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22

Elysian Mist

Coughing salt water along her crusted blue lips. Seaweed clung to her like chains, outlining each chilled vein. Perseus caught her as she struck forward. "It's alright," he held stern, keeping her upright until she regained awareness.

"What happened?" Andromeda's wet fingernails scratched his armor as she tried to keep herself up.

Perseus paid no attention other than holding her still. His focus was pinned to the sky and pale horizon. "The rope gave after the Kraken was killed, you fell to the waters, I jumped in and brought us here." The slightest image of a bird in the sky caused his eyes to twitch and muscles to pulsate. "Your people are coming for you."

Andromeda snatched his hand before he could wander towards the shore. "Wait!" and stood. Her mother's necklace bounced against her chest, dew drops traveling along the gold chain as a cold reminder. "Where are you going?" She quickly let go for the sight of his reaction left her stunned. He remained staring at the hand she touched; furious. Angry to the point of tigers cowering back to their lilac designs. "Perseus?"

There was something terribly wrong with her touch, something of sparks and of a throbbing slap. Of an idea jolting his mind with electric coils. An idea that left him so angry for not thinking of it when it truly would have mattered. "What did I do?" she quietly asked.

"How could I be so blind? I let her do this when there was another solution. I should have been stronger, I should have grabbed onto her before Pegasus took me. I should have- Andromeda!" He grabbed her shoulders, eyes so wild, so crazed in certainty. "Your people, when they bring you aboard their ships, you must not go back to Argos. Go to the ocean and wait there."

"The ocean? But I-"

Sand toppled, rolling and crashing together. The earth began to shake. They backed away. Perseus snapped his neck to the sky once again. Andromeda stepped towards him but he held his hand out. As soon as the next quake occurred, he took off towards the horizon's coastline.

"Perseus!"

"Do as I said!"

"Don't leave!" She heaved her dress for a chase but stumbled to the ground instead. Moments before, a winged horse broke through an iced veil. Splashes of icicles welcomed his arrival. But the steed still soared with grace, twisting through the air until a shadowed silhouette fell to the waters below. "Perseus!" she cried. He was already beyond the cove.

~ Ӝ ~~ Ӝ ~~ Ӝ ~

The sea came closer.

"Do not follow me down! Go to Perseus, show him you're alright and wait for my return," I clung tighter to his mane only to loosen the attempt.

The wind kept Pegasus from nodding or glancing back. He still neighed as loud as he could then looped through the clouds before twisting completely upside down. I let go of his neck and plummeted towards the water. We met with a concrete break.

All around, marble floated lifelessly. No marine life swam near, only the Kraken's dead remnants. What once was the terrifying spawn of the Underworld's past is now floating debris. One of its claws briefly grazed across my legs, scratching the soles before descending even deeper into the abyss. But the abyss didn't go as deep as it should. The bottom was visible, where the sand became slime, I saw him. The water knew and brought me closer to his form.

Twisting around the monster's debris, the hazy clouds faded as I softly landed onto the sand. The water returned to its original place, I collapsed to my knees before the small outline. Lavender mist circled the area where he's supposed to be but my hand passed through the border lines.

There's nothing here. An outline of his form but nothing else.

I don't understand.

Frantically searching the sand for some type of answer, one of the Kraken's eyes fell onto my leg. I spun around and crawled backwards. The stone pupil, once of piercing black, was now lost in a stone prison. I trembled, looking from the hazed outline to the ghoulish eyeball. One shuffle at a time, I began to crawl back, slowly coming into contact with its iris. From just hovering my hand in front of the marble, cracks burst throughout the structure until completely deteriorating into dust.

Every anatomy of the Kraken's body soon followed after. His many legs, arms, head, fangs, everything sent a heavy crack into the ocean. All who were below the sea line could hear its strident echo.

Silence.

The falling dust collected together and descended straight to his outline. And then, light as beautiful and dangerous as Olympus swarmed around the lavender mist. Becoming so intense, I had to swim behind an Archean boulder to avoid its wrath. The light dimmed, the sand dissolved, the lavender vanished. And instead, what I've been searching for, waiting for, now began to open their eyes. I left the boulder and nearly fell from the synchronized gander.

We found each other.

/\

"Where is she!" Perseus stood before the council of the gods. Pegasus tapped the marble floor twice to signal his leave. But Perseus couldn't hear it.

Their bright, luscious and daring eyes snapped towards the interruption but none were surprised. He stepped down onto the landscape but only to bring the proper proportions to an intimidating height. The gods were enormous. He barely reached their kneecaps even on his toes. Aphrodite was the closest to the entrance and thus knelt to his level.

"Perseus," she smiled in spite of his fury. "It is of great importance you let us finish this meeting. Only after it has ended, you shall speak to us. Come," she held her hand just below his feet.

He backed away. Did she truly expect cooperation?

"No, I will be heard now. Where is she? Where's Apollo!"

She frowned with her sister, Athena, stepping into her side. "You will be heard. You have no idea how much you mean to us Perseus. There's just something more pressing at this time-"

"Let us show him our views sister, only then can he truly understand."

They gracefully, yet seductively maneuvered him onto their palms. As soon as they stood to their full height, Athena urged him into her own possession. Aphrodite smiled in understanding before moving to the side. And there, on the floor's scenery, on top of the frozen Alps of the Himalayas, knelt Apollo. Shivering and desperately trying to cling to something in front of him.

Athena slowly began moving through the other gods, who at their pass, graciously nodded to Perseus. He took no notice.

Feathers.

Apollo was clinging to feathers imbrued in blood. The gore splattered across the angelic white could be seen even by the most shadowed blind. Zeus waited for his daughter to place herself where both Perseus and she could witness the "ceremony" at hand.

/\

This child was beautiful.

Glowing emerald, turquoise light and purple diamonds surrounded his dark pupils with endless sparkle. Those eyes, no other could have such beauty. He finished brushing the sand off his toes and was now lingering on the fascinating structure of a sea turtle waddling towards the water. We had just emerged from the sea and were resting on the beach.

I knelt to his side. Nothing could tear these eyes away, they were on him, fixated completely. I should be asking how this could be, but the answer would mean remembering. Remembering the day I took his patience too far. I needed to keep such a memory caged, to not let it come forth. But the more I watched him play, the closer it was to resurfacing.

(Ѿ)(Ѿ)(Ѿ) many millenniums in the past Ώ

in the Underworld

"You will do no such thing! This is my father's fate and yet you defy these plans! Pegasus will never deliver your message to Zeus for you will never go to that horse! You will not interfere with matters such as this!" Hades stood before the window, focus beyond the obvious, he wanted the message desperately but I held tight.

"Cronus, your father, can never be overthrown! He reigned his time, handed the throne down to the rightful god, Zeus, and is peacefully living out his immortal life. I will send Pegasus with my warning. Your plans are deceptive. How could you do this to your own father? Your own brother!"

"Silence!"

"No! Rhea and Cronus did not give you the throne and this enrages you. There is already a ruler of the universe. You only want to start this war for your own benefit. Convince Zeus your father is planning to murder his sons to reign once again, somehow trick Zeus into letting you rule the sea instead of Poseidon and therefore tricking Poseidon into ruling the Underworld. I will not allow you to succeed! Do you really think Zeus will agree to such a risk? Cronus can never be overthrown. He is too strong."

"This is my realm, my control, you have no voice, no authority!"

"You do not control me, you never will."

No longer was Hades hunched over, his body stood to its full height, strength multiplied, blackness fervent. His chest heaved which brought his shoulders in broad width. I should have stopped, tightened my lips firm but I didn't.

"I despise you."

Teeth ground, forward movement, secretive muscles emerged. "Do you?" he kept enclosing the gap between us. "I will no longer live in the Underworld or care for these damned souls. Always against me, always fighting, no more! You will give me that engraved vile now. I'm done with your defiance."

The message vile dug deeper into my palm, hiding it from his sight naively. "Never."

This was the most grave mistake I could have ever made.

He changed with venomous words. "You wish to anger me? Fine," he slapped the vile out of my hand, shattering it into the wall. "You are my wife, it's time you bow to your master."

"Hades-" I was strong, I could defend myself, but I was far from a chief deity. "Come no further-"

"Silence! I'm finished with your bewitching persuasions. You will respect my authority and never decline my commands-"

"What are you doing?" Nothing of courage was left. He was changing.

Fear, so much fear. I was terrified. I had never experienced such a ruthless flame slashing beneath each wet peel of sweat. At times, he would send waves of smoke, smothering air, fire of iced metal but never did he lay a hand on me. "Why are you doing this?" his hands were tight, dragging me towards the one place I could never imagine he would take us.

"Your words hold some truth Rosephina. My brothers and I could never overthrow our father alone. We need something on our side. Something more powerful than anything we've seen before."

Slammed into the bed's metal border. The sulfuric sheets released their poisonous powder as I tumbled on top of its cradle. "Hades please!" black tears fell. He tore his shirt apart, revealing a destructive, chiseled chest. An answer was given as he threw himself onto the bed. Faster and faster, he was transforming. His weak, tired and broken body now became a strong, maned and demanding beast. "What's happening to you?" I hit the headboard, trying so hard to crawl as far as possible.

A full mane of black locks dangled over his brow, wet from its new creation. His once black eyes were now of a brilliant blue, so bright, so piercing. He was young again, no older than an ambitious boy of his twenties. Drenched in perspiration, he slapped his strong hand onto my legs and dragged me beneath his new body. "Hades," whimpering with plea. I reached for his face, cautiously caressing the side. He pushed it back down and hastily went back to sliding the dress up.

It already was.

"No! Please Hades, I beg you! Don't do this to me."

I was trapped beneath his desire. He was so much stronger than I could ever be at that moment. There was nothing to be done. He soon noticed what was stopping him and quickly ignited himself in painless fire. The rest of our clothing soon began to melt from its heat, leaving us bare and unprotected. The fire extinguished. He observed the detail of its effect before meeting my petrified eyes.

"Grant me what I need Rosephina," he covered me completely. "And I shall never touch you again."

.

A small, soft finger prevented another tear from falling, pressing it gently into my cheek. His sad, sweet turquoise eyes met mine, trying to comfort with as much as he knew how. Four years of age was present amongst his features but such a year seemed impossible. I smiled, cradling his fragile body and holding him protectively. He wrapped his legs around my waist in response. Cuddling his head sweetly into the crone of my neck, gladly willing to stay there. He knew he was safe, he was home.

Rocking him with swaying lullabies, I played with his chocolate strands as I carefully stood. Walking towards the place I told Pegasus to wait.

Once a powerful beast of horrible tendencies, now a beautiful little boy with his heart pressed into mine, beating for the both of us. A quiet giggle swept through the air. He was mirroring my actions, playing with the ends of my own hair with his thumb and forefinger. And at this very moment, I understood everything. This child was not from a forced conception. He did not belong to the one who took the precious virtue.

He was reborn from the ashes of the Kraken by only one rendition. When my love for Perseus began, we were given a son.

a/n

New pictures for your defined imagination:

- Young Hades

- Perseus & Rosephina's Son

- The Last Poster of Divine

all on profile page (Divine sect) under A r t w o r k