The Ascension

Chapter XII.

Author's Note- Thanks for all the amazing reviews. They really do mean alot to me. Not only do the greatly help motivate me cus I know other people are enjoying this story as much as I really am, but they also give me some great idea's to work with. This chapter begins exactly where the last one left off. Thor will be in the next chapter as well as Hogwart's where both Dumbledore and Voldemort believe they've finally got the allusive Boy-Who-Lived exactly where they want him. Oh, how shocked they'll be. I'll tell ya now, I'm REALLY looking forward to that bit of this arc. After this chapter, alot of the real action begins to start with the introduction of Thor and Wizarding Britain. Anyhow, thanks again for reading.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing.

Except for Apollo, they were all rather amazed at how fast they were going, yet still managing to move seamlessly thru the traffic with perfect ease. The car would shrink and expand, and even fly above other cars, allowing them to make excellent time.

Throughout the trip, Hyakinthos and Percy both tried to explain as much about the world they would soon be entering to the Di Angelo siblings. Naturally they (Nico especially) both had many questions that they tried their best to answer. Of course the biggest hurdle to overcome wasn't their questions about life at Camp...or even the god's. No, the difficult part came when they began asking questions regarding the mortal world.

The question that started of as 'what is an i-pod?' ended up with a long winded diatribe from Apollo that it was a base necessity when one was lacking the 'proper' and 'correct' way to listen to music; like an old-fashioned record-player. Of course if you had any real love for music, you made it yourself or attended concerts in person. He did eventually concede however, that they were very handy, and the sound quality was "decent enough." (Even then, that only happened after over an hour of debate and arguing, which finally ended when Percy told him he sounded like someone's grandpa!) The entire point of all that being said, was that the Di Angelo siblings discovered just what year it really was.

Man, was that a challenging thing to help a twelve and ten year old learn to deal with, and the resulting discussion took up most of the rest of the journey. Eventually, they asked the question on the mind's of every demi-god when they are first made awares of the god's. Naturally of course, they asked who their father was, and were disheartened when told they were unable to say who it was. However, they also would not have to wait long, as their father had told them he would be claiming them as soon as they arrived.

With the extraordinary speeds they were able to travel, they made it back to Long Island in record time. To make extra certain that no monsters would impede their path, both Apollo and Hyakinthos let out their full aura of power as they neared the Camp boundaries. This kept any monsters that would have been foolish enough to attack them well away as they felt the massive powers given out by the two deities. The vehicle stopped right in front of the gates to the Camp at around one in the morning. They had definitely made excellent time.

After everyone exited the SUV, Hyakinthos waved his hand over the vehicle causing it to revert to its previous state as a miniature toy Maserati. They led the drowsy demi-god's through the entrance and welcomed them to Camp Half-Blood.

As they had neared New York, Hyakinthos had sent out a telepathic message to Chiron to let the centaur know they would soon be arriving much earlier than expected. He was awaiting them in front of the Big House.

As they made their way towards the Centaur, they explained to the siblings what some of the various buildings around the Camp were used for, as well as which cabins were for which god's. Although considering the lateness of the hour, they could not truly tell much due to the darkness of the night.

"It's good to see you all back safe and whole." Chiron said to the group.

"Hey, Chiron. Allow me to introduce Bianca and Nico Di Angelo." Hyakinthos told him.

As soon as Hyakinthos introduced the two new demi-god's, glowing holograms appeared above the new demi-god's respective heads.

Chiron, Percy, and Hyakinthos got down on bended knee. Apollo would have, but as they already knew who he really was, it was pointless.

"It is determined. Hades, King of the Underworld, God of the dead, and of riches and wealth. All hail, Nico and Bianca Di Angelo; Son and Daughter of Hades." Chiron extolled.

There was a sharp gasp from several of them as another hologram materialized next to the symbol of the Lord of the Underworld.

"Well I'll be damned." Hyakinthos muttered wide-eyed at the next holographic representation.

"It is determined. Nico and Bianca Di Angelo, Twice-Blessed Godlings, and Prince and Princess of the Underworld. Son and Daughter of Persephone: Goddess of springtime, flowers, fertility, and young life." Chiron said as he finished listing out the titles utterly shocked.

All of a sudden, an ominous air could be felt around those gathered, and it had nothing to do with the children being the son and daughter of Hades.

"DAMNIT! GET DOWN, NOW!" Hyakinthos yelled out as he forced his magic onto the two children, forcing them to their knees, while diving on top of them. At the same time, he covered their body's with his own as he forced the strongest shield he was capable of over them all, and just in the knick of time too.

The reason for this was readily apparent by the absolutely huge blast of lightning that struck the shield and Hyakinthos in the next second. Some of the blast made it through the shield, but was harmlessly absorbed by Hyakinthos' own body. Lightning could not harm him of course. As the blast of lightning continued to streak down upon them, Hyakinthos strengthened his shield and stood up.

His eye's were glowing Avada Kedavra green and swirling in raging amounts of power.

Once on his feet, he grabbed the blast of lightning that was still streaming down at them (and doing it's utmost to kill the children of Hades as well as himself) with his bare hands, and exerted his will over it as he forcefully took control of the blast. He began to change the electrons slightly, adding an Asgardian component to the energy that could not be found on Earth. Apollo was by his side instantly as he added his own strength to the bolt, knowing instinctually what his mate planned to do. Apollo used his own abilities as the supreme Sky God to supercharge the blast. Together, the pair of Divine Mates hurled the bolt right back to its sender, with at least a thousand times the original strength of the bolt.

They had no way to know it, but an enraged Zeus was blasted unconscious, his throne blown to smithereens and completely beyond even divine repair, and his skin was blackened and charred. He had heard his brother Hades recognize his two children whom he knew he had hidden from him and reacted accordingly; not even bothering to listen as they were somehow declared to be the legitimate children of Hades and Persephone. He already knew that of course, which was precisely why they had to be dealt with. Not only were they further threats to his power, but they could lead to their parents and especially Demeter finding out what he did to their daughter. He couldn't afford for any more traitor's! Of course, his deranged attempt backfired massively. It would be week's before he regained consciousness.

Hyakinthos stood back and helped the children back up.

"What the hell was that?" Percy asked.

"That would be our oh-so-psychopathic 'King of the God's'." Hyakinthos said; his voice dripping with derision and disgust.

Hyakinthos paused as a message of thanks from Hades was sent to him as well as what his wife had just informed him of.

"Ah, I just received a message from your dad. He said that your mother will be visiting you soon. Apparently, Maria Di Angelo was none other than the human incarnation of Persephone herself on a...break, we could call it. She just told your father that the woman he had fallen in love with had actually been her." Hyakinthos chuckled; finding the situation terribly amusing.

"Don't worry, you guy's. That is a very good thing. I'll explain more tomorrow. Pol, are you getting anything from Olympus?" Hyakinthos asked his mate.

Apollo, while still seething at his father's disgusting action's, was silent for a moment.

"Yeah, the bastard's been burned and knocked unconscious. He probably won't wake for weeks. I really hope it hurts like hell too. He deserves every bit of the pain. He has truly taken complete leave of his senses. Well...anyways, if Hades hadn't truly been on our side before, I'd imagine he certainly is now." Apollo said.

Chiron could hardly believe the depths to which Zeus was sinking to. To actually try and kill these two children...and in the middle of Camp Half-Blood at that...Chiron had never felt the level of disgust for the so-called God-King as he felt right now. He realized then that he truly did need to be removed from power all together; and soon at that. He was becoming as bad as Kronos had been. Of course they also unfortunately had that bastard to contend with as well.

"Well, even if we hadn't already planned for them to stay with us in my Mom's cabin, they definitely have to now. He can try to blast it all he likes and it won't make the slightest bit of difference. It's completely impenetrable to outside attack from anything and anyone." Hyakinthos stated.

"I'm sorry you guy's had to go through that as your first introduction to Camp. What he did is completely illegal. No deity is allowed to attack any camper when they are inside the boundaries of the Camp. By the way, welcome to the family. Your mother Persephone is my half-sister as well, so I'm your uncle too." Apollo told them.

He then chuckled a bit.

"I don't think my insane father even realizes it, but he might have very well just given us another ally. Your grandmother is Demeter, and Persephone is by far her favorite child. She will not take any attack on a child of her beloved daughter well...at...all." Apollo told them.

"We remember our mother. How can this Persephone be her? I don't quite understand?" Bianca asked.

Hyakinthos, Apollo, Percy, and Chiron's eye's all widened at another realization.

"Sometimes the god's get bored. It's rather easy to do when you have eternity on your hands. Occasionally, they will...take a divine vacation, you could call it. They will assume a mortal life. When that happens, any child they have is still a demi-god. That is apparently what Persephone did, although how she managed it when she is forced to reside in the Underworld for half the year is beyond me. Anyhow, her mortal incarnation was Maria Di Angelo. It's terribly ironic that your father fell in love with a mortal that just so happened to be his own wife. This makes the both of you their legitimate children and heirs. I'll explain more of what that means later. What is interesting to note is that it was Zeus who killed your mother's mortal form. For one thing, she's Zeus' own daughter. For another thing, when your grandmother Demeter finds out that it was Zeus that killed her most cherished child in any form...well, let's just say she will definitely be more than a bit vengeful with him." Hyakinthos said.

While Chiron went on to explain some of the workings of the Camp to the new children, Hyakinthos was lost in thought. He was curious about these children's power. As the children of Hades and Persephone, they really should be god's themselves. Why weren't they? It must have something to do with their mother not being in her true form when they were conceived. Hyakinthos let his senses expand as he examined the two.

That was when he saw it.

Essentially, they were god's trapped in a mortal shell. It caused them to be the equivalent of something similar to a Twice-Blessed...but something more.

Hyakinthos also knew just what to do to fix it. If they, and their parent's consented, he had the power to remove their mortal coil. He could do it in a way that allowed them to grow in to their true divine abilities. They could become full deities in less than a year, if he did it correctly. Yes, he would have to talk to Persephone and see what she wished to do about it. They really should not have been born mortal at all anyway.

Well, he supposed they should hurry up and get them settled in to his cabin. If he was tired himself, he knew they had to be exhausted.

"Alright, you guy's. We can show you around and explore everything in the morning. Let's get you settled in to your rooms in my cabin." Hyakinthos told them.

Going by the yawns they were all experiencing, it was definitely time to call it a night.

"Yes, you children listen to Hyakinthos. He'll make sure you're well looked after. Just remember...Lord Apollo is only to be referred to as 'Fred' around here. No one can know whom he really is." Chiron explained to the children of the Underworld.

"Yes Sir." They both mumbled tiredly.

"Alright, good night everyone. We'll see you all tomorrow." Chiron said.

They all responded in kind as Hyakinthos, Apollo, and Percy led the new children towards the Rhea Cabin.

It was a short walk really, and they had arrived before they knew it. Both of the new kid's eye's were wide at the sight of the beautiful house. It was not only beautiful, but was also possessed of a warm and welcoming feel.

They entered the entrance hall and all three house-elves appeared.

"Bianca and Nico; allow me to introduce to you Mopsy, Kritter, and Dobby. They are our house-elves. They help to take care of us, and keep the house in good order." Hyakinthos said; introducing them to the elves.

"Hello young master and mistress. Mopsy is very happy to have two more younglings to look after." Mopsy told the Di Angelo siblings.

"Hello Mopsy!" Nico said happily.

"Alright, let's show them to their rooms. They'll be in the same area of the house as us." Hyakinthos explained as they all followed him down the hall before entering another hall that held the bedrooms in what could be called the family quarter's.

He showed Bianca and Nico to their separate rooms, each of which were well appointed and fully supplied with everything they could need.

They could tell Bianca was more than a little happy to have her own room and not be sharing with her brother.

After making sure they were all comfortable and situated, they left the kid's to themselves and went to their own rooms after saying good night to Percy; all three of them thoroughly exhausted by the day's events.

When they were finally alone in their bed, Apollo wrapped his arms tightly around his beloved. Sometimes he still marveled at the feel of having his mate safe and sound in his arms after being separated from him for so very long.

"You really were good with those kid's, Kinthos." Apollo told him.

Hyakinthos chuckled a bit.

"Thanks, but it's hard not to like them. They both seem like really good children." He replied.

"You know, you'll make a wonderful parent some day." Apollo told him softly.

There was such a look of absolute love and adoration in Apollo's blue eye's as he gazed at his mate that Hyakinthos' heart was filled with more love than he had even thought possible.

Hyakinthos just smiled back at him.

"I would like to think I would be. I love kid's too. I just wonder if I'll...if we'll...ever get the chance to have any of our own." Hyakinthos said softly.

"It's probably not even possible for us." Hyakinthos said dejectedly; saddened that they would never get the chance to see what a product of their love would produce in the form of a child of their very own.

Apollo's eye's had widened when he heard his mate's words, and his utterly dejected tone and saddened expression almost broke his heart. Well, he was most glad he would be able to remove that feeling from his mate easily.

"You don't know; do you My Love?" Apollo asked him amazed.

Apollo sometimes forgot that despite his mate's vast intelligence, and the fact that he was not human, he was truly still very young.

"Know what?" Hyakinthos asked him with a trace of befuddlement in his expression.

He had no idea as to what Apollo was referring to.

Apollo gave his mate a beautiful smile that was at once full of love and promise both.

"Well, not even taking in to account the fact that we are both god's and not human...we are Divine Mate's, Kinthos." Apollo said.

Hyakinthos rolled his eye's.

"Yes, and...?" He asked; it's not as if those facts had escaped his notice.

"...Aaaand...we can...and we will...have children of our very own. Even if we were merely regular god's, there are several different ways we could have a child. However, being that we are Divine Mate's, that allows us unprecedented benefits. I'm not exactly sure how it works precisely, but our status allows for either one of us to be capable of conceiving a child ourselves. We do not need the help or interference of any other deity as two male god's normally would. While not exactly completely normal, it's certainly more of a natural process than Athena's 'brain' kid's. Whenever the time is right, our essence will allow for conception to take place for either one of us. The little godling will grow in a magical womb. When it's time to be born, the baby is simply removed with an incision on our abdomen, and then it's instantly healed. We don't grow any extra parts or anything, and thank Chaos for that." Apollo chuckled to his wide-eyed mate.

"So, in answer to your question; yes, My Love. We shall definitely be having children all of our very own whenever the Cosmos deems it the right time." Apollo explained to his now euphorically happy mate.

After Apollo explained to him that because of their status, they would have no problems having children of their own, Hyakinthos was suffused with an inner joy. By the stars, did he love his mate. Everything he had ever wanted in life, even as simple as some people would think his most desperate desires, wishes, and dreams to be; was entirely possible. He didn't think he'd ever been this happy in his life.

Not only could all of his dreams come true, but he now had just that much more to fight for. Hyakinthos swore to himself right there and then, that he would do whatever it took to rid themselves of the threats posed to their dreams as soon as possible. He would make damned sure nothing stood in his way of allowing those dreams to come to pass. He would get his happily ever after even if he had to reign down utter hell on earth and completely annihilate anything and anyone who was a threat to them. Nothing would stop him. He would make absolutely certain that his children with his beloved, who he already knew would be the most precious beings in existence, would grow up happy and safe in a world that was far better than what they currently existed in.

As usual, Apollo could tell even without their bond, exactly what was on his mate's mind.

"I swear to you, Kinthos; our children will be blessed, and they will be so very loved. Nothing will ever be allowed to threaten them. We will make it so." Apollo swore to his beloved with absolute conviction in his voice.

"Any child will be truly blessed to have you as their parent, My Love." Apollo told him as he swept his mate's long blonde locks out of his face and tucked them behind his beloved's ear before stealing his full lips in a deep kiss.

Hyakinthos rested his forehead on his mate's.

"They will be just as blessed to have such a wonderful man as you for their parent too, Pol." Hyakinthos replied before they snuggled down as sleep began to claim them.

"I love you so very much my Kinthos." Apollo whispered to his nearly asleep mate.

"Just as I love you always, Pol." Hyakinthos replied softly as sleep claimed them both.

That night, for the very first time in his life, Hyakinthos had what he thought was perhaps either a dream of his most desperate desires, or what he prayed could be a vision of the future to come.

He saw himself and his mate in various places throughout the world. They were in Olympus. They were in what appeared to be a mortal residence in the English countryside. He even saw them in numerous places throughout what he somehow knew to be Asgard. One thing was common to all the visions. Besides the fact that he and his mate were extraordinarily happy, they were surrounded by the most beautiful children of various ages he had ever beheld. From what he saw, there appeared to five of them. All except for the one who looked to be the youngest, had blonde hair. The youngest little boy had hair as black as night, but he was no less beautiful than the others. The oldest appeared to be a pair of twin boy's. They were not identical, but they did resemble one another a great deal. They looked to be a most perfect blending of both Apollo and Hyakinthos himself. Slightly younger than the older boy's, were two young girl's. They looked maybe a year apart in age. Hyakinthos could tell they would grow to be goddess's of extraordinary beauty that even surpassed Aphrodite herself. The youngest boy with the dark hair was just as enchanting as the other's, but Hyakinthos got the impression he had a mischievous streak a mile wide. Hyakinthos had never felt the amount of absolute and total love he felt towards the children he somehow just knew were his and his mate's.

Even in his sleep, Hyakinthos once again vowed to do absolutely everything possible to make damned sure those wonderful and beautiful children got the chance to be born. He would lay waste to anything that even remotely dared to threaten those he loved.

He had no way of knowing it, but Apollo was himself making a vow quite similar at that very moment. He too, had experienced the same vision as Hyakinthos. With his power's of prophecy and the sight, he knew this was not just some random fanciful dream. If he did things the right way, and eliminated the threat's that existed to him and his mate, he would one day get to meet and love those beautiful and amazing children with his mate that he saw. He would make absolutely certain that vision came to pass. His heart was full to bursting with the thoughts and images of he and his beloved mate and their family. Nothing, and no one else mattered. This was his family, and he would fight for them with all his might. The future was theirs, and what a wonderful future it was.

As they slept on, they both had the most wonderful and restful sleep either could ever remember experiencing. Although Chaos, the Fate's, Destiny, and the Cosmos as a whole had entrusted the pair of Divine Mates with burdens of enormous proportions; they had and would be blessing them with a multitude of rewards that made whatever sacrifices and battles the pair endured more than worth it- at least in the eye's of the mate's themselves. All things in life had a balance. The struggles the two were destined to overcome were rewarded by something many deities would not consider worth it, yet to them was worth more than anything: a family all of their own. Then again, these particular pair of mate's were as far from the normal self-obsessed deity's as one could possibly get. Unlike a great number of the divine, they actually cared about people; and that made and would make all the difference in the world.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Everything around the Camp seemed to be teaming with just that little bit extra something that made for an extraordinarily beautiful day. Hyakinthos and Apollo woke up bright and early, despite their late night, in excellent spirits. What he had learned from his mate the previous evening had given the young god an extra sense of purpose. They had goals, and they would see to it that they were accomplished.

Apollo himself was also in excellent spirits that morning. Though he had had a great multitude of children over the millennia, and he loved most of them with all his heart, he couldn't help the burst of happiness that overcame him at the mere thought of having a child with his beloved. He was sure their would never be another godling in the history of the Universe that would be as happy and loved as any precious child of theirs. That dream he had last night, that he knew with absolute certainty was prophetic, had changed him somehow. He knew his mate had dreamt the same thing, and he could easily tell he was just as affected, if not more so, as Apollo himself. Both of them had a new air determination about them, and a new sense of purpose.

After waking up and beginning to get ready for the day, Hyakinthos and Apollo showered together; and alright...maybe they had become bold enough that they each gave the other one of the absolute best and mind-numbing blow job's of their entire lives without using the memory spell. They then proceeded to get dressed and went down to breakfast. It was not long until Percy joined them, followed by the Di Angelo siblings being led towards the dining room by Mopsy.

"Good morning Nico, Bianca. How did you sleep...and do you like your rooms? I'm sure we can change some things around if their is something not to your liking." Hyakinthos asked the siblings.

"Good Morning everyone. I slept great. This place feels much more like a real home than some type of summer camp cabin, and I love my room actually. It is perfect." Bianca told them with a smile.

Despite the extraordinary and dangerous events of the previous day, Bianca was in a much better frame of mind and good spirits that morning. Having a place she was made to feel welcome in, as well as a room of her own, she felt a sense of belonging and home that had been absent from both her and her brother's live's for quite some time.

"I'm glad. Nico, what about you?" Hyakinthos asked the younger boy who was busy inhaling his most marvelous of breakfasts courtesy of Mopsy Elf; though he did at least show that he possessed a modicum of good table manners.

He displayed this as he finished swallowing his food before replying.

"I love it! Thank you all very much. That had to be the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on. I love having a room all to myself too. I'm sure Bianca is more than pleased to not have to share with me as well." Nico told them enthusiastically before returning to demolishing his meal.

"Well, you have many more opportunities open to you now, Bianca. You have people here who have no problem helping you. You don't have to take on the responsibility of looking after both you and your little brother all by yourself any more." Apollo told the girl.

You could almost see an invisible weight being lifted off her young shoulders with the knowledge that she wasn't alone anymore, and that she wasn't the only one there to look after Nico any longer.

"Thank you all." She said quietly; a bit embarrassed that she felt such an overwhelming amount of relief.

It was alright though, as they all understood and respected the girl for looking after her brother as best as she was able for as long as she had.

"Now, after we finish eating, we'll give you guy's a proper tour of the Camp and show you where everything is. There are also a couple of camper's who will give you some more individual instruction and kind of help to show you the ropes as to how things work around here that are closer to your own ages. I was thinking of asking Silena Beauregard to help Bianca. What do you guy's think?" Hyakinthos asked.

"I think Silena will be fine to show her around. She's more down to earth than some of the other Aphrodite girls." Percy said; still somewhat traumatized by his earlier encounter with the members of that particular cabin yesterday morning.

'She at least had looked as if she was not about to pounce on him.' Percy thought with a remembered shudder of terror.

"Will is going to show Nico around. He should be coming around sometime before lunch." Apollo told them.

He had visited his young demi-god son's dream and asked if he'd be willing to help and befriend the young son of Hades. He had of course readily consented. He had always been a sweet and out-going boy. He also was less judgmental than a number of camper's would be where a son of the Underworld was concerned.

Hyakinthos smiled at his mate in thanks for arranging that.

"Sometime around lunch, we will be receiving our visitors. From the message my Mom sent me, it's going to be quite the gathering. Once we've informed them of what we learned from the Manticore as well as whatever else Mom can get out of the beast's head, we should be able to begin planning what we need to do to combat the threat." Hyakinthos said.

"Who all is coming?" Percy asked his brother.

"Well...Mom, obviously. Mum is coming too. I believe they are also bringing Hera, Aphrodite, and the Lady Sif. She said something about getting Hermes to come if he can get away. Psi is of course going to be here. Persephone and Hecate I think will be joining us too. Artemis and Zoe said they'll be here as well, so that's quite the large number. Between everyone and their allies and vassal's, we should be able to come up with a force large enough to ruin a great many of the Titan's plan's." Hyakinthos explained.

"That's alot of god's under one roof." Percy added wide-eyed.

"Yes, it is. It's essential however. We're going to need every bit of help we can get. We will marginalize Father. He's loosing his lid anyway. We cannot allow him to destroy the best chances we'll have to get rid of our enemies. After his little stunt last night...I'm done. If he tries to impede us in any way, I'll need your help Kinthos." Apollo stated bluntly.

"You're the only one besides me (with the exception of your Mom) strong enough to contain him." Apollo told him.

"I'll do whatever you need me to Pol. What will you need my help with?" Hyakinthos asked his mate; although he already had a fair idea of what he was talking about.

"He's going to lead us all to destruction. I'll not allow anything the chance to harm you, or the rest of our family. I'll likely need your help to imprison him. Together, our combined power's ought to be enough to have him entombed. He's gone too far. You remember what we saw during the night. If we wish to ensure that wonderful vision comes to pass, he'll have to go. The sooner the better too, in my opinion." Apollo stated.

"It's time to make sure what we saw has a chance to become reality. It's time for us to begin our own destiny." Apollo declared.

"He want's us dead. We'll not be giving him the chance." Apollo told his mate with a fire in his eye's.

Apollo was done allowing any threats to his mate and future family to continue breathing. It was time the world knew just what it meant to challenge the heir's of Gaea and Ouranos.

Apollo could see his beloved nod his head decisively in concurrence with him in complete agreement. After what they had seen last night in their dreams, no longer would he let his sweet and forgiving nature affect their future. If there was a threat to their family; it was to be destroyed- end of discussion.

Hyakinthos and Apollo smirked as they both nodded their heads in an unspoken accord with each other. The time for playing nice was over. They were playing for keeps now, and by all that they held dear, they would be successful. Their was simply no other option.

They did not know it, but it was around that time when Hyakinthos' Mother was already doing something that would make containing and neutralizing Zeus far easier than anyone could have ever anticipated. Most god's had no idea that what she did was even possible. As they would soon learn however, it was folly in the extreme, to ever underestimate the most powerful child of Gaea and Ouranos.

It was several hours later, after they had shown the Di Angelo siblings around the Camp as well as introduced them to Silena and Will, that Hyakinthos, Apollo, and Percy returned to the family room on the main level of the cabin. By the time they returned, both of Hyakinthos' mother's had already arrived. Rhea was looking around the "cabin" with a smug little smirk adorning her beautiful visage; obviously pleased with her handiwork.

"Hello boy's. I see you got the little Darkling's all situated and seen to." Rhea said; as first her son, then Percy came up and gave her a hug which she reciprocated as warmly as always towards 'her boy's.'

Hyakinthos and Percy both then moved towards Hestia and she hugged them both in greeting as well.

Hestia placed her hand on Hyakinthos' shoulder's and stood back a bit in order to better examine him. Her eye's raked over his form, cataloging each and every variation since they last saw one another. Not that it had been long.

Hestia remained silent for a moment examining her Little One before looking over towards her Mother.

The boy's were all a touch confused with Rhea's response to her look.

"Yes, I know. I see it too. Really, it shouldn't even be possible. It's obviously happening though, nonetheless. I would say that it would have likely continued on for a while longer yet, and it might still for a short period of time, but there's frankly not much left to change by now in any case." Rhea told her daughter.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Hyakinthos asked.

Rhea and Hestia looked at one another one more time before they both glanced at Apollo then settled their gaze back on their mutual son.

"Oh, nothing much, Darling. It's just the...small little detail that you just so happen to look at the very least three full years older than you did a mere month ago." Rhea told him with understated nonchalance.

Hyakinthos' eye's widened at that. While he was aware that he had aged some since re-uniting with his mate, he hadn't really thought it was all that noticeable.

Hyakinthos waved his hand in front of him, and in an instant, a large floor-length silver gilt mirror materialized in front of him.

He stared at himself for a moment. Of course both he and Apollo had noted that he had aged very quickly since re-connecting with one another, however he had not thought he had aged quite that much. As usual, they were right. At this point in time he could likely pass as a seventeen-year-old human easily. He looked perhaps no more than a year at the most from appearing to be the same age as Apollo's true form.

"Huh. Well, that's different." Was Hyakinthos informed response.

"Well, personally I think he look's absolutely stunning." Apollo said as he came up behind his Kinthos and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Of course you do." Percy mumbled with a roll of his eye's.

Judging by the mirror's reflection together, they truly did make quite the divine (pun intended) pairing.

"I'd wager he has about another year's worth of growth left to complete. Considering the rate he's been changing, I dare say it shan't be long at all. I would imagine it will stop when they both look about the same age. Which appears to be not very long from the way they are right now." Rhea said contemplatively.

"I blame you for this. Because you are my son's Divine Mate, I have to miss the last few years I would have had of him still being my little boy." Rhea told Apollo with a teasing pout.

Hyakinthos and Apollo looked at one another and smirked at his Mom.

"We can always hurry up and give you some grandchildren to dote on. How's that sound?" They both asked grinning.

The eye's of both Rhea and Hestia widened to near comic proportions at that casual offer.

"No, no. no. Now...let's not be too hasty. I'll make do. No rush. Take your time...in fact; I insist!" Rhea said laughing now.

They all moved towards the sofas to chat before the other guest's arrived.

"Mom, I have a question." Hyakinthos said.

Rhea raised a questioning eyebrow in response before deciding to have a little fun at her baby's expense.

"Surely, you're not about to ask me to explain the bird's and the bee's to you. I know you just mentioned grandchildren, but...well, I know for an absolute fact you're already quite well versed in that department." Rhea told her son with a teasing smirk.

"Mooooom!" Hyakinthos exclaimed; completely embarrassed.

Apollo's next statement only heightened his embarrassment further.

"I can assure you, he is very well versed indeed in that department." Apollo muttered softly.

"OUCH!" Apollo yelled out as he was seemingly zapped by a little miniature bolt of lightning from Rhea, who then merely appeared to be filing her nails and had not even bothered to look up.

Though the smirk on her face more than gave it away as to who fired the mini-blast.

"I...heard...that!" Rhea said in a sing-song-voice, before snickering and looking back towards her son.

"What were you curious about, Darling?" Rhea asked her son.

"How good of terms are you all on with Demeter? I've never actually even met her." Hyakinthos asked.

Rhea looked towards Hestia for a moment as she tried to formulate how best to describe her middle daughter.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, we hardly ever even see her. She's so connected to her domain and abilities, that she's often off in her own little world. She may not like how things are run, but she generally simply does not care enough to bother even trying to influence anything. She's also not the most social of goddess's. She's always been perfectly content to usually just look after her plants and what not and let the rest of the world pass by. Why do you ask? Rhea inquired.

"What about her daughter, Persephone? From what I understand, she cares a very great deal for her, correct?" Hyakinthos asked.

Rhea nodded her head.

"Yes, Demeter adores Persephone. She is, and always has been, by far her favorite child. If Demeter ever involves herself in matters un-related to her work, it is almost always because of something to do with her daughter." Rhea elaborated.

"You know those two new demi-god's we went and retrieved yesterday? The children of Hades?" Hyakinthos asked.

"Yes, the Di Angelo siblings. It was a terrible shame what happened to their mother, Hades truly loved her. What of them?" She asked; curious about where her son was going with this.

"We discovered something very interesting during their claiming, and Hades contacted me last night to explain. He was not even aware of the truth of the matter until that time himself." Hyakinthos said.

"What was so different about them? Besides the fact that they seem absolutely nothing like the majority of Hades' normal demi-god offspring?" Hestia questioned.

"That's because they're not." Hyakinthos said.

"While their father's claiming went as expected; it was their mother's claiming of them that had us all thoroughly shocked." Hyakinthos elaborated.

"Just who exactly is their mother?" Hestia asked.

"Personally, I find this all terribly ironic." Hyakinthos began.

"Their mother is Persephone herself! I'm still not sure how she even managed to do it considering the enforced time she has to spend in the Underworld each year, but she did the same as you Mom; when you pretended to be Lily Evans. She was incarnated as a mortal, and became none other than Maria Di Angelo! Hades fell in love with, and then proceeded to have two children, with his own wife! I studied their aura's after we found out that little bit of information. They both are basically god's trapped in a mortal body. So when their mother was killed, not only did Zeus strike down his own daughter, but he killed the favorite child of Demeter as well. Also, I can change them back to what they should have been born as. I can remove their mortal coil if they and their parent's wish for me to." Hyakinthos explained.

Both Hestia and Rhea were dumbfounded with open-mouthed shock.

"Well, Son. I have to admit; you just may have found the one thing that would get Demeter to re-consider her neutrality." Rhea said with a smile.

"Persephone is supposed to come by today to speak with the children." Hyakinthos informed them.

"It is interesting to note, is it not; that Persephone herself seems to have had no memory of her time spent as Maria Di Angelo, or the fact that she had even had two children. At least she didn't until Hades was able to restore most of her memories." Apollo interjected.

This caused them all to pause momentarily. It was obvious that someone messed with her memory. It was not hard to guess who the likely suspect was; considering he would not have wanted anyone to be aware that he had struck down his own immortal daughter who just so happened to be Queen of the Underworld!

Hestia stood up then.

"She'll be at her mother's. I'll pop over there and explain things to the both of them, as well as the fact that you can restore them to their rightful immortality. After Demeter realizes that Zeus killed her beloved daughter, regardless of the form she was in at the time, I think she'll be more than willing to side with us." Hestia said as she got ready to travel to Demeter's residence.

"I'll go ahead and go now before anyone else arrives." Hestia told them.

"Okay. See ya in a bit, Mum." Hyakinthos said as he smiled at her.

Rhea stared at her son for a moment. There was something decidedly...different about him. She could sense a new-found resolve in him that was not only unyielding, but...determined...she supposed was the best descriptor. He had a different sense of purpose about himself now, and she found that most intriguing. It was almost as if something in the very essence of what made him who and what he was had changed; and rather drastically at that. She did not think it had anything to do with his appearance changing or his on-going Ascension either. There was an almost a wiser sort of maturity surrounding him. Something had affected her baby in a most remarkable and profound manner indeed.

Hyakinthos sensed his mother's eye's on him. He also sensed a great deal of curiosity. Even though he had not really said all that much thus far today, she knew him better than anyone save his mate.

"Mom?" Hyakinthos asked her.

The mental link she sensed from her beloved son on the outside edges of her consciousness let her know that whatever had caused her child to seemingly change so much virtually over night, he was willing to impart to her. With the exception of Hestia, Hyakinthos was her only child that not only trusted her completely and in all things, but she was also the first person he looked to for guidance. She was not just his mother; she was also his friend and confidant. The bond she held with her youngest child was one of the most precious things in Rhea's life, and she cherished him all the more greatly for it.

Rhea followed the telepathic probe and entered her (to her own thought's anyway) little boy's mind. What she saw astounded and awed her.

Firstly, she saw her ever-increasingly insane son Zeus, violate the sanctity of Camp Half-Blood itself. He did this by attempting to kill the two legitimate born children of his brother Hades and his own daughter Persephone; right in front of the Big House. Zeus had sent a very large Elder god-level blast from his Masterbolt at the two young children.

Her heart was filled with both pride and unnecessary worry, as Hyakinthos sensed the attack just before it occurred. He then proceeded to dive on top of the younger children; using his own body as a shield, along with conjuring up a magical shield of protection.

Hyakinthos slowly stood up and grabbed the lightning bolt that had been sent by Zeus, and was still streaming down to earth; doing its best to kill the children. Channeling the powers of his Asgardian heritage into Zeus' bolt, he was soon joined with his by now equally enraged mate. Apollo, using his powers as the Protogenoi of the Sky, combined his own awe-inspiring powers with those of his mate to phenomenal levels as together they hurled the blast back at Zeus- by her reckoning the blast was at least one thousand times its original strength. Zeus was likely not only burnt and unconscious, but would likely remain thus for quite some time. She really hoped it hurt too, because he so very richly deserved the no doubt agonizing pain for what he did. This was merely yet another example of how Zeus had become not only severely unstable, but was also totally unfit to lead anything or anyone. Seeing that made what she did earlier that very morning particularly justified. She no longer held any doubts about what she did being the right course of action. There is no way he could have not known those two children were his own grandchildren. That was not even counting the fact that he tried to up the voltage of the bolt when Hyakinthos interfered; in a clear attempt to kill her youngest son- yet again.

What she saw next was what truly shocked the powerful Titan Queen.

Her son showed her the contents of the dream he experienced the night before. Right from the beginning of it, Rhea could tell this was no mere dream. This was a vision. It was a most wondrous vision of a possible future that could very well happen if things went a certain way. What she saw had her mesmerized.

In many and varied locations, Rhea watched on as her son and his mate were blissfully and truly so very happy and content. Besides their own undying love for one another, it was not difficult to discern the other reason for their joyous countenance. It took Rhea only the barest of glances to recognize that the five beautiful and most precious children she had ever laid eye's on were her baby's and his mate's. She saw a pair of twin boy's; not identical, but still very similar. Then there were the pair of young girl's. They were perhaps a year apart in age. All four of those wonderful children appeared to be the most perfect blendings of Hyakinthos and Apollo. Her heart melted even further when she noted that three of the five children possessed eyes of the exact shade of emerald green as her own and Hyakinthos. Then the fifth and youngest was a black-haired little boy who reminded her immensely of Hyakinthos as a toddler; wild black hair and an angelic face full of untold amounts of mischief. She knew not how it was even possible, but just from the vision, Rhea could automatically tell all five of the children were possessed of extraordinarily massive amounts of divine power.

Rhea then well understood her son's change in demeanor and decisiveness after witnessing that vision. Seeing that would change anyone. The amount of love and care she could feel emanating from Hyakinthos and Apollo towards not only each other, but to those most precious children, would make someone who loved family as much as her son did become absolutely determined. She could now easily see and understand how and why he would make it a certainty that that vision was allowed to come to pass no matter what.

As for herself? Well, she COULD...and she WOULD...do the exact same thing. To reach that future, to achieve that happiness for her most beloved child, they must needs eliminate any and all threats. She was in complete agreement with her son. She would help him do whatever it took to ensure that what they saw...that those precious children...and the home she saw them build together...that it all came to fruition allowing for that especial future come to pass.

After she pulled out of her son's mind, she walked towards him and pulled him in to a tight embrace, before reaching over and pulling her son's mate to her as well.

"I will do all in my power to make certain what you both saw comes to pass. That is what makes life worth living my darlings, and you both deserve the love and family you were shown. You both received that vision for a reason. I think it's a rather simple one, too. You now have so very much more to fight for, to make sure you live for. We shall do whatever we must my son's." Rhea told them truthfully.

Hyakinthos had always known he would forever have his mother's support. However, for her to have seen the vision they saw, and recognize the reason for the new-found determination that pulsed within him with each beat of his heart; meant a great deal to him. Especially as she knew for any of that to come to pass they would have to remove one of her own children one way or the other. Apollo was just as touched by the determination in his mate's mother's voice.

They all moved to sit back down on the sofas to await the arrival of the other's.

It was not a long wait.

Poseidon was the first to arrive, and he was joined by Hera not long afterwards.

Apollo found himself amazed at the difference in the Queen of Olympus when she was merely around family she actually cared about and not just the Olympian Council. He began to realize that this is the side of her that was rarely ever seen, and was the part of her that his mate had grown up around. When she was happy, or around people she trusted and cared about, she was like an entirely different person. Frankly, it was almost unnerving Apollo.

Artemis and Zoe Nightshade arrived after them. Some of the other's were surprised to see Apollo's twin as they were not aware she had been included in anything or that she would have even been willing to support them. Hyakinthos didn't understand why anyone was particularly shocked. She was Apollo's twin after all. Then again, he was one of the few males alive that actually knew the both of them rather well. He supposed not many knew that he had been close to them in his mortal life.

He and Apollo both greeted the Moon Goddess and her Second-In-Command. As they were exchanging greetings, Hyakinthos was studying Zoe Nightshade in particular. In the rush and confusion of the previous day's events, he had not been able to see what he saw now. It's possible that he had not noticed the problem immediately because what had happened to the daughter of Atlas occurred so very long ago, and it was not as noticeable as it would have been in millennia past. However, looking at her once more, the wound in her immortal soul was all but glaring at him. Well, what should be her immortal soul in any case; as that was exactly what the problem was.

She had been born divine. As the daughter of the Titan Atlas and the sea goddess Pleione, she should have been a completely immortal goddess in her own right. He could see where her immortality had been taken from her by her family, although she did gain the conditional immortality of the Hunter's of Artemis when she joined the Hunt. However, if she suffered a fatal injury in battle or the like, she would truly be killed. That was not something that Hyakinthos liked in the least. No, he did not, and he would see to fixing that little problem post-haste.

"Zoe...? Sorry to interrupt you guy's, but I've been studying you since you arrived. How exactly was your family able to remove your divinity?" Hyakinthos asked the hunter bluntly; halting the discussion the other's were having.

He knew how personal an issue such as that was, and that it made Zoe highly uncomfortable to even discuss it, but if he was to help her he had to know.

Zoe had become extremely embittered and depressed when her family had exiled her. Even after all these many centuries of serving Artemis, she still felt the ever-continuous ache in her chest where her own in-born divinity had formerly resided. It was an open wound that time could not heal. She had long despaired of anything ever being capable of erasing the hurt she felt for a mistake she had made as a very young and naïve girl millennia ago.

Zoe studied him for a long moment before replying; unsure of the reasons as to exactly why he was asking such a question. Had it been nearly anyone else, especially any other male, she would have refused to discuss it at all. However, she had known Prince Hyakinthos very well, and she knew he most certainly did not have any ill intent, so she went ahead and answered him; despite her discomfort.

"Thou already know of the events that hath caused and led up to the separation of myself and mine family. Whilst the hair clip I rather ignorantly bestowed upon Hercules twas an anchor of sorts towards mine own divine born immortality, tis more involved than what hath appeared." Zoe began.

"All twas retribution for perceived treachery, and twas the combination of mine collective sister's powers, which were hence augmented by mine own Father. Even though he hath already been imprisoned in his current position, his maliciousness and anger twas such that he was wroth enough to be able to boost mine sister's combined powers. Hence, they forcefully separated and reaped neareth all mine own divine ability's and gift's. I was forsworn of all I inherited as a daughter of Atlas. Wherefore it not the bond betwixt mine own mother, tis likely to hath killed me before I was able to be taken unto My Lady's protection and grace." Zoe explained somewhat bitterly.

Even after all these centuries, the wound was still as raw as when she first received it.

Hyakinthos was silent for a moment as he thought of just what he would need to do, although it was also partly in order to make certain he understood the rather archaic wording of her speech. As his thoughts progressed, he realized it would actually be remarkably simple for him to help her. He looked back up at Zoe held her gaze within his own.

"You are not only a good person, but you have always been a good friend to me. What was done to you back then was cruel, and it was wrong. If you wish it, I believe I can restore you to your rightful power's and birthright. It is part of the abilities I inherited as Gaea's heir. Do you wish for me to try, Zoe?" Hyakinthos asked the by now very wide-eyed Hunter.

Zoe could barely form any coherent thought's as she heard the Prince's offer of restoring her divinity. Never had she even dared to dream she would be able to fill the whole and heal the wound in her spirit from when her immortality was forcefully taken away from her. It was all she could do to nod her head numbly.

"I do believe that is a yes in answer to your question, Brother." Artemis told her brother-in-law with a smile; knowing how very much this could mean for her oldest and most trusted friend.

"Alright then. Percy, hand me your sword. You'll get it right back, but I have need of Riptide for a moment." Hyakinthos told his brother.

Percy did not understand what his sword had to do with anything, but he trusted his brother to know what he was doing. He nearly always did.

Once Percy had handed him Riptide, or as it was better known throughout history: Anaklusmos; Hyakinthos had it transform back into its pen form. He waved his hand over the disguised pen one more time, and in that instant it reverted to the state of the jeweled hair pin that Zoe herself had once worn with pride as her symbol of immortality millennia ago.

Hyakinthos narrowed his eyes as he concentrated his powers on the hair pin. He knew that even if it had been removed, there would still be traces of what it had represented in ages past. He soon found it. It was faint, but had not faded so much that he could not isolate and identify it. He studied everything he could tell that it had formerly anchored, and just exactly how it had been tied to Zoe herself.

He did not notice, but everyone else did, as his emerald green eye's began glowing with the divine power of the earth itself; the basis from which this particular set of his abilities originated from.

Still focusing on the hair pin, Hyakinthos recreated the immortal anchor back on to the jeweled piece. The hair pin itself was by now also emitting the same divine emerald green glow as Hyakinthos' eyes.

Hyakinthos stretched out his arm, and his hand wrapped around something in the air that none of the others in the room could see. However, they all clearly saw when whatever he had captured in his hand began to cause his whole hand to be suffused with the same green light. It was the emerald green light that was no longer being emitted by the hair pin.

Hyakinthos walked over to Zoe, and placed his out-stretched hand on her chest; exactly in the position where her heart was located.

Everyone watched the green light move from Hyakinthos' hand and transfer itself straight in to Zoe's heart.

She gasped at the sensation.

He was not finished however. The transference was merely the anchor. It simply insured that Zoe's power's would not, and could not, ever again be bound or compromised by some outside force; as had been the case before the split from her family.

Hyakinthos eye's began to glow even brighter as he studied Zoe intensely. He easily found the block that was on her, which removed most of her inborn powers and abilities as the daughter of Atlas. The divine connections to her mother were still flowing strong, so he only needed to break to block to the Titan.

He imagined Atlas would be feeling rather put out, and in quite a bit of pain at the moment, as Hyakinthos destroyed the block on Zoe's Titan-based powers. He was using the in-born connection she shared with Atlas to forcefully return her Titanic powers to her; and then some. He fixed the connection in such a way that nothing, with the possible exception of himself, would ever again be able to even attempt to bind her. As punishment to both Atlas and her spiteful sister's, Hyakinthos used the divine connections they each held to Zoe against them. He used their connections, and leached off a rather large amount of power from every single one of them. Then, he closed off all connections...permanently. From Atlas especially, Hyakinthos drained a very large amount of pure Titanic power. While the Titan would recover somewhat in time; he would never again be as powerful as he had once been.

Hyakinthos had no way of knowing it, but that single act alone, would help them all a great deal in the relatively near future.

As he finished sealing off the connections, as well as forcing the divine pathways in Zoe's own body to once again flow unimpeded (and with a great deal more divine power than she had ever previously held), her entire being began glowing with a brilliant divine golden light. By the time the light had died down, Zoe was once again an immortal goddess. Truthfully, she was now on par with some of the Olympian's themselves.

Hyakinthos had to immediately sit down, as channeling all that power had left him winded.

Surprisingly however, he was not exhausted or drained much in any real way.

Apollo wrapped his arms around his mate as he held him close to him on the sofa.

"Well, that's that taken care of." Hyakinthos said in an understated manner as every single deity in the room was now looking at him in awe.

Zoe immediately pounced on him, rushing to his side and pulling the boy into a near bone-crushing (Perhaps he had given her a bit too much of Atlas' strength?) hug with tears in her eye's of happiness and gratitude.

"Thank you so much. Verily, I thank thee. Thou hath no idea how much this means to me. Twas like an ache that never endeth in mine own soul for so long, but thou hath healed me. I never realized how much pain twas caused from the severing of the bonds until thou hath resolved them. I'll never be able to thank you enough, My Prince." Zoe told him with every word ringing with true heart-felt gratitude.

Hyakinthos just returned her embrace and smiled up at her.

"It was my pleasure. You were born one of us, and no one should have ever dared to block part of your very soul. Besides, you're my friend, and you deserved to be happy and not fear something happening to you." Hyakinthos told her with a kind smile.

It was not to much longer after Hyakinthos had restored Zoe's immortality that the rest of their guests had arrived.

Hermes had managed to escape his duties long enough to show up. Hecate had arrived as well.

Hyakinthos had also finally gotten to meet his middle sister Demeter, who had arrived with her daughter Persephone after Hestia retrieved them. He found her to be both a beautiful and kind-hearted goddess, but she also very bound to her work. Had this not involved Persephone, he did not doubt she would not have bothered to attend.

Aphrodite had managed to escape notice as well, and had joined them as soon as she was able. Much like her half-sister Rhea, due to her age and vast experiences, Aphrodite had a better understanding of the true dangers they were facing than some of the younger deities. Along with her came her son, Eros. Due to their history, he was received less than warmly; as in about as warm as the Arctic in December. Nevertheless, they were not in any position to deny aid from any of the god's.

Though privately, Hyakinthos and Apollo both swore to kill Zephyros if he ever dared appear in either of their presence (Or as soon as they got around to it in all actuality. He was one dead deity!).

The final guest of note, was the Lady Sif: Asgardian Goddess of War, Ambassador to Olympus in the name of the Allfather, and temporary guarantor of safety of the three members of the House of Odin currently residing on Earth. The three royals in question of course being Crown Princess Rhea, Prince Hyakinthos Thorson, and his Divine Mate and Consort Lord Apollo.

(It certainly did not hurt Apollo's ego that because of the bond with his mate he would be styled as 'Prince Apollo' when on Asgard or in the company of Asgardians.)

Hyakinthos actually had to alter the wards of not only the Rhea Cabin, but of the entirety of Camp Half-Blood, in order for the full-blooded Asgardian goddess to be able to enter the Camp at all.

The Lady Sif seemed somewhat surprised to see such a large gathering of both legendary and powerful deities all converged for this meeting.

Hyakinthos decided to sort out the issue of Persephone and her children first before they got into detail of their current problems. He had been introduced to Persephone when she arrived with Hestia and Demeter, and found the Queen of the Underworld to be a rather enchanting individual who possessed both the attributes of beauty as well as an undeniable charisma that he was sure had charmed many. He could well understand why his eldest brother had sought her for his queen.

"Was my brother able to restore your memories of everything that happened when you experienced a mortal life?" Hyakinthos asked her.

"Yes, he was. Not everything was restored exactly, but enough for me to know what I experienced. The rest of them shall emerge with time. It was an extremely powerful block that had been placed on my mind." Persephone said.

"Do you remember who placed the block on your mind?" Apollo asked Goddess of Spring.

She was silent for a moment as her lips curled into an expression of the utmost disgust.

"Oh, yes. I most certainly remember the bastard! He only realized after he had already struck my mortal form down that he had killed his own daughter, not to mention his brother's wife! At that time, if Hades had known the truth, Zeus knew without a doubt he would be facing a war entirely of his own making. I've never been very close to Father, and frankly I never could stand him, but even I never dreamed that he'd dare to attempt what he did to me. It's not just me though. I could have gotten over what he did to me. It's what he did (as I was shown earlier), and is still trying to do to my own children that I will never forgive. I couldn't even remember giving birth to them!" Persephone said in a distraught tone that was filled with anger, contempt, and a more than a touch of malice.

"Join the club Sister. I don't think he has a single child of his that can actually stand him." Artemis interjected.

"Being who you are, and especially who your husband is; your children Nico and Bianca should have been born completely divine. The only reason they weren't, at least the only plausible reason I can come up with, is that you were in a mortal form at the time of their birth. If you wish it, I can restore them to their proper form. Since they were not born immortal it will take their forms a while to adjust, but I should think around a year or so would be enough time for them to develop as they ascend. They already possess the full powers of a natural-born deity, they just cannot access most of them in their mortal forms. It's up to you and my brother though. Do you want me to make them the god's they should have been born as and truly are?" Hyakinthos asked.

Hyakinthos knew the answer to his question by the look on Persephone's face alone. It was filled with a near desperate amount of longing and hope.

"You can truly do that?" She asked him.

"Considering the fact that he hath restored mine own fully divine status not even half an hour ago that twas missing for millennia; I'd say he definitely can do nearly anything." Zoe told Persephone.

Persephone bestowed upon Hyakinthos a rather beautiful smile.

"Then I would be forever in your debt, as would my husband, if you could restore our children." Persephone said.

"It's no problem at all. I'll begin the process with them this evening." Hyakinthos promised.

Hyakinthos then looked towards his mate. He wanted Apollo to be the one to explain the darkening situation as well as what they had recently discovered. As a few of the deities in attendance did not know Hyakinthos, he thought they would be more likely to take events more seriously if they were coming from Apollo himself.

Apollo nodded his head at his mate in understanding and stood up to face the assembled deities.

"You all know more or less what has been occurring. For those of you that do not, I shall endeavor to enlighten you. I'll also be blunt, as the time for half-measures has long since past. Kronos is rising." Apollo began; stating what they knew for an absolute certainty.

Several of the deities that had not known of what exactly had been occurring gasped at hearing that.

"He is using the demi-god's to gain the power necessary to reconstitute himself. Because of the laws my father forced on the god's, there are many demi-god's that have grievances against Olympus. Many of them believe that their divine parents simply do not care about them in the slightest. To my disgust and shame, their are some god's out there who don't care about any children they produce, and never even bother to claim their own flesh and blood. As most of you know however, their are a great many more god's that very much do care about them, but are unable to do anything about it because of Father's idiotic laws." Apollo stated.

"The Titan Lord is using their dissatisfaction to his advantage. He is infiltrating their dreams, and he is using his silver tongue to influence them; especially those of the demi-god's that are the most disaffected. Much in the same way we once gained more power from mortal belief, Kronos is growing stronger from every demi-god he convert's to his cause. Every demi-god that pledges themselves to him, causes him to grow ever stronger. We do not know how many he has turned, but it has to be a large number, as he has already proven himself capable of taking at least partial control of an Olympian god when he took over Ares himself." Apollo explained.

"My mate and I found and brought irrefutable proof of this to my father. However, Zeus refuses to acknowledge the threat. His mind has become so warped because of the threat he feels from the powers of my mate and myself that he dismisses all semblances of reason. He has already tried to murder my mate on more than one occasion. That, in and of itself, has earned him my eternal enmity. Just last night, he tried to kill the children of Persephone and Hades; his own grandchildren. If we allow him to, he will assuredly bring us all to complete and utter ruin." The Sun God told them strongly; his words ringing with power and certainty.

"He is not fit to lead anything, much less be 'King of the God's.' If we are to survive the threat the Titan's pose, it is up to ourselves to do something about it. We must organize ourselves and our allies in such a way that we are able to destroy the threat's posed to our continued survival. We cannot allow that monster the chance to wreak his havoc on us again. Yesterday, we came upon information that is extremely disturbing, and suggests that the Titanic forces are far more advanced and mobilized than we had any idea of." Apollo revealed.

Hyakinthos looked around the room and could see many of the assembled deities looked very disturbed as Apollo's word's began to truly register in their mind's. He stood up and walked to stand beside his mate. He waved his hand and summoned a pensieve that had belonged to his wizarding grandfather. He placed the pensieve on a pedestal in the middle of the room as he touched his right index finger to his temple and extracted a long silvery mist-like substance. He then deposited the memory in the pensieve as he activated the specific runes on the magical artifact that allowed for the memory to be projected to them all in a large holographic formation.

"This is what we heard the manticore that was after Bianca and Nico discussing with someone that sounded pretty high up on the food chain on a cell phone of all things. I don't know about you guy's, but I've certainly never seen monster's using such a thing. The level of preparedness we overheard was staggering. I'll play the memory, and then let you decide what you all make of it." Hyakinthos told the group as he activated the memory and sat back down next to his beloved.

All the assembled deities watched as the memory began to show them what Apollo, Hyakinthos, and Percy had all seen and overheard.

The Memory begins:

"We have to get them away without the beasts poisonous darts getting the children." Apollo replied.

"Is he actually on the phone?" Hyakinthos asked with more than a touch of incredulity.

They all looked over and sure enough, the manticore posing as a teacher was indeed on a mobile phone.

"Can you...?" Apollo asked Hyakinthos; nodding his head in the direction of the manticore.

Realizing he meant if he could amplify the sound so they could listen in on the conversation as it was extremely peculiar for a monster to be using a cell phone for any reason; Hyakinthos nodded and cast the spell.

Instantly the three boy's heard the details of the creature's conversation.

"...and it shouldn't take much longer. You just keep them occupied and isolated. The transportation will be arriving shortly." The voice on the other end of the phone said in a tone that sent chills down their spines.

"You're sure you don't want me to just kill them? It would be much simpler that way." The manticore asked.

"No. You have your orders. We have reason to believe these two are far more than average demi-gods. Both of them could be highly useful. The power the Master could gain from the two of them alone could very well be all that is needed in order for Him to fully rise. They must be turned. Only if that proves completely impossible will they be dealt with." The mystery man stated.

"He is really that close?" The manticore asked in a tone of awe.

"Yes. The timing is just right. Because of Zeus' blindness, and refusal to see the signs, we have managed to become almost fully mobilized. The Master will soon be out, and his brother's are being freed as we speak. None of them have any idea we have come as far as we have." The voice replied.

"Good, good. Soon, Olympus will be raining with golden ichor as we bleed them out. Has there been any word about the Old Witch? Has she remembered who her true family is? She would be a powerful asset." The monster asked.

Hyakinthos had a sinking suspicion of whom they meant when they said the Old Witch.

They heard what appeared to be a growl on the other line.

"Yes, we have heard. The only emissary who made it back alive, as she destroyed the rest, said the Old Witch would never help the Master or Zeus. The only one she is loyal to is the Prince; whoever that is." The voice said in a tone laced with hate.

"Do we know who that is?" The manticore asked curiously.

"We suspect. Most think she was referring the Queen's bastard son. Our intelligence tells us that he has become very powerful. Plans are being made to destroy or imprison him. He is too much of a wildcard and has too many allies. Even the Master is leery of the boy as well as his mate. He must be placed deep in Tartarus before his Father's people can intervene. There is no force capable of withstanding the full might of the Asgardians. Now, your transportation is almost there. Do not allow this mission to fail or the Master will be showing his displeasure to you personally." The mysterious man said ominously.

Hyakinthos was stunned by what he heard. That they were speaking of him, he had no doubt. This all sounded like the forces of Kronos were...much...much...further along than they had ever even contemplated. To be capable of the organized locating of demi-god's and the amassing of an entire power base, all without alerting anyone on Olympus, was an extremely frightening prospect.

End of Memory

The faces of every single deity in the room, with the exception of those few who had already witnessed what occurred, show complete and utter shock. The very idea that their enemies could possibly be already so very advanced was quite frankly terrifying.

Rhea was the first of the shocked deities to recover and compose herself.

"My son, you said you have the beast encased in stone? Have him brought in. I will make certain to learn every last bit of information the beast is cognizant of." Rhea told her youngest son.

"Sure thing, Mom." Hyakinthos replied.

"Dobby?" He said loudly to summon the elf.

There was a slight pop and the house-elf was standing before him.

"Hello, Dobby. Could you bring that manticore here? Mother wishes to...have a discussion...with the beast." Hyakinthos instructed the elf.

Dobby had an almost feral grin on his face as he popped out of the room, only to return moments later with what appeared to be a large boulder of some sort with a human-like head on the top.

"Thank you, Dobby." Hyakinthos told the little elf.

Dobby's bat-like ears just flapped up and down happily as he bobbed his head in acknowledgement of his master's thanks with a smile, before he popped back out of the room. Though, not without throwing the manticore one last look of loathing.

"Well, there it is, Mom. Do your worst." Hyakinthos told her with a shark-like grin that had the already terrified (and still silenced) manticore literally wetting himself in utter terror.

The Queen of the Titan's approached him after returning her baby boy's grin with a smile that was positively evil to the eye's of the manticore.

As Queen Rhea was the eldest of the immortals in the room, and had far more experience in such things, she was much better suited for entering the mind of an advanced monster such as this one and extracting everything it knew. The other's could have tried, but the pathways through a monster like this one's brain was so very different from what they were accustomed to that only someone with an extreme amount of experience would be able to adequately decipher what information was held within the beast's mind.

As Rhea looked down at the monster, she forced the beast to look her in the eye's. It knew this was likely the last sight it would ever see.

Rhea entered the monster's mind, which was chaotic at best, and immediately engulfed it completely within her powers. She took possession of every part of the beast's psyche that made it who and what it was, and then forcefully bent it to her divine will. When she laid her hand on the beast's head, all knowledge and experience the beast knew or had ever been exposed to (even if it did not know it), was now flowing directly into the Titan Queen's mind. It only lasted a few minutes as Rhea removed every last drop of knowledge and information from the monster's mind. When she was finished, all that was left of the manticore was an empty husk; devoid of any and all thought and knowledge.

Rhea nodded to her son that her task was complete.

This was just the signal he had been waiting for.

Hyakinthos waved his had and vanished the stone he had created that encased the monster. As it was now nothing more than a mindless husk, the manticore just stood there- no thought or emotion could be seen in it's eye's.

In Hyakinthos' right hand, Bane appeared. He twirled the war hammer through the air several times, building up his momentum, before he raised it high in the air. He stepped forward towards the manticore, and swung the war hammer down upon the beast's chest with all his might. A shower of golden dust was all that remained (and all that would ever remain), of the manticore. As the monster had been killed with a weapon partially made from Stygian Iron, it was destroyed utterly; and it would never again be seen, as it would not be reformed in Tartarus. It simply ceased to exist.

Hyakinthos put his war hammer away (the sight of which had earned him a beaming smile from the Lady Sif) and sat back down next to his mate as his mother paced about the room. He knew it was taking her mind a moment to convert and analyze everything she had learned from the monster.

When Rhea had finished absorbing the new knowledge she had gained from the beast, she faced the other god's and goddess's in the room; her countenance was both angered and determined. Her powers were all but swirling around her, and it was all she could do to control them as what she had seen had left her deeply disturbed.

"The conversation we overheard in my son's memory was not only exactly as we thought it to be, but was only the tip of the iceberg. Our enemies are far more advanced than we had even the slightest inkling of. How they have become so very well organized as fast as they have is astounding! Already, they have many minor god's working with them on the Titan's behalf. It is by their efforts that we have been unaware of the many advances of the enemy, as they have been actively working to shield them from our sight." Rhea explained to them what she had learned.

"They already have large bases set up and operating. They are especially active in the West. It is most certainly not a coincidence when one considers the whereabouts of just where Mt. Othrys is currently located. That is another reason we have been blinded from realizing what was happening as we rarely focus much on the western half of this continent. Their are a great many demi-god's working for them as well. Many of them, we would not have even been aware of, as they were found and converted before ever even being reached by the satyrs. Most have never even stepped foot in Camp Half-Blood. There were also some that had been to Camp, but were swayed to the Titan's side." Rhea said; explaining some of how they had been kept unawares of the gravity of the situation.

"We also have another problem to consider. From what I discerned, they are not limiting themselves to the Greek demi-god's and minor god's. They have somehow been able to pierce the mist enough that they are influencing and affecting the Romans as well. It is highly possible that in order for us to adequately combat this threat, we are going to have unite the Greek and Roman demi-god's to at least some degree." Rhea told them; which had them all thoroughly shocked.

Rhea had looked towards her son, Apollo, and Percy when mentioning the Roman demi-god's. Hyakinthos got the distinct impression that she was going to give him the herculean task of trying to get the Romans, and their Greek counterparts, to co-operate and co-exist in an effective manner. He was most certainly not looking forward to such a proposition. It had never ended well for any involved. There was most assuredly a reason as to why the two sides of the Greco-Roman Pantheon's demi-god's were separated.

"They are amassing huge numbers of monster's as well." She continued.

"We have all noticed the increase in monster attacks and sightings of late. Even the one's that are killed; they are managing to re-form in Tartarus...far...far...faster than should be remotely possible. All of that wreaks of my Mother having a hand in all of this. I have no doubt that she is helping them to re-form as soon as they are killed. It is the only way any of it could happen. Of course Tartarus himself has to be aiding her. Not that that should come as much of a surprise given their particular history. That also explains how Kronos has been able to rise as quickly as he seems to be." Rhea explained to the shocked deities.

"What some of you may not be aware of is that my son is Gaea's heir. He is becoming the Primordial of the Earth. His mate is my father Ouranos' heir, and is becoming the Protogenoi of the Sky. Apollo has been gaining Ouranos' domain and power's for millennia now, but my son's advancement is of a more recent development; only beginning over the last few years. However, Gaea is fading, and she is fading fast. It is my belief that she thinks if my son is somehow killed, it will prevent her from fading. Of course that is an erroneous belief, as no such thing would occur, even if she did manage it. Which she never will, as I will destroy her myself (if Apollo does not somehow beat me to it first of course), if she even dares to try such a thing. Regardless, she is fighting the pull with all her might, and is helping Kronos more out of a sense of self-preservation than anything else." Rhea explained to the deities who had not known of Hyakinthos and Apollo's true power's and status.

The thought's of the truly monumental amounts of power held between those two Divine Mates made some of the more uninformed deities look upon the pair in a new light. Zeus had good reason to fear them it seemed. With their power's combined together, their is virtually nothing in the Universe that could have a hope of standing against them.

Rhea sat down and looked across the room at the assembled god's and goddess's before speaking.

"I am telling each and every one of you that have demi-god children to do whatever you must to try and make certain that they do not fall prey to the other Titan's. Do not concern yourselves with Zeus's idiotic law's. We shall prevent him from doing anything in retaliation. He will be handled. In fact, he has mostly already been handled. While staying within the accords of the Ancient Laws, it is time for all of us to actively do as much as we are capable of to stop this threat. Myself, my son, Apollo, Hestia, and Poseidon have between us much more than enough power to neutralize Zeus. It is his actions that have ultimately led to these events even being possible in the first place. His unending denial, as well as his continued attempts to murder my son, have lost him any right's of ruling over the god's. For the time being, I am exerting mine own authority. I, raised Olympus, and I still retain ultimate dominion and power over it; whether many know of it or not. For the moment, the only one you answer to is ME. Also, if some of you or your allies are unable to reach me; I am empowering my youngest son to be my voice to all of the god's and the demi-god's both. He is the most powerful divine entity...on...this...planet, and any instructions from him hold the same authority as if they were issued by myself. Is that understood?" Rhea...asked...the assembled deities in the room.

She had released the full might of her aura as had Hyakinthos, and the power they were emitting together was more than sufficient to quell any who might have even thought to object to taking orders from such a young god. Of course that was to say nothing of what they all felt when Apollo too unfurled his enormous amounts of power; showing his eternal backing of his beloved mate in all things. To challenge one was to challenge them both.

There were very few who were stupid enough to try, and some would not live to regret it.

Out of all of the various god's and goddess's in the room, Hecate was looking towards Hyakinthos and Apollo with a bright smile on her face. After Rhea finished explaining who now held the real power amongst the god's, she decided to tell them of what she had been able to uncover.

As she cleared her throat in order to make herself known, all the god's turned to look towards the ancient goddess.

"I too, can confirm what we all overheard. It was indeed myself they were referring to when they referred to the 'Old Witch,' as they so charmingly called me. A delegation of sorts was sent to me to try and convince me to ally with Kronos and his brother's. None were left alive, save the lone beast I spared in order to deliver my...reply. They are very advanced however. I have been unable to determine just which of the minor deities have turned, but it must be a large number for the simple fact that I'm unable to see them. As I am supposed to have absolute authority over the mist, it shouldn't be much of an issue for me to see exactly who is helping them and how they are shielding them from our sight. That I cannot, can only mean it is a large number of god's and goddess's that have turned; some of which most assuredly have abilities with sorcery." Hecate told them.

"Zeus has made a great many enemies. He is now reaping what he has sewn. His day's of forcing all of the divine to bend to his every little whim are over. I, for one, will never again allow for myself to be subjugated to such a debased degree. I can easily see how and why so very many have sought the only other avenue they believe available to escape from his control. However, they forget...or do not know...two things. For one thing Kronos is not now, nor has he ever been or would be, any type of benevolent ruler. To even think otherwise is folly of the highest order. Secondly, many of the world of the divine are unaware that they even have another option; which (in my personal opinion) is a million times better for everyone than living under the rule of Kronos or Zeus." Hecate stated with certainty as she stood up and looked to Hyakinthos and Apollo.

"There, before me now, stands the best and only hope of the world of the god's. They, are the True Kings. This pair of Divine Mate's were hand picked as the perfect balance to both each other, and their most powerful of domains, by the hand's of Chaos himself! No other power in the Universe could have possibly made it happen otherwise. Who are we to judge the will of the Great One? The legends and prophecy's of old have long whispered of their coming. Those of us whom are old enough to remember the old ways, and the power's that once held sway, all know of that which I refer to. They are the Destined One's. With our help, they will have the backing and might necessary to bring order and balance to the world. It is with their strength, that a new age...a democratic age...a better age...shall arise. This I know with absolute certainty. I, and many other's, have long since seen it. The embodiments of the Sky and the Earth shall once again hold dominion over the realm of the god's. Only this time, we will have a ruling couple who are not only beings of greatness, but goodness as well. Their heart's do not now, nor shall they ever, lust for power. Of that I am certain." Hecate told the other deity's passionately.

Both Apollo and Hyakinthos were stunned by Hecate's words. She was speaking as if she intended for them to be the ruling couple of the entire Greco-Roman Pantheon. She all but proclaimed them the new Kings of Olympus! A quick glance at both Rhea and Hestia and even Poseidon showed them to all be in full agreement with the Dark Lady. While historically, their power's may have merited such a position, neither boy had ever had any real wish to rule at all. However, as they saw many of the other god's nodding their head's in concurrence with Hecate's words (especially the deity's of the pre-Olympian era), it was beginning to look as if they may have no choice in the matter. It was the same way in which they had absolutely no desire for any war, but war was being thrust upon them whether they wished for it or not.

"I will go myself to try and speak to as many of the minor god's as I am able. I will do my best to show them the better way to move forward with a change that is much better than their other options, and by any means necessary. I will even go to those whom I believe have already been turned. Hopefully, it shall help to diminish the Time Lord's base of power. It would also be helpful if another amongst us were to attempt the same. The more we are able to bring to our side now, the more hope we have for not only a better outcome in our favor, but also for a faster resolution to events as well." Hecate explained.

"My Queen, whom would you suggest to help in this endeavor?" The Lady of Magic asked the Titan Queen.

Rhea was silent a moment as she gazed at each of the assembled deity's in turn. She knew that whoever she sent on such a mission would need to be not only absolutely trustworthy, but powerful as well. She certainly could not sent anyone whom could possibly be captured or some such thing happening. Before she could finish her thought's, she felt the eye's of her half-sister rest on her own. Well, there was certainly little out their that could have a hope of trapping or subduing the Goddess of Love. Rhea also trusted her sister more than most. Yes, she would indeed be perfect for the task. That Aphrodite herself was aiding their newly emerging side, and in what looked to possibly have the ability to turn in to a three-sided war, would make a rather large impression on nearly anyone.

She was decided when she saw Aphrodite nod her head subtly.

"If she is agreeable, I would suggest my Sister for this particular task." Rhea told the other's in the room.

"I shall be happy to help. Now that we actually have a goal to work towards, and look forwards to, I am getting rather excited about all this. It is definitely well past time things were changed. I swear to do my best to convince, as Hecate said by...any...means necessary, as many deity's as I am able." Aphrodite said.

Many seemed surprised at her eagerness to help. Upon reflection of the matter though, most silently agreed she was well suited to the task. Also, there was very little out there that could harm her. She had proven herself as a true daughter of Ouranos in ages past on many occasions.

That taken care of, Rhea looked to Artemis and Zoe.

"Artemis, I would like for you and your Huntresses to begin searching out and destroying as many monsters as you are able to. I'll also make certain you have a large supply of Stygian Iron. My Mother cannot speed up the resurrection of beings who no longer exist." She told the goddess with a smirk.

"Also, see if you can get any clues as to their bases; where they could be amassing monster's and the like. If you find any though, do not attack them on your own. Come back to us, and we shall destroy them together. We do not know which of my brother's or cousin's and nephew's have been freed already." She explained.

"I'll be going out to discreetly discern the truth of their continued imprisonment myself." Rhea told everyone.

"I'll ensure my husband has begun to marshal and make ready the forces of the Underworld. He will honor the alliance, so have no fear on that score." Persephone said; speaking up on Hades' behalf.

"I too, shall summon the forces of the sea's to my banner. The power of Atlantis and the oceans and seas of the world shall be made ready for any type of combat. They should have thought twice before forcing my hand. I will fight Father to my last breath before I let him have a chance to harm our family again." Poseidon swore as he looked at his mother, his son, and the little brother he loved like he was his own son.

"Good. Also, Poseidon; keep yourself extra alert for any sign of Oceanus. He is already stirring. That much I can tell. I do not know how much he is already involved, but you can be certain that he is.

Poseidon nodded his head solemnly.

"What would you have us do, Mom?" Hyakinthos asked; though he could already guess at least part of what she had in mind.

"For one thing, you and Apollo need to begin to practice exercising the full might of the power's of your domain's in concert with one another. Learn how to best utilize the combination of your ability's to their maximum advantage. Their is no longer any need for secrecy. You both are now known for what you truly are by all that matter. You were both blessed with these awesome gifts and powers for a reason. Now, it is time to use them." Rhea told them.

Actually that was really a very good idea, as it was true that there was no longer any need to hide just what they were capable of.

"My Son's...remember your dream. Keep that always as the focus and the reason for what you are forced to do. Never forget, and never let go of it...Though, I suspect I don't really need to remind either of you of that." Rhea said.

"It's not something one could easily forget." She told them softly with a smile of remembered happiness.

"I'm certain you already know, but there is another task I wish for all three of you to attempt." Rhea said as she looked at Hyakinthos, Apollo, and Percy together.

"You wish for us to go visit Camp Jupiter, correct?" Hyakinthos asked.

He did not have any desire to do so, but recognized the necessity nevertheless.

"Yes, I do. I know you don't wish to; no one with any sense would. However, needs must. We must make them as aware as we can. Hyakinthos will be able to discuss it all with them with impunity as the laws concerning the schism do not apply to him. Apollo, will also be able to prove what you tell them is fact. I wish for Percy to ally with whomever he believes to be the best and most confident and powerful of their leader's. Try to come to an understanding with them; a degree of mutual protection against the forces of the Titan's if nothing else. However, they must be made aware of the danger's whether they wish to help and fight together with the Greek demi-god's or not. Do whatever you must. Force them to co-operate if necessary. The feud is ridiculous in any case." Rhea instructed 'her boys'.

"Yes Ma'am." All three boy's intoned at the same time; much to the amusement of many of the divine present.

"Well, that is as much as any of us can do for the moment. Each of you just be as vigilant as possible." Rhea instructed them all.

"Just out of curiosity. How can you be so certain that Zeus will be able to be...'handled'...I think was the word you used?" Eros asked her.

Rhea considered whether or not to even answer Eros' rather impertinent question for a moment. She decided to go ahead a explain a bit when she saw the eye's of both Hyakinthos and Apollo narrowed on the winged deity. Sometimes she thought the Cupid had far too much of his father in him.

"As I already explained, I am the one who raised Olympus in the first place. I am also the one who proclaimed Zeus, King of the God's. With that distinction came the ability to wield the power's of Olympus. My three eldest son's are of near-identical amounts of natural born power. Without the boost of Olympus as a whole, he is no more powerful than Poseidon or Hades, and less powerful than Hyakinthos, Apollo, Hestia, or myself. I removed from him the power's bestowed upon the ruler of Olympus, and returned them to myself for the time being. He will never again regain those powers, and at the moment, is still in a healing sleep from his rather disastrous attempt to kill Persephone and Hades' children last night. I expect he will remain confined for a couple of weeks, by my estimation in any case. Does that answer your question, Nephew?" She asked with a raised imperious brow.

The sometimes troublesome god merely nodded his head quickly; realizing he had over-stepped himself and stayed firmly silent.

The looks he was receiving from her son and Apollo were positively dangerous, and he was in no hurry to tempt fate.

Rhea sat back down as Hyakinthos turned towards the Lady Sif; curiosity shining in his verdant eye's.

"My Lady Sif, have you had any word from Asgard of late?" Hyakinthos as the Goddess of War.

"Yes, I have My Prince. Yesterday, I received word from Queen Frigga concerning the status of your Father. The Allfather has sent new instructions as well." Sif told her oldest friend's son.

"Your grandmother believes your father shall be restored to full health and memory in no more than ten days hence. She said to expect him on Earth within hours of his regaining consciousness. So, at the most, their will be a bit over a week until the Crown Prince arrives." Sif informed him.

"As to the other; the Allfather would have you, as well as your mate, accompany me to Heilareginheim. As you likely already know, it has not been open and in use by any of the divine in many centuries. I have been able to get the location open again, but it will require the Royal Blood of Asgard for it to become fully operational. In other words; it need's you. In the manner that your Lady Mother described that Zeus received a power boost from Olympus, the Allfather decreed that you were to be the one to hold the wards of Heilareginheim, or simply Reginheim as it is more commonly referred to in Midgardian legend. When that happens, when the wards of the realm accept you as their master, you will gain a definite boost of Asgardian power. It is possible that your mate will as well. I'll explain more about it when we get there as you will have to see it to fully understand." The Lady Sif explained to Hyakinthos.

Hyakinthos' eye's had widened considerably throughout the goddess's subsequent explanation. For one thing, he would be getting to meet his father even sooner than he had anticipated. He found himself somewhat nervous over that...What if he thought him to be a disappointment? He did try to be a good person; someone all three of his parent's would be proud of. What if it wasn't enough? Or, what if they thought him too Greek and not Asgardian enough...not good enough? Hyakinthos would just have to hope Thor was more as he remembered him being as James.

He had also been completely astounded that his grandfather...the Allfather himself...was entrusting him with the power of Reginheim. That, he had most certainly not anticipated. Again, he found himself wondering and hoping that his Asgardian family would not find him wanting in any way. He had rarely ever experienced very many bouts of insecurity; especially where any of his Greek relations were concerned. With them, he had always known whom he was, and what his true place in the Pantheon entailed. With his father's family however, well...that was another matter entirely. He had never been exactly sure where he belonged; where he fit in.

Apollo must have sensed his thoughts, because he suddenly found himself held firmly by his mate's side. Apollo had taken his hand in his own, and squeezed it firmly. Over their bond, he could feel Apollo telling him without words that everything would be okay no matter what. He belonged with Apollo first and foremost before anything and anyone else anyway, and nothing was more important to Apollo than he was.

He squeezed the hand that held his tightly in return; silently thanking his love as his doubts and sudden bout of insecurity were washed away by his mate's care for him.

"Whenever you should like for us to go with you My Lady, we will of course be at your service. My Grandfather honor's me, and I am thankful for his concern for me and my family." Hyakinthos told the Asgardian goddess.

She nodded in pleased approval at his response to the honor being bestowed upon him by the Allfather.

"If you are available, I believe the day after tomorrow would be best for visiting Reginheim, My Prince." The Lady Warrior suggested to him.

Hyakinthos looked towards Apollo, who nodded his head in acquiescence.

"That would be fine My Lady. We shall be ready in the morning and make the day available to you." Hyakinthos replied.

After that, everyone discussed some of the logistics for their assigned tasks as well as bounced around ideas to further help their goals along. Methods and times of communication were spoken of, as well as arranging weekly sessions with most of the god's presently in attendance, and any new ally's they were able to acquire. Everyone also agreed to make ready their own personal ally's: attendants, vassals, guards and the like. Once everyone had determined exactly what they could call to arms, they would have a better idea of the force of their combined might.

To Hyakinthos it seemed as if it was all the little details that took up the most amounts of time. They also tended to be some of the most mind-numbing hours of the day. So, it was no surprise when he was pleased to see the last of their guest's out from his Cabin. Persephone had been the last. Hyakinthos had collected both Nico and Bianca, and (with their consent of course) had begun to correct the problems they suffered from as being born from their mother's mortal form. Since they were still the children of two god's, regardless of the fact that one of them had been in mortal form at the time of conception and birth, it was not difficult to correct the divine pathways that flowed through their body's. They were already there, they merely had to be connected in the right way. He was discovering this power to be getting much easier to use as he exercised it. When he had finished, both Bianca and Nico had glowed with a divine glow of power as they both assumed divine form for a brief moment. That was all it took, and their ascension had begun. They would ascend relatively quickly too, as they did not have any 'real' human blood in them.

By the time Hyakinthos and Apollo fell asleep that night cuddled into each other's embrace, they were both (Hyakinthos especially) exhausted in mind and body. Regardless of all that, the day had proved to be remarkably productive. Many plans had been set in motion. It was beginning to look like they now had an actual direction from which they knew where to go to move forward and truly be successful in their real quest in life. For all that however, it was no less complicated. In fact, their lives were getting more complicated by the second it seemed. Both mates were determined though. They would succeed; no matter what they had to do. Failure was simply not an option. Together as one, they would see their Dream made real.

The next chapter will be action-packed and out soon. Thanks for reading!