Ascension

Prologue: ⚡Mount Olympus⚡ 👑Throne Room of the gods and goddesses👑 March 19th- 11:32 PM; Evening before the Spring Equinox. Storm clouds rippled around the throne room in an eerie, dark lilac hue. Looking more like Poseidon's angriest tides than something you would find floating above New York, the clouds crawled slowly over the last several hours to completely encircle the recently remodeled structure. It was a wall keeping the rest of Mt. Olympus from those called to this meeting; no space was left open for anyone to pry. Flames lit the room, filling it with warmth and casting a soft light throughout. Normally, this would have felt inviting, but this time it didn't. Only Tartarus had a chance at ignoring the tension that was leaking from the room beyond the thrones. It had been some time since a meeting for all Greek gods and goddesses had been called. Around the open space, they spread out. While some grouped up together, others chose to be on their own. An exasperated sigh flung from Ares's lips as he flopped into his throne and glared at those who dared to enter his line of sight. Not far from him, Aphrodite clutched a tablet in one hand and a blue folder in the other, her brows pinched as she shook her head earnestly and mumbled something about not understanding why her system was glitching. Across the way, Hera paced, Hades slouched back in his seat as he somehow managed to look both aggravated and unperturbed at being summoned here, and Hermes tapped his foot impatiently, ready to get back to work. Iris knelt on the floor in a corner of the room, keeping a portal open for any stragglers who may arrive late. "They have been in there for more than an hour," Athena stated, stopping in front of a desk that her daughter, Annabeth Chase, had hovered over only hours ago. Blueprints, pencils, and notepads littered the space. Looking away, Athena had to ignore the itch, which made her want to add her take on the plans laid out. "Your point being?" Poseidon questioned, a bushy eyebrow lifting above sea-green eyes that sparkled with mirth. "What is of such importance that we were requested to arrive this early for the meeting to be held tonight? When was the last time it took Apollo this long to discuss a prophecy with Father privately?" she bristled, almost instantly rising to the teasing tone. Poseidon opened his mouth to reply when the door behind the thrones flew off the hinges. It narrowly missed several heads as it sailed through the air, slammed into a marble pillar that led outside, and split in half before falling to the floor with an echoing bang. Everyone shifted, turning to the now doorless entry as Zeus strode through it. Complete silence flowed from one to the next, waiting to see what was to come. "Huban–" Hera tried, lifting a hand and stepping towards the king of the gods. "No," Zeus snapped, lowering his head as a small bolt of lightning cracked in his hand, "Apollo, tell them." "Fathe–" Apollo squeaked, sounding more like Lester Papadopoulos than the god that he was. "The task is simple." Zeus barked. "Tell. Them." Apollo tried to fight it, but his body was against him. He shook hard. A strangled cry ripped from his throat as his eyes glowed golden before flickering to onyx. They went back and forth until he doubled over, gasping as if he were unable to catch his breath. It was only when a few brave gods and goddesses tried to shuffle forward that Apollo snapped up. In a voice that was not his or Delphi's, he spoke: "In silence deeper than the Styx, it wakes, An elder force the cosmos shakes. Before Cronus shaped the sky and stone, This shadow stirred beyond the known. The Fates have paused; their threads unwind, As time unravels, gods grow blind. Olympus groans beneath the strain, As mortal cries echo in vain. Greek and Roman, beast and man, Must forge a fragile, final plan. Monsters rise from mythic tombs, And mortals train beneath the moons. Demigods long claimed by name Now pulse with power none can tame. Not fire nor storm, not charm or sword— But gifts unseen, both strange and stored. One sings in silence, one walks in flame, One bends the stars, one shapes their name. From chaos now, four more shall rise, Unknown, unclaimed, yet bold and wise. Their heritage, a question still, But fate has tied them to the will. A wedding soon shall shake the spheres, Two hearts ascending through the years. Born of fire and tempest breath, Their love defies both time and death. And from their bond, twin gods shall come, Each beating like a sacred drum. One shall hold the golden dawn, The other storms where peace is gone. If born beneath the starlight's grace, A gentler age may take its place. But should they cry when twilight falls, The heavens may crack, Olympus calls. So gods and mortals stand as one, Until the twins decide what's done. For in their hands, the balance lies— Of the world's rebirth... or its demise." Apollo's body went limp, crumbling to the ground as the last word left him. Artemis was the first to move, shouldering past several gods to get to her brother. Shifting him onto his side, she whispered, "Was this why I was unable to reach you, brother?" "You could not reach your twin, and you said nothing?" Zeus hissed. "I–" Artemis began to explain herself. "Zeus," Hades spoke for the first time this evening, standing to his full height. "Now is not the time to question her." "He is not wrong," Dionysus said, leaning against a wall with his wife, Ariadne, at his side, a Diet Coke in hand, and looking like he would rather be anywhere else. He was the last to arrive, doing so just seconds before the prophecy was spoken. No one dared to say a word as they waited. Taking a sip from his can of soda, he continued, "Something, as Apollo stated, is waking up. Things have been happening. I don't know when the exact moment happened, and at first, I was able to ignore or make excuses about what I noticed. For a while, I had thought I was finally going mad from being at Camp Half-Blood for too long, but today left me without any doubts that something has shifted, and we're on a timeline that we didn't know existed and cannot stop." "You say things have been happening–that there has been a shift, and yet you have not spoken of this sooner?" Hera questioned, her words dripping with accusation, her brown eyes softly glowing. A loud pop was followed by the sound of liquid splattering as it landed at Dionysus' feet. "Everything I have noticed has been documented, reported to the demigods' parents, or brought up at these meetings," he bit back. "Just last summer–how many of you read the monthly newsletters? In June, a monster attack led to almost the entire strawberry field rapidly blooming and dying because a child of Demeter was in distress. Some patches still refuse to grow. July only got worse. Hephaestus, thank you so much for getting back to us about your daughter's ability. It took months for Leo to help her learn how to manage it and get her back in the forge with their siblings after she found out she could produce raw, unrefined metal from her hands. Hermes, were you ever able to find my car keys that one of your spawn accidentally made disappear? No?" Dionysus opened a new can of Diet Coke that appeared in his hand and took a drink before continuing, "You'll need to send the Johnson fellow something for returning them to me after he found them inside a calm shell." Dionysus brought the soda can to his lips again, downing what was left, then dryly stated, "Camp Half-Blood seemed to have calmed down over the past few months. That ended yesterday. Shortly after the arrival of Calypso and Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo, and Will Solace, the lava wall solidified, and a layer of flowers, fall leaves, and ice was found on the surface of the canoe lake moments before it created a miniature vortex that didn't stop until right before I came here." Whispers grew into harsh murmurs that fluttered from one to another, building and building until they were shouting to be heard over one another. Blame made its way around the room like an unwanted present during a White Elephant gift exchange. When insults began to be thrown at each other, it was Hestia who roared, "ENOUGH! Did anyone listen to the prophecy at all? We cannot afford to turn on one another." "Hestia is correct," Athena grimaced as she met Poseidon's gaze briefly before ripping it away. It wasn't often that the two saw eye to eye, but in the mere seconds that they had, not only did she know she wasn't the only one to pick up on some of what the prophecy meant, she could also tell something had been said, and it had caused him not just fear but panic. "We all hold fault for our actions. Rather than pointing fingers, we should be discussing the prophecy and what we can do." "Did everyone else catch on to the mention of a wedding," Aphrodite inquired, placing her folder and tablet on her throne as she stood up and made her way into the midst of those gathered around Athena, "or of the coming of a new set of twin gods?" "Of course, you latched on to that," huffed Artemis as she assisted her brother to his feet. "Did you miss the part about an ancient being waking, causing some of the demigods to start the process to ascend into godhood, or of four unknown, unclaimed, and possibly powerful demigods showing up out of thin air?" First, it was a nod of one's head, a comment or two about what the others had picked up on came after, and then guesses of who or what could be or has been awakening followed. The conversation proceeded on and on from one part of the prophecy to another and back. Bursts of anger, excitement, or disbelief sprang from all corners of the room. At this time, none could be completely certain of much, but if what had happened before Dionysus' arrival was anything to go by, it was nearly impossible not to at least question if any of them were who the prophecy was referring to. When the matter of the four unknown demigods came up for the third time, it did not take long for Poseidon's pacing to be acknowledged. "What is it that troubles you, my dear brother?" Hestia had picked up on how his distress grew every time they circled back to this part of the prophecy. She caught a glimpse of his pained expression before it was replaced with a look of determination. "Perseus is not my only heir with Sally Jackson," Poseidon confessed, his voice a low tremor that rattled the throne room. "Years after his birth, I returned to her. I was unable to hold back, and what had brought us together once did so again. When I left, I swore it was for the last time. A year and a half later, I found my second son with her. She named him Orion. I left once more, only to return shortly before the meeting where Zeus announced the theft of his lightning bolt. It was then I found Sally with my third child, a daughter she named Phoebe." Poseidon's gaze met the floor as he confessed some of his deepest secrets. "In fear of what was to come for the children—of what their power would attract if I left Sally with all three—I used the Mist. I bent the memories of her and Perseus to the point they could not remember Orion or Phoebe. Since then, they have been kept in a heavily monitored, remote location." "You... you dared to defy the oath of the Big Three further, Earthshaker? Or was it to mock my very domain with your endless infidelities? And then to hide the proof for nearly two decades?" Hera erupted, her eyes glowing with a dangerous light. "Did you think to keep this from us forever? Did you think that the sacred bond of family and the truth of birth could be so easily hidden? The prophecy has brought your lie to light, and now we must all pay for your arrogance." He lifted his head, his eyes showing a painful resolve. "They have been living in the mountains of Cooke City-Silver Gate, Montana. I have a sanctuary for them there, a home where I hoped they would be safe from our world. It seems I was wrong." "To allow you to solely place blame on Poseidon's shoulders would be unjust, Hera," Hades said, a low, bitter chuckle on his tongue as he learned forward in his seat so that his elbows rested on his knees. "Husband," Persephone gasped, worry lacing the single word thickly as she jolted forward. "We knew this day was nearing, Persephone. Her time has come," Hades replied to his wife mournfully before continuing, "I met Lenore Harrow, a mortician, shortly after the war with Gaea was settled. I was not drawn by her beauty, but by the quiet strength and gentle soul she possessed. She treated the dead with a dignity that I have rarely seen in the last century or so. For a time, I allowed myself to pretend we could have a life, a secret sanctuary. Five years after our relationship started, it blossomed even more on the day we found out that she was carrying my child, but the birth of our daughter came with a terrible price. Lenore's life was extinguished; she was a fragile flame that burned brightly until the end. Throughout the pregnancy, Lenore slowly got weaker. It wasn't until after she delivered Melinoē that I was able to see the link between their lifelines, and by then it was too late. While Lenore held our daughter for the only time, she explained how early into her pregnancy she had a dream where she had seen this moment coming. She had willingly given our daughter her strength, and the cost was her life. Lenore left Melinoë alone with me that day. In hopes of protecting my child, I went to Persephone. I am in her debt for the understanding and compassion she showed during this time. In mere weeks, we created a haven at the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico for Melinoë." "Ze–" Hera gasped in outrage. "Enough, wife," the king of the gods cut her off, "This was not in our control. Surely you can see that." "I–" Hera tried again. "Do not let your focus drift, Hera," said Hestia, "You heard the prophecy as well as everyone here. We must aid each other." "Besides," Aphrodite interjected, "a wedding is soon to arrive. We must prepare." "Although that is important, there is something else we need to prepare for," came Athena's retort, "It seems that we have missed the signs of not only one but several demigods ascending. I believe our priority should be identifying how far along their ascension is and who is going through this." "Wasn't it made clear?" Ares snorted, "Five of them showed up at dear ol' Dionysus' door yesterday. If I were placing a bet, I'd say it's their whole pesky group–including Seasponge's son, Know-It-All's daughter, and the Romans." "We do not know for certain–" Athena instinctively rejected the idea. "Don't we?" questioned Dionysus. "Should you be correct, we still need to confirm it. This will not be easy for any of them to accept," said Athena. "There is also the matter of the four unclaimed demigods," Hephaestus rumbled, "Being that we may have come across three of them, have you considered how you will go about getting your children to Camp Half-Blood, Poseidon? Hades?" "Nico. I will send him to collect Melinoë," Hades disclosed, a faraway look in his eyes. "Upon leaving, I will gather Phoebe and Orion and bring them to Perseus and Sally. I shall provide information only about Perseus' siblings at this time." The lengthy meeting that had been filled with so many unexpected twists and turns was coming to a close when Zeus inquired, "Are we all in agreement for the time being that the prophecy does not leave these walls?" Agreements and understandings came from one side of the room to the next before the meeting was dismissed. One by one, the gods and goddesses left until it was just Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon left. "I wish you the best as our journey proceeds, brothers," was the last thing Zeus said before a silent nod was shared between the three as they each disappeared in a flash of light.