It wasn’t always like this.
There was once a time when my kind was as common as you humans are today.
The world was very different then.
Hestia hurried down the halls of her temple at the foot of Mount Olympus. The Eternal Flame had given her a vision of the future. This had never happened before and the vision was a very dire one. So, though she was not one to participate in the Councils of the Twelve Olympians, she found herself rushing to the portal that led to the mountain’s peak. She had to warn her ( )other, Zeus. She prayed that he was in a good mood and would listen. A loud crack of thunder outside told her otherwise.
She sighed and stepped through the portal, squinting at the ( )ightness of the Olympian’s realm. She spent most of her time inside the temple, tending and guarding the Eternal Flame as her ( )other had ordered her. So travelling to the ever ( )ight and sunny (thanks to her nephew, Apollo) realm of her family was always a bit of a culture shock. The young goddess made sure that her hood was pulled up as she made her way to the Citadel at the very top of the mountain, where the councils were held. She had experienced more than enough amorous pursuits by various gods to know that it was wise to keep her face hidden whenever she ventured out of the temple. She hoped the blacksmith in town was almost done with what she had ordered earlier in the month. It would make things a bit easier in that particular area.
She shook off those thoughts as she hurried up the stairs to the Citadel. As she drew closer, she heard the booming voice of her ( )other, angrily yelling at someone.
“What do you MEAN, the mortals have gained power?!”
“Just what I said, father.” Hestia recognized the calm voice of her niece, Athena. It was always a bit disturbing to her that her nieces and nephews were all older than she was when her ( )other was technically younger…then again, age didn’t really matter to the gods. They only APPEARED a certain age. For instance, Zeus had the appearance of an older man, while Hestia maintained an appearance of a maiden come of age. “There have been instances of mortals having magics to rival ours.”
“What do you expect, Zeus?!” another voice, that of another ( )other, Poseidon cut in. “With you gallivanting off with every pretty face, be it mortal, nymph, or goddess?! It’s a wonder that Hera hasn’t killed you yet!”
“SILENCE!” Zeus snapped, another crack of thunder booming in the distance.
“Yes, that is so like you, ( )other.” The cold voice of her ( )other Hades, the last of the ‘Big Three’ as they were known, said smoothly. “Always silencing what you know to be true. Always trying to make it so that you are not in the wrong.”
Of course, Hestia’s vision had come at a time when emotions were high…Just once, she would like to catch her family in a good mood when she had to speak to them. She kept her feet walking, despite her want to leave growing with every step.
“ENOUGH!” she heard her elder sister, Demeter yell as she came up to the huge archway leading into the council room. “Bickering senselessly will do NOTHING! Why don’t we actually TALK about the issue for once?!”
Taking a deep ( )eath, Hestia pulled back the gossamer curtains and walked into the room. It took her family members a while to stop arguing, but Athena was the one who finally noticed her. “Hestia? What are you doing here?”
Out of respect for her ( )other, Hestia lowered her hood before speaking. “I come with dire news, my ( )other.”
“If it is about the mortals, I have already heard from Athena—“
“It is not about the mortals, ( )other…it is about us.” Hestia cut him off before he could wave her back to the temple.
A hush fell over the room. “What about us?” he asked, still sounding a bit angered that she spoke above him.
“The Eternal Flame has given me a vision.” Hestia said as steadily as she could. Despite being the technical elder sister, she always feared Zeus. It was for good reason. Her ( )other had great power, far more than she or any of her other siblings, and had no qualms about how to use it. He had imprisoned other gods and she doubted anything would stop him from injuring or destroying them if he was angry enough.
“The Eternal Flame?” Demeter repeated. “But that is impossible. The Flame does not give visions. Only the Oracles and the Prophetess Cassandra have the ability to see visions. You do not have that power, sister.”
“I understand your confusion, Demeter. I myself was startled by the happening. But there is no mistake. I received a vision of our future as I held my vigil over the Olympian Hearth.”
“What did you see?” Hades asked, sounding more amused than truly interested or concerned.
“…Our downfall.”
Even Hades’ constant smirk disappeared at those words.
“That is impossible, sister.” Poseidon said after a few moments of stunned silence. “Only the Fates could know our downfall.”
“The Fates have hidden things from us before, ( )other…”
“Be still, Poseidon. What vision did you see, Hestia?” Zeus asked, sitting down on his throne.
“It was not clear…but I did clearly see the deaths of many of our ( )ethren. It was during a war, where much magic was used…”
“It is the mortals.” Hades said. “They will rise against us. Your idiotic amorous exploits have spelled our doom, dear ( )other.”
“Be silent.” Zeus growled. “We will search the mortal realm for those with our magic and make sure that they are silenced. Just as the Island of Atlantis was silenced.”
“No!” Hestia cried. “You will only cause the war that I have seen!”
“If I may, father…” Athena cut in before the argument could escalate. “I believe we are looking at this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean, Athena?” Zeus was always ready to listen to his favourite daughter.
“You are all looking at this as a bad thing, but I see it as an advantage. We know what is coming and how it will come. But, as Hestia said, if we merely seek and destroy the mortals who have gained our magic, more will come and war will ensue. However, if we find these mortals and teach them how to use their abilities, we can make a fighting force that will quash whatever threatens us.”
“Athena, we cannot use them for our own gain! They will resent us!” Hestia argued.
“I know you shy away from anything to do with war or tactics, Hestia, but this is necessary. Besides, the mortals will not know what we are doing. We will merely offer advice and training, lure them to our side and gain their loyalty and trust. Then they will readily fight for us when the time comes.” Athena explained.
“And die for us! Better them than us!” Hades added, always happy when more souls would be added to his realm.
Hestia tried to reason with them. “Please, my ( )others, this is madness—“
“What would you have us do, Hestia?!” Zeus snapped, rising from his throne. The skies around the council room darkened. “Would you rather us die and the MORTALS rule this world?!”
“No, but—“
“Then it is settled. We shall all go to our temples and walk among the mortals, finding those with our magic. Then we will sway them to our side.”
All the other members of her family nodded. Hestia would hear no more. She quickly pulled up her hood and left. She would do something about this. She wasn’t sure what, but she couldn’t let her ( )other go through with this plan. She had seen the mortals and they were not as foolish and naïve as her family made them out to be. She got the feeling that her family constantly using them as toys or tools is what had ( )ought about the war she had seen. This plan would fail and her vision would come to pass that much faster. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t.
She, the goddess that preferred to avoid conflict, would defy her ( )other’s direct order and stop his mad plans before they destroyed him. |
