. Hope thought it was more that she chose to walk and Thane refused to leave her side.

She wanted a moment to wrap her brain around what was going on. Her father seemed entirely comfortable with all that had been going on. As they approached the fire she saw her my mother raise her arms to greet her husband. Irene seemed unphased by the current situation. Only Dora sat huddled with her knees up to her chin rocking back and forth as if life as she knew it had come tumbling down around her ears. Hope completly understood how her friend felt. She had been feeling that way since the attack in the alley.

"Hope! Thank Zeus you're alright," her mother ran to embrace her. Irene was a hugger. Some people are put off when you invade their personal space, unless it was Irene. She had a way of calming even the most violent of people. That was why she worked as a demestic violence counselor.

"I'm fine mom. Thane hasn't let me out of his sight longer than a trip to the toilet." Hope glared at him over her shoulder as she said it. He had almost not let her do that alone.

"I trust Thane to know how to keep you safe." Irene said, releasing her daughter from the rib grinding hug.

Hope sat down next to Dora putting her arm around her friend. "Are you alright?" she asked rubbing Dora's arms.

Touching her skin reminded Hope of the dream, making her stomach flip and goosebumps rise on her skin. She let her arms fall from the other woman's, putting her hands in her lap.

"There were things," Dora whispered, so quiet Hope almost didn't hear her. "Things in the dark. They came through the windows. Everyone was running. People were screaming," Dora's gaze was unfocused as she relived the invasion of her home. "They're gone now." Hope said, trying to comfort her without actually touching her again. Dora went back to rocking, her head on her knees.

Humphrey turned to speak to the group gathered around the fire, "Gaia will be here in a moment and then we can make plans to get back home."

Hope leaned into the fire trying to rub the goose bumps away. Thane was watching her, his mouth was set in a frown but it was not one of anger, it was more of contemplation. Hope chose to let it go for now and looked back at Humphrey.

It was hard for her to think of him as a god. With his burned face and constant limp he was more human to her than anyone else there. "I asked her to help us find whoever is behind these attacks."

"We understand what that must have cost you," Irene said.

Nodding, Humphrey turned to look out at the lake. The edge of the circle of light from the fire was about ten feet from the water. White sand curved in a crescent between the dark green grass and the black glassy water. As they watched, a ripple formed out in the water about five feet from the shore. Hope could feel something was coming out of the lake. She tensed and Irene squeezed her arms around her daughter leaned over to whisper in my ear. "It is ok. Nothing can harm you in this place. That is Gaia, Hephaestus wife."

Hope felt like a little girl again in the warm embrace of her mother. Safe. She relaxed against her and watched as Gaia rose from the waters of the lake. Rivulets of water ran down smooth skin the color of warm earth. Her feet touched the sand of the beach and they were dry.

Gaia crossed the white sand and Hope watched as the beach started climbing up her legs, forming a gown of crystalline lace that unfolded around her waist, the sand falling to her feet while simultaniously climbing up over her chest to form a tight bodice. Gaia's feet stayed bare. The last few steps to the grass and she was dressed in a ball gown with a tight bodice of white lace and crystals.

"Hephaestus." her voice was like wind over a field of wheat, subtle and breathy. The sing song quality still present but the words seemed empty as she spoke to her husband.

"Gaia," Humphrey stood as she approached, the other men following his example. Humphrey held out his hand to help Gaia sit down on the grass.

"Welcome everyone and thank you. Hephaestus." she said after she had arranged her skirt around her.

"I have asked the earth and air if they have word of who is behind the violence against you and yours." she said acknowledging them each with a curt nod of her head. Her tone was extremely formal, like a queen addressing the people, on the edge of condecendsing but not quite. "Their answer disturbs me."

Crack! A log in the fire burst sending red sparks shooting into the night air. "They tell me Zeus is behind the conflict. The King is out for your death and yet he is not Zeus. They tell me he is not his own man. A shadow has covered him," Gaia said.

"A shadow? We are Horsemen. Why would Zeus wish us ill?" Thane asked the cadence of his speech matching Gaia's formality.

"It is not the Horsemen he fears. The shadow fears Hope. She is the light in the darkness." Gaia stated. "But only if she regains her godhead." her gaze was heavy on Hope as she spoke.

It was like the straw and the camel, Hope's mind was overwhelmed by everything she thought she knew, she stood up and walked away from the fire.

Thane rose to follow her. Hope held up a hand to stop him. "Look, I need some time alright? I won't go far. I just need to be alone right now."

"I don't think that is wise," he said.

"I don't really give a shit what you think right now. I want to be alone." With that she turned and headed up the beach away from the fire.

The night sounds helped to clear her mind. Hope took in a deep breath of the flower scented air and shook the tension out of her shoulders. The white sand was silent under her tennis shoes as she walked. Hope could see the circle of light from the fire behind her a ways off. She turned to start back, pausing as she heard a rustle in the trees to her left. She froze.

It felt like something was staring at her from beneath the trees. Taking a few steps back the way she had come Hope heard the sound again. Looking back at the edge of the forest, there was a woman watching her.

She was black as night. Hair and skin both as dark as onyx. She wore a black leather bodice that held her chest flat with a pair of black pants that laced up the side. The fabric looked like suede leather from were Hope stood about twelve feet from the edge of the woods. The black woman cocked her head to one side.

"Hope." the name off her lips was deep and velvety. When a woman has a deep voice it is either very disturbing or unusually exotic. Hers was the later. it sent a sweet shiver up Hope's spine and a desire for her to speak again in a soft whisper against her lips.

"Yes." Hope answered, finding herself eager to hear the woman speak again. This woman made her feel a chill of fear, like a small child afraid of what might be under the bed in the dark of night and like a lover waiting in anticipation for her partner to touch them in the velvet darkness at the same time.

"I am Nyx," she said. "I can smell my son on you, girl."

Hope wasn't sure if she should start to panic or not. "Do you mean Thane?"

"I mean Thanatos, girl," she said. She moved out of the trees and walked around the other woman. Hope felt like a prize horse being checked out.

"You have good taste, my son."

Thane stepped from the trees, "Thank you Mother."

"Were you following me?" Hope asked him in a flash of white hot temper. Nyx let out a deep throated laugh at her outburst, grabbing Hope's face in her hands. Long, pointed nails dug deeply into her cheeks. Hope thought the other woman might break skin.

"She has fight in her. She must get that from her father."

"She is standing right here and is not deaf." Hope said getting more pissed by the second. The anger was better than fear. Hope shooke her head to free her face from the dark womans cold grip.

Nyx let go of her face, looking straight into her eyes from inches away. Her black gaze was more than Hope could handle,

Nyx turned to Thane. "I heard you call, my son. What can I do for you?" her breath caressed the side of Hope's face like a lovers fingertips.

"I was not sure if you would answer." He said

"And miss my chance to meet the Hope of the Human Race?" she said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Not likely." she stood perfectly still, as if she could stand for eternity.

Thane paced, his eyes never leaving the strange dark woman he called mother. Hope could see the tension in his shoulders.

Nyx narrowed her eyes and brought a hand up to touch Hope on the cheek with a single black nail. "Does your father know about the Jar?" she asked Thane.

"Not yet." he said " I will be going to him after Hope and the others have had the chance to rest."

At his words, Hope suddenly felt exhausted. She was running on adrenaline and coffee. Hope couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. The slice of bacon from the motel seemed like ages ago. Her stomach rumbled loudly in the silence.

Nyx dug her nail into the side of Hope face. "Does she know yet?" She asked, turning her dark gaze to Thane, "Does she remember?"

"No." Thane said  
"Ah." Nyx gave a short chuckle, forcing Hope to turn her face and meet her burning black gaze. "This promises to get interesting."

Nyx turned to Thane saying "Let me know how things turn out."

She was gone.

Just as if she had never been standing there. The only evidence that Hope had not been hallucinating was a sharp pain and blood from where Nyx' fingernail had pierced her skin, dripping down her cheek.

Thane walked to Hope, lifting his hand to wipe the blood from her face. Before she could stop his hand from touching her, he grabbed her wrist, bringing her palm to his lips, kissing it softly. It was sexual and yet completly chaste all at once. He was shaking, Hope knew it was not from the cold.

"She terrifies you." Hope said, looking at the cold, blank face he wore. The fear was there in his eyes. She was becoming a pretty good judge of what lay there.

"If you remembered her, she would terrify you too" he said into her open hand.

Hope lifted his face laying a gentle kiss on his soft lips. "I have been wanting to do that for a while now." she confessed.

Chapter 11

The fire had burned down to red coals by the time they returned to the camp. Gaia was gone, leaving a small circle of ivy and forget-me-nots where she had been sitting. Humphrey and Warren sat huddled together talking in low voices. At the sound of footsteps, they were both on their feet with swords raised pointing out into the darkness.

"It is just us, War," Thane said

Hope wrapped her arms around her father, hugging him tightly. "Dad, we need a plan."

"I know, sweetheart. Humphrey and I were just trying to think what we might be able to do. Zeus is powerful. That's why he is King." He released her, sitting back down rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers.

The night winds played with her hair blowing it across her face. Hope could smell flowers and green things. She closed her eyes taking a deep calming breath. Filling her lungs like she was taught as a young girl. Mentally relaxing the muscles of her body. "There has to be a way." Hope said into the darkness. "Medusa told us that Moros was behind the attacks from the satyr and minotaur. What is the connection between Moros and Zeus?"

Humphrey pointed his cane at her, "I think you are on to something. Moros was able to take a shadow form. Possessing someone and controlling their actions like puppets."

"So Moros was able to possess Zeus," Hope said "How is that possible, he is Zeus for gods sake." The irony of that was not lost on her. If things had not been so serious she might have burst into giggles.

Thane paced around the fire like a caged panther. "He is the king of the Gods, but he is not invincible. Otherwise the Titans would have given up trying to conjure Earth centuries ago."

Warren groaned loudly, "Don't remind me of the Titans. They're another pain in the ass for another day." looking up at Thane, he added, "You and I need to remember our oath. We are bound from harming Zeus in any way."

"Do either of them have some weakness? Something we could exploit?" Hope asked.

All three of the men looked at her. A lump of fear started to form in her throat, making it hard to breath.

She suddenly knew how a deer felt caught by headlights on a dark night.

Chapter 12

"We need to speak with Zeus. Find out if he really is possessed or else find out why he is trying to kill my daughter." said Irene. She stood on the other side of the dying fire next to Dora.

Warren walked over to embrace is wife. "We are trying to find a way to do that without putting anyone at risk. You know that Zeus can be volatile at the best of times, whether he is possessed by Moros or acting on his own won't be easy to learn."

Hope almost didn't hear Dora when she spoke, "Zeus was the old man at my party wasn't he?"

Humphrey dropped his head, sighing deeply. "Yes." he said.

"You called him 'sir'. If he is the one trying to kill Hope, why didn't he do it at the party?"

"Because Zeus is still a good man." The unfamiliar voice came out of the darkness. The men had their weapons in hand in seconds. It took a moment for Hope to remember her own sword hanging at her back.

Irene jumped in front of Warren and Thane, hands held up in the air, "Wait!"

After he had lowered his weapon, a woman stepped from the shadows. Her long purple cloak had a large hood covering her face in shadow even as she stepped out of the dark.

Everyone but Dora and Hope dropped to one knee. Thane reached up and pulled on her hand urging her to drop as well. "Hope, meet Hera, Queen of the Gods." Hera pulled the hood back from her face, waving off Thane. "Let her be. She owes me no alligience yet."

Hope recognized her from the party. Hera had been wearing the purple dress and had made no effort to hide who she was with a fake name.

"My husband is still a good man. He went to the party and gave the box to Dora hoping his guard would understand what was happening. Moros can not keep control over him all of the time. Zeus is too strong for that right now, but he is losing his hold more each day." her voice broke at the end. She had been holding on for so long. It must have killed her inside a tiny bit each day watching her husband lose himself.

Hope reached out to her and Hera accepted the embrace.

"I am so sorry," Hope said. "Please, sit down. It must have been horrible for you to watch."

"Zeus is a stubborn man. I believe that is the only reason Moros has not been able to overtake him." she sat down on the ground her cloak floating to settle around her. Feeling uncomfortable having her look up as she spoke, Hope sat down beside the Queen. Everyone but Warren followed her lead. He stayed standing, watching the dark.

"Does Moros know that you are aware of what is happening? How did he get free?" Humphrey asked leaning forward as he spoke the whites of his dark eyes showing by the dim light of the coals.

"I believe Moros is still trapped inside the Jar he was put in centuries ago. After his last attempt to set the Titans free, Zeus moved the Jar to a place he felt was safest." Hera said.

"His Throne." Thane shook his head. "I told him that was a bad idea. We should have tossed it into Tarterus when we had the chance."

"Wait, what jar? I don't understand?" Hope asked looking back and forth between the faces around the fire. Dora looked just as lost as Hope felt.

"I am going to take Dora for a walk." Irene said rising to her feet staring hard at Humphrey. "She needs the fresh air."

Humphrey rose to his feet with the aide of his cane, "Thank you, this has been hard on her. I appreciate you watching out for her."

Irene's look softened, "You know I love you both," she said. Taking Dora by the elbows, she helped her to her feet. Hope watched them both fade into the night.

There was a look of profound sadness on every face there. When Hope looked at Thane, he turned his face so she couldn't see his eyes. Hera took both Hope's hands in hers drawing the younger womans attention back to her.

"Long ago you were someone else." she started, "The Goddess Hope of the Pantheon. Beautiful, powerful and a touch arrogant."

Humphrey made a sound deep in his throat. "A touch?"

Hera glared at him silencing his commentary. " A touch arrogant." she repeated. "Hope, I want to awaken your god-head. Zeus needs you. The Pantheon needs you. If Moros succeeds in overtaking Zeus he will open the Gates of Tartarus allowing Chaos back into our world. That must never happen." the firm set of her jaw spoke volumes about how determined she was that Hope understand the importance of her words.

Hope nodded squeezing the other woman's hands. "What do I need to do?"

Thane stepped behind Hope, kneeling down to speak softly in her ear, "Hope, are you sure?" he put one hand on her shoulder turning her to look at him. "We can find another way. Let your godhead come back naturally. There is no telling what might happen if we try and force it."

"I will not lie to you, Hope." Hera said, "There is a chance your physical self is not ready to reconnect with what you once were. It could kill you."

"Again," Warren added from somewhere behind me.

"What do you mean again?" Hope asked.

Thane wrapped his arms around her. She found it suprsingly comforting.

His voice was at her ear again, "A long time ago you and I were together. Lovers. I had to do something that hurt you, betrayed you. Your sorrow ran so deep that it severed your godhead from your soul. That part of you that made you a goddess cut off, leaving you mortal."

Hera squeezed Hope's hands again drawing her attention back to her. Hope looked back not realizing she had turned to Thane, his lips caressed her cheek sending a shiver down her back.

"He speaks truth." Hera said.

Thanes lips found her ear again as he whispered the rest of his story. "You took your own life. I found you next to a fountain. Because you were a goddess your soul is different than that of most mortals. It needed time to heal. I made a deal with Hades to protect your soul from harm. He put your soul in the Lake of Life. The Lake is what gives the gods their power." his voice broke as a sob escaped him. Hope could feel him shaking with guilt and sorrow.

Hera continued were he had left off, "When your soul was strong enough, Irene became pregnant again. War and Peace left Olympus to birth you on Earth. You needed to grow and forget everything that caused you so much pain."

"We need you to understand that by letting me awaken your godhead, you will start to remember the things that happened to you as a goddess. Not all of those memories will be pleasant. By forcing you to remember rather than recall naturally, we are disturbing who you are with who your were. You may be overwhelmed by past life emotions."

"You need to remember that you are a different person. You are not the same woman who suffered all those centuries ago. If you give in to the memories you may be lost forever. Are you willing to risk that?"

With a deep sigh Hope nodded. It didn't take a genius to understand what was at stake if she didn't help however she could. "Go for it."

Chapter 13

Hope wove through the bodies of fallen. The sun would soon kiss the earth, setting bright reds and pinks on the horizon. Thanatos reach down to close the eyes of a young boy no older than fourteen, the other hand reaching deep inside the boy's chest. The glowing soul of the boy craddled gently in his hand, he placed it in the bag at his side.

The winds pulled at the black cape and hood Thanatos always wore as he stood from his grim task. Hope returned her attention to the young man at her feet.

He was about eighteen. His eyes told her he had already seen too much pain and horror for such a young age. He clutched the body of a young woman in his arms, tears streaming down his face as he cried his pain out to the sky.

Hope touched his forehead with the tip of her finger and willed a small portion of herself though to his soul. Despair had been here and had left his fingerprint on this poor mans soul. She sent a wash through him cleansing the sickly shadow from his core with a pulse of energy. The dark spot evaporated like alcohol on a fire.

The young man leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the woman's head whispering his love. Thanatos had reached her side, gently reaching into the woman removing her soul.

"He had been touched by Moros." Hope said to Thanatos as they moved off into the battlefield to take care of more people.

"I think he was a big part of this war." She looked over the grim battle field to where Aries sat atop a large red stallion at the edge of the fighting that sent the sounds of clashing metal and pained cries of the wounded and dying into the air.

Bodies littered the ground while men and women wailed over the corpses of the fallen. The army had struck that morning before the village had time to wake.

"I thought Zeus told him he was not allowed to earth unless he was given permission?" Thanatos said.

"That is what I had thought as well. I will have to tell Zeus about this when we return to Olympus after the battle is finished. How is Aries doing?" Hope asked.

"He thinks that the battle will be over before Apollo reaches the edge of the world." he said pointing to the Sun God as he rolled his chariot across the sky to the west. With her goddess eyes, Hope saw Apollo wave to her and reached up a hand to wave to him in return.

Her attention was pulled away by the sound of someone calling her name.

Chapter 14

"Hope!" Thanatos shook her shoulders until her teeth clanked together.  
"I am standing right here, you do not need to shout." she said turning to him with a smile that faded as the memories began to fade, losing their realism and returning to the realm of the remembered.

Hope was leaning back in Thanes lap, her head resting on his chest.

As the memories of the past faded away, the memories of the moment came back to her. Hera had pulled a small crystal vial from inside her bodice. The liquid was silvery, like moonlight caught in liquid form. She put a single drop on Hope's tongue.

As soon as the drop connected with her lips, Hope fell.

Through time, through the earth, through life. She fell away until she was no longer herself. She was Her. The Goddess of Hope.

Waving Thane's worried hands away from her face, Hope sat up putting her head between her knees. Her stomach rolled and she dry heaved. She was thankful that she had not eaten anything in several hours.

"What do you remember?" Hera's voice was gentle. A contrast to Thane's anxious hands wavering in her peripheral vision. Hope had always thought Death would be calm. Shows how much Myth deviated from reality.

It took a moment for the world to stop spinning but Hope managed to sit up straight to answer her.

"I saw a battle. Thane and I were in the field helping the dead pass on. I saw dad watching the last of the fight from the back of a large red horse." Hope closed her eyes to see the scene again.

"I was able to see Apollo in the sky." She was still awed by that part of the memory. "I could see the sun, but I could see the man in his chariot as well."

"It was as if I could feel more, see more than I can now. As if the world I see now is covered in a shroud. Darker."

"That is as it should be. You will continue to experience new memories. Remember who you are now." Hera said.

"I think I may have started to remember before." Hope said.

"What do you mean?"

"I had a dream last night. I dreamed that Dora and I were lovers. It was her birthday. I thought it was just a dream..."

Hera began to pace back and forth, "This complicates matters."

Thane surged to his feet, "Complicates matters? What the hell does that mean?" Hera held her hands up in front of her, "Calm yourself, Death. It means that the Lethe water will accelerate her recall more than it would have had she not started to remember."

"I don't understand, does that mean I will remember faster? How is that a bad thing?" Hope wanted to stand up instead of talking from the ground, the moment she moved, a wave of nausea overtook her again.

Hera moved to kneel in front of her, taking both her hands again. "It means that the memories will be more violent and more real. It means that when a memory is triggered you will be completely helpless until that memory subsides."

"It means any plans we had of you being able to help Zeus are useless," Warren kicked the ground sending a plumb of sand into the air.

His words sent heat rushing through her body. Hope's cheeks tingled with it, her hands shaking.

"Useless? No, it just means that I am going to remember shit you all don't seem to want me to remember. People don't kill themselves on a whim." her voice rose with every word until she was yelling. Her hands clenched at her sides.

Hope stood up stalking over to where Thane stood looking at the ground."You remember what happened, I don't. You remember being in love with me. I just fucking met you."

Hope continued walking to face her father "You remember what I was like before. Did that affect how you raised me? Did you mold me to be who you wanted me to be instead of letting me become who I am?"

His face grew red and she knew he was angry, "I knew who you were before. My daughter." he grabbed her arms and shook her hard,

"You were my daughter and I had to watch you die. You were not suppose to die." The anger melted away replaced with sorrow. He pulled her into his chest. Her own anger melted away.

"I'm so sorry daddy," Hope sobbed into his shoulder, hot tears falling to be absorbed into the fabric of his shirt while he held her. She felt his tears fall onto her shoulder and felt shame creep up her spine. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

Hera stood up. "I will speak with Zeus. Perhaps he will concent to allowing his Horsemen to help him. No one else is aware of his affliction yet."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Hope nodded to the Queen. "If Gaia is ok with it we can wait here for you."

It came like a wave on the beach, slowly building until the memories crashed over the top of her, sending her spinning into dark depths of another time.

Chapter 15

Thanatos stood over the still form of Pandora. His sword was covered in blood, a pool of red spread out from beneath her still form.

Hope ran to her side lifting Pandora's head onto her lap. Tears dropping from her eyes onto Pandora's slack face. Her eyes stared out into eternity. "What have you done?" Hope whispered to the man still standing over them.

"What I had to." he said. His voice was like liquid nitrogen, any emotion frozen before it reached his lips.

Hope could feel the warmth leaving her body. Pandora's limbs were already cold. The memory of her lips fading like the heat from her body.

"Get away from us." Hope screamed at him lashing out with one hand and what power she could summon in her grief. "Get away!"

Hope cried and rocked until Hephaestus came and took her arms, dragging her away from the bosy. She cried and screamed, certain her heart was laying beside the bosy of her lover. Hope's chest felt empty.

Thanatos remained by Pandora's side as Hope was pulled away. He sheathed his sword leaning over to close her eyes with one hand while reaching deep inside her chest with the other. Softly his lips brushed her forehead, a tear drop flashed in the light as it fell.

"No." Hope screamed, flailing with legs and arms to get back to Pandora, to push Death away for just a moment longer.

The void in her chest grew, filling her vision with darkness. Nyx voice whispered, "He loved her too."

Chapter 16

The home of Zeus was enormous. Fashioned in the style of ancient Rome, giant pillars reached to the heavens and supported a roof that was lost in the clouds. . Storm clouds like rolling hills of dark grey fluff made up the landscape. Every so often a peal of thunder would shake the marble walk that let up from the edge of the trees that marked the boundary between Gaia's lands and that of Zeus. The King of the gods was so egotistical that the lands of his subjects radiated out from his like the spokes on a wheel. His was the center of Olympus, all others lead to him. Hope thought he was a fat head.

The entire place was cold and bright, like a walk in freezer or the Antarctic. White marble everything. The entire place was a blank coloring book of grey and white. Hope wanted to grab a box of crayons and set a few toddlers loose on the place just to liven it up a bit. She had a feeling that her emotions toward Zeus were coming from her still unbound memories of before. Some deep inner part of her did not trust him.

Hope was still reeling from the last memory. Trying not to hold any residual anger toward Thane for what she had witnessed. Nyx words had been a slap in the face to the Hope of the past. She needed to trust the people that were with her now. Thane had not given her any reason to distrust him. Hope would not allow the goddess she was before to damage the relationship they were building now.

The throne room of the palace was bathed in pure white light radiating out from a central figure who sat upon a platinum throne. The theme of white walls and grey shadows washed the room. Hope glanced at the others just to give her eyes something besides blinding white to look at. She was already getting a headache and they still needed to speak with Zeus. This should be fun, she thought sarcasticly.

Warren and Humphrey walked straight to the throne bowing low.

"My lord Zeus," Warren began, he was cut short by the loud crashing of thunder from the throne. Several dark figures appeared from between the pillars that lined the walls of the room.

Satyr circled the group. Without clothing on to hide their bodies they looked like men from the wait up but from the waist down they looked like a goat or a sheep. Cloven hooves had fleece covered legs bent back instead of forward like a human knee.

"How did satyr get in to Olympus?" Warren said, drawing his blade and taking up a fighting stance. Thane was beside Hope in an instant, sword out ready to guard her. Dora and Irene were behind them.

Hope took her own sword out of its scabbard, preparing to fight. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dora and her mother inching their way toward the bright spot that was the throne of Zeus. Though she was unsure what they planned on doing when they got there, Hope decided to help them.

Charging forward, Hope raised the sword high screaming as she ran. The action caught the satyr she ran toward off guard. A few of them jumped back, turning to run away. Their tails tucked tight against their backsides. The few that remained lowered their heads ready to fight.

Two of the satyr had large horns that curled around into wicked points that reached out past their cheeks. One sported gold caps that came to nasty points. Hope made a quick desicion to take him out first adjusting her charge to bring herself face to face with him.

She brought the blade down in an arc across the front of her body. Both hands wrapped firmly around the hilt. The satyr brought up one arm that was covered by a metal plate, stopping her blade rather than taking his arm off as she had hoped.

A quick flash from the side and Thane's own sword was black with blood. The satyrs face went slack as he fell back onto the white marble floor. His black blood spread from the stab wound left by Death. Thanatos spun away engaging the next satyr in line, leaving Hope to search for another foe.

A loud shreak of fear sliced through the cacophony of the battle. Hope glanced around looking for Dora, spotting her next to the throne. She held a large ceramic jar in her arms. Irene was next to her on the platform using a long spear to fend off a pair of goatmen that had somehow managed to get around the whirling blades of Warren.

Aries was hard pressed and being pushed further away from them. Seeing that he was unable to help the women on the platform, Hope sprinted across the room, passing Thane who quickly dispatched the satyr he was fighting with a single swipe that decapitated it.

More satyr appeared from around the pillars that lined the throne room. The two near Dora and Irene had split to either side making it harder for the spear to reach them. Dora spotted Hope as she cut her way through the last few satyr reaching the edge of the dias.

It was like everything went into slow motion. The satyr near Irene lashed out with one arm grabbing the spear in his meaty fist. He pushed back causing her to fall back into Dora who lost her grip on the jar.

Hope felt the blood drain from her face as it hit the white and grey marble, shattering into nothing but grey dust and fragments of painted porcelain.

A dark cloud boiled up from the ramains of the jar. The fog was oily and thick, shimmering with rainbow hues of putrid green and red. Dora stood frozen in shock. The cloud wrapped itself around her legs, creeping up her thighs rapidly encassing her in black smoke. Hope heard her gasping for air, crying out in fear.

Thane reached the edge of the dias grabbing Hope's wrist as she lunged for Dora. His grip tightened, bruising her wrist as he pulled her back.

"It's too late," he said pulling Hope to his chest.

She felt something spray across her back and watched as a splash of crimson appeared on the side of Thane's face. Hope whirled around in time to see her mother had slashed her palm with a short knife. Her blood was bright red on the white marble. Hope felt Thane's arms wrap around her as the world turned to crimson smoke.

Chapter 17

A blinding flash of red light and Hope stood in the center of Pike Place Market in Seattle. Thane hastily hiding his sword under his long coat. He pulled her to his side and dodged into the crowd that seemed unaware two people had just materialized in their midst.

Thane was cussing violently as he wove his way through the crowds of the Market on a summer morning. towing Hope along like a reluctant child. She yanked on his hand nearly freeing herself from his vise like grip.

"Would you stop for a second?" she said yanking again. He paused and turned to her.

"Zeus has betrayed us." he said

"I saw that, but why? He had no reason to. Aren't you and dad two of his generals?" She was not sure where the information came from but she knew it was true. Her inner self was giving little bits of her past up at odd moments.

"I will explain as we move but please, we can not stay here. It will not take long for Zeus to discover where your mother sent us. Please move." he didn't shout but Hope got the impression that he really wanted to. She moved.

As they hurried down the steps of the Market that lead to a back street, Thane quietly spoke. "Your father and I are two of the Four Horsemen. Over the centuries our purpose has been misrepresented by mankind or twisted by Despair to turn mankind further from the gods. We are not harbingers of doom. We are a check and balance to the system. The earth can not hold all of the souls there are in exhistance. Humanity does not yet have the knowledge to move beyond the earth opening the floodgate to allow for the creation of new souls."

At the end of the street Hope noticed a couple of tall men in black suits waiting next to a limousine. Thane spotted them at the same time and turned to head the opposite direction.

"Thanatos, you idiot." They heard a familiar voice behind them.

Hope turned to see Aphrodite step from the car. She was dress in a short skirt and spaghetti strap tank top of bright cerulean blue gauzy material that floated around her on the breeze from the Puget Sound. Her face was partially covered by large white sunglasses like a movie star trying to hide her face from paparazzi. Hope was so relieved she stumbled over her own feet as they made their way down the street to her. Ahprodite tossed her arms around them both, squeezing tight.

"I thought you guys were already dead." she said then busily pushed the pair into the waiting car.

"Lets get out of here Jimmy." she called to the driver then shut the partition turning her gaze to them. Removing the sunglasses to reveal her eyes, Aphrodite smoothed her skirt. The blue of her outfit just enhanced her unbelievable gaze and Hope felt herself falling into her eyes once again.

The limo rolled out onto the streets of Seattle and headed North. "You two need to lay low for a while. Zeus has watchers posted at both your house and Hephaestus estate in Tacoma. He has been looking for you since he found out that Aries and Peace had left Olympus. There were only a few of us that knew you had returned from the Lake." she said. "I guess when he saw you at the party he couldn't resist setting a trap."

Hope shook her head, this whole thing was one huge mess and it just kept getting worse.

"How did you know we would be here?" Thane asked the goddess.

"Peace came to me last night and asked if I would wait here 'just in case'. She did not trust Zeus to keep his word that nothing would happen to you."

Thanes look was skeptical as he said "Peace asked you to do something for her?"

"I know right?" she said. "I may be a complete bitch but I am the goddess of love. Maybe she felt another mother would understand." She turned to the side board and opened a bottle of amber liquid, pouring some into three glasses and passed them to her guests.

Hope took a cautionary sniff, smelling the strong scent of brandy. She took a swallow, letting the warmth of the drink carry down her throat.

"Thanks." Hope said handing back the empty glass.

Thane waved his drink away saying "I won't drink until I know this is all over. I can't afford to be anything but alert."

Aphrodite shrugged "Suit yourself." she said and tossed back her drink like a pro alcoholic. The drink served to help loosen Hope's shoulders of the tension she was growing accustom to. She let out a deep sigh, leaning back against Thane, letting her mind drift.

Hope found herself staring at Aphrodite again. She really was perfect. Her skirt just short enough to show most of her well shaped legs with just a fringe of blue on her lap to leave you wanting more. Hope noticed she was wearing a pair of white strappy sandles that laced up her calves like those you would see in old movies of Greece and Rome, only these sported woven heels about three inched high. She had her delicate ankles crossed, her toes had been expertly manicured. The white tips showing nicely from the straps of the sandle.

The brandy was good. Hope felt more lightheaded than she should have.

"Are you feeling ok, Hope?" Thane asked. She slumped further into the seat, her whole body relaxing.

"I feel great." she said. Euphoria washed over her and she giggled a little from the sheer pleasure of it.

"Aphrodite, what did you give her?" Thane asked accusingly, leaning forward and dumping Hope onto the floor in the process. No matter how stretch a limo may be, there is not much room on the floor. Hope was piled atop Thanes black combat style boots and Aphrodite's strappy sandals.

"Oh, Feet!" she squealed kissing the top of the goddesses foot.

Thane's strong arms pulled her back up onto his lap. While his attention was focused on Hope, Aphrodite blew a shimmery powder into the air directed at Thane. The corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

Hope turned to Thane catching sight of the strong line of his jaw. She gave his cheek a pat with one hand and said "You are so pretty."

Hope traced her hand down his face, his neck, reaching down to his pants and playing with the button there. Aphrodite knelt down between Hope's legs and rubbed one manicured hand up her thigh. Thane leaned into her and giving her a deep kiss, his lounge probing deeply into her mouth.

Hope gave a small moan and spread her knees open letting Aphrodite move her self between them. Hope was still in Thanes lap but turned to give her attention to the goddess in her lap.

Aphrodite's nipples were standing out against the gauzy fabric of her top. Hope wanted to see them, to roll her tounge around them and feel the soft skin of her breasts on her lips. She hooked her fingers under Aphrodite's shirt and with one clean motion it was on the floor.

Chapter 18

Hope was no longer drunk or whatever it was Aphrodite had tried to do to her. Venus laughed from the floor. Hope held out a hand to help the other woman up onto the seat. She was still wearing the blue skirt.

Thane sat back on the other seat and took in a deep breath. "You tried to roll us." he said.

"Correction, I did roll you. Sort of." Venus replied with another laugh. "My goodness you two are exquisite!"

"You drugged me." Hope said. Now that the effects had worn off she was almost angry. Almost. The sex had been amazing.  
"I had the best intentions." Venus said. Catching the miffed look in Hope's eyes she leaned over and gave her a full mouth kiss, her tounge rolling the other womans expertly .

"I just wanted to get you to relax. It was the only thing I could think of. I am the goddess of love after all." If that was her true intention, Hope couldn't fault her for using what she knew.

Thane did not look convinced about her innocence. "I still have a hard time trusting you, Aphrodite."

"Please, after what we just did? Call me Tia." she said. "And don't trust me if you like. I want this whole mess to be over. The Titans are coming and Zeus needs to pull his head out of his ass. Hope is the only one who has the power to rid the world of Despair." Venus grabbed her top from the floor and put it back on.

"Zeus has been possessed by him." Thane told her.

She shrugged as if it made no difference, "Great, so this time he has an excuse for acting like a jackass." Aphrodite pulled a small comact from one of the cupboards and began fixing her makeup. "That still does not change the facts. Hope is our only weapon against Moros."

Hope gathered her pants and underwear, slipping them on as quickly as she could without looking awkward. Thane just had to pull his pants up over his hips. Under the influence of the goddess of love, he never had the chance to take off his boots to get his pants off all the way. Hope smirked at him, he just shrugged and buttoned his pants.

With a snort Hope replied, "Rid the world? Weapon? Nobody said anything about that. I just want to save my family and stay alive. It sounds like there is more crap going on in Olympus than I want to deal with. I don't remember anything about being a goddess."

"You are still mostly human or you would not have gotten drunk on one glass of that brandy." Tia said. "My guess is that because of everything you have experienced the last few days your godhead is reconnecting to your physical body. It happens from time to time. Usually when one of The Pantheon get a human pregnant you get a demigod. But there have been occasions when a human becomes enlightened enough that his soul connects to his physical body and he becomes a demigod that way, like Merlin. As gods, we are one with body and soul."

Apparently she didn't know anything about Hera being involved in Hope's recent memory triggers. She decided to leave that to herself. She felt better about the decision when Thane didn't offer the information either.

Aphrodite seemed deep in thought, her delicate brow furrowed slightly between her perfect eyebrows.

"What." Hope asked "what are you thinking?"

She took a breath and said " I am thinking you need to go into hiding. If you have regained your godhead then Moros is going to do everything in his power to see you dead."

"And with Zeus under his control, his power is everything held by the Pantheon," Thane said. "I will take Hope somewhere safe. I have a place we can go. A Safehouse."

Aphrodite said, "Excellent, where is it? I will drop you off."

"No, I don't want to put you in harms way. If Zeus learns you know where Hope is, he could torture you to get that information. Could you meet with the other gods and see who might be willing to help us release Zeus from his enslavement?"

Aphrodite looked as if she was going to argue but instead lowered the partition to speak with the driver. "Jimmy, take us to a car rental place."

Thane made a phone call to Medusa asking her if she would be willing to help. She agreed to meet at Cupid' cabin. It was the place Thane had taken her the first night they were attacked.

Aphrodite said, "I will contact you when I have made the arrangements with the others."

The car Thane rented was a small Kia two door. Like so many other things involving the gods, Hope had no idea how he paid for it. He returned to the limousine with the keys in hand. They didn't have anything with them but their swords that had been attatched to them when they were sent from Olympus.

The drive to the cabin was uneventful. Thane didn't say a word just held her hand while he drove. She watched the muscle in his jaw twitch from time to time. The only sign that he was not sure of the outcome of what they were about to attempt. Hope put her head back and tried to relax as much as possible. She was hoping that some other flashed of memory would surface giving her the clues she needed to defeat Despair and get her friend and family back.

Chapter 19

When they arrived, Cupid's Cabin was a cross between a slaughter house and a gravel pit. Medusa had been ambushed. The pink walls were covered in dark red blood and thicker things. Stone statues of demons in mid fight lay in shattered bits across the purple satin sheets of the bed and on the once lush mauve carpets. Medusa lay in a pool of blood at the base of the hot tub. Someone had pulled some of the snakes from her head leaving bloody patch of skull exposed. The water in the tub was pink and foaming. Hope ran to her side and checked her pulse. She was not expecting to find one with the amount of blood Medusa was laying in.

One of the snakes near her ear hissed weakly as Hope put her fingers to the older woman's neck. Medusa tried to turn her head. She tried to speak but the words wouldn't form through her bruised lips.

"Hush, just hold still while I try and find out where the blood is coming from." Hope told her.

There was too much blood. Hope couldn't find where it was coming from. "Thane help me get her onto the bed, please." He had walked through the room to the bathroom and come back again, checking to make sure no one was hidden somewhere. One of them had to be smart about not getting killed, Hope thought turning Medusa onto her side to check for more bleeding from her back.

Thane stepped over some of the rubble and torn remains of the plush comforter and knelt down in the pool of blood. His black jeans didn't show the crimson color of the blood, just a wet spot on the fabric.  
"Huh I guess that must be why Death wears black." Hope said indicating the dark blotch on hid pants.

With a nod he gently worked his arms under Medusa, Even as Thane moved her slowly, she made a small pain filled sound when he reached his feet. Hope tossed the sheets off the bed leaving the mattress free of debris. Thane lay the injured woman down just as gently as if she was made of glass.

When Medusa was settled Hope went to the bathroom and grabbed all the towels she could find, wetting a washcloth in the sink to wipe the blood away.

When she returned to the room, Thane went to stand guard at the door keeping it open just enough to see what lay outside. Hope carefully removed as much of the blood from around Medusa's face and neck. She did not find any injuries so she continued down her body.

"Thane, do you have a knife I can use? I want to get her shirt off and see if there are any wounds on her chest." Hope asked. He produced a short blade from one of his boots and tossed it under hand to land on the bed next to her. She was not surprised.

"Quickly, we can not remain here long." he said.

Hope used the knife to cut through the blood soaked shirt. She wasn't sure what color it had been before. Maybe pink? The shirt was ruined, she didn't think Medusa would mind it being cut off. Hope wiped more blood away from Medusa's chest and stomach before needing to rinse out the washcloth. Checking her patients breathing, Hope retreated to the bath room to rinse the cloth and gather her wits.

The bathroom was untouched by the fight out in the other room. The only evidence was the bloody footprints of the first visit to get the towels. Hope rinsed out the cloth quickly and turned to head back out of the room.

A sound from beyond the door stopped her from moving out of the bathroom. A mix of beating wings and a high pitch wail filled the air, causing the glass of the mirror above the sink to vibrate with the sound.

"Mother!"

The voice was male but high pitch. Hope peaked out the door, quickly glancing at the scene. A thin man dressed in grey slacks and a pink dress shirt stood in the center of the room. His back was to the door giving Hope a perfect view of his small white feathered wings that stuck out from his shoulders. The shirt looked tailored to fit the wings through the back.

The newcomer had platinum blonde hair cut short. He stood with one hand on his hip while the other fanned his face frantically. He was clearly upset.

"Mother" he said again angrily, "What have you done to my cabin?" Another quick glance showed Thane had been overcome by a pair of Minotaur. His arms held forcibly out from his sides by large meaty hands with thick fingers.

Aphrodite held his sword point down in the carpet, her hands folded of the pomel. "Cupid, shut up" she picked up the sword, putting the blade to Thane's throat.

"The old bitch put up quit the fight." Aphrodite said forcing his head up by bringing the tip of the blade under his chin. "Where is she? I know you brought her here."

Hope ducked back into the bathroom just as Cupid started to turn her direction.

"How do you know that, mother?" She heard him say. His voice was closer to the bathroom door. "Maybe he dropped her off and came to pick up Medusa alone. They know both Zeus and Pandora are after them."

"Did you leave her somewhere?" Aphrodite asked again. She must have done something to cause him pain because Hope heard him gasp. It was a quick intake of breath after the meaty sound of someone being hit, hard. "Tell me where she is, damn it." her voice rose in pitch as she became more angry.

A shadow at the door sent Hope's heart was into throat. Cupid's voice whispered "Get out of here! What are you waiting for?"

Confusion muddled her thoughts. Was he warning her. How was she going to leave? The room only had one door and no windows. I'm screwed. She thought

"I can't," Hope whispered back. "I don't know how."

She heard a snort, "Well isn't that just craptastic." he said.

"Use your blood. Think about somewhere else. Make sure you know exactly where it is you are going. Then touch yourself with the blood and will yourself there."

In a louder voice he said, "I checked the bathroom, mother. There were some bloody towels but no girl."

Hope had a few moments to panic then decided to give his suggestion a try. If Aphrodite came in to the bathroom anyway and found her there, Hope felt certain she was dead. She wasn't sure what game Aphrodite was playing at but it wasn't funny. Fear knotted Hope's stomach until she wanted to run and hide.

She still had the knife from Thane. It was sharp. Very sharp. She cut her arm about half way up the front side of her forarm. She didn't want to risk cutting to deep on the back side near her wrists.

The blood welled up from the cut and she panicked again. Where was she going? Someplace safe. Where?

Hope heard Aphrodite ask, "Why are you still standing there? Help these idiots move him."

His voice cracked as he said "Because this is the only spot of carpet that won't get blood on my designer shoes, Mother."

Chapter 20

That last word brought a place to mind for Hope. A place she felt safe even as child at night having nightmares about things under her bed. She rubbed the tips of her fingers in the blood from her arm then touched it to her forehead, the image of the place she wanted to go was clear as she squeezed her eyes shut.

There was a falling sensation then she landed in a heap at the foot of her parents bed.

Curled into a ball holding her bloody arm, Hope started to cry. "What the hell happened to my life?" she sobbed.

"Just a few days ago I was getting my nails done and wondering when I would meet my Prince Charming. Now everything was falling apart around me. Prince Charming turns out to be The Angel of Death and my parents where part of some rebel group of Greek gods." She screamed her anger and frustration at the empty room.

The cut on her arm started to throb and she knew she needed to get it wrapped. She put some pressure on it with her other hand trying to hold the ends of the cut together with her fingers. Wishing she knew how to heal like Medusa had done with her broken rib, Hope hoisted herself up using the bed for leverage. Stumbling through the room to the master bathroom. The light came on as she entered the room, she squeaked in fright, falling back against the shower stall door.

After her heart had stopped beating like a hummingbirds wings, Hope took one of the towels down from the shelf where they were neatly folded. She silently thanked her fathers dedication to the color red as she pressed the terrycloth to the wound.

Hope caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She thought she looked hideous.

Her hair was a tangled mess of frizz and curls. She hadn't had makeup on in days, the deep purple circles under her eyes stood out against her pale skin. There was blood smudged on her forehead and along her chin where she must have scratched or rubbed when she was helping Medusa. The thought of the injured woman almost sent her into tears again but she caught herself before they started. INstead she tried to gather her thoughts.

How was sheI suppose to save Thane from Aphrodite? She was a goddess and had power Hope did not even begin to understand. Hope could only use the power though blood until she knew more about how to manipulate it. Hearing a noise from the bedroom, Hope went to see what had caused it.

The door was open and Pandora stood waiting with her hands on her hips. "I knew when I saw Aphrodite at the cabin that you were either dead, or here." she said.

At first Hope was relieved that Dora had escaped and was safe, then she took anther look at her childhood friend.

Dora was dressed in a black vinyl suit from neck to ankle that was cut to reveal her cocoa butter skin at her waist and cleavage. Dora had always bragged about having nice breasts but she had never flaunted them like she did now. There were slits up the legs as well. Black leather boots with pointed toes and bright silver heals laced up her calves.

She cocked her head to the side. "Well where is your hero?" Dora sneered. "You do know he is dead, right?"

Hope just stood frozen, watching Dora move toward her with all the grace of a stalking cat, her hips rocking from side to side with each step.

Walking around Hope, she traced one long finger around her shoulders "Aphrodite let the minotaur tear him to pieces." her breath caressed the side of Hope's face as she taunted her.

"It would have been more satisfying if I had been able to do it myself. Hearing his screams as I rip out his throat would have been music." this last was said into Hope's neck, her breath hot and heavy, smelled like vanilla. The line where her finger had traced burned where she had touched skin. Dora took a deep breath, smelling Hope's neck then lay a kiss on her throat. Hope was still paralyzed with fear.

Dora exuded an aura so dark it was like standing in a room full of thick black smoke.

Hope swallowed hard and said "I don't believe you. I would know if he was." Yay me. she thought as her voice never waivered. Dora grabbed Hope by the hair and yanked her head back hard enought to make her gasp. Grabbing Dora's wrists with her own hands Hope tried to get her hair free.

Hissing in Hope's ear Dora said "What makes you so certain? You left. You didn't even think twice did you? You wouldn't help him any more than you would help me the first time." her grip was tight and Hope could feel some of the hair getting pulled out. Pandora pressed her body against Hope. The full length of her body molded against Hope's side.

"You let him run me through. What makes you think I would forgive you for that now?" She was so strong, Hope could not get her hand to open. Blood from the open wound on her arm dripped onto Hope's face. Her arms where over her head keeping Dora from tearing her scalp off.

Blood.

Hope let go with one hand and stuffed her fingers into the wound.

She brought the bloody fingers up saying, "Burn, bitch" as she slapped her bloody hand across Dora's face.

Dora screeched, letting go of Hope's hair. The side of her face that had the blood on it was bubbling then burst into white-hot fire. Dora batted at her face with both hand's, screaming.

Quickly, Hope grabbed the blankets from the bed, tossing them over the top of Dora, knocking her to the floor as she did so. There was a heavy porcelaine vase on the table next to the bed. Hope grabbed it, smashing it over where she thought Dora's head was.

The bundle of blankets went still. Dora's silver heals stuck out the end of the blankets like the ruby slippers under Dorothy's house. For a moment Hope was wracked with guilt then the throbbing in her head where a large patch of hair had been torn out cleared her conscience. She slumped to the floor.

"Holy Shit."

Hope grabbed the tie backs from the curtains and used them to tie up Pandora. She would have to figure out what to do about her friend after she figured out what to do about Thane and her parents. For now she had to hope Dora was stuck needing to use blood to work her power just as she was.

Hope cleaned up her arm again this time dabbing it with some Neosporin. She checked the patch of missing hair on her head. When she was bandaged she did a quick check on Pandora who was still knocked out.

Chapter 21

Hope headed for the garage where father kept a small arsenal of firearms and other weapons. They were locked in a caged section of the garage he had built special for them. She found the key in the cubby by the door and unlocked the cage. The shiny chrome cabinets held various shapes and sizes of weapons.

Taking down a few knives that had arm sheaths and a handgun with a shoulder rig, Hope didn't use guns much but she knew how to use them. It was just a part of growing up with Warren, now she knew why, along with the martial arts training, she was taught gun use at a young age. Hope wasn't sure what good they were going to do her against Zeus, but she knew they would at least help keep demons and demigods off her if it came down to it.

She also found another katana blade up on a shelf. It was her first sword, given to her when she had turned sixteen. Hope smiled remembering when her mom and dad had given it to her. She remembered thinking her dad was more excited than she was when she unwrapped the box it had come in. The box had long since broken, but the blade was as sharp as the day it was given to her. Warren had kept telling her it was a five body blade over and over. She thought that was gross and never used the sword except when her dad was watching.

Now, she caressed the sheath and slung the sword over her shoulder. She was as ready as she was going to get.

Hope felt her before she saw her. A tingle, like static electricity along her skin, Nyx coalesced from the shadows at the far side of the room.

"Nyx." Hope said nodding to her. "To what do I owe this honor?"

Hope was silently praying that she did not accidentally say something to piss the goddess off. She was scary as fuck.

"Hope," Nyx said glancing around the room "Quaint little place your parents have here. A human place."

The way she said human was like anyone else talking about an ant habitat. "Do you remember anything of your life before this one?" she asked taking a seat on the edge of the counter. Picking up a knife laying next to her, she began playing with it. Casually flipping the sharp steel between her fingers.

Hope could feel the sweat starting to drip between her shoulders, she gripped the sheath strap of the katana with both hands in hopes that Nyx wouldn't see them trembling.

"I remember my death. Thanatos told me a few things about what happened then." Hope said.

Standing perfectly still, Hope feared Nyx might do something painful. It was a different kind of fear than what she felt when she had faced Pandora. This was more primal. That fear of the darkness when walking through the woods at night, or the fear of getting your ankle grabbed by something under your bed as a child.

"Did he now." she said crossing one leg over the other then kicking her raised foot out pointing her toe.

"Do you like these boots?" she asked. The boots were a shiny black leather platform heel that laced up the back to her mid thigh.

"Not really my style, but they look good on you," Hope said diplomaticly.

"You were always too good at that." Nyx eyes narrow. "Always knowing exactly what to say." hopping off the counter, her heels clicked on the concrete floor as she walked the few paces between them. The knife in her hand disappeared under Hope's chin. She felt the cold metal edge against her throat, right under her chin.

"You knew what to say to Thanatos. He stayed on Olympus because of you." the word you was said like it tasted bitter in her mouth. Hope concentrated on the far wall, watching the distorted reflection of Nyx off the chrome plate cabinets, willing her body not to move.

The blade slid around to the side of her neck, the sharp sting of the razor edge leaving a sliver of blood behind it.

"I wanted to kill you, but he would not allow it." Her arm dropped away taking the knife with it. Hope watched her head bow as Nyx turned away from her. "I can not reach him. Maybe you can." she said quietly.

"I can't get to Olympus." Hope said, "I don't know how."

"Another door to Olympus is here." Nyx said.

Between one blink and the next she was gone. The knife clattered to the floor.

Hope decided to try and find the door to Olympus. She hoped that anyone else who had managed to escape might be there. If Humphrey had some way to reach Olympus from his home, then maybe her parents also had a way to get there. She just needed to find it.

Chapter 22

Hope found the link to Olympus in her parents study. Irene had a wood chest with a forest of giant trees carved on the front. She knew it was right when she saw the carving of Mount Saint Helens behind the trees.

Hope ran her hands over the carved wood, feeling the branches of each little tree under her fingertips. For a moment she could smell the pine and earth of Gaia's wooded clearing again. She recognized the scene from the lake on the top of the box. The chest was large enough for her to climb inside and close the lid.

It took some effort, but she managed to haul Dora's limp body down the stairs, only knocking her head once. A little blood smeared on the top of the box unlocked the door to Olympus. Hope stuffed Dora through the portal following behind. She made sure to close the lid behind her.

They came through another giant tree in the woods. This one was next to a cabin formed from the woven branches of living trees. Inside a light flickered through the curtain of leaves through the windows.

Hope left Dora by the tree, her foot steps made no sound through the cushion of pine needles on the forest floor. Hearing voices she recognised as Humphrey and Gaia inside the cabin, Hope opened the door.

Humprehy rose to his feet as soon as the door opened, the sword hidden inside his cane out and raised to defend his wife.

"Hope," he said rushing to her and enfolding the young woman in his arms. "Where is Thanatos?"

"Aphrodite betrayed us. She took him. If it wasn't for Cupid's help I never would have escaped." Hope said.

Gaia rose to her feet, her gown was spring leaves and butterflies. "Our daughter?" Worry lines appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"I have her. She must be possesed by Moros. She attacked me. Somehow he has contol of both Dora and Zeus. I left her out by the tree that came from my parents house."

Humphrey helped carry Dora inside. A small bedroom off the main room had a soft bed of moss. Gaia waved a hand and clean linen covered the green mattress. He lay her down gently on the bed and left her there with the cutain ties still in place.

Hope told Gaia and Humphrey everything that had happened to her after Irene had magically trasported them out of Olympus.

"Our daughter is now possessed by Evil because you could not pick up a Jar?"

"Yes, Gaia. I did it. It is all my fault.' Humphrey exploded, the sound of a hammer beating against an anvil filled the tiny cabin "Is that what you want to hear? That I trusted our daughter to fetch a vase without needing to hold her hand? The daughter I have raised and loved because you felt it was beneath you to actually mother something other than Dirt and Trees?" There was so much bitterness and anger in his voice. Years of pent up anger poured out in his frustration.

Hope had no idea that he carried such anger. Humphry was always calm and unmoving, even during what she felt was the worst of her childhood. Hope thought he was a refuge during her own emotional turmoils as a teenager. A mountain of patients for two young girls. Now, his anger was like molten rock, thick and slow moving but destroying anything in its path. Gaia flinched back from, him visibly shaken at the force of his emotions.

Hope put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Calm down. We need to focus on saving our families and freeing Zeus." she turned to Gaia, "You need to have more compassion." Hope was angry that the woman was wasting time.

Gaia stood up straight, her chin in the air, and said " My daughter needs me and I will help."

Humphrey started to bristle again but Hope squeezed his shoulder and he relaxed.

"Listen, we need to get another Jar. Some way to trap Moros again. I'll need something to hold Moros once I've freed Dora and Zeus. Can you two work together long enough to manage that?" Her own temper was a bit frayed with everything that had been happening.

They both looked embarassed. Hope was rather proud of herself for it. She was getting fed up with selfish gods.

Chapter 23

Hope closed her eyes and tried to remember what the room had looked like before her mother had slung blood over both Thane and herself. Tall pillars and streaming light from a platinum throne. She knew she had the right place when she could feel the same coldness on her skin as she pictured the palace where Zeus kept audience.

With one of her fathers knives strapped to her wrist, Hope reopened the cut on her arm gently, hoping she was not doing any permanent damage. She wanted to be able to defend herself if she needed to fight any satyr when she arrived.

A brief wave of disorientation and she was back in the throne room of Olympus. There was not as much light as before and the throne itself was empty save for a blood red cushion.

Without the obnoxious light from Zeus, Hope was able to see that the room when farther back than the throne. Pulling the sword from her back, she cautiously edged around the chair and down a set of steps to what looked like another section of the temple building Zeus had fashioned for himself.

This section was not the same stark white and grey blandness of the rest of his domain. Here there were touches of gold and cream within the marble pillars. The chairs and benches every so often held velvet cushions and pillows in vivid peacock greens and blues. Hope passed a room filled with trees and bushes. In the first few feet were birds.

Peacocks of all colors walked back and forth calling out in their old lady screeches to each other. A bit farther in were panthers, black as night and yellow as the sunshine, lounging on tree branches or stalking each other through the brush. Lastly in a giant silver bird cage were Hope's parents. Warren had a black eye so bad it was swollen shut. His lip was split. There was bruising and blood all over his clothing. Irene knelt over him holding a torn bit of her own dress to his face.

Hope rushed to the cage door. "Mother!"

Her whisper was harsh and she was grateful for the noise from the birds to cover it up. Irene looked up and saw her daughter. Joy and hope, filled her eyes. She left her husband with the cloth in his hand. sticking her arms through the bars of the cage. "Hope, Oh honey! We saw Aphrodite bring in Thanatos. We thought you were dead!" Irene squeezed Hope so tightly through the bars that it began to get painful. "Mom, I'm ok. Thane is here? Where? Where did they take him?" she asked desperate to find him and get out of there as quickly as possible.

Chapter 24

"I am going to try and get Thane so we can get out of here. Just hold on. I love you both." Hope had to move or she was afraid she would remain and try to get them free from the cage. She didn't see a door so she had no idea how they had been put into the cage to start with. No telling who would come upon them while she struggled to find a way to free them. Better she went to find Thane and hope he was in a state that he could play backup.

With a quick goodbye, Hope reassured her parents that she would be right back.

Hope moved back out to the main hallway and continued moving further into the realm of Zeus. There were many rooms and all had some different theme inside. Large cats prowled in grassy decor in one. Another held walls made with water. shadows of whales swam past the occasional flipper poking out through the waterfall. The floor was made of pure white sand with a few large stones scattered about like a Japanese style rock garden.

Hope found Thane in a room that looked like the walls where just a thin, black crust over white hot lava. Black with red-orange veins that gave off a wave of heat. She started to sweat the moment she passed the threshold.

A fountain af lava was the centerpiece for the room. Thane had been chained, naked, to a pillar of obsidian, his hands above his head. His ribs where a large black and blue blotched bruise, with cuts and scraps everywhere. His skin was covered in dirt and blood. The weight of his body was held up only by his wrists. The manacles had torn through the skin on his wrists leaving them raw bloody meat and flayed skin. Hope couldn't see his face, his head flopped forward on his chest. Stripes of skin had been broken open all along his body. Dark against skin that had gone pale. She ran to him, gently lifting his face, she lay a tender kiss on his swollen and cracked lips. "Thane, it is me." Hope whispered. "Please open your eyes." she wiped the sweat and grime from his forehead with her shirt, his eyes fluttered for a moment then he was still again.

Thane's breathing was ragged, rattling in his chest. Hope started to panic a little. Her mind and heart racing for a way to save him. Sweat dripped down her arm into the cut she had made and began to sting like crazy.

"Damn it." She whispered.

For the third time in less than four hours, Hope slid a blade down her arm reopening the cut. She was surprised she had to keep reopening it. She must have been healing faster than she thought, but then she could not recall a time when she had ever been cut this badly either. Maybe she had always been this hardy.

Hope was not sure how this was going to work but she was desperate to have Thane healthy and whole once again. Using two fingers, she put the blood from her arm on his lips, then a bit on her own. If just spreading it on you helped to teleport then maybe if she could get him to swallow some she could get him to heal.

Hope kissed him. Hard enough to feel his teeth against her own lips. She stuck out her tongue and licked the blood from his mouth. There was a spark like static between their lips and he began to kiss her back. He groaned in pain. Hope sat back on her heals and tried to help his take some of the weight off of his bloody wrists.

"Thane, can you hear me now? I need to you take some more of my blood to help you heal. Please." there was still a touch of desperation in her voice, but it began to fade when he opened his eyes and looked at her. She thought his beautiful grey-blue gaze was the most wonder ful thing she had ever seen.

"Hope?" He said, confusion etched on his features along with the pain. Hope nodded putting her cut arm in front of his mouth

"Don't talk just lick some more of the blood off my arm and heal please. we don't have much time." Thankfully he didn't say anything else just ran his tongue over the wound licking and swallowing the blood that welled up. Hope watched, fascinated as his broken skin began to close over. Like watching one of those documentaries in high speed. Soon he was able to stand.

"Do you have a wire or something that we might be able to pick these with?" he said, motioning with his cuffed hands.

Hope grinned feeling ecstatic that he was getting better and said " Remind me later to get you in this predicament again. Minus the crazy king of the gods." She never use bobby pins, she could never see the use for them. She promised herself If they got out of there alive, she would start wearing at least one at all times.

Just in case.

"I don't have anything we can use. Where is the key and please don't say that Zeus has it." she said.

Thane shook his head and said "The cyclops that brought me down here has it on his belt."

"Great. Cyclops, where did it go?" Hope asked standing and picking her sword up off the floor. She was ready to fight whatever she had to to get Thane and her parents free. Even Zeus.

"I am not sure, He did not leave through the front after he chained me here. I am assuming there is another room behind me." Thane said waving his hands as best he could.

Hope stood squinting to see through the heat and gloom what was behind the pillar. There was a large spot of total blackness about 10 feet behind. "I will be right back." she told Thane, sprinting toward the darkness before he could say anything to stop her.

Through the gloom, a cave like door way manifested before her. As Hope's eyes adjusted to the haze and darkness, she was able to make out the vague shape of a giant man standing with his back to the door.

He was huge. The shoulder had to have been about eight feet across, his head was massive and bald. Hope couldn't see what he was doing. The table was so tall, she wouldn't have been able to look over the top of it anyway. The entire room was oversized like it's giant accupant.

He was dressed in nothing but a leather kilt with a thick chain metal belt to hold it in place. his skin looked red in the light from the lava walls. Hope spotted the keys dangling from a loop on his belt.

She was going to have to fight.

Instead of announcing her presence with a yell or something equally as stupid like they do in movies, Hope snuck up until she was within touching distance of the giant foot.

WIlling herself to move forward even though her entire body screamed that she was being a fool. Hope's vision started to swim. She had to stop and take a slow breath in as silently as possible.

The cyclops took a step forward leaving Hope about four feet from the giants back. She just kept thinking Please do not turn around. Another foot closer and she could almost reach her hand out to take the ring of keys.

He started to turn around. Panic raced through her, sending her body into motion with out her. She brought the katana up in a thrust aimed for the massive head. Hope caught a glimpse of a single large orb in the center of the giant face. There was no nose. No space where normal eyes should have been. Just a mouth and an Eye. The blade slipped cleanly up through his enormous belly, right through to the heart. It was muscle memory. the cyclops started to topple forward. Hope had only a moment to pull the blade free or be squashed beneath. She let go of the hilt and threw herself to the side.

One meaty palm slapped the side of her head. Vision faded for a moment. Anyone who has ever been knocked out, knows that you really do see stars. Hope fought to keep from losing consciousness. She won.

Adrenaline was rushing through her and she kept her wits. The cyclops had fallen on top of her sword. She tried to roll the huge man over but he was too massive. "Damn it." she cursed kicking the dead man in frustration. Hope added another tally of the things that Zeus was going to owe her when this whole thing was over. She used his big hairy arm as a step to climb up and grab the keys off his belt.

Keys in hand, she ran back to Thane and began to fumble through them searching for the right one to unlock the manacles. Hope gasped, there was no sign he had ever been injured.

Once his wrists where free, Thane grabbed her in a breath stealing hug, kissing her face and hair. "Don't you ever leave my sight again." he said. Taking inventory of her with his eyes he said, "What happened to your sword?"

"The cyclops landed on top of it." she said motioning to the door. "My parents are in a cage back near the throne room. Do you know how to use a gun?" Hope asked getting ready to hand him the gun.

"There is no need now that my hands are free." reaching to his side, his hands curled around as if holding a sword hilt and scabbard. a blink and he was holding his sword. Hope gaped at him.

He gave one of his mischievous grins saying "The chains were made by Hephaestus to prevent a god from using their power. Even me."

Thane glanced back like he was contemplating going after the sword.

"Just leave it Thane. If we get through this I will get it later."

"Looking me in the eyes," he said "If you are certain."

"I am, lets go get my parents."

They started back the way Hope had come. She held the gun in one hand pointed at the floor and the ring of keys with the other.

Thane tried to walk a bit ahead of her. He was still nude. Hope spent more time watching his ass than watching the hall.

She whispered "Can you materialize some pants or something please?" Thane looked down at himself then back to her with a half grin.

"Am I distracting you?"

Hope could tell just by the gleam in his eye he knew very well that he was distracting. Thane stopped in the center of the hall closeing his eyes. A slight wrinkle between the brows and a moment later he was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black tee shirt. His tan seemed to fade a bit as he swayed a little, catching himself on Hope's shoulder with one hand.

"Are you sure you are doing better? Don't lie to me either. What's going on?" Hope said.

"I am still weak. Zeus was not gentle and Aphrodite was worse." he answered.

"What the hell Thane! You should have said something. How long is it going to take for you to recover?" Hope said in a loud hiss.

"It would not have done us any good. We need to move quickly if we are going to save your parents and get you some place safe." she was astounded that his concern was still about her and he own safety. She wanted to hit him, but didn't want to cause him any more pain than he had already suffered on her behalf.

They started to move again, her nerves were a frayed mess. Despite her fears, she was able to keep moving forward. The enormity of who and what she was, was settling into her mind. Part of her knew that this was where she belonged. Hope had to concentrate on taking steps instead of allowing her brain to roll on with its current train of thought.

When they neared the door to the room her parents where in, Hope tapped Thane on the shoulder with the hand holding the keys. The keys made a metallic clinking sound as she pointed to the door. Just as they were heading into the room there was a shout from behind. Someone must have found the body of the cyclops. "Quickly!" Thane said grabbing Hope by the wrist with the keys, pulling her along like a child in the mall. She planted her feet, yanking her arm away just as they crossed the threshold into the room.

"I am not a child, and you can just fucking wait." She said taking a moment to peek back out the door to see if they had figured out what was going on yet or what direction their prisoner had taken.

Down the hallway Hope saw three very large stone statues peering into each room, searching for the missing prisoner. She could feel the floor tiles vibrate with each step the statues took. All three statues looked like Zeus in different styles of clothing. "Shit, we have company coming." She said sprinting for the far side of the room and the cage that held her parents. Death followed close on her heals.

Warren was up moving by the time Hope and Thane reached the cage. He looked a little better that he had when I first found them. He was able to open his eyes, the wounds had gone from red and ugly to looking as if they happened weeks ago rather than just hours.

Irene sat quietly on the floor of the cage rocking back and forth while Warren passed back and forth like a tiger. Somehow Hope knew that someone was going to pay dearly for whatever had happened to her mother.

"Do you think one of these keys will open this thing?" Hope asked holding up the ring of keys

"I have no idea." Warren said coming to the bars. He stretched out his hand reaching for them. The ground shook enough to send peacocks into the air. Their short flight punctuated with raquous screams of indignation.

"Here dad, take the gun instead. We have company coming soon." Hope said handing him the gun.

"Isn't that my gun?" he asked. He took it while Hope just shrugged, smiling widely.

"I raided the armory."

He took the gun from her, checking everything, making sure it was loaded and ready to go. Hope gave him the extra magazines from her belt.

"Where the hell is the damn keyhole?" Hope started to press each key to the bars.

"Did you find Hephaestus and Aphrodite?" Warren asked moving to get sight on the entrance where the statues where leaning down to squeeze through the door. He raised the gun and fired a shot at the top of the first statues head as it came through. Marble gravel flew everywhere and the peacocks began to scream as they were pelted with rubble. The first statues head split down the center, it continued to crawl through the door. Warren let off another shot as the statue started to stand up, this time catching it in the stone throat. The marble cracked the head toppled to the floor shattering into dust. The rest of the body took a few more steps before collapsing. Several tons of weight in marble stone hitting the floor felt like an earthquake. Hope held onto the bars of the cage to keep her balance.

The other two statues waited in the hall when they had seen what had befallen their companion. "Great statues with brains." Hope said.

She heard one heavy body walk away. The other stood guard outside the door just visible but out of gun shot.

"What are they waiting for?" She asked trying another key against the bars. "Fuck, I am not even sure these are what we need to open this damn thing." she shaking them in frustration.

Thane took the keys from her hand saying "Here let me try," he flipped through the keys. There were several dozen on the ring. He stopped at one that had a peacocks tail as the base and the neck and head of bird and the part you would put into the lock. He touched the key to the bars and they melted away. Hope rushed to Irene and wrapped her arms arms around her, squeezing tight.

"Mom, I am here. Everything will be ok. We're going to get you out of here." Irene continued to rock staring off into space, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Warren came and lifted her off the floor.

"Once she saw that I was starting to heal she sat down. She hasn't done anything else for a while now." his brow furrowed as he held her in his arms. HOpe knew he worried about her.

"Lets get her out of here and back home." Hope told him giving her mother a kiss on the forehead.

"After I do my damnedest to kill Zeus." Warren said. The rage in his voice was enough to burn.

Hope shook her head. "Dad, as much as it pains me to say this, I don't think that Zeus is the one to blame for what happened to mom."

His glare almost made her take it back. "What? Not to blame? He made me watch, Hope. I watched what he let those things do to her. I was helpless and he knew it. He sat there on his throne while your mother was raped and did nothing to stop it. How can you say he was not to blame?" spit flew from his lips and his face started to turn bright red.

"I think Zeus has been possessed like Dora only more so. Moros is the one to blame here." she said. "Well not exactly like Dora. He had the Jar all those years. I think somehow Moros was able to leak some of himself out of the jar and attach himself to some of the other gods. I didn't understand it at first but I could feel a sort of darkness in Aphrodite when I first met her. I thought it was that she was just a cold bitch."

The floor vibrated again as the stone giant returned from where ever it had gone. They had been heading for the exit when the face of the giant guardian appreared in the doorway.

He had a metal helmet on his head protecting him from the same fate as the first statue. He crawled through the door on hands and knees. Warren put Irene gently on the floor near Hopes feet, aimed the gun at the statue firing a round into the shoulder of the oncoming giant.

A burst of powdered marble from the arm and a split down the chest did nothing to stop the thing from getting to its feet and walking toward the small group. Thane brought his sword up and charged. The statue had no weapons, only raised its hands in front of it, arms out, ready to snatch Death up when he got close enough.

Thane swung his sword in a graceful arc down and through the statues arms severing them from the its body. It pulled back and the arms fell to the floor shattering. Again Death swung his blade out across his body at thigh level on the giant statue, then jumped up and kicked the thing in the chest sending it's top have back from its legs where the rest of the torso crumbled and broke.

The other giant had come through the door. This one must have been the brains of the trio, he was dressed in full armor. Chest plate, grieves and helmet in a very Spartan style. He also toted a large round shield and a long spear.

Thane backed up a few steps to give himself some room away from the rubble of the other two statues. Warren tossed the gun to Hope joining Thane at the giants feet. His hand was at his side for a moment as he summoned his sword. The short blade Hope had seen at Humphreys house appeared in his hand. He moved forward to stand with Thane who, nodded in acknowledgement then turned to a better position to fight with Warren by his side. The ease that they showed working with each other spoke volumes.

Hope was struck with another memory from her prior life. The room faded away and she was suddenly on a different battle field.

Chapter 25

"Hope, move." Thane yelled at her from across the room.

She came back to the fight with the giant statue of Zeus just as it was thrusting out the spear at her midsection. Falling back, she fell on her ass and crab crawled away from it. While she had been lost in vision, the statue had pushed Thane and Warren back further into the room thrusting the spear out making it almost impossible for either man to get close enough to attack with their swords. Irene sat on the floor at the things feet rocking back and forth.

"Irene!" Warren cried out as a large stone foot raised up above her head. He started to run to her. Hope watched with a sick feeling in her gut as the foot started to descend. Warren cried out again in agony.

His pain filled cry must have pierced through whatever haze she had locked herself in. She looked over at him just as the foot came down on her legs, crushing them. She screamed in agony.

"Mother." Hope screamed at the same time. She had the gun in her hand and heard the shots before she even realized what she had done. Four shots rang out through the room. The face under the helmet burst into marble powder as each bullet turned the stone statues head to rubble. Hope had aimed for the eyes.

It tumbled forward missing Irene by inches and lay still. Warren reached her before Hope did. Hope had to hold back vomit when she saw the red ruin that had been her mothers legs.

"Will she be able to heal?" Hope asked Thane who had come up behind her. He wrapped his arms around Hopes shoulders turning her face away from the damage.

"I don't know," he said. "She is still mostly human from birthing you. She may need more help than what we can give her."

Confused Hope asked, "Mostly human? I thought you were part of the Pantheon,"

"In order to retrive your soul from the Lake and have you return to us, your mother and I had to become human. You had severed your godhead making you mortal. Only another mortal could birth you. Otherwise you would have been lost into humanity and we would never have found you again." Warren said.

"Your parents sacrificed a great deal in order for you to regain your birthright as a goddess." Thane said.

Hope had no idea her parents had sacrificed so much for her. Giving up their godhead just to bring her back from the dead. She was awestruck.

"I healed you, maybe it will work on her." Hope said to Thane. Moving to where her father held her mother in his arms, tears streaming down his face. She couldn't remember ever seeing her father cry. It was very unsettling seeing him do so now. Irene lay still and unmoving in his arms, her legs where a red ruin of flesh and bone fragments.

Hope shook her head to clear her thoughts. she was still a bit out of it from the newest vision of her past. She knelt down putting the gun back in the shoulder holster as she pulled one of the knives out of the arm sheath.

Hope used her other arm this time and cut a deep gash that welled bright red blood.

"Mom, here." She gave her arm, willing with every bit of her that it would work. Hope recalled the feeling she had in the vision when she touched the man on his head and removed the dark spot from his core. She tried to recall that same feeling as Irene lay back in Warren's arms, the blood dripping onto her lips.

Hope could not watch. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and just willed something to happen. She started to feel warm all over. As if she was sunburned and tender. She heard Warren gasp and Irene took in a deep, shaky breath.

Hope felt a hand on her shoulder, it was almost painful, her nerves were on fire. Slumping with exhaustion, strong arms reached around her, holding her up.

"Hope, you did it." There was a sort of wonder in Thane's voice as he helped her stand.

Hope looked down at her mother. Irene's legs were bruised and a little bent but whole and visibly mending.

Hope let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. Do you think you can walk?" she asked her. Warren was already helping Irene to her feet, she leaned heavily on him for support. She nodded to Hope saying, "I think I will be alright. Thank you."

"Great. Let's get the hell out of here before someone wonders what happened to the triplets." Hope said indicating the mess of stone rubble that was what was left of the three statues.

The hall was still empty. Irene was unsteady on her feet but insisted on walking. "It is a a wonder I have my legs, I want to use them." she said batting his hands away when Warren tried to lift her again.

As they moved back toward the throne room passing the tall pillars that held up the high ceiling, Hope saw a mirror in one of the alcoves. The flash of seeing her reflection sent her into another vision of the past. She felt herself falling and then...

The city was alive with the sounds from the daily market. It was midday and everyone was doing their errands and selling their goods in the streets. The crowd seemed to grow every year. Hope wove her way through the hustle and bustle watching the peoples faces as she passed.

Up ahead a young mother was desperatly trying to quiet her screaming newborn, her face was drawn and Hope could see the shadow of depression over her. Stopping. Hope placed a hand on the baby's head. The infant stopped crying and looked at her.

Hope smiled and crinkled her nose at the infant. The baby cooed and smiled back at the goddess. The young mother looked relieved but still unable to enjoy the peace of her happy child. Hope placed her other hand on the woman's face. The cloud lifted from around her and she smiled at the baby bringing her to her breast and letting her nurse.

Hope moved on into the crowd. An old man in ragged cloths limped along with an old stick at his side. The wrinkles in his face where held in a constant frown and he swung the stick whenever someone would try and walk to close to him.

This poor man had more than just a cloud around him. A small creature shaped like a monkey with large bat like ears and sharp teeth in a wide mouth sat on his shoulder and grumbled in his ear. Hope knew what it was saying even though she could not hear it.

"You are worthless. You are nothing. You should go kill yourself. Die in a fire. No one loves you." and so on. It was a demon follower of Moros and one vile little creature.

Hope willed her sword into being at her side. The silver white blade caught the sunlight and flashed, causing the demon to look up. A few of the people in the street winced at the brightness.

Hope knew infants could see the supernatural because their bodies are small enough to still touch their soul. As they grown older the touch recedes as their bodies grow around the soul. Some people retain some connection to their soul through out their lives. Those people are magic users and people with special gifts, such as speaking with the dead.

The little creature on the old mans shoulder squealed in terror when he spotted her in the crowd. The old man winced at the sound and put his hands over his ears collapsing to the dirt road.The crowd backed away from the strange old man, as if he had some kind of sickness.

One of the people who had seen the light from Hope's blade, a shop keeper selling pots, rushed over to the man to help him up. Hope ran through the crowd sword raised swinging as she came in reach of the pair in the street. The blade sliced through the top of the imps head and the screeching stopped instantly. The old man took his hands from his ears looking at the young shopkeeper.

"It stopped! Blessed Hera it stopped." the old man said. Noticing the young man at his side he asked, "Please, help me?" clutching at the younger man's tunis with his boney fingers.

Hope touched them both whispering, "It will be ok."

The young man lifted the older one to his feet and said "Come on grandfather, lets get you a new tunic."

They walked together to the young mans stall where he helped the older man sit and gave him a hunk of bread to eat. Smiling, Hope moved on.

The vision faded away. Hope noticed that Thane had carried her clear to the throne room. He still held her in his arms made no move to go further through to the doors on the far side. She glanced over to check on her parents. They stood with sharp spears pointed at their chests.

They were surrounded by satyr. The one with the longest horns and a gold hoop in one ear came forward and placed his spear at Thanes throat.

"Put her down." he said. Thane set her gently on her feet.

Tucking her face into Thane's shoulder she whispered, "Your Blade," Hope reached slowly to his side, taking the sword from him. When her feet where firmly on the ground, Thane ducked and Hope swung the sword taking the satyrs head off. SHe ran straight at the rest of the guards who where still in shock as their leaders body fell to the marble floor.

Thane swiftly came behind one and snapped his neck while Warren took the opportunity to knock aside the spear at his chest and take it from the startled creature. He ran it through with it's own spear.

Just as Hope went to swing for another satyrs head the room shook and a shout rang out

"Enough!"

Everyone stopped. The satyrs dropped their weapons and ran. The rest of them turned to see Zeus standing on the pedestal that held his throne.

He was tall with a strong build and rugged features. Hope had expected a long white beard but instead it was short and well kept. The colors went from white at the chin and going to a dark black into the sideburns blending with his black hair. Blue eyes watched the satyrs run away then turned to look at the small group before him. "What is this?" He asked "Is this how you return my hospitality?"

Warren charged forward, spear ready and spit in Zeus' face, "Is that what you call this, Father? Hospitality? You let those... those things rape my wife!" the anger came off him in waves. Hope could see it. Like heat off a road in the desert, his anger lashed out and slapped the king of the gods across the face.

Zeus was visibly shaken by the rage in Warren's eyes. Hope could see the moment of confusion and she also saw the moment when the seed that Moros had planted opened up inside of him and let loose it's poison. Zeus lashed out with one arm sending Warren flying across the throne room. His body slamming hard against the stone of a pillar.

The air started to crackle with lightening and the hair on the back of Hope's neck stood up.

"Hope you need to leave. Do not come back here not matter what." Thane said moving to shield her from Zeus in case he should try to hurt her.

"No way. I came here to get you and I am not going to leave." Hope watched Zeus move across the room in a fluid walk, head held high, to where Warren was picking himself up off the floor. Zeus called the lightning to his hand. It shaped itself into a long sword. Bringing the blade up to bring down on Warren while he still struggled to stand after having been tossed.

Like a black blur, Thane was there with his own sword held up to block the blow. The blades connected, thunder rolled out in a wave blowing Hope's hair back with a strong gust of wind. It smelled like burnt matches.

The two combatants were locked. Evenly matched in strength. Zeus dropped one hand from the sword, unleashing a bolt of lightening that hit Thane square in the chest. He staggard back a step only to be supported by Warren from behind.

Hope saw a flow of red light from Warren move into Thane. Death stood up with renewed strength and flung his own hand out as if he was tossing something at the other god.

Zeus backed a step, anger washesd across his face. He stepped into whatever it was that Thane had thrown at him. Hope cursed. She couldn't see what was happening magically like when she had seen Apollo. She only saw vauge auras and some colors. None of the detailed images she remembered from her past.

An idea hit her just as the two combatant clashed. Maybe she could. She closed her eyes and did her best to ignore the battle in front of her. A deep breath brought her to a place inside herself she would go to when she would meditate.

This time it felt different. Hope could see within herself a bright glowing sphere deep inside with strands of brightness reaching out to touch different points of her body. her hands and head, her heart, all touched by this inner light. She concentrated and thought about seeing the flow of energies used around her. Opening her eyes was like seeing the world for the first time. Colors were brighter, images sharper. Her vision had upgraded to High Definition.

Thane was over lay with a tall figure in a black cloak that flowed around him as if he was in a strong wind. The battle turned so that Hope could see under the hood. She saw the Face of Death. It was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. She had to look away and found herself gasping as she beheld Zeus.

He was like watching an overlay of three different movies all at once. There was the man who was fighting Thane. There was Zeus himself again larger than his physical self a glowing bright blue white figure in a long robe and beard. Now she knew where the images came from. This avatar seemed to be bound in thick black chains that extended to another figure who was a deep black fog. It was vaguely man shaped but was less defined than the other to images. It reminded her of the cloud of evil that had swirled around the room at Dora's command. Zeus was definitly possessed.

Hope shouted at Thane, "Zeus is possessed by Moros!" Warren heard her shout and moved around to take the king of the gods from behind. The two men worked together until Zeus had to either give up or be killed.

Hope watched as the vision of Zeus' avatar flexed his mighty arms causing the chains to bend enough for him to free one arm. With his arm free, Zeus tried to grab the shadow figure on his back but his hand passed through. It was enough of a distraction that Thane and Warren where able to disarm him.

Hope didn't see a larger than life version of her father.She could only assume it was due to his humanity. She made a mental note to remember to ask him about it when this was all over.

Zeus twitched and foamed at the mouth while Warren held him firmly, his hands behind his back. Hope approached with some caution, not sure what she was doing and a bit afraid of the King of the Pantheon.

Hope could still see the black shadow that rode his back like some giant demented large version of the imp she had seen in her vision.

"Thane, is is possible for me to summon my sword? Even though I am still mostly human?" she asked him as he stood with his sword to Zeus's throat.

He lifted an eyebrow in thought then said "I think it should be. Your father has done it, so I would guess that you should be able to as well. You remember the blade?" Hope smiled and nodded.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sword, of the feel of it in her hand, the weight of it. As a goddess, her sword held a warmth to it that was like a living thing. It did not take long for her to wrap her fingers around the hilt of it and lift it to her face. The blade was about two feet in length, the same pure silver white she remembered from the dream. The hilt was a beautiful weave of white and silver leather over the same silvery metal. An opal the size of a walnut capped the pommel, a large oval shaped stone. The cross guard was a celtic style knot work that wove back on itself around mother of pearl. Hephaestus had outdone himself on it.

Hope smiled and brought the blade up to where the black thing could see it. The demon cringed back in terror but its claws where buried so deeply into Zeus that it could not tear them free.

Hope spoke to it directly. "You know who I am don't you?" she asked it. For a moment the rest of the grouped looked at her in confusion.

"Look at him, I mean really look." she told them pointing with her sword, poking the creature with it. As the sword tip touched it, the creature screamed and pulled away the sword left a burning white cut in the black fog. Like shafts of light in the clouds.

"I do not see anything there Hope." Thane said "And I have never lost my godhead."

She opened my mouth to explain again and was cut short by his raised hand. "However," he continued. "I believe you are the only one capable of killing the deomns of Moros. I believe you when you say he is possessed."

She was relieved and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She poked the demon again, bringing the sword up to sever it's head.

Chapter 26

"Stop!"

It was Hera. She came from between a set of pillars. Her gown was made from teal satin covered in peacock feathers. The tight bodice accentuated her curvy figure. Humphrey and Gaia accompanied her.

Hope's sword stopped dead in the air only a few inches from the demons face. It whimpered.

"Pandora has escaped. This thing may be able to tell us where she has gone." Humphrey said.

Hera lifted a hand, " Do you think you can get it to reveal itself to the rest of us?" she asked.

"Yes, your majesty." Hope replied.

Hope brought the sword up saying, "Show yourself to them now." She stabbed it in the side. Zeus winced at the same time the demon did.

"Release me," the thing said through the mouth of Zeus.

Hope swung her blade down and severed one of its hands from the wrist. "Show yourself." she said again more forcefully. The demon struggled to free Zeus from the strong grip of Warren and Thane. With one arm missing it was not able to fight against them.

Hope tried a different tactic and used her sword to cut the links of the black chain. It cut through them like a scalpel through flesh.

The chains fell away allowing Zeus to fight back.

"Reveal yourself." He commanded in a voice that vibrated the earth. Still connected by one hand but unable to resist the command of the King of the Gods, the demon revealed itself to the rest of them.

One side of Hera's lips raised, her eyes narrowed. Irene let out a gasp of shock as the thing coaleced from black smoke. Warren and Thane jumped back in surprise. Hope brought her sword around and severed the other arm, fully expecting the thing to dissipate and be gone but it fell to the floor dripping black icor.

Freed from his tormentor, Zeus whirled around and grabbed it by the throat. "Where is your master?" He asked it.

"I don't know!" it wailed. Without Zeus to speak through, the creatures voice was the whining buzz of a million flies.

"Hope, stab it again," Zeus commanded. She complied, stabbing the creature in a vaporous thigh. Its scream was high pitch keening of an injured rabbit.

"Where is Moros?" Zeus asked again. When the demon did not answer he motioned for Hope to stab it again. She hesitated for a moment then raised the blade to pierce its side.

Thane stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "Don't do this." he said looking her in the eyes, worry etched in the lines of his face. Hope could still see his other Face looking at her with the same beautiful blue grey eyes. She dropped the weapon, it vanished when it hit the floor.

It took Zeus a moment to realize that Hope was not going to be his demon torturer. One hand on the demon, he turned to look at her.

He was about to say something when Hera interrupted him. "Zeus, leave your granddaughter alone. She has been through enough." Hope was shocked to hear her relationship to the Queen of the Gods. Her granddaughter.

"Thank you, grandmother." she said as sincerely as possible, to Zeus she added. "I will not torture it anymore. Either let it go or let me kill it. I would prefer to kill it."

He scowled and shook the demon until it squealed again.

"Father, I really do not think it knows where Pandora and Moros are at." Warren said as he held Irene by his side. They were both glowing brightly.

The king grumbled a few words under his breath then motioned for Hope to kill the pitiful creature. It took a moment to re-summon her sword but it was not as long as the first time and soon the demon was nothing but wisps of black fog that quickly faded.

Zeus went to Hera and folded her in his arms. Her face softened and she became truly stunning. He placed a gentle kiss on her head and then turned to survey the motley crew before him.

"Well, how big of an ass was I?" he asked. Warren's face turned red with anger and Irene placed her hand on his arm to hold him still.

"Let it go, love." she said quietly, "We know it was not him who allowed those terrible things to happen." He turned to her shaking his head

"How can you say that after what was done to you?"

Zeus face was a mask of confusion. "Please, Let him speak. I would have no wrongs between us daughter."

Warren walked forward to stand in front of Zeus. Zeus had moved from his wife to sit on his throne. Thankfully he did not use the blinding light of before. Hope got the feeling that this was more his style, arrogant but not narssasistic. Without the demon riding him, Hope had the feeling she might actually like the king of the gods.

Hera moved to stand behind Zeus with her hand on his shoulder, watching the others. Her face was a complet'y devoid of emotion.

Warren bent his head, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When he spoke, the words sounded forced, "What is the last thing you remember, my lord? Peace is right that you are not the same man who allowed her to be raped. Or the same man that allowed me to be tortured."

Raising his head to look a Zeus he continued. "Have I have been away from Olympus for so long that I no longer remember the loving father you were? When did you become so hate filled? When did Moros gain his hold on you?"

Zeus face turned red at first but a gentle pressure from Hera's hand on his shoulder and he eased back into the throne placing his fingers at the bridge of his nose. "I can not be sure when Moros' demon was able to gain it's hold on me." he said.

"I have been so preoccupied with the fight against the Titans that I failed to see what was happening here with my own family."

Hope leaned into Thane and whispered "Who are the Titans?" she thought she had spoken quietly enough that it would not interrupt Zeus as he spoke with Warren. "The Titans, young Hope, are my parents for lack of a better description though not parents in the same way Aries and Irene are your parents or even as I and Hera are Aries parents." Zeus said, smiling like the grandfather he was, teaching his grand daughter of her heritage.

Hope grinned back at him. "Thank you, If it's not too much to ask, why are you fighting them?" she asked

Thane answered, "The Titans feel that our association with the humans is degrading. That humans are cattle to be used or farmed, not loved and cared for. The Pantheon saw the potential of humanity and chose to nurture it. Taking on the link to a physical form so that we might interact with humans on a level they would understand." Hope nodded her understanding.

Aries continued the explanation "Zeus noticed that over time the longer he associated with humans, spending time linked to a human body, that he gained mastery of the energies that the souls are constantly giving off. Souls generate power and that power can be used as magic formed into different things based on the knowledge of the person manipulating it."

Hope was still a bit confused but had a little more clarity about what she was trying to do magically.

"The Titans chose to try and destroy humanity to prove how insignificant it really was in relation to the rest of the cosmos. I gathered those loyal to me and we fought back against them." Zeus said.  
"Why is humanity so important? I mean I don't think it is right to destroy them obviously being human myself right now but why protect them? Are their other forms power?" Hope asked.

Irene came to her side and took my hand. "Because humans are Life. The ultimate form of life. They are what Chaos was trying to create when it made the Celestials. Each human soul generates energy that forms the very fabric of the universe. It is from this one place that everything living draws life. Without it even the gods would fade to nothing."

"Don't the Titans understand that?" Hope said.

"I think they either do not understand that it is this very energy that gives them such great power or they think they do not need it to survive. Either way they are very vain." Zeus said.

"Which brings us to Moros and how he has been able to manipulate me. I was vain in thinking that we could use as much of the energies as we needed without consequence. A darkness began to take over humanity and Despair was born from it. "He was able to create and control the demons and those demons spread their darkness throughout humanity. We searched for centuries for a way to defeat them and could do nothing." He looked ashamed and embarrassed looking anywhere but at Hope.

Hera had no such qualms. "Then you were born and could do what we could not. You were able to give humanity something that allowed them to fight back against the darkness and despair. Hope you were named and Hope you are." she said "Zeus, being the man that he is, was jealous of you and created the Jar to prove that he was the one who could rid us of Moros poisons."

"I had no idea the thing would leak." he said

"One thing I have been wondering is why give the Jar to Pandora?" Hope said

"The memory is a bit vague, this must have been after that demon had managed to get its claws into me. Part of the security we crafted into the jar was that it could only be opened by a mortal. Moros needed someone to open the jar who was not a god." he said. "I am ashamed to admit that part of me wanted to see you suffer as well. Please forgive me for that." he said holding out his hands in a pleading gesture.

"You can prove that you are truly sorry by helping us get Dora back, unharmed." Hope said. All this talk of her past had started to stir up unwelcome emotions and she wanted to focus on getting her friend back.

"I will send out Hermes to find out where she is and then we can form a plan." Zeus said.

"Crap, we still need to find Aphrodite, she tortured Thane and tried to have me killed, amongst other things." Hope said

"She was here. I do not think she knows that Zeus is no longer under the demons control. Let me summon her here." Hera said.

"I would like to return home." Irene said quietly, she was still glowing very brightly.

"Mom are you sure it is safe to go back to the house? Dora found me there and I would hate for her to catch you after I just saved you from Moros." Hope said.

Aries chuckled and said " I think your mother is talking about our home here in Olympus. I agree. I need to rest and regain my strength if we are going to battle Moros and return Pandora to us once more. Deal with Aphrodite and then call us."

With that the two of them walked around the throne and off into the hallway behind. They knew where they were going. Gaia followed behind them leaving Humphrey standing alone between the pillars.

Thane turned to Hope and said, "Remember that she is probably also possessed by some demon, Hope. We do not want to hold anything that happened against her." Hope nodded but she was not so sure that Dora was under a demons control as Zeus had been. There was something about her new image that Hope didn't like. She kept her thoughts to herself, following Thane and Humphrey to an alcove. Zeus called for Aphrodite to come to the throne room and meet with him to talk about what was to happen with his captives.

Chapter 27

She arrived as a spill of sea water in the center of the room. The blue green water of a tropical beach rose up in a giant pillar of swirling colors, bright fish and sea plants swimming around in a tidal pool coalesced into the form of the goddess and the water evaporated away leaving the floor dry and untouched by the watery entrance.

"My lord," she said dropping into a curtsy. Her dress was iridescent scales on a tight bodice with a skirt of flowing green seaweed that swept down to the floor and wswayed as if it was underwater in a tide. Shells made up her jewelry and she had a serrated blade made of a swordfish barb at her side.

"You summoned me?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion when she saw Hera standing beside her husband.

Zeus stood and stepped down to meet Aphrodite on a level footing. "I did." he said "I wish to discuss the next step in the plans Moros has for us."

Thane poked Hope in her side and whispered. "What do you see?"

Hope concentrated very hard on the goddess but could only see her Avatar standing like a bright reflection of the woman herself. There was a darkness deep within her but Hope didn't think it was the work of Despair. This woman was just mean. Hope told Thane what she could see.

"Damn it." Thane said stepping out from their hiding spot and walking swiftly toward Zeus and Aphrodite. It was a good thing he had.

As Zeus got closer to her, Aphrodite had started to play with the sword, swinging it back and forth like it was a wand and not a wicked looking weapon. When he was close enough to her, she thrust the blade up into his chest. the tip pierced deep before Thane made it to them, drawing his own sword to bring down on the woman. She stepped back and raised her hands to the ceiling becoming the pillar of water once again. Thanes sword sliced through the liquid with no effect. The pillar collapse, soaking Thane and vanished into the floor.

Hope ran across the room to where Zeus lay coughing blood. The fish blade still buried in his chest. the barbs made it impossible to pull the blade free.

Hera made it there before Hope. Her hand was on Zeus' head and the other on his arm to hold him still. His face was twisted in agony.

Hope watched small amounts of blood leak from around the wound each time he tried to take a breath. "Hold still my love." Hera said, looking up at Hope she asked

"You can heal?"

Hope nodded not trusting her voice. Thane returned to them just as Hera asked for help.

"My Queen, she is still human, her abilities are still limited. Let us call Gaia and ask for her help. Please." he begged her.

"I do not trust her, Thanatos, even though she is the mother of us all, she still associates with Cronus and the Titans. What if he was to learn of Zeus' injuries from her?" she said. "No, Hope can do this. We need Zeus."

"I have to try," Hope said to Thane as she placed one hand on the wound and the other on the hilt of the sword.

"Then at least let me help you. I can give you some of my power." he said. Hera raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

With a nod, Hope began to concentrate on the power within her.

"This is going to hurt," she said to Zeus. "A lot."

"Thane can you please help Hera hold him? I don't want to do any more damage than there's going to be from this damn blade."

Hope looked at the injury again and turned to see if Humphrey was still here. "Humphrey," she called when I saw him sitting in the alcove watching us. He was pale and looked like he was in shock. "Humphrey please I need you to help me. I can't pull this out and heal him at the same time."

Hope watched him shake his head then rise to his feet, the anvil topped cane supporting him as he limped to them. When he reached the side of the fallen King, he knelt down beside Hope and wrapped his strong hands around the hilt, preparing to pull it out.

"Alright," Hope said taking one of theblades from the sheaths still on her arms and sliced open a deep cut putting the blood directly on the wound, mixing with the blood flowing from it.

"Pull." she said, putting her hands down on either side of the wound. As the blade tore free from his chest Zeus screamed in agony trying to thrash under the weight of both Hera and Thanatos holding him to the floor. Thunder rolled through the air, lighting stricking just inches from where they held the Thunder God.

With the blood pouring down her arms, Hope concentrated on the flow of the energies from her into the wound under her hands.

She willed the flesh to repair and become whole, to reverse the injuries from the inside out reaching up to where the blade and almost pierced his heart. Lungs and other organs regrew and repaired becoming whole once more.

Hope could see it all happening under her hands. She could feel the warmth spreading through his body, taking all the pain and suffering away.

Her own life force flowed through and around him healing old physical wounds as well as emotional damages. Hope felt herself growing lighter and fading but it didn't feel bad. She just let the energies flow.

Distantly, she heard Thane. "Hope, that is enough. He is healed, you can stop now."

Hope continued to let the power flow. She was adrift and it felt good. Her vision became filled with light.

Chapter 28

A jolt rocked Hope back on her heals. Zeus had one hand on her arm gripping tightly so that she wouldn't fall over.

"That is enough of that," he said with a bit of a chuckle. Hopes arm tingled with powerful static electricity and all the hair on her body stood on end.

Thane held one hand out, ready to help her to her feet until Hera grabbed his arm.

"I would not do that if I were you." she warned him. Hope felt refreshed and alive again. The bright vision of before was a fading feeling of peace dispersing rapidly, while this new one was a feeling of white hot life force pulsing from his hand through her body. Hope looked down to see her skin was glowing brightly and the feeling of being sunburned was there again.

"What the hell!" she said stepping back and shaking free of the king.

He smiled at her and said "While I am flattered that you would sacrifice yourself on my behalf, we need you."

He stripped of the blood stained ruin of his robes and stood there naked. Hope turned her face away in shock. This guy was suppose to be her grandfather.

Thane put his hands on Hope's shoulders, looking her in the eye." Are you alright?"

She put her arms around him, taking a deep breath just to smell him.

She said "I am now." Thane smiled and kissed her forehead then turned to Zeus and Hera. "We should call a council and find out what our strengths are against Moros." "Not to mention find out who is still loyal to us." Zeus said

"Agreed"

"I will call the council together." Zeus said.

Hope started to sway and the edges of her vision where fuzzy. "I think I might need to get some rest." She said.

Hera looked at her with narrowed eyes. "When was the last time you had any sleep child?" she asked.

Hope tried to think about it and could not remember. "I do not know." she said giving a huge yawn at the end. Hope covered her mouth with both hands.

Opening her eyes wide, Hope shook her head to revive herself a bit. Thane scooped her up and said "I am going to take her to sleep somewhere safe. Please call the council and find out as much as you can. I know things are quiet with the Titans right now so we should use this time to take care of Moros and Pandora before they strike again."

He turned to walk down the long hall to the door they had first come through leading to Gaia's forest.

Thane took Hope back to the cabin in the woods and lay her down on the bed.

It was only a matter of laying her head down on the cushion of his chest and she was asleep.

Chapter 29

Hope woke to the feel of lips on her cheek. Thane was kissing her gently waiting for her to open her eyes. He moved down to her neck, giving a gentle bite then moved down to her collar bone, kissing as he went.

She was still dressed in her tee shirt and jeans though she could not remember when her weapons had been removed.Sitting up, Hope looked to see where they had been put. Her weapons sat on a side table next to the bed of moss.

Thane rose up on one elbow and said "Good morning."

Hope grinned and said "So far. Lets not jinx it by talking." she leaned in and kissed him deeply running her tongue out and playing along his lip until he met her with his own.

She loved the feel of his lips on hers. The short mustache of his upper lip tickled. She pulled back, wrinkling her nose at him.

"You need to shave" she said. He laughed and grabbed her around the waist pulling her into his body, rubbing his bristled face into her neck, tickling her. She laughed and tried to wriggle away from him.

His arms where like steel around her. Hope panicked a little at his strength. His nuzzles turned to kisses and she relaxed again, letting him take her shirt off in one fluid motion.

His hands felt like ice on her skin and she shivered.

"You are hot," he said leaning back and staring at me.

"Gee, that is romantic." Hope replied.

"No, that is not what I mean." he said. "Your skin is burning. Are you feeling well?"

Hope sat up and did a quick assessment of herself. She felt fine. Better than fine she felt great. Like she was buzzing with energy, her limbs tingled and her head felt more clear that it had ever been.

It was a bit confusing to feel so...alive. Hope rubbed her hands on the mossy bedding and felt the energy swirl like a mix of water and air. It was so light and yet there was a subtle pressure against her hands.

Hope saw the energy like a fine dust in the air dancing and swirling. She swung her hand through the air sending the particles spinning from the movement of my hand. Each tiny flower in the moss was like a perfect little start of light shining in the deep of space, except this space had a quiet power of its own.

Hope looked up at Thane and had to shield her eyes. Looking at him was like living in the dark then suddenly someone lifts the blindfold at midday while you are staring at the sun. After a moment her eyes adjusted and she felt as if she really saw him for the first time.

He still looked like the Thane she met for the first time in the alley behind the shelter house, but now she could see past the physical body he wore to the god he was inside.

"Oh." she whispered.

Concern filled his eyes and he grabbed her arms "Are you ok? Hope please talk to me what is going on?" There was a touch of desperation in his voice.

"I am fine. Better than fine, Thane I can see you." she said her voice filled with awe.

"You can what?" he was confused as he watched her face.

"I can see you, I mean really see you"

"Tell me what you see." he said.

"The flowers are like stars. The moss a tiny universe of its own. You were so bright, I couldn't look at you at first but now I can." she said.

He threw his head back and laughed.

"What?" it was her turn to look confused "Why are you laughing?"

He was laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.

"Thane, tell me what it means." she said, slapping him in the chest to get his attention.

"You are a demigod, You are one step closer to regaining your godhead. Hope, this is fantastic." He was so excited he jumped up grabbing her off the bed and twirled her around the tiny room. She started to get dizzy from all the new sensations and the spinning.

"Put me down." she slapped him on the shoulder a few times before he set her back down on the floor.

"So what does this mean?" she asked.

"It means that you will be able to access more of the power and it should be easier for you to do things without needing to use your blood to do it." he was so excited he couldn't hold still, pacing back and forth in the small bed room of the cabin.

"I do not know how to do anything now, Thane," she exclaimed. "It was pure dumb luck that I was able to get out of Cupid's cabin without Aphrodite knowing I was there. NOt to mention the dozens of other things I have done. I'm flying blind,"

He stopped pacing, looking at her intently. "You are right. I should have been teaching you how to do things. It was my fault you were not prepared to use the power." "So show me now and then we should get back to Zeus and find out what happened at the council." Hope said.

Chapter 30

They spent the next several hours going through basic power concepts. "Everything has energy or life force or mana, call it what you are comfortable with. Gods, by virtue of what they are can see these energies and therefore have the ability to use that energy." Thane said.

"They can manifest in human form but it is a compact version or a cloak of their true form. Demigods are humans, or in your case a goddess in physical human form, who are connected so closely to their body that they can see and manipulate the energy, but it is like trying to do delicate sewing wearing oven mits. You can do it but it is sloppy." As he explained, Thane played with the power weaving a show of light and soft sounds with his hands.

"Some humans are connected enough to see the energies but not enough to manipulate it. These people are known as clairvoyants and such."

Hope held up a hand to get his attention, "in one of my visions I was walking through the streets of a city and the only one who saw me was a tiny baby."

"Humans are basicly blind to the other sight after they grow past a certain age." Thane was not sure what that age was. "It varies by culture and the beliefs of the person. I have seen adults who believed enough in something that they changed their perception. Much like you have done reconnecting with yourself enough to gain demigod status."

Hope just nodded because it was all still incredibly confusing. She just followed his lead.

He explained why the best way for someone who has no access to the natural energies of the world can use their own soul energies to do something like teleport or heal. "Within each person is a soul and that soul is constantly generating energy. Like the ultimate renewable resource."

" That energy fuels the body to grow and leaks out into the rest of the world, infusing the rest of the universe."

"According to some there are pockets of souls all throughout the universe but none as powerful as humanity." Humanity was unique in the universe and the reason Zeus and the other chose to stay so close to them. The Titans ignored them until Zeus showed up as powerful as his father Cronus.

"Using that energy without being able to see it required access to it through a conduit. Blood. The very thing that carries life force. It is why vampires need to drink blood to survive." Thane said. Hope stared at him in shock.

"You're telling me that not only are their real Greek Gods but there are vampires too? What next werewolves?"

He raised an eye brow at her. "Yes, but werewolves are born with that talent. Though it can be transmitted through a bite by the most powerful of them. And from what little I know of their culture, it is a high honor to be gifted with shapeshifting"

There was so much more to the world than Hope had ever imagined. She had to focus on learning about her own people before expanding her horizons.

With a deep sigh, Hope asked him to continue with the lessons.

"Alright." He said. "As a demigod you should now be able to see the energies flowing around you."

Hope nodded and swished her hand through the air to watch the particals dance. She remembered being a small child, sitting by the window watching the dust motes in the sunlight and how entertained she was to just pass her hand through the light, setting them to swirling in a sparkling dance. It brought a smile to her lips.

Thane passed his own hand through the air, the dust motes gathered in his hand rather than swirling out of the way. "You can gather the energies to use for whatever purpose you can imagine. Some things may require the use of more that what you can gather from the air."

With this explanation he reached one hand out to the wall of the living tree house. Hope watched the bright stream from inside the tree siphon off into his hand and join the power already there. The ball of power was now about the size of a basketball, spinning, bright energy. He concentrated and the brightness began to shape itself into something else. After a moment he held up a large round shield with a bright red rose held in a white bone grip of a skeletal hand on a background of black enamel.

"That's beautiful." Hope said as she ran her hand over the front of the shield. She could feel the raised petals of the flower under her fingertips but the warmth of the energy used to create it faded quickly.

"We can only create inanimate things. Life itself is far to complex and chaotic for us to understand. Some feel that is the reason Chaos could create the Celestial while they in turn could only birth others. There is a touch of chaos in each of us. That is why we are able to create life through the birth process."

Thane handed Hope the shield and told her to guard herself.

Faster that thought, he was gone and she was left standing alone in the room. She grabbed up the knives and gun from the side table and started to put them on. While she fumbled with the straps of the wrist sheaths, She felt a stab of painin her right kidney.

She dropped the knives and spun to see Thane had lashed out with his hand sending a bolt of electricity into her back.

"Think." he said forcefully then vanished again. Hope thought quickly and held her hand out in front of her, gathering the dust motes of power into it. Thinking "Knife," she willed it to shape itself just as she had willed her special blade.

This was harder. It was forming a thing rather than summoning a thing. She had it once and could feel the form of the blade in her hand until a sharp zap caused her to lose her concentration. It faded back into dust again.

"Damn it!" She swore loudly stomping her foot in frustration. "I almost had that you jackass."

Hope was angry that she couldn't hold the thought long enough to finish the forming. She heard him chuckle but could not see him.

Hope chose to alter her perception. If she could see the energies then maybe she could see the unseen. With that thought in mind, she bent over to pick up the knives and thought about seeing what could not be seen.

Hope saw him step up behind her to deliver another blow. Spinning in time to avoid it, she whipped out her own hand sending the energies to zap him in the stomach. Thane doubled over with a satisfying sound of pain.

"How does that feel?" Hope laughed, triumphant in her success.

Thane leaned over with one arm across his belly and the other on his knee to support himself. "That was good. Now remember that because we are going back to Olympus and can not be sure of anyones loyalties."

Chapter 31

They took their time walking back to the center of Olympus. They knew that if they were needed Zeus would summon them to him. No one had come for them yet so they took the time to enjoy Gaia's domain.

"I thought Gaia was a Celestial." Hope said to Thane while they walked along a dark path lit by lanterns of soft yellow light.

"She is. Like my mother." he said looking up into the sky between the trees. The night breeze blew his hair back from his face. The scent of hyacinth was thick and sweet, mixed with the earthy tones of the forest around them.

"Then why does she have a domain here in Olympus. I thought this was a place for the Pantheon. A refuge from the Titans."

"It is, Gaia is not a Titan. She is The Mother. The first born Celestial of Chaos. She goes where she will and does what she will and the rest of us mostly just stay out of her way." he said pushing aside a branch that had grown down over the path.

"What about your mother, does she have a place here as well?" Hope didn't want to say her name for fear that she might accidentally call the dark goddess. Nyx scared the crap out of her. Apparently Thane felt the same because he also avoided saying her name.

"Mother goes where ever the night is. It is who and what she is. Without her, Night would not be."

"Just like without you there would be no death?" Hope asked

"There would be Death. It just would not be pleasant."

"I never thought of Death as being a pleasant thing."

"Death, when given in it's own time and respected as a part of life is not unpleasant. Despair has made Death in all of it's forms a thing to be feared by humanity. You and I use to work together to bring hope to the dying and their loved ones."

Hope squeezed his arm to acknowledge this bit of their shared past. Thane had so much difficulty speaking about anything they had done together before her death. They walked on in silence until they reached the end of the trees, once more emerging to stand on the edge of Zeus's realm.

Hope gasped in shock. The clouds that has seemed so forbidding before, where white and fluffy. Bits of blue sky peaked through, here and there as rainbows arced across adding splashed of color everywhere.

The palace was still tall pillars of marble but they were now laced with colors, gold and silver veins on some while others where faded pink pillars with deep blues running through them. It was a much more pleasant place to enter.

The main room had transformed into a round theatre with large chairs ranged around the room. Each chair reflected the domain of the gods who would be seated there. A raised dias at one end of the room held three large thrones and a smaller more delicate throne.

These were occupied. Poseidon, Zeus and Hades sat on the three thrones while Hera sat in the other delicate chair. They were deep in conversation as they approached. Hades spotted them first. He was not very tall sporting a styled black mustache and goatee. His hair was black and brushed back from his face. He held his arms open wide to embrace Thane, wrapped his arms around the other man patting him soundly on the back.

"Thanatos, it is great to see you again." Hades said.

The god of the underworld turned to Hope. "And it is twice the pleasure to see you again." he said with a wink. Hades kissed the back of her hand, a brush of lips across her knuckles. His lips were hot on her skin sending a warmth through her that raised her eyebrows.

Thane saw this and took Hope's hand away from the other man, "Cool down there." he said, laughing.

Hades winked at Hope again then turned to Thane saying "You know I was just trying to flirt with her so I could get to you." grabbing a handful of Thane's back side as he spoke.

Zeus and Poseidon had approached while Hope had been preoccupied with Hades flirtations. "Do you have to do that now?" Poseidon asked.

He was tall with skin so pale you could see the blue veins underneath. He seemed almost irridecent, like a shell. His hair was white and flowed down his back in curls that looked like sea foam. His eyes were a deep ocean blue. Poseidon wore a pleated blue kilt and leather sandles that laced up his calves.

"Good to see you among us again Hope." Poseidon said holding out his web fingered hand. Hope gave him her own, the heat of Hades lips still burned on her knuckles. The coolness of his grasp soothed the burning, the soft webbing between his fingers felt like supple leather on her skin.

"I trust you rested well?" Zeus said gesturing for them to sit near the three thrones. One of the seats was obviously Thanes, decorated with skulls and black velvet cushions. The seat next to his was made from creamy ivory, carved with roses and twining vines in a knot work pattern. The cushion was pale pink satin with soft velvet trim.

"I hope you like it." a familiar voice said from behind her. Hope turned around. "Cupid!" she exclaimed, running to hug him, careful to avoid his wings.

He returned the hug and kissed her on both cheeks. "I am so happy you made it away from the cabin!"

His eyes were brimming with tears and he stepped back to pull a hanky from his jacket pocket, dabbing at his eyes. " I was so worried. Mother has gone absolutely crazy." he hugged her again ushering her to the chair and helping her sit down.

When she was settled, he returned to his own seat and wiggled his fingers at her, grinning.

As the three brothers returned to their seats, the rest of the Pantheon began to appear. Some simply appeared in their seats while others manifested in some way related to the sphere they governed. Apollo appeared in a burst of bright yellow light and blinded everyone in the room for a brief moment while Athena quietly appeared and sat in her plain gold throne.

It didn't take long for them all to assemble. There were a few chairs that remained empty, Aphrodite's was one of them. Thane leaned over and told Hope the names of the other missing gods and goddesses.

"It looks like Hermes followed Aphrodite which does not surprise me. He would do anything for her despite her being crazy. I see that Hecate is missing as well. That is not good for us. She is the goddess of necromancy but it makes sense with both Styx and Lethe missing as well." There were so many seats, Hope had not realized how many different gods and goddesses there were in greek myth. She had not seen her parents arrive but they were there across the circle from her.

Zeus brought the assembly to order with a peal of thunder through the room. "You have been called here to find out who remains loyal to the Pantheon and who has chosen to break from it. Aphrodite has chosen to leave Olympus. It seems that she has gathered a few followers to join her."

"If any of you see these gods that have chosen to go their own way you are to shun them unless they are actively seeking to harm mortals in any way. Do not assist them or find yourself banished." He looked at the assembled to make sure his words were clear. Not a single face in the crowd showed any sign of disobedience. For the most part they all seemed to agree that this was the best action.

"Now on to other matters that concern us." he said sitting once more in his throne. "Moros has escaped the Jar and possessed the reincarnation of Pandora, Hephaestus daughter. I was recently set free of his control. The demon was vanquished by my granddaughter, Hope, who has returned to us at last." he gestured at her as he spoke and every eye in the room turned to look at her.

Hope wanted to sink into the seat and vanish. Thane reached over taking her hand, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

Zeus continued ."That I was under his control, shows the amount of power he has gained over the centuries, despite being confined to the Jar. We need to capture..." Zeus paused and swallowed. " and destroy him."

At this there was an outcry from the rest. Apollo stood and shouted, "But we never kill our own. There are too few of us as it is!"

Shouts from a few others agreed with his statement. Zeus waved his hand to acknowledge the sun god "I understand that we do not kill our own but Moros has left us with little choice. He has threatened Humanity just as the Titans have and we are sworn to protect them at all cost. Even if it means to kill one of our own."

Apollo turned to Thane and lifted a hand to point at him " What are your thoughts on this, Thanatos? Moros is your brother after all. Would you see him killed?"

Hope was shocked at this revelation. Thane released her hand and stood. "I would see him released into the Soul Pool, as Hope was. It is possible that over time he may change. Become less hostile to the humans as he lives the lives of a human."

"I believe that in time he may be able to rejoin us and serve his original purpose as part of the Balance." When he had finished speaking, Thane returned to his seat. Apollo nodded his understanding and resumed his own chair.

Zeus stood again, lifting his hands saying "It is decided then. We shall capture Moros and he shall be sentenced to a short death. He shall be sent into the Soul Pool to be reborn as a human until such time as he should regain his godhead to join us once more maintaining the Balance." again the peal of thunder and Zeus manifested his bolt of lightening, slamming it into the floor with a bright flash.

Chapter 32

When the spots had faded and she was able to see again, Hope saw that the room was empty once more. Even the other thrones hade been removed except the ones that still held occupants. The circle was tighter and consisted of the three brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, her parents, Aries and Irene, herself and Thane.

She sat there blinking back the spots while the rest of them sat looking at her. "What?" she finally said, still blinking. The men chuckled and Irene reached over giving her hand a gentle pat.

"We were just waiting for you to recover dear. The rest of us are use to closing our eyes when Zeus calls a meeting to end." she said.

"Thanks for the warning." Hope said sarcasticly.. A few more chuckles rounded the room.

Zeus said "I was going to send Hermes to see if he could locate Pandora and Moros. Needless to say he probably has a pretty good idea where they are." It was his turn for the sarcasm.

"Is there anyone else who might be able to find them?" Thane asked looking around the circle at the others. They sat in thought for a moment.

Aries said "Apollo may be able to spot them when he makes his daily ride."

"I will ask him to keep a look out. I will also ask Diana to watch tonight. That gives us eyes both day and night." Zeus said. With a thought he summoned two puffs of cloud, whispered something to each of them and they floated off in different directions. He turned and looked at Hope. His expression grave. "Did you see any more demons among the gods at the assembly?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, I didn't really see anything out of the ordinary. Ever since I healed you I have had trouble not seeing magic things."

Thane leaned forward in his seat, "She is regaining her godhead. My guess is that she is at least Demigod if not a little further."

Irene stood and walked over to give Hope a hug. "Oh honey," she said.

"I don't think I am strong enough yet to take on Moros. Doing damage control on the things he has roaming the earth might be best. At least until I am ready." Hope said. Zeus nodded and she couldn't help but wonder why she was the one who had to take care of Moros. "Why can't one of you capture him? Why does it have to be me?" she asked pointing at the three brothers. "Or even Thanatos? He is a god of Death after all."

Hades nodded in understanding. "Everything has a balance Life and Death. What one creates the other can destroy. The opposite of Despair is Hope. You are Hope incarnate and therefore the only one who has the power to stop him. We tried. That's the purpose of the Jar. An imperfect solution to something we couldn't control."

Hope sighed and said "Well, get that Jar ready then because I want to get my friend back."

Zeus and the others nodded. Zeus said "For now let us prepair for battle. I think the Smith might still have your armor, Hope." he gestured to where Hephaestus was walking toward them.

The Smith had changed his clothes to something more suited to a Greek god of blacksmithing. A thick leather apron and some heavy gloves tucked into a belt over a black and red tunic and sandles.

They decided once they knew where Pandora was, the best bet in drawing her out was to use Hope as the bait. Pandora had already proved that she wanted Hope dead, so putting her on a silver platter would be more than Moros could resist.

Irene protested putting Hope in any kind of danger. Thane and Zeus both promised her that her daughter would be well guarded. They called an end to the session, each going their own way to prepair for the battle to come.

Dressed in armor made by Hephaestus the Smith God, Hope stood waiting under the overpasses of I-5 in downtown Seattle. The armor fit her perfectly. Grieves, breastplate and gauntlet that covered clear to her elbows were all of the same silver white metal as her sword. Flowers and filigree knotwork swirled in inticate paterns on each peice. A short skirt of soft linen cloth, suede leather boots the color of caramel and a silver helmet copleted the set. Wearing the armor felt right. As if she had been missing something her entire life and didn't know it until she had it back.

It was the wee- hours of the morning when even the bums are off sleeping somewhere. This area was normally used as parking for the waterfront. Hope could smell the Sound on the wind. Occasionally a car would pass overhead, the sound was loud in the otherwise still night. Street lights buzzed and bugs swirled around them drawn to the sickly yellow light they cast. The shadows were deep where the support beams of the freeway overhead touched the ground.

Thane was somewhere in the shadows, cloaked by his own magics to blend with the darkness. Zeus waited overhead in a stormcloud. Hope had watched as he called the storm into being. Deep grey clouds rolled in like giant waves. Jagged bolts of lightening flashed deep within them and the rumbling bass of the thunder shook the ground. She caught a glimpse of the lightning through a gap in the concrete overhead.

Hope knew that Pandora was somewhere nearby. She could feel Moros like an itch in her head. The sensation was like a headache verging on a migraine. A spiked nail being bashed into a spot just above the eye. It had proceeded to get worse the closer to Seattle they had traveled.

Hope caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see the very edge of a dark shape skitter, crablike behind one of the cars still left in the lot. It made no sound and it was pure luck that she had seen it at all.

She stared hard at the spot it had vanished, resisting the urge to bend down and look under the car.

Hope took a deep breath. "Come out, Dora. I know you're here." she called out to the night. Hope's voice echoed back from the concrete all around her. When it had faded, she heard a sound of something heavy dragging across the pavement from behind her and turned around just in time to avoid the fangs of a giant snake.

Hope dodged to one side, reflex taking over, swinging her sword down in a blow that bit deeply into the side of the things body as it shot past her. She was jerked to the side as the blade caught in the ribs, pulling it from her grasp. The snake curled in on itself, pulled the sword free and swallowed it.

"Shit."

Hope still had the shield Thane had crafted her during their lessons. She brought it up to cover her face, blocking another lunge from the snake. She was knocked to the cold pavement, the snake snapping at her with enormous jaws.

Hope bashed at it with the shield, screaming. A bright flash of light and Zeus was there pulling the snake off of her.

He thrust his bolt of lighting deep into the skull of the giant snake. It fell to the ground. It's giant body twisting and curling in death throws.

Hope had a moment to watch in horror as a minotaur as big as an army issue Hummer, smashed a giant fist into the side of the King of the Gods.

Zeus was thrown into a pillar across the street. The minotaur stood over the corpse of the snake. Another minotaur this one about the same size as the one that had torn apart Medusa's apartment, came on from the other side while a half dozen satyr jumped up on the hoods of cars and dumpsters surrounding Hope.

Thane took shape at her side, forming from a thin white mist and black shadows. He was dressed head to toe in black. leather pants with plate grieves and shiny black enameled shoulder plates with skulls that grinned out either side. Their eye sockets burned a sickly white light. He also wore a long black cloak that felt like heavy wool with a hood that covered his head. He had a helmet that was looked like a giants skull had been made into a covering for a normal sized person. The eyes on it also glowed the same sick white light that came from the shoulders. leather gloves with metal plates that were shaped like finger bones and large black boots embossed with the shape of boney feet completed the look. He was frightening and yet, Hope was not afraid. She knew that this Death would not take her unless it was to keep her as his own.

They faced off against the demons that had come to assist Moros and Pandora. Zeus had recovered, sending a bolt of lightening into the air summoning the other gods who joined them under the interstate.

Three fell to the earth like meteors dropping from the sky, landing, heavily leaving dents and cracks in the pavement.

Aries was dressed in bright red battle plate that covered his entire body. He fell like a stone. Rolling from the fall, the God of War stood in one fluid motion, drawing a huge broadsword from his back. Fire pulsed up and down the giant blade.

Athena had insisted on joining the fight when she heard that Aphrodite might show herself. Apparently there was a bit of animosity between the two women. Athena would not go into detail except to tell her father, "That bitch needs to be taught a lesson."

When she landed it was light and nimble, not the booming crash that the others seem to make. It was finesse. her armor was golden bright metal and white leather. A bow and a quiver full of arrows were the weapons she drew from her back, taking aim at one of the minotaur as it lumbered to a stop confused at the confrontation it now faced.

Hephaestus came to the earth with a crash like hammer on steel. The earth at his feet melted and turned to a glowing red pool beneith his feet. His armor was steel grey and plain yet each piece fit so well it was difficult to tell where one bit ended and another took over. He no longer carried his ever present cane with the anvil topper. A hammer with a long handle and a double head the size of an anvil swung easily in his grip.

The God of the Underworld didn't drop from the sky. He rose from the earth like lava from a fissure. Red orange rock burst up from the center of the road taking shape to reveal Hades standing casually in the center of the road. He wore no armor. Only a black tailored business suit with a red handkerchief tucked into the pocket and a dark red silk shirt with black tie. His shoes where a shiny patten leather and a fedora sat cocked to one side on his head.

Hades eyes burned a dark red orange and you knew you were really looking into the heart of the Underworld that he ruled over. He flashed out one hand, as if tossing a playing card, and one of the satyr burst into flame, falling to ash in an instant. The others took that as a signal to fight and flew into action.

Hope didn't have time to pay attention to what the others did. A large satyr with horns that curled down on either side of his face was leering at her. He wasn't wearing any cloths, rubbing himself with one hand and swing a short sword with the other. Hope had to get her sword out of the damn snake.

Rushing over to the side of the huge beast, Hope tried to will the blade back into her hand.

There must have been something about the snake that prevented her from regaining her blade with magic.

"Thane! I can't get my sword!" she screamed at him pointing to the snakes side. With a single swipe he opened the belly of the beast and turned to deal with the satyr that had jumped on his back. Hope reached a hand into the snakes open gut, warm meat and sticky fluids dripped down her arm as she rumaged inside it for her sword. Blood gushed from the snake and the ground was covered in black ickor.

The smell was worse that a sewer and she tried not to breath through her nose. Hope felt something solid with the tips of her fingers and had to move closer to the body to reach further inside it. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt and she started to pull the blade from the snake.

A sharp pain lanced through her side and she yanked the sword free twisting to swing it at the satyr who had come up behind her. He must have been surprised that he landed the blow at all because she was able to take his head off with a single swip.

The damage had been done however. His sword had found the opening in her armoured side where the chest and back pieces where held together with thick leather straps.

It hurt to breath. Like fire every time she inhaled. The urge to cough sent blood in a trickle out over her lips. She couldn't scream.

Hope fell back against the side of the dead snake and slid to sit on the concrete. The sounds of battle faded in and out around the sound of her own heart racing.

Hope watched as her father cut through the right arm of one of the minotaur that was covered in the bright white feathers of Athena's arrows. The minotaur bellowed and tried to charge at Aries with its head lowered to use the sharp horns that protruded from his skull but Aries just sidestepped with a crazed laugh and brought his huge blade down through the beasts neck. It dropped to the ground with a heavy crash.

Hope's vision faded in and out. She saw the bright points of the stars overhead and wondered what had happened to the stormcloud for a moment.

No one paid attention to her as she fell onto the concrete behind the body of the snake. Blood poured out between her fingers and the warld faded away. Darkness swallowed her up. Hope drifted in the empty black space. Eternity spun around her, feeling like seconds and years. Her lives were like shadows in the dark. Separeted by time but locked in the same space.

She heard a velvet thick voice inside her head. "You had better heal yourself and take care of my son." Fear swept through her and adrenaline followed. Hope put pressure on the wound at her side closed her eyes tight and thought heal. She gathered the power from the air around her. Drawing in every tiny particle she could see. It wasn't going to be enough.

A burn flowed from her hands and she felt the wound close. There was still blood pooled in her lungs making it hard to breathe. The wound still bled on the inside. There just wasn't enough power here to heal completely.

She coughed and spit blood out onto the ground then wiped her lips and stood up. Shaking and weak she regained her feet.

Hope saw Pandora standing in the darkness of a pillar, watching the fight. She couldn't tell if Pandora had seen her or not. Hope fumbled through the fight, dodging aside as creatures tried to grab her or thrusting out with her sword to take down a foe who stood in her path. Hope lost sight of where Pandora was as she made her way closer to the pillar. Hope still grasped her aching side as she glanced around at the side streets and alleys trying to find her quary again.

The others were all caught up in varies fights with dark creatures. Imps by the hundreds had swarmed through the street and Hephaestus was covered in tiny black bodies. He tossed and smashed with his hammer, each blow making a sick pop and crunch sound.

Hope spotted Pandora again in an ally just up the hill, across the street from the parking lot. She jumped up on the hood of one of the few cars left, trying to get a better view and make sure it really was her and not some poor sap caught out at night.

Zeus had assured her that if there was fighting, the city wouldn't be aware of it. "The Balance helps to cover things like this," was his only explanation. Great another mystery power Hope probably would never understand.

Hope lost sight of Pandora for a brief moment as Zeus and Hades worked together to take on the largest of the Minotaur. Despite being dressed in a suit, Hades fought as if he was in full battle plate. The minotaur bellowed in rage and swung one mighty fist into him sending his flying into the hood of a nearby minivan. The front caved in sending glass flying as Hades smashed into it. The vans alarm, started to wail.

Grabbing Hades by the ankles, the minotaur smashed him against the van several times. The alarm stopped. Zeus jumped onto the creature shoulders and grabbed the bull by the horns. bright curves of electricity sparked along the boney protrusions setting the things hair on fire. It's head started to shake and foam dribbled out from between large brutish lips. It's eyes rolled back into its head and it started to topple over.

Hope had stumbled a little to close to the minivan as the beast started to fall. Hades recovered from the bashing, dove out of the way, grabbing her as he rolled clear of the toppling beast. The Minotaur crashed onto the minivan turning it into a crumbled twisted heap of metal. Shattering glass rang out like chimes in a windstorm and Hope was pelted with flying shards.

Hades helped her to her feet. "Are you doing well?" he asked looking Hope up and down spotting the blood still wet on her side.

"I am fine. I spotted Pandora in the ally over on the other side of the road." she told him, pointing to the place she had seen Pandora. He nodded and lashed out a hand to ignite another satyr who had come to close.

They started across the road. Hopw had to kick an imp that scrambled toward her feet.

It's tiny white teeth flashing in the light from the street lamps as it opened it's tiny maw to bite her calf. The high pitch squeal it made as it sailed throught the air caused the hair on Hope's arms to stand on end. Hope and Hades darted across the street.

Pandora was there in the ally. Hope jumped a chain that hung suspended between the buildings to separate the alley from the parking lot.

She shouted at Hades. "There she is! Get Thane." he nodded, turning to get Thane who had been surrounded by satyr. The two of them made short work of the beastmen and were soon right behind her as she make her way up the hill to where Pandora had ducked into a building.

Thane and Hades reached Hope just as she arrived at the black doorway. A black, long stemmed rose lay on the ground. She bent to pick it up.

"Hope wait," Thane started, but it was too late, Hope had pricked her finger on a thorn. The blood welled up. Instantly, Hope felt woozy. The world tilted to one side and she heard dark laughter fill the night air.

"Oh no my dear." They heard Pandora say from everywhere and no where. "I am not going to be that easy to catch." her laugh faded and the world went black.

Chapter 33

When she awoke, Hope found they had moved her back to her own house in Graham, Washington. The familiar sight of her bedroom had her wondering if the entire thing was a bad dream. She sat up, rubbing the grit from her eyes. Sunlight shone through the windows revealing a bright fall day.

Hope swung her legs out of bed, letting the blankets fall away. She was still in her bra and panties. A knock at the door sent her flying under the blankets once more.

Thane poked his head in the room, trying to be polite. Hades forced the door open sauntering in and leaning against her dresser.

"Welcome back." Hades said.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling the blankets up. "Are the others ok? Did everyone make it back from the fight?"

Thane approached her, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding her hand, stroking the back of her knuckles with his thumb. She wondered breifly where her parents where. She was not sure she wanted to deal with them right now.

"Everyone is fine, Hope. After you had chased after Pandora, the Satyr just stopped coming. Our best guess is that they were just a show to see who was helping you and find out how far you are from regaining your godhead." Thane said. Hope nodded and swung her legs off the edge of the bed again then stopped, blushing a deep crimson and sat back down trying to cover herself

"Thane, where the hell are my cloths?" she asked. The Lord of Hell gave a deep throated chuckle at her discomfort.

"Get out!" she glared at him.

He laughed and said, "I have been standing here for a while now. I helped remove your armor. Does it really make a difference?" he said one dark eyebrow raised. Hope sighed deeply and rolled her eyes.

"Besides," he continued. "It is not any worse that what women wear to the beach in this century or what you can see at the Victoria Secret." he had a good point so Hope decided to just let it go.

"So they just left? After I passed out or whatever it was that happened? What did happen? I picked up that rose and got stuck by a thorn. Then the world went black, no...wait. I hear Pandora say she was not going to be that easy to catch."

There was another knock on the door. Cupid called through the wood. "Is she awake? Can I come in?" Thane looked to make sure it was ok with Hope before he let the other man in. She nodded. She knew that Cupid would not be effected by her semi nudity. Hades rolled his eyes. Thane left her side, opening the door. Cupid fluttered into the room. His wings twitching.

Hope was coming to realise that was a sign that he was nervous. He seemed to be nervous a lot, but Aphrodite was his mother so Hope figured she could cut him some slack.

"I am so glad you are awake! I was afraid it was going to be some kind of weird "sleeping beauty' thing." he said coming to sit by her side and patting her on the thigh. The gesture was purely to comfort and nothing else.

"How long was I asleep?" Hope asked a little alarmed. Both Thane and Hades turned away so she could not see their faces. Guilty.

"Cupid, how long was I asleep?" Hope asked again taking his hand in hers.

He looked embarrassed that he had said anything and stuttered over his words. "Well, you were brought here...I can not be sure. You know, Thane watched you to make sure you were still alive. I told them to bring you here."

"Spill it, Cupid." she demanded glaring at both Hades and Thane.

The wings on Cupids back became a blur and he practically shouted at her. "OK you have been asleep for a month!" He said tossing his hands in front of his face to ward of a blow. Hope did not realize that he was afraid of her until right then.

She gently squeezed his hands in hers keeping him from pulling away holding firmly, "I am not going to hurt you, and neither is anyone else" she said. Making sure both the other men heard her, she sent a pointed glare at both of them. They nodded though Hades covered a grin before Cupid could see it while Thane kept a straight face.

Hope was certain Hades had a part to play in why Cupid was so worked up. "You two jackasses can wait outside." she insisted, pointing to the door. Thane started to protest but she pointed again to interrupt him. "Out."

Once they were alone, Cupids wings stopped fluttering at mach 5 and slowed to only beat occasionally.

"Feeling better?" Hope asked him. Cupid nodded and stood up to pace the room, his arms wrapped tightly around himself and his hands stroking up and down the sleeves of his lavender silk shirt.

"They make me so nervous. All war and death and darkness. I am just not like that" he said.

"I understand." Hope said.

"I wanted to help during the fight but, I don't know how." he had a look of fierceness cross his face that Hope was a bit surprised to see.

"I want to learn how to protect the things I care about" he said. "Did you know that I took care of Medusa after mother had captured Thanatos? I helped her because a long time ago she had helped me. I wish I could have stopped her from getting hurt in the first place"

The moment was gone as quickly as it had come and he turned to her, "Hope, sweetheart, Your mother asked me to keep checking in on you here. After you had collapsed in Seattle we thought the worst!"

His wings started to flutter again. "Zeus helped to keep you stable on the trip back here and Thane kept a hand on your soul the entire time. They refused to let you go again. Not that I blame Thane. I don't think that man could handle loosing you a second time. You should have seen him after the first time."

He was babbling now pacing back and forth faster and faster his wings again a blur of white.

"Cupid. I am fine. See?" Hope said standing up and holding her arms out for him to see there was nothing wrong with her.

She looked down and really got a good look at herself for the first time since the whole crazy adventure began. There was a bright pink scar about three inches long on the side that had been stabbed by the satyr. It was ugly and puffy. There went bikinis. "Oh my sweet wings. We need to get you some cloths!" Cupid gasped. "Here let me do it." he was so excited by the idea that she nodded and sat back down on the bed. He put a finger to his lips for a moment and though hard then pointed to the ceiling his eyes bright

"I have just the thing! You are going to look fabulous!" he began to wave his hands through the air as if he was running his hands over the curves of a womans body. Hope watched the energies swirl between his expert fingers, forming into a short skirted sundress of pale green with tiny straps and a skirt that was sure to flare if she twirled.

Hope had to admit it was extremely cute. When the dress was finished he placed it on the edge of the bed and started on a pair of strappy sandles to go with it. When he was finished she got dressed and they left the bedroom.

Chapter 34

Thane and Hades sat on the couch talking in low whispers. It looked like they might have been arguing but they stopped and stood up when Hope and Cupid came into the room.

"Lets go see the others." Hope said. She wanted to find out from Zeus what had happened after she had been knocked out. Hope knew he would tell her the truth no matter how harsh it might be. Thane was too conflicted about her to give her a straight answer.

She was still unsure how she felt about the flamboyant Hades. He was handsome and had an air of confidence that she found extremely attractive.

Hope's emotions for Thane had her confused at best due to the overlapping feelings of her prior self and the confused mix she carried of her own modern opinions. Hope knew she loved him but was not sure if it was from before or after her death. Hades was just that right mix of mystery and intrigue that she had always loved when out on vacations or clubbing with Dora.

Thane noticed her interest in Hades. He tried to keep a hold of her hand or an arm around her waist. Hope let him continue with the contact but kept an eye on the Lord of the Underworld out of the corner of her eye. She would have to have a talk with Thane about what was or was not happening between them.

Hades took the lead when she made it clear she wanted to go to Olympus. Taking a long match from the box near the fireplace, he lit it then traced it through the air in a wide arc. The match left a trail of flames behind that hung in space. As he waved the match out, the flames arced aross the open space in the center burning through the fabric of reality to reveal a grassy hill overlooking a small lake or pond. A lone figure sat on a marble bench near the water.

Hades gave a deep bow, "Ladies first."

With a single eyebrow raised at him, Hope walked through the portal to the hillside and the waiting King of the Gods.

His eyes were closed his hands laying loosely in his lap. Hope stood at the edge of the bench waiting for the King of the gods to acknowledge that she was there.

Zeus opened his eyes, "Nice to see you awake."

"Thanks. It is good to be awake." Hope said said. "Are we going to go after Pandora and Moros again?" as she spoke she noticed they were alone in the garden.

Zeus stood up taking a step to stand beside her on the grass. He linked his arm through her leading her down a manicured gravel path deeper into the lush gardens. Rhododendrons lined the walks and cherry blossoms floated on the breeze. there was a bright blue sky overhead. Sometimes Hope forgot that the people she was with regularly now where anything but human.

"Hope, I had Hades and Aries search the buildings near where you had seen Pandora. There was nothing but a few shops and apartments. There was no trace of where she might have gone. The minotaur and satyr fell back and vanished as well, after you had fallen." The path wound on through large trees hung with moss.

"Thane suggested we let her believe that you were killed by her trap. The amount of activity from the demons has increased. Unfortunalty so has the fighting from the Titans. I am afraid we are going to have to leave Moros and Pandora for another day."

Hope absorbed this new information. Leave Pandora under the control of Moros? "How long?" she asked him.

Zeus thought a moment then said "It is hard to say. We have been fighting the Titans for centuries. Until that fight is done, Pandora will have to wait. I can not afford to spare the manpower to chase after one of our own gone rampant."

Hope started to protest. "Pandora is like a sister to me and you want me to just leave her possessed by a crazy god?"

The king looked a bit sad but would not change his mind. He shook his head negatively "The fight with the Titans is more important. I wish you understood how important. If they succeed Humanity will be destroyed. Moros only seeks to control them, not destroy them. I can not help you."

"Well then I will just have to try and find her myself." Hopes voice was thick with determination.

She left Zeus on the path, turning back the way they had come. Thane and Hades had come through the portal by the pond both fell into step on either side of her as she made her way back to the edge of Zeus domains.

"I am going to go home." she said. "I am done running, done letting other people decide what I need to know and how I should live my life."

She was angry at herself. Hope had never taken charge of her own life, she always let other people tell her what to do and how to think. How could she have spent so much of her life that blind?

Hades was nodding in approval as she ranted on.

Thane didn't look so sure. He said "Are you sure that is a good idea? Hope you just woke up from a magic induced coma. If Moros knows you are back on earth and at your home he will stop at nothing to see you dead."

She let out a deep sigh, "Thane, I love you. I really do. But I know I have dealt with this kind of thing in the past and I can deal with it again. I know I have a lot to relearn about being Pantheon but I can do that from home. Protecting the people I care about from Pandora and Moros."

He shook his head in denile but she was insistent. "Look, I have friends and the shelter. There were things I was doing before this all blew up in my face. I would like to get back to that. Pandora knows my friends and I am sure once they figure out that I am still alive, Moros will not hesitate to use them against me."

"You are right."he said. Hope could tell he was not happy about it.

Taking his face in her hands she said, "Will you help me? Teach me what I need to know to protect myself and the people near me?"

He nodded "Yes, I will help you."

. "She may think I am dead, she may not. Frankly I don't care anymore. I am going to live my life and stop letting others tell me what to do." Hope told both men.

Back at home, Hope wrapped a long robe around her, the autumn nights where long and cold.

Thane and Hades left her alone on the promise that she would call them with magic if anyone or anything should try to attack her.

"I promise, now get out of my house." she said closing her front door on their faces.

At work the next day, Hope asked Mark if everything had been ok while she was away. His large grin was enough to ease her worries. "Everything was fine Miss Aries. I am glad you are doing better." the big man said hugging her tightly. Hope had to tap him on the shoulder to get him to release her.

Gasping for breath she said, "How long did you know?"

Mark fidgeted with the long apron he was wearing. They stood in the kitchen of the homeless shelter the scent of peach cobbler lingering in the air. "From the day we met." he mumbled.

"I knew there was something about you..." his voice trailed off.

She put a hand on his arm. "Thank you."

His eyes went wide, "For what?"

"For standing up to Thanatos for me,"

Mark blushed a deep red. A buzzer went off behind them and he rushed off to get the cobbler out of the oven.

Her life was much different and yet she insisted it remain the same. The homeless shelter became a refuge for creatures trying to escape the reach of Moros.

Medusa sent demigods to Hope who in turn sent them to Cupid. Hope house become a place of peace for a secrect world at war.

Irene and Warren chose to live on earth rather than their realm on Olympus. Hope was greatful for their support. Although Zeus demanded Aries do his duty as one of his personal body guard, Warren chose to commute.

Thane did his best not to pressure Hope. Hope knew he couldn't help how he felt, but she insisted that she needed to rebuild their relationship. She was not the same woman he fell in love with.

Pandora was gone. No one was sure eactly where she had vanished to. Humphrey had returned when Irene and Warren did. He insisted that Dora was still inside the body that had been taken over by Moros.

"She needs to know I still love her." he said. Gaia had also chosen to live on earth with Humphrey. Hope offered to help har understand the world of humans. Gaia graciouly accepted.

Hope sat in her living room. The fire burning in the fireplace crackled and popped warmimg her feet as she tried to read a book. The clock on the wall ticked softly as the second hand moved slowly around the face.

The book was a collection of Greek Myth and legends. Suggested reading from Medusa who had become a close friend. Her thoughts where broken by the sudden silence. She glanced up at the clock. The second hand had frozen over the 4 leavining the clock dead.

The fire no longer popped at her feet. It was frozen in time. A man stood in the shadows of her livingroom. She jumped to her feet trying to gather some of the power from the air. There was nothing there to gather.

"You are outside of time, my dear." his voice was deep, timeless.

"Who are you?" Hope asked trying to keep the tremble from her voice.

"Kronus." he said. " It is a pleasure to meet you at last." he reached out a hand. Searing pain flooded her nerves. Hope bent over screaming in agony.

The darkness convulsed around Kronus, stopping the pain. "Nyx." he hissed the dark goddess name vanishing.

Time started up once more. Hope collapsed onto the couch. She trembled in the dark, huddled in on herself.

"Why?" she asked the shadows.

The Goddess of Night didn't answer.

This book was a royal pain in the ass. At the time of writing this, I am mid rewrite. My first novel, writen during the panic and worry of NaNoWriMo and November holiday crazyness not to mention doing online college classes it is a wonder I actually managed to finish the 50k word requirement let alone actually come up with an awesome story in that time.

On November 1st I had nothing. I mean it. I had an idea. just a tiny one. That Idea was a character, Hope. 30 days later I had a hot mess of 50k words. Mostly one action scene after the next. A few steamy sex scenes (Not in this book as of this writing but *shrug* who knows.)

Now, almost a year later and the book is slowly taking shape. Becoming a story, not just a jumble of characters doing things because things are happening around or to them.

So now I update this first edition copy. If you purchased this copy, Thank You from the depths of my heart. I want to send you a special invitation to recieve a paper copy of Lost Hope after it has gone through the tender hands of a professional Editor. Just send me your contact information via email to:

Iniribagreymyst@live.com

Thank you again.

Iniriba GreyMyst

