A/N: I apologize for the wait, but I've been finalizing the plot for this story. Hopefully the next chapter will be out much soon. Try to ignore the fact that I say that every single update.

"Thera, we need to get out of here."

Those were the first words Harry said to his daughter after he'd wakened her from slumber. He hadn't been particularly gentle in his panic, so she was looking at him in a rather annoyed fashion at the moment.

"What's wrong?" She demanded in a tone that most women and girls wouldn't dream of addressing a man with.

Harry had told her to state her opinions and keep a strong will, both things that were rather rare amongst women in this time period. There was too much danger in this wild time for her to be meek and submissive.

He'd heard rumors of women in a distant region that were warriors and governed themselves, but he didn't put too much stock in them.

"There's a threat. Something too powerful for us to face." He gasped out. "I'll explain more later; but for now we need to escape. An old friend is providing a secure location for us to stay."

Thera narrowed her eyes. Harry glared back at her. This wasn't the time for questions.

"I thought you said we were the only wizards aside from that apprentice of yours." The teen's eyes widened. "Wait, he's not the one we're running from, is he?"

Harry shook his head and began to dig out his portkey from a hidden cavity in one of his home's walls. He tapped it with his finger and gave it a destination – Melite's mountain. "No. Look, I'll explain more later. But we need to get out of here first."

His daughter was silent and grabbed a large leather bag next to her bed. A flick of her wrist caused all of her prized possessions – mostly little artifacts and trophies from his kills that Harry had given to her as gifts – and more important things like chunks of precious metals that could be bartered with in most of Greece's isolated city-states.

He was quite relieved when the portkey was done. Although he could always apparate with her if necessary, he would prefer not to. Melite's mountain was probably one of the most magically powerful locations in Greece, which could interfere with less stable methods of transportation like apparition.

Portkeys, however, disregarded the targeted location's magical power and simply placed the user there. It was why Harry was so glad that he had been forced to learn to create portkeys during his time as an auror. The portkeys made long distance travel much easier in this time of wild, natural magic.

"All right." Harry began. Thera drew closer and awaited his commands. "You know how to use portkeys. Just hold on and don't let go."

"Understood." Thera said with a determined look on her face. Harry had to hide a smile at that.

He tapped the portkey and activated it with a spark of magic. It would take a minute for it to activate due to his spark being much weaker than what he could provide using a wand – he still didn't use his wand where Thera could see it. He didn't want to reveal it quite yet.

Harry was tense in the minute they waited. He knew that Kronos could be here at any time and didn't think he could even hold the monstrously powerful entity off for more than a few seconds. And considering the sheer power the being had displayed, he was sure that it would be able to interfere with the portkey somehow.

To alleviate his nerves, he briefed Thera of what to do when they arrived at the destination. Just in case Kronos showed up.

"Find a woman named Melite. She's the ruler of the mountain and can protect us." Harry explained. His tone became darker and more firm afterwards. "She is our ally, but do not let her give you anything aside from safety without knowing the price. Do not trust her and always be wary. Melite is a capricious force."

Thera nodded. Harry noticed that she looked rather pale. He could understand it just fine – she hadn't been in many threatening situations, especially not in one that Harry couldn't protect her from.

"After we know we're safe," he continued, "we'll make a plan. Until then, you need to run from anything that doesn't seem –"

Harry quickly erected a shield when he sensed something dark. It barely stopped a streak of pale, sickly yellow light that had flashed towards them. He nearly gagged at the feeling the dark magic left him with. The spell left him feeling greasy. A thick, oily texture rooted itself in his mouth.

He quickly conjured his stone slabs to block any more attacks. Two of them were sent to protect Thera from any more attacks while the last remained near him. Harry only had a second to prepare himself before the side of his house imploded, showering him with plaster and wood.

The wizard was largely unaffected, although a few pieces of shattered wood and debris made it past his stone. He gritted his teeth against the slight pain resulting from it and moved to protect Thera. She still had a few seconds before the portkey would take her to safety.

He knew it wasn't Kronos. That oppressive presence that made him feel as though his lungs were being crushed hadn't appeared and he doubted that Kronos would need such brutal methods to enter his home. It had to be some sort of lackey that was acting on the entity's orders.

And that meant he could kill it. Kronos was beyond him, but there was no way its slaves were. He had grown more powerful in the time he had been here and hadn't met a foe besides Kronos that he couldn't defeat.

So he decided to stay and kill it. He couldn't let it know his location or any of his tools, nor that he had a daughter. Harry wouldn't allow Thera to be discovered or hurt.

"Keep a hand on the portkey!" He whispered to Thera in the tense silence. Harry didn't bother to look back at her. Whoever was attacking them was too dangerous to give such a great opportunity to. "Remember what I told you."

"I will." She whispered. Harry felt a slight shift in the room when the portkey finally activated, whisking the inexperienced girl away from the battle. He carefully scanned the area, looking past the dust as best he could. The slabs protecting Thera returned to him and slowly orbited his body.

A flash of something in the corner of his eye. Harry didn't bother identifying it, instead opting to fire several killing curses at it. He felt his wand – which had been left neglected for several years now, save for the most desperate of situations – grow hot in his hand as he finally used it again. Until he identified the threat he would be attacking with all of his considerable power.

He scowled at his unseen foe as he heard sinister laughter from all around him. Apparently none of his killing curses had hit their target.

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat me." A voice whispered in his ear. Harry jumped in surprise and blasted the area around him with pale blue flame. It quickly dissipated, revealing that it hadn't hit anything.

Harry growled in annoyance and prepared to apparate away. Even if he couldn't make it to Melite's mountain he could at least get away from this enemy. He couldn't do much against the being if he couldn't even see it.

"None of that now." The voice said again. Harry gasped in pain as a powerful pressure filled the air and placed a noticeable weight upon his shoulders. He recognized it as a rudimentary anti-apparition ward.

He began to feel the first real stirrings of fear. That ward shouldn't exist in this time, not even at a basic level. It was from a long time in the future. Its presence wasn't just unexpected, it should have been impossible.

Harry gripped his wand tightly, turning his knuckles white. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to escape this enemy. He would have to stand and fight with all of the ferocity and desperation that he could muster.

A bright red light – too pale to be the cruciatus and too dark to be the disarming charm – was suddenly intercepted by a slab. Harry snapped his wand toward the area the spell had come from and liberally fired killing curses into it, muttering the incantation so that his foe couldn't hear it.

The strange spell didn't bode well for him. Spells shouldn't even exist yet. He hadn't introduced any to either of his apprentices. All the magic he had introduced was wandless, consisting of primitive attacks and effects such as producing lightning or streams of flame. Harry hadn't even hinted at controlled, advanced magic such as spells.

Suddenly the thin form of a man emerged from the shadows in front of him, seemingly from nowhere. Harry leveled his wand at the shadowy figure and prepared to kill him at a moment's notice.

His revealed foe was strange. He wore the clothes of an average traveler, although they were finely made and cleaner than any normal traveler's clothing. The skin he could see was pale, albeit not to the unnatural degree that would identify him as a vampire or another form of magical entity. What annoyed him was that the man's face was obscured by the shadows that seemed to shroud him. His face seemed to be slightly downturned, hiding his eyes and any features that might have been discernible.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded. His wand grew hot in his hand as the shadowed figure turned his face upwards and looked at Harry with pale yellow eyes that shined with an unearthly glow. The wizard's stomach dropped when he saw the eyes. He knew who this was.

The pale eyes gleamed malevolently as Harry's former apprentice regarded the older wizard.

"Do you not recognize your own apprentice?" Herpo replied smoothly, completely at ease in the face of the wizard that had nearly killed him. "We had quite the year together, you know. It's quite the shame it had to end."

Harry didn't have time for his former apprentice's games.

"What are you doing here, Herpo?" He said in a tight voice, barely constraining the rage at the bastard. "Why have you emerged from whatever dank cave you've been hiding in?"

Herpo laughed uproariously at that for some reason Harry didn't understand. He quickly calmed himself and regarded Harry with the cold eyes that betrayed his true nature.

"I'm here to kill you, of course. I was planning on killing that daughter of yours as well, although I could certainly think of some other uses for her." Herpo smirked. Harry had to resist the urge to attack. He needed to get whatever information he could, no matter how insufferable the bastard was. It wouldn't be long before he killed Herpo, anyway.

"But I suppose you've ruined that plan with whatever that toy you gave her." Herpo drawled. "How inconsiderate of you. Oh well, you'll still be more than satisfying to kill. Besides," he said, pale yellow eyes glowing in anticipation, "I'll track the girl down later and rend her limb from limb. It will be an interesting little project."

Harry scowled. "Why did you come back? You have to know that I'll kill you. The last time we dueled I sent you running with your tail between your legs. I'll do much worse this time."

"I suppose I could give your feeble little mind a bit of enlightenment before I send you to the Void." The skinny man said in a disturbingly jovial tone. "You see, I have finally found myself again after all these years. I've remembered lessons that you can't even hope to comprehend. I have the power to kill you now."

The older wizard prepared himself, tensing up and getting ready to avoid anything Herpo sent at him. He needed to put the erstwhile apprentice back in his place. And then he would kill him and be free of the traitorous wretch forever. Herpo would never threaten him or his daughter again.

"Well, I've spent enough time talking." Herpo said with a smile, baring his teeth. "It's time to die, my dear old master."

"Your right. It is your time to die." Harry muttered. An instant later he lunged forward; twisting his wand and silently sending a concussive wave of force that would liquefy Herpo's organs and crush his bones to a pulp. It was too kind a fate for him.

Herpo looked at the pale blue wave and cocked his head at it quizzically before reacting faster than Harry believed possible. He simply stepped to the right and vanished somehow before reappearing a safe distance away.

Harry didn't give the younger man time to recover. Even as Herpo stepped out of the shadows due to some bastardization of apparition, the older wizard had sent two killing curses streaking towards him. Herpo did the same trick again, reappearing in his original position.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance and waved his wand. A massive wall of bright flame burst from the tip, leaving nowhere for Herpo to hide. Harry kept his wand up as the fire circled around Herpo's thin form.

The wand stayed up when it became apparent that the attack was less effective than he had hoped. Rather than destroy Herpo, it had simply coalesced into a sphere around Herpo as the younger wizard conjured a shield. The flame swirled around Herpo's form before being redirected back at Harry in the form of a thin stream.

Harry easily twisted the flame with his wand, bringing it back under his control before causing it to vanish. He prepared to launch another attack at Herpo when a pale green streak of light struck him in the arm.

He screamed in pain as the curse ate through the thin layer of clothing covering his flesh and began to burn into his arm. Harry quickly negated the effects of the primitive curse with a tap of his wand but remained on his guard. Several more of the curses streaked at him from the darkness where Herpo had escaped to, but his slabs were able to intercept all of them.

Herpo didn't allow him to regain the offensive. More and more of the primitive spells flashed from the darkness from all directions. Harry easily batted them away with his wand or dodged them, but he wasn't able to strike back.

That went on for a time until Harry began to tire. He realized that Herpo had grown far more than he could ever have anticipated in the years since he had last fought him. Harry had spent more time training Thera and protecting the weak people of Greece from magical beasts than he had preparing himself for the inevitable confrontation between them. He had remained stagnant.

His former apprentice had become more powerful than he had anticipated, but Harry knew that he hadn't advanced enough to defeat him. No matter how far he had delved into the Dark Arts, they would still be far more primitive than the complicated rituals and spells that Harry had combated in his own time. Herpo could not win this fight.

So the older wizard began to truly duel. He found himself slipping into the old forms and motions he had perfected in his time as an auror, letting the rigidness flow out of his limbs and mind. Harry moved with the battle, not focusing on any one thing but simply acting and reacting to the situation. The crude curses Herpo had created were deflected into the walls of his home or redirected towards their sender.

Harry could barely feel the fatigue any more. The thrill of combat had replaced it, invigorating his limbs and giving him a thirst for Herpo's blood. He knew that Herpo was becoming exhausted as well. His spells were coming at a slower rate and lacked the vibrant intensity that his first had possessed. Herpo was also staying in a single position for longer periods of time, no longer melding in and out of the shadows at his whims.

He began to move on the offensive. Herpo dodged everything he threw at him, so Harry decided to try something else. If he couldn't hit his foe with conventional spells, he would just have to delve into spells that affected a wider area.

"Ignitious!" He growled under his breath. The words bound his magic into the form he desired and a bright ball of swirling flame appeared at his wand's tip. Harry aimed his wand at the ground near him and thrust it downwards, releasing the ball from the wand. Even as it travelled the short distance to the ground, Harry created a shield that would protect him from the resulting flames.

Harry still felt the intense heat from the flames that blasted outwards from the ball's impact area, although the effect was muted compared to what Herpo would be feeling. He wanted to believe that the flames had killed Herpo, but he was too pragmatic for that. All the flames did was buy him time to weaken his foe.

He triumphantly raised his wand up into the air as the last flickers of flame began to vanish from the world, leaving the shadows that Herpo hid in its wake.

"Lumos Solem!" He muttered. His volume was a stark contrast to the euphoria he felt as bright light erupted out of the wand, banishing the shadows with the power of a miniature sun.

Harry's glasses – long ago enchanted to shield from sudden shifts in light and with other spells useful for his vision – allowed him to revel in Herpo's obvious pain as he was revealed. In the light the traitorous apprentice was truly revealed to Harry's eyes, the shadows that should never have hidden him from the master vanished.

He wasn't impressed. Herpo's eyes were the familiar pale yellow, but they lost their eerie glow in the light. The well-made clothes looked loose and thin, ravaged with small tears and stained with dirt that had remained hidden in the shadow. His pale skin and thin body – things that made him look imposing and like a specter from one of the old stories in the darkness that Herpo had found refuge in – made him look like a fragile man who had been dealt a hard hand in life, not the cruel, manipulative bastard he was.

Harry raised his hand and released a stream of bright white flame towards the cowering man. His wand remained high in the air, releasing the cleansing light that seared and weakened Herpo and his foul power.

The apprentice was clawing at his face as the magical light struck him. Harry had a smile on his face as the traitorous bastard that had likely destroyed dozens of lives in the time he had last seen him was immersed in the fire that would purify the world of his presence.

Herpo recoiled from the light and was trying to escape. Harry snarled and moved in for the kill. He fired a sickly green killing curse at Herpo, almost laughing as he realized that this would be the end of this chapter of his life. It was better left forgotten.

But Herpo, as always, twisted his plans. Something seemed to snap in him. The enchanted flames were snuffed out as his pale yellow eyes were suddenly obscured by a shroud of thick, impenetrable smoke. Shadows seemed to come to him from all corners of the room, swirling around his feet and legs. They did not disappear, despite the bright light.

He twisted again, traversing space and time and appearing in shadows that he had brought into existence. The killing curse hit the wall where Herpo was, leaving a black scorch mark.

Harry's face twisted into a scowl and he abandoned any restraint. He focused on the light, coaxing more power out of the wand. Herpo shied away from the powerful light, but he wasn't scurrying away from it as Harry had hoped.

The shadows continued to grow, ignoring Harry's attempts to stall whatever Herpo was planning. He thrust his hand at Herpo – who had begun to run across the room in an attempt to avoid Harry's retribution – and blasted his apprentice with electricity.

Herpo failed to avoid the arcs of lightning. He had just begun to twist into the shadows when it hit, disrupting the dark wizard's focus and forcing him to the ground. Harry grinned when he realized the bastard was missing an arm. Apparently that strange form of teleportation operated similar to apparition. Herpo had just been splinched.

He didn't say anything to Herpo before sending a killing curse at the downed wizard. Harry didn't pause after the first curse and sent several more into the area, just in case Herpo was able to overcome his pain and escape the first.

The curses missed. Herpo didn't twist or make any movement to escape the curses – he simply dissolved into shadow after sending a hate-filled glare at Harry. Harry stood stock still when he realized that his former apprentice had run. With a tense flick he ended his light spell.

"Damn it!" He screamed, too lost in his rage to care about acting like a petulant child.

Herpo was gone, too cowardly to continue fighting. The dark wizard was free to continue exploring dark magic. There was no doubt that Herpo would return to threaten Thera's life in the future, and in the mean time he could do whatever he wanted to in Greece.

"Damn it." He repeated softly. Herpo was gone.

But at least he'd taken something from the bastard – his arm. Harry glanced around the room – dark without his spell – and managed to spy out a blood shape. He flicked his wand and cast lumos.

Harry had a cold smile on his face when he saw that it was truly Herpo's arm. At least Herpo wasn't able to escape unscathed. He didn't know what abominable arts Herpo had discovered, but he doubted that they would be able to replace his arm.

Harry glanced at it again before leveling his wand at the severed limb. He had to leave soon in order to avoid Kronos – if Herpo was his lieutenant the entity couldn't be too far behind – and didn't want Herpo getting it back. Herpo might not be able to replace his arm, but Harry was sure he had a way to reattach it.

"Incendio."

A small burst of flame burst from his wand and settled on the pale, bloody limb. The flame followed Harry's will and quickly burned through the arm until only the bone remained. Harry looked at in disgust and increased the flames' intensity until even the bone was ash.

When his act of spite was completed, he glanced around the home one last time. It held many fond memories of Thera and was one of his few sanctuaries from his work.

He wouldn't return. That life was behind him now. Nostalgia wouldn't keep him or Thera alive.

Harry sighed and apparated. He couldn't apparate all the way to Melite's mountain while he was so exhausted. Small jumps were still possible, however. They would have to do until he was safe.

Of course, when his idea of safety was staying with Melite it took on a rather gray meaning.

XX

Harry was breathing heavily when he landed at the base of Melite's mountain. He had jumped three times to get here, each in rapid succession. It had taken quite a bit out of him, especially considering he had just left one of the most intense fights of his life.

He stood up when he had caught his breath and looked around. Harry hadn't visited this mountain in a long time – he had always skirted around it when he had to travel in this region for fear of attracting Melite's attention. She already had his blood. He wouldn't let her get any more power over him.

It was just as he remembered it – ethereal, mysterious, and beautiful beyond belief. Mist hung in the air, obscuring anything a long way away from his eyes. The forest that sprawled over the mountain and encircled it appeared to be molded from silver in the moonlight. Leaves glinted like crystals from the perpetually damp air.

The mountain itself wasn't the most beautiful thing there, however. What made it the otherworldly, perfect place that it was was the magic that pervaded every bit of the mountain and its ecosystem: it was in the rocks, in the animals, in the plants, in the air. Magic was everywhere.

Despite its beauty, Harry didn't allow himself to be lost in it. There was a darkness hiding behind the beauty, the cruelty hidden beneath the gilded forest.

The forest just felt…wrong, somehow. Inhuman and ancient beyond belief.

Melite's influence was there, even if it was hidden behind the impossibly beautiful sights. He could feel that it meant him no harm – the way the magic gently encased him and curiously moved over his body was enough to prove that – but it was so fundamentally different from him that it made the hair on the back of his neck raise.

Nevertheless, he found the path and began to make his way up the mountain. He found that his exhaustion was slowly being wiped away and replaced with energy. Melite's influence at work, no doubt.

He resolutely continued his climb, only sparing passing glances to his ethereal surroundings. Harry ignored the quiet giggles that sounded throughout the mountain as he walked through. They were likely produced by Melite's subjects. The wizard had seen shadows shifting where they shouldn't have and had caught the shortest glimpses of the magical creatures watching him.

The whispers and mocking laughter that echoed in the emptiness of the mountain followed him. Harry wasn't even sure where he was going. He just followed the path to wherever it might take him. Melite would guide him to her.

Soon enough his mind began to wander. He thought of Kronos, Herpo ,and the other threats and problems that were tearing his previously safe and cozy life apart. Harry tried to come up with ways to defeat Kronos, but came up empty handed.

He didn't like the power of these new beings entering his life. Kronos was powerful enough to lock him in place without even thinking about it – its mere presence was enough to put him to his knees. It made Voldemort – the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time, according to everything he knew – look like a child, only capable of toying with basic magic.

As much as Harry hated to admit, he needed help with Kronos. Herpo had grown more powerful and had discovered secrets that Harry had never heard about, such as that strange form of apparition he used, and was a more…personal…threat, but he was still able to handily beat the whelp.

It was only Kronos that worried him, although Herpo would keep him up at night as well. Kronos was an enigma, a force that Harry couldn't stand up against that had seemingly come out of nowhere. And he didn't even know the full extent of its power, only that Kronos was wary of Melite.

Suddenly, his thoughts trailed away. The magic was growing stronger. The air was growing thick and heavy with moisture. It didn't bother him for some reason. It rejuvenated him, contrary to what he would ordinarily expect from such terrible humidity.

He glanced around – catching the slim, shadowed forms of Melite's subjects as he did so – and instantly locked on to the silvery pool of water to his right. Melite must have assisted him in his climb, lending him speed or shortening the distance travelled. Harry remembered it taking hours to get this far last time he visited.

Harry carefully walked to the pool, ignoring the giggles and whispers that grew stronger. He knelt down by the pool and waited for Melite to make her presence known to him. This was her territory. She would either see him now or see him soon. He was too valuable a pawn for her to do otherwise.

Suddenly the magic in the air grew even more intense. Harry gasped from the sheer power flooding the area before recovering, remaining stoic and regaining his composure.

The water in the pool solidified into two distinct shapes – that of a tall, willowy woman and a shorter girl. He stood up and waited for Melite and his daughter – at least that who he assumed the shorter, featureless figure was – to solidify.

He looked at Melite first – he couldn't help it. She was just as unnaturally beautiful as ever. Beautiful enough to distract and tempt, yet also drifting into the uncanny valley – no human could be that perfect.

His "mistress" smiled softly at him. He averted his eyes and checked that Thera was the other shape. She was.

Harry had a wide grin on his face as Thera rushed at him, wrapping her arms around him and nearly crushing his ribs. He returned the hug, although it felt awkward with Melite watching them. She was probably trying to see just how tight their bond was.

"Are you alright?" Thera asked fearfully, checking him for injuries. He smiled and hugged her again.

"I'm fine. He wasn't even able to land a hit."

That didn't seem to reassure her. "Who was that that attacked us?" Thera demanded.

Harry winced. He didn't want to answer that question yet. Thera knew of Herpo and the threat that he represented, but to her Herpo was just a distant memory that didn't have any real consequence.

"He's my apprentice. My former one, at any rate." He admitted. "I thought he'd either found somewhere to hide for good or that he'd died. "

"Wait, who were you expecting to attack, then?" She asked curiously.

"Something…more." Harry replied. He glanced at Melite. Although he been in proximity with Kronos and knew the threat he represented, he didn't really know how to describe him. The words simply escaped him. How do you describe what something that might as well have been a god?

Melite cleared her throat. Immediately the whispers and giggles of the hidden figures were silenced. The magic in the air surged in sync with her sound as it broke the strange, ethereal silence that resulted.

"I am sorry that you must know of such a grave foe, child." She said to Thera. The teenager turned to look at the beautiful woman with an expression that Harry couldn't fathom. "The threat your father sought to protect you from is an entity named Kronos. The man that attacked your home was merely his agent."

Harry stayed quiet and let Melite speak. She would ask if she needed anything of him. Speaking flippantly only invited bargains and more attention from the nymph.

Thera, however, seemed far more open to conversation with the nymph.

"How powerful is he?" She demanded. "I'm sure I could beat him!"

Melite shook her head and put a soothing, white hand upon Thera's shoulder. Although the physical contact made Harry wary, he was silently grateful to the nymph for dissuading Thera from attacking Kronos.

"He is a foe beyond either of you. You are powerful, child." Melite said as she stared into Thera's eyes, silvery meeting brown. "But Kronos is not human. He is so much more."

"We aren't humans either." Thera argued. "We can make lightning and fire and ice! We can change the weather and create things from nothing."

Melite smiled again. "You are still human. A mortal. Kronos is not. He is more than a mere human – he knows power that you cannot even imagine. Kronos dwells within an entirely different spectrum of power, one that you would scarcely register on."

Thera frowned. She didn't look convinced.

The nymph sighed and turned towards Harry. She had a softer smile this time, one that didn't seem as forced as the one she had when dealing with Thera.

"Tell me what capabilities Kronos' pawn possessed, my champion." She ordered. "I would like to know what Kronos has blessed it with."

Harry nodded. Perhaps Melite could shed light upon some of the strange abilities Herpo had displayed.

"He was able to use spells." He began. Melite nodded. She seemed familiar with the term. "They weren't powerful, but they were dangerous. "But he could also move through shadows. He was able to escape from me this way and dodge my spells through it. Herpo could also put up a field that kept me from escaping."

Melite's face was paler than usual. Her purely silver eyes looked as though they were staring at something far away, although Harry admitted that it was difficult to identify her expressions through only the silver.

"Melite?" He tentatively asked. The nymph seemed lost in her own world, although that seemed to snap her out of it. She blinked and turned to Harry. Her face was still pale.

She turned toward him. "He travelled through shadow?" The nymph asked.

Harry nodded subserviently. Melite seemed disturbed by the information. He didn't want her lashing out if she got upset.

"Ill tidings, indeed." She said clearly, recovering from whatever shock she had entered.. "That is not an ability Kronos may grant to his chosen. It invited investigation upon my part."

He spoke up. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, my champion." She said with that same soft smile. "You have other, grander tasks ahead of you. Tasks that are far more important than mere investigation. It is clear to me now. Kronos must be defeated – he is meddling with forces that are beyond either of our comprehension."

"What are they?" Thera asked. Melite glanced at her for a moment.

"Nothing of your concern. They are best forgotten. I will explain of them should Kronos continue his interference, but I will not spread word of them otherwise."

Thera seemed to be rather annoyed that she wasn't getting the information that she wanted. Harry smiled at that. She reminded him of Hermione sometimes, although a bit more practical and less prone to condescension. He wasn't stupid enough to get them confused, however. Hermione was gone, as good as dead to him.

He turned his attention back to Melite. She was thinking. The lesser nymphs and beings she commanded took advantage of her momentary loss of focus to curiously peer out at him from behind the trees and stones. Whenever Harry tried to look at them, however, they fled.

When Melite spoke again, the fairies and nymphs vanished back into the forest. Apparently the nymph didn't want them eavesdropping or intimidating Thera or him.

"Do you have a plan to accomplish your mission, my champion?" She asked. Harry frowned and bowed his head.

"I'm afraid not. I haven't had the time."

She smiled. Harry could feel the magic near the spring shift with her mood, growing light and airy as she grew pleased. He just paid rapt attention to her.

"That is good." She purred, circling around him. Harry stood stock still. "For I have developed one for you. The pawn is out of your reach for now. He is ethereal – catching him is like catching smoke. The Titan is beyond your capabilities."

He felt her hand on his shoulder, drenching the soft fabric. Melite's lips were close to his ear, whispering to him. Harry remained stock still, unwilling to interfere with the nymph.

"You are strong, and swift, and brave." She murmured into his ear. "But you are not ready to accomplish either of your goals. You must grow, champion. And even then, you shall need help. Help that I might be unable to give."

"What do you wish me to do?" He asked clearly. Melite circled around and looked him in the eyes. She smiled mysteriously.

"You heard the Titan's words." She replied. "Several of your kind have been born with great power since you have arrived here."

Harry blinked in surprise. Did she know of his origins?

Melite smiled in response, although he knew she couldn't have read his mind.

"Don't look so surprised, my dear champion. I do not know from whence you came, but I felt your arrival." She stated. "The world trembled as you entered. Magic erupted in areas that it has abandoned for millennia. Power was brought into several of the babes born on that day. They are blessed in a way few others can claim."

She glanced at Thera, who resolutely stared back. Melite smiled at the little show of defiance before turning back to Harry.

"Your daughter is amongst them, my champion." She said with a small smile. "It is why I desired her all those years ago. Even then I could feel her power. Untapped and untrained, but it was there, writhing and churning beneath her skin, screaming for release. I had not felt that power for a long time. Not since the Titan Age, in fact."

Harry paled, sending a short glance at his daughter. What was Melite implying? That Thera was a Titan, whatever the hell those things were? That was impossible.

"Are you saying that I'm a…a Titan?" Thera asked dumbly. "What is that? Some sort of monster?"

Melite turned her head towards Thera, although she continued to face Harry.

"No." She said firmly. "You are powerful, but you are not a Titan. Their kind has been dead and forgotten for an age. But your power…it reminds me of their children."

Harry exhaled a sigh of relief, although he noticed that Thera seemed a little miffed about being compared to children. He didn't know why – she was still just a child herself.

"Enough of this." Melite said musically. "Our time grows short. My champion, you must gather these children. They are your greatest weapon against Kronos and his pawns. Only with their aid may you force the Titan to my mountain."

And then she would kill him, Harry knew. Melite was likely the only one capable of truly killing Kronos, but, as the Titan had said, she was limited. Her power was great, but she was bound to this mountain and the surrounding areas. Harry knew that she would have to be able to access her full power in order to slay Kronos.

"How will I find them?" He asked curiously as the thought struck him. Harry was a great fighter, but he was no sleuth. There was no way he could find a few children in the entirety of Greece, or – he grimaced as the thought struck him – the world.

"Worry not, my dear champion." She murmured as she drew closer. If Harry moved forward an inch he would run into her. It made him rather uncomfortable. "I can not bring them here myself, but I can sense them. They are bonfires amongst mere candles. Now, kneel."

Harry couldn't have resisted if he wanted to. She might not be using magic, but her voice held a power to it, one that he couldn't have resisted in normal circumstances. And here, in her place of power? It was impossible.

But her voice's power did not come in the mere tone or strength it carried. Her voice didn't merely batter at his mind with magic until he obeyed. It gently caressed his mind, asking it to do her bidding. He couldn't find it in him to resist.

He knelt. She smiled and laid a perfect, white hand upon his forehead. Harry gasped as he felt it. Her hand was cold. Not icy, but just cold enough to be uncomfortable. Whether it was from her or her magic he wasn't sure.

Then it hit. Her mind – her vast, powerful, immortal mind that dwarfed his – encompassed his and gently entered. Information and power flooded through him.

For one moment, Harry knew what it was to be Melite. He could feel the entire mountain and the entirety of Greece, although her power grew weaker and weaker as the distances grew greater. Harry could feel every life force – the tiny microbes that piled up until they were everywhere, the normal beasts and men, the immortal nymphs and fairies that danced through the wilds, even the undiscovered, unlearned wizards. He knew everything, felt everything.

It must have been what a god felt like. Harry couldn't see Melite's thoughts – they were guarded from him – but he could fully understand just the barest hint of the enormous power she wielded in that instant.

Then he felt the children that she spoke of. They were more than bonfires amongst candles – they were roaring infernos, overshadowing everything else in the areas they were in and blinding him.

And then there was Thera. He could detect her just a mere few feet away from him. She burned brightly, although not to the degree that the other children did.

He dropped to the ground when her soft, cold hand left him. Only dampness and cold remained of the contact.

His body was drained. Every muscle screamed out in agony as he tried to pull him up, and he wearily crashed to the ground. There was no way that he could move or fight against that pain.

"I'm not a god, dear one." He heard Melite murmur into his ear. Harry didn't open his eyes, but he knew that she had to be only a few centimeters away from him. Her lips felt as though they were about to brush his ear. "Not even close. But I'm flattered, nonetheless."

With that her presence seemed to vanish, taking some of the magic of the spring with her. The whispers and giggles of the nymphs and fairies returned to life as their mistress left.

Thera rushed over to him when Melite had vanished, although Harry knew that that didn't mean that she wasn't watching. She frantically shook his shoulder, sending spears of agony slicing through his nerves.

"I'm fine." He whispered hoarsely. His throat was very dry. "But please stop shaking me. I'm very sore."

"What happened?" She asked, her expression becoming resolute. "Do you need me to help?"

He didn't nod. That would hurt far too badly. Talking was painful, but it wasn't as bad as actually moving.

"Please get me some water." He requested. Harry interrupted Thera when she moved to the silvery spring. "Not from there. Conjure it and a glass."

While Harry didn't think that Melite would want to harm him, he wasn't sure what effects the powerfully magical water would have on him. Even if it didn't hurt him, it would likely give Melite some measure of control over him. Taking gifts – even unintentionally – could be tricky in that way.

He sighed in relief as Thera carefully poured a bit of water into his mouth, soothing his dry, aching throat and relieving a measure of his pain. She slowly repeated the process until Harry told her to stop. Harry didn't want to get sick, even if his body was crying out for more.

"Go into that cavern." He instructed his daughter. His voice was more relaxed now and had mostly returned to normal. "I'll come in and explain everything to you when I'm able to move."

"Are you sure there isn't anything else I can do for you?" She asked dubiously. "I don't want to just leave you out here. Not with those things," she muttered, casting a glance towards the forest around them, "lurking about."

Harry gave her a half-smile. "I'll be fine. Melite won't let any harm come to me. Everything on this mountain is bound to her will."

Thera glanced at him again before sighing and following his command. Perhaps she had caught the unintentional double-meaning of his words, although he realized that it was quite an apt description for Thera and he as well. They were both at Melite's mercy – she had saved their lives and provided their only method of living in peace. She had all the power here.

Nevertheless, he simply waited for the magic in the air to gently surround him and slowly bring strength into his tired body. Harry wasn't sure how long the process took – it could have been a few minutes or a few hours. Time was difficult to measure in Melite's sanctuary.

He was almost afraid to move when the magic slowly began to leave him as it recognized its job was done. Memories of that awful pain he had suffered flashed to mind whenever he prepared to make a movement – it felt as though contact with Melite's mind and magic had simply been too much for him, frying his nerves and tearing his muscles apart.

But he finally asserted his control over his own desires and stood up. Harry didn't give his body time to argue, standing up in a movement too fast for him to stop.

Nothing happened. He was standing, but there was no pain. His aching, torn body was completely healed by Melite's power – the same power that had broken him down in a mere moment.

Harry had to smile at that. Apparently Melite didn't want her champion being hurt for very long. But his smile dropped when he realized that he had to go explain everything to Thera. It would be one of the most difficult things he had ever done, for sure.

It was pretty hard to explain things when you yourself had no idea what was going on, after all.