The sun rose over Sparta, blanketing the city with insurmountable heat. Men farmed, trained with the army, or guarded the city, while the women and children inside kept their homes clean, shopped in the marketplaces, or helped prepare the ceremony for their royal family. The ceremony was set for the night of the next full moon, the time needed for the women to prepare themselves to make an impression on the prince and the palace to be fully decorated; a week.

The prince, however, was not interested; instead, he was out with the army, drilling them in rudimentary procedures and horseback riding. He sat upon his black stallion, rubbing the horse's neck as it stamped and snorted and pawed the ground beneath him; Endymion knew that Argos was bred for battle, not this childlike practice. The horse was never still under the prince. Endymion's eyes watched over the sparring factions of his army, looking for any strengths or flaws. The sound of hoof beats came and went, and Endymion looked to see two brunette-haired warriors ride on dark horses. He grinned as they neared, for they were none other than Nephlite and his wife, the Amazon Queen Hippolyta. "What brings you lovebirds back from your honeymoon so soon?" he teased as they reined their horses beside him.

Nephlite was dressed in the customary Spartan general uniform; leather sandals with shin guards, dark red linen sheath, swordbelt, and a red brown-trimmed robe tied over one shoulder and cascading down his back in crimson ripples. His dark chocolate hair was pulled back into a low horsetail, his matching eyes scanning the army before him. "The king sent us a missive to come home for your ceremony, my prince," his healer answered, looking at the prince under dark lashes. Endymion scowled and looked over his other shoulder at the Amazon queen. She sat tall in the saddle of her bay mare, her shoulders square and broad under her crimson cloak. Her curly russet hair was pulled high on her head by emerald pins, bangs falling into cold jade eyes. Underneath her Spartan cloak she wore her Amazon queen outfit; a leather shift with a series of armor pieces buckled on over her breasts, shoulders, and arms and leather boots that reached her knees and had steel toes. A mighty sword hung at her waist along with several daggers and a bow and quiver were strapped to the back of her horse's saddle. "Believe me; my wife was not happy either."

Hippolyta looked dispassionately upon the Spartan army, then back to her husband and his prince. "You would believe that I prayed to Hera to make sure my honeymoon went without any trouble," she told them, her hands steadying the highstrung mare beneath her. "But no, we get a message in the middle of some intense—"

"Enough, Lita," Nephlite bit out, color high on his cheeks. Endymion laughed while the Amazon grinned.

"I take it you had enough fun at Eros's expense, then?" Endymion joked, ducking to miss a smack to his head. Lita and Endymion laughed as the prince straightened, watching as Nephlite's face turned darker with their amusement.

"You two are mean," he muttered, looking back to the army. As all three watched, three more horses detached from the cavalry and approached them. Endymion saw Nephlite grin as he recognized the horses; the silver bay was Malachite and the palomino and chestnut belonged to the brothers Jadeite and Zoicite. The three men saw who had joined their prince and rushed their horses to give greetings and typical ribbing. Malachite was the same as always, with dark grey edging his cloak and his white-blonde hair tied back from his eyes. Zoicite was smaller than his older brother, with curly fire-red hair that always managed to end up in his emerald eyes. Jadeite was blonde and blue-eyed, playful whereas Zoicite was the stoic one. Jade's cloak was edged in gold; Zoi's in orange.

"Ah, so the married man returns," Jadeite joked as he pulled his horse in. Nephlite made a face as the others shared a chuckle. Lita looked on with amused eyes as Jade made a show of bowing over her hand, kissing the gloved knuckles and spouting nonsense. It was only when Nephlite threw his glove at the man did they all roar with laughter, their good nature making Endymion smile and his heart at ease. As the three generals grilled Nephlite about his honeymoon, the Amazon maneuvered her mare to Endymion's stallion. Argos sighed happily when Zephyra was next to him; she was the only other horse he could tolerate.

"What troubles you, prince?" she asked quietly, her eyes on him as he looked at the army. She recognized the signs of someone with a lot of thoughts in their head. He looked at her with guarded ocean eyes, deciding whether or not to trust her with what weighed heavily on his mind.

"I had an encounter with Artemis," he told her, closing his mouth when he saw her eyes widen. When she didn't gasp or ask questions, he continued. "I also met the goddess of the dawn—"

"You met the goddess of the dawn?" she demanded, her voice kept low as to not attract the notice of the generals. "She is a pure and heavenly creature, sworn to be held in the divine realms lest she soil herself with the sins of mortals. Why was she cavorting with my sister?" As Endymion stared at her, she growled. "Yes, I'm Zeus's daughter, but one of many. The only redeeming features I have from him are my eyes; I tend to favor my mother's side of the family. Now tell me why the goddess was with Artemis!"

Endymion scowled. "They called each other sisters, even though they look nothing alike," he told her. "And Serenity has a gold crescent moon on her forehead when she isn't wearing her diadem of the dawn."

Her eyes widened some more. "She's able to take off her godly jewelry and live?" Lita asked, and Endymion nodded. "That's impossible, unless she's a Titan, and even then they're long dead…" Lita trailed off, her sight lost as her brain tried to figure out what she had just discovered. She looked to Endymion. "Is she a Titan, prince?"

Endymion looked away from her, wondering if he should tell this daughter of Zeus the truth about his woman. His woman. The thought made a grin blossom on his face. "I'm not certain," he told her truthfully. "She told me that the sky Titans made a crystal as they died, and she was born from this crystal."

"Then she could be the one…"

"The one what?" Endymion demanded, feeling a headache come from all this talk. As soon as he felt it, a cool breeze came and lifted the horses' manes, whispering across his face like a kiss. He could smell the scent of vanilla and açai berries, and closed his eyes with the knowledge that Serenity had sent the breeze. Thank you, dear one, he sent to the heavens in her name, and felt the warmth of her smile.

"There is a prophecy among the Amazon legends," Lita told him when he opened his eyes. Hers were dreamy, as if Serenity's scent had enchanted her into a dream, and her voice reflected that trance. "One that speaks of a child of the moon being the light of hope for the people, to burn away the darkness of old." She looked to Endymion, her eyes sharp again. "We thought it would be a child of Artemis, but dismissed it since she's taken her oath of chastity. If this goddess of the dawn is the daughter of Selene, the Titaness who was the physical personification of the moon, then she could be the one."

Endymion opened his mouth to deny the fact, but his generals came to his side, all smiles. Nephlite came and sat his horse on Lita's other side. "It seems Neph is indeed enamored of his new bride," Malachite said, his hazel eyes matching the smile on his mouth. Jade and Zoicite rode back into the sparring factions, barking orders to take breaks and drink water as necessary. "Pretty soon we will all be married, including you, prince."

With the reminder of the upcoming ceremony and nuptials afterward, Endymion's smile faded. He wanted only one woman, and she wasn't even mortal. "Don't remind me," he muttered darkly as he kneed Argos into a trot towards his army.

xxx

The rush of running water was soothing to Serenity as she lay on the river's banks, enjoying the sunlight on her skin and the breeze ruffling the trees. Zephyr and Apollo were in good moods to grace the heavens with such great weather. Serenity smiled as the babble of river water lulled her body into utter relaxation. Serenity felt right at home here in Poseidon's pastures, listening to the horses graze and the dryads singing hymns to themselves and the animals. She sat up after a little bit, her sky blue eyes watching the horses as they grazed. The lead stallion, a huge white beast with oceans for eyes and a temper that was rivaled only by Hera, circled the herd every so often to make sure his mares were okay.

Serenity watched as he made his round, smiling as a small shape escaped when the stallion turned the corner. The small shape turned out to be a medium-sized mare that was black in color, with her legs being white from the knee down and covered with feathers. A white star graced her forehead and huge black and white wings were folded on her withers. The mare nickered as she approached, lowering her head and nudging it on Serenity's shoulder. The woman laughed and stood, fingers caressing the mare's velvet nose gently. The mare's eyes were dark chocolate, gazing at the rainbow woman with devotion.

"I think Aaquila likes you, daughter of the dawn," a masculine voice said kindly, and Serenity turned to see Poseidon by the water's edge. His dark hair was cropped close to his scalp, his eyes never picking a shade between blue and green. His skin was ruddy and dark, going well with his chiton of blue chiffon over green linen. He carried his trident in one hand, the titanium fitting well into his broad hand. Unlike his brother Zeus, Poseidon was not an overly muscular man; like Apollo and Endymion, he favored the lean muscled look of a man who worked all his life, not to impress women. His smile was kind, as were his eyes when he spoke to her, but they didn't settle the unease she felt in her soul; Serenity wasn't very trusting of the male gods besides Apollo.

Serenity dipped her head to him, as did the now-silent dryads. "Would this Aaquila be the name of this lovely creature?" she asked politely as the god over all the waters stepped to her side, his large hand smoothing over the large mare's neck. The mare whickered softly. "She is different from the other horses, my lord," she observed quietly.

"She is special," he replied, looking down at her. Like all the other gods and goddesses, he towered over her easily. "She is called a Pegasus. Her sire, the first Pegasus, was born from the ocean's foam and the spilled blood of a Gorgon. Her dam was one of my best broodmares."

Serenity's brow furrowed. "Where is her sire now, my lord?"

"He's probably off flying around somewhere, siring other foals on other mares and enjoying his godly freedom," he answered with a chuckle, his teeth a flash of white against his dark beard. "Iridian never liked to be contained by leather or rope."

"So Iridian's his name?"

Poseidon nodded. "As he was born from the sea, the sun hit his wings and set off a sparkle like the world had never seen. That sparkle dazzled the mortals and made them believe in what is called a rainbow now. Iridian isn't pure white, as some legends claim he is; he is..." Poseidon drew a lock of her hair in his fingers, showing her the multitude of stunning colors underneath the frosty silver. "Iridian is like your hair; his pelt is like the rainbow under frost, while his mane and tail are like the vibrant rainbow itself."

Serenity smiled at Aaquila, rubbing the mare's nose gently. "His daughter is quite the beauty," she told him. "Is it possible that her sire made a few more winged horses?"

Poseidon shook his head. "It takes a special horse to carry a winged foal to term," he replied. "It was unlikely that my own mare would give birth to this one, but she ended up dying to do so. I wish there were more like him, but alas, if it kills the mother to bear a winged horse, I'd rather not risk it," he told her, smiling. She smiled back as they basked in the mare's affections. Both looked up as the white stallion came charging in, snorting at the black winged mare before prancing to Poseidon's side. The god laughed and stroked the stallion's nose. "Poor Kynthos. Thought he was being left out too."

Serenity chuckled and bowed her head to the kingly white stud. "Pleased to meet you, sir Kynthos," she said. The stallion snorted, which made them both laugh.

"Don't mind him," Poseidon said as the stallion shuffled the winged mare back into the herd. "He's just moody because he's my most prized stud. He pulls my chariot with the other five white stallions." Serenity nodded as they both watched the horses. They were beautiful together, the different colors melting into one another as they moved. The dryads danced among them, singing and playing with the foals. "You seem very lonely here, lady Serenity," Poseidon observed, keeping his eyes on the horses. Serenity blushed and looked down, then up at the god. "I only ever see you with Artemis and Apollo, or by yourself here in the pastures. Do you wish for friends?"

Serenity looked away. "Artemis and Apollo are my only family," she answered quietly, making him look down at her. "I feel like I don't have the capacity for friends here in the divine realms. Hearing the stories, seeing the legends come to life…I can never make myself trust anyone save for Ari and Apollo." She looked up at him. "I apologize if it seems like I can't trust you, my lord Poseidon."

Poseidon smiled gently. "It's no problem, my dear," he said. "I have a daughter who noticed your loneliness, and wished to become a friend. She told me about you, and I've been observing you." Another blush colored Serenity's cheeks. Would she become the object of fascination among the gods? "She's quite harmless. She's the daughter of Euterpe, the Muse of Music. She plays the lyre beautifully."

Serenity smiled. "I remember a daughter of Euterpe playing with Artemis and Apollo in front of the god court one summer solstice," she replied. "Is her lyre made of blue and white coral with little pink sea flowers?"

Poseidon grinned. "Yes, that's her. Her name is Cailey."

"She did play beautifully," Serenity said, remembering. Cailey had been a most lovely woman, with hair the color of aquamarines and eyes the color of her father's oceans. "I would be honored to befriend a daughter of yours, my lord Poseidon."

He bowed his head to her. "So it shall be," he told her gently. He hesitated for a moment, then laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Should you feel the need to escape my brother's scrutiny, the gates of Atlantis will always be open to you, Serenity," he said, and Serenity smiled gratefully at him. Here was yet another god she could trust.

"I thank you, Poseidon," she said softly as he turned his back and walked to the water's edge. He waved over his shoulder as his foot stepped into the water and he melted into the river's flow. Serenity smiled and turned back to the horses, watching as Kynthos kept his mares close. The foals danced under their mothers' watchful eyes, neighing happily as they played with the singing dryads. The wood nymphs laughed and danced with the young horses, bringing a smile to Serenity's face. There was a time she was that carefree, that open to show emotion. It had been a long time ago, before Zeus had called her before his court at the age of fifteen and gave her the powers as the goddess of the dawn.

There was a splash in the water behind that drew Serenity's attention away from the horses and back to the river. A pale aqua-haired woman was stepping from the water, clad in a light blue-green chiton that flirted around her knees, carrying a lyre with coral as its handle. On her waist was a golden girdle carrying a silver mirror and a clear flask in the shape of a star no bigger than Poseidon's fist, sparkling with water of the clearest blue Serenity had ever seen. A domed steel pendant with a light blue jewel winked at her throat. Her smile made Serenity smile in return as aquamarine met sky blue. "Lady Serenity," the woman said in a lyrical voice, and Serenity was drawn closer by the musical tone.

"Cailey…" Serenity said. "You've grown since I saw you play Asteria's Lullaby in front of Zeus and the court."

The daughter of Poseidon blushed faintly. "Thank you, Lady Serenity," she murmured kindly. She set the lyre down on the ground and untied the flask from her belt, offering it to her. Serenity took the flask, almost dropping it as she felt how cold it was. Her fingers were freezing, yet no condensation was running off the outside of the blue-tinted glass. Her shocked blue eyes met Cailey's. "It is the water from the river Achelous," Cailey explained, smiling at Serenity's reaction. "It is the heart of all the waters; water from this heart can heal any wound. It is a gift from Poseidon and I; one drop is all that's needed in order to heal even the most wounded warrior." Serenity looked to the flask in her hand.

"I shall gift Atlantis with my presence in the near future," she told the woman as they stood side-by-side. Cailey picked up the lyre and strung it softly; its musical notes floated over the herd and the foals stopped dancing, entranced were they by the music. The dryads drifted closer, their dark-colored hair shading their curious green eyes to the new aquatic stranger. Both goddesses sat under the tree as Cailey's fingers played a simple song of joy and beauty, a thread of heavenly music among the animals of nature here. The horses trotted closer, basking in the sweet music; the foals began to doze off, lulled into the security of the herd. The dryads began humming, one by one, creating a divine choir as the perfect backdrop to Cailey's song. Serenity recognized it as Asteria's Lullaby; the song she had played with Artemis and Apollo all those years ago.

As the last strains of the lullaby hung in the air, Cailey began playing a new song, one that was livelier and more playful than the last. The dryads began skipping around again, a shy youngster coming to offer her hand to Serenity. She smiled and took the hand, joining in the circle dance the young nymphs had going. She laughed and played with them as some of the more awake foals came and pranced in the circle they made. As the songs kept coming, the dryads showed Serenity how to make wreaths of flowers as head ornaments and how to braid flowers into the horses' manes and tails. Serenity was the only one allowed to approach Kynthos, for the stallion knew the girl from his meeting with Poseidon.

Serenity turned to watch Cailey, eyes widening at the sight. The woman sat under the tree, eyes closed as she strummed on the lyre strings, but next to her stood a stallion taller than even Kynthos, heavily muscled and broad in his chest and flanks. His long face was near Cailey's lyre, his forelock of sapphire and violet covering half his face. A myriad of colors lay against his curved neck, the sheen of frost strong on his pelt. His wings were half-folded, the white feathers tipped with the colors of his mane and tail. Once Serenity fastened her attention on the winged horse, he looked up at her; she looked into eyes as luminous and as blue as her own were, making her frozen in the spot where she stood. The horse snorted softly, waking Cailey from her musical dream, and the woman blinked.

"Iridian, must you always show up when I'm playing music?" Cailey reprimanded the horse gently, grinning as she stood. The horse whickered and burrowed his face in Cailey's midsection, making the woman laugh. She looked over to the staring Serenity. "Come, he won't mind a little more attention."

Serenity took the steps needed to stand before the first Pegasus, and he looked up to meet her eyes once more. The power of that gaze was so fierce, so compelling, that when Serenity laid her palm on his muzzle, both woman and horse sighed a great breath. Cailey looked between the two, watching the auras of both goddess and steed. Serenity's aura was white, which was compassion, but the multitude of colors told the minor goddess of water and music that there was more to Serenity than the goddess let on. A golden thread, as fragile as baby's breath, connected the space where Serenity's heart was and Iridian's forehead, and she somehow knew that the stallion would do anything for Serenity. They made quite a pair; the goddess of the dawn in all her colorful glory and the first Pegasus, born of blood and the sea. "You are bonded," Cailey said softly.

Serenity nodded, still in her trance. "That we are," she murmured, rubbing the horse's forehead. He nickered to her softly.

"Serenity!" Both women and horse turned to see Artemis loping to where they stood. As she neared, her eyes widened at the sight of the winged horse in front of Serenity, but she quickly averted her gaze. "Serenity, the sun is setting."

Serenity nodded and looked back to Iridian, who gazed up at her. It was worth a shot. She looked to Cailey, deciding that if she was going to take the risk and make a friend, might as well have someone else in. "Cailey, if I told you a secret, would you help me?"

xxx

So here's chapter 3. For all who are lost, I'll have a list of terms at the end of each chapter ^-^

-For what Endymion and his generals are wearing, please either refer to "300" or "Troy"

-For what Lita is wearing, everyone should go see "Xena: Warrior Princess"

-Cailey, if you didn't get the hints, is Michiru/Michelle, Sailor Neptune in the future.

-Dryads are nymphs of the woods

-Achelous is the biggest river in Greece, where all of Greece's rivers meet it and it flows to the sea

Next chapter: Serenity has gained a new friend and possibly a new home in Atlantis, and Endymion meets the other daughters of the gods. Have fun reviewing!