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#me thinking about how hera calls apollo lord of the silver bow:
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inbox cleanse:
She turned into a tree. It was a Mystery. It must have been. Nothing else made sense, because I didn’t understand it. I hate not understanding something. I put myself through all of this because I didn’t understand why she turned into a tree—why she chose to turn into a tree. Her name was Daphne, and so is the tree she became, my sacred laurel with which poets and victors crown themselves.
I asked my sister Artemis first. “Why did you turn Daphne into a tree?” She just looked at me with her eyes full of moonlight. She’s my fullblooded sister, which you’d think would count for something, but we couldn’t be more different. She was ice-cold, with one arched brow, reclining on a chilly silver moonscape.
“She implored me. She wanted it so much. And you were right there. I had to do something drastic.”
“Her son would have been a hero, or even a god.”
“You really don’t understand about virginity,” she said, uncurling and extending an ice-cold leg. Virginity is one of Artemis’s big things, along with bows, hunting and the moon.
“She hadn’t made a vow of virginity. She hadn’t dedicated herself to you. She wasn’t a priestess. I would never—”
“You really are missing something. It might be Hera you should be talking to,” Artemis said, looking at me over her shoulder.
“Hera hates me! She hates both of us.”
“I know.” Artemis was poised now, ready to be off. “But what you don’t understand falls within her domain. Ask Athene.” And she was off, like an arrow from a bow or a white deer from a covert, bounding across the dusty plains of the moon and swooping down somewhere in the only slightly less dusty plains of Scythia. She hasn’t forgiven me for the moon missions being called the Apollo Program when they should have been called after her.
My domain is wide, both in power and knowledge. I am patron of inspiration, creativity, poetry and music. I am also in charge of the sun, and light. And I am lord of healing, mice, dolphins, and sundry other specialties I’ve gathered up, some of which I’ve devolved to sons and others, but all of which I continue to keep half an eye on. But one of my most important aspects, to myself anyway, has always been knowledge. And that’s where I overlap with owl-carrying Athene, who is goddess of wisdom and knowledge and learning. If I am intuition, the leap of logic, she is the plodding slog that fills in all the steps along the way. When it comes to knowledge, together we’re a great team. I am, like my sister Artemis, a hunter. It’s the chase that thrills me, the chase after knowledge as much as the chase after an animal or a nymph. (Why had she preferred becoming a tree?) For Athene it’s different. She loves the afternoon in the library searching through footnotes and linking up two tiny pieces of inference. I am all about the “Eureka” and she is all about displacing and measuring actual weights of gold and silver.
I admire her. I really do. She’s a half-sister. All of us Olympians are pretty much related. She’s another virgin goddess, but unlike Artemis she doesn’t make a fetish of her virginity. I always thought she was just too busy working on wisdom to get involved with all that love and sex stuff. Maybe she’d get around to it in a few millennia, if it seemed interesting at that point. Or maybe she wouldn’t. She’s very self-contained. Artemis is always bathing naked in forest pools and then punishing hunters who happen to see her. Athene isn’t like that at all. I’m not sure she’s ever been naked, or even thought about it. And nobody would think about it when they’re around her. When you’re around Athene what you think about is new ways of thinking about fascinating bits of knowledge you happen to have, and how you might be able to fit them together to make exciting new knowledge. And that’s so interesting that the whole sex thing seems like a bit of relatively insignificant trivia. So there were a whole host of reasons I was reluctant to bring up the Daphne incident with her.
But I really was burning with the need to know why Daphne turned into a tree in preference to mating with me.
maybe if anon read the just city they'd stop asking weird questions of internet strangers and start asking INTERESTING questions of internet strangers
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lvllns · 4 years
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i really do have one braincell and it’s only focused on greek mythology
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inkognito97 · 7 years
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Gods
Summary:  The ancient gods of Greece have chosen Obi-Wan as their savior...
Crossover!
@ithiliel-the-french-tolkiendil
You have no idea how tiring it was to write this. Granted, your comment helped me a LOT and without it, I think I could not have done it. Still, it was such a pain sometimes... I hope you will like it nevertheless and I am terrible sorry that it took me so long to finish. I hope you can forgive me...
A dozen of different voices, belonging both to females as well as males, were mixed up in the grand white hall of Zeus’ palace. It was clear that they were all clearly distressed, some of them were frightened, others excited. Only a handful of the voices were either neutral or sounded as if they could take on the world all on their own.
Gods and goddesses alike were gathered in Zeus’ grand hall and all of them were talking, all of them, except Hades and Zeus himself. The two brothers were standing a little bit aside. The darker one of the two brothers kept staring quickly and almost haunted in the direction of the other gods, while Zeus cold gaze rested solemnly on his brother.
“What do you say to this, brother?” Zeus’ baritone voice was calm and relatively quiet. It certainly did nothing to stop the bickering gods in the room, but Hades was not fooled. He knew the tone that had been hidden under his brother’s seemingly calm façade.
“What am I to say?” the Lord of the underworld hissed back, his face contorted in a displeased grimace.
Midnight blue eyes narrowed and the Lord of the underworld knew that he was treating dangerous waters – or rather, dangerous skies – now. “Careful brother, my patience is running thin.”
For a moment the male with the silver-grey hair was tempted to ask which patience his brother was referring to, but he was wise enough not to do so. He had inherited the brain after all, while his two brothers had inherited their temper and their strength from their father.
“As is mine,” Hades eventually answered. He was looking directly into his midnight blue eyes, without blinking, without fear or any other emotion in his gaze.
For a moment, neither god moved or said anything. The two brothers only stared at each other, completely ignoring the still bickering crowd, whose yells and arguments were getting fiercer and louder by the minute. Then, the dark haired male blinked. “What do you mean?”
Hades bowed his head. It was a sign of submission and he had learned it from watching wild animals. The alpha animal, the so called leader of the pack, was usually calmer, when his pack showed signs of submission and this was exactly what he wanted for Zeus. The king of gods had an ill temper, which could burst like a volcano any minute and the silver haired god had no desire to be on the receiving end of this wrath. He would leave this for Poseidon or one of the other idiots.
“It means, that I am at a loss, just like you,” Hades spoke calmly.
Again those deep blue eyes looked hard and unforgiving to him, “You had nothing to do with this?”
“No,” now the Lord of the underworld was beginning to get angry, “why should I kill my own flesh and blood, huh?” the sudden outburst caught Zeus by surprise and a few of the closer gods stopped their bickering and looked their way. Hades shifted, he was not comfortable to be in the middle of all attention like this.
Zeus, who had noticed his brother’s sudden discomfort, steered them further away from listening ears. “What do you mean?”
“That… that monstrosity,” the god of death was trembling in barely contained anger, “killed my second child.”
The father of all gods and humans was speechless, something that had not occurred often during their long lives. “It killed the Kraken?”
“Yes,” Hades spit out between tightly clenched pearl white teeth. “It just… ripped my child apart, as if it were a mere toy.”
Zeus, who had only gotten a brief glance at the monster before it had vanished into the darkest depths of the sea, barely stopped himself from shuddering. A being that could easily kill a titan, was a danger to them as well. He wanted to ask if his brother knew anything else, but he was interrupted by Poseidon, “Zeus, is everything alright?”
“Yes,” the king of gods did not let his eyes wander from his older brother.
“The others are waiting for you,” Poseidon continued, completely oblivious to the conversation he had just interrupted.
“I am coming,” with that the god of the sea turned around and went back to his assigned place. Zeus too turned to return to his throne, but he stopped, when he noticed that his older brother was not following. “Hades, are you coming?”
Grey eyes regarded him warily, “You know just as well as I do that I am not welcome.”
“You will be.”
Hades shook his head, “You should not make promises you cannot keep, brother.”
“Trust me,” too late did Zeus realized what he had inquired. But to his surprise, the god of the underworld did not lash out at him. He actually had an air of defeat around him that did not bode well with Zeus.
“Very well,” the silver-grey haired male finally answered and he too stepped forward.
Almost immediately the eyes of all present rested on the lord of the underworld, who came to stand to Zeus’ right, when said god seated himself on his throne. It was for all an unusual sight to see the three brothers reunited and this close next to each other without trying to kill one another.
“What is he doing here?” Apollo demanded. “He has no place here.” Other voices soon joined his protest.
“Enough,” yelled their ruler, he had noticed Hades’ slow retreat into the shadows. “Hades,” he continued in a calm voice, “what else can you say me about the creature.”
Grey eyes locked with midnight blue ones. There was gratefulness in their depths, very well hidden, but Zeus caught it nevertheless. “It is not of this world, it comes from somewhere else… and it was created by a human, not by a god.”
“Impossible,” Hermes stated, “No mere human has this kind of power.” Despite his protest, his voice was rid of disdain.
“Besides, how do you know all that?” Hera questioned. It was clear that she did not trust her brother in law, not at all.
“Because it is my duty to know,” Hades hissed right back. It earned him a grimace.
“Lies! You cannot possible expect us to believe him!” Ares joined the mutual protest and ones more was Zeus forced to bring silence into his hall.
“Silence! All of you,” he turned once again back to Hades, “It doesn’t matter if what my brother says is right or not. What counts is the knowledge of how to defeat it.” Poseidon nodded at the words of his older brother.
“I do not have an answer to that question,” Hades admitted.
“What is his purpose here, if he is of no use?” it had been Ares again. The god of war took a threatening step forward, his shield resting to his feet and his spear in his hand. A clearly angry and aggressive position, ready to attack at every time, should the need arise that is.
“My brother,” Zeus’ voice was warning, when he faced his son, “does not have to justify his place at my side, especially not during such a crucial time and not, when he apparently is the only one with information. Or had anyone of you known this beforehand?” His midnight blue eyes wandered over the silent gods and goddesses, most of them avoiding his glare, clearly hoping not to be the main attraction of his ire. Even Ares sat back down. “I thought so.”
“If, what Hades said, is right,” Poseidon began, “what should we do? If it killed the Kraken, the second Kraken, how are we supposed to defeat it?”
Again this question was met by silence. Some gods looked as if they were actually thinking about an answer, others glared evilly at the god of the underworld, whose eyes were fixed on the map at their feet.
“If I may, brother.”
“Speak Hades,” Zeus motioned for him to continue.
“If that monstrosity comes from another… world… why don’t WE bring something from this world into ours; something or someone, who can defeat it with our help.”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you? More monsters for you to control.” Ares couldn’t stop himself, it was not in his nature.
“I cannot control it, otherwise my child would not have been torn apart,” his eyes were blazing with fury, “I know it is hard for you to believe, but some gods DO care about their offsprings.”
“Are you implying anything?” He took a threatening step forward.
“That depends, do you want to hear what your latest departed son said about you, when he entered my domain?” he tilted his head, clearly provoking.
“Is this really necessary?” Dionysus asked. “I mean, don’t we have more urgent matters at hand?”
“That coming from the god, who is drunk most of the time,” Hermes sounded amused.
“Right now, sadly not,” retorted Dionysus, he was in a bad mood.
“I think Hades speaks the truth,” Athena spoke out, when it became clear that the fight was stopped, at least for the moment. “This being is from another world and it would only make sense that we chose a champion from this very world as well. We don’t need to leave him alone, we could send one of us with him.”
“Perseus,” the god of the dead suggested. Athena nodded and made an approving gesture towards him.
Zeus hummed in agreement. “I will deal with my son personally…” he turned back to Hades, “How do you suggest we bring a champion from this other world to ours?”
“We could try to open a portal,” the lord of the underworld suggested.
Hera slowly nodded, her arms were crossed over her chest. “As much as I hate to admit it, but this might actually work. If we all work together and join our powers, we might be able to open such a portal.”
“It is decided then,” Poseidon exclaimed.
The gods arranged themselves, stepping from their thrones onto the world map. Zeus discreetly moved to Hade’s left, so that the god of death was standing between his two brothers. Then the immortal beings took each other’s hands, forming a circle. On Zeus mark, they focused their powers and energy. All of them felt the shift in the energy that made up the world as it currently existed and due to the shift, a rift opened. It allowed the lord of the underworld, who only moved when the king of gods gave his approval. With only a second of hesitation and a little doubt in his mind, did the oldest god reach through the portal until he found what he had been looking for. Quickly he closed his hand around something that felt suspiciously like clothes and he struggled to pull whatever it was through the rift.
Zeus and Poseidon moved as one, taking hold of their older brother and lending him their strength, helping him to pull their champion into their world. As soon as they were successful, all gods pulled back and the rift closed once more.
With healthy curiosity did the gods circle around the unmoving figure lying on the world map.
“Is he dead?” Dionysus questioned aloud.
“No,” it was Hades who answered, “just unconscious, most likely from being pulled through.” Zeus sighed, “We will have to wait until he wakes up. Until then, I shall contact Perseus.” Approving mumbling was heard.
“THIS is supposed to be our champion?” Ares could not believe it and stepped closer to his father. “Look at him, he certainly is no warrior. From his looks, he could easily be beaten by a mere vagabond.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Aphrodite stated and no one dared to speak against her. If there was one of them, who truly knew about beauty, then it was her. The goddess was kneeling down, next to the ginger haired male and she pushed the braid from his face. “He is young, yet I sense great power in him. He could rival ours.”
Her blunt statement caused uproar from the gods, who could not believe that a mere human could hold so much power. It just seemed impossible, not practical for them.
“We will see,” Apollo spoke his opinion. For now, they could only wait.
A loud thunder, followed by a bright lighting stroke on the otherwise clear sky, alerted the young demigod to the appearance of his father. A sigh escaped Perseus and he told Helius to stay seated at the kitchen table, where they were eating cooked fish, freshly captured by Perseus himself. The demigod stood up, not bothering to grab a weapon, he would be safe with the king of gods, he knew that.
With determined and sure steps, did he approach the long haired man, who was patiently waiting for him near the shore, his midnight blue eyes looking over the horizon, clearly looking for something.
“Have you come to admire Poseidon’s creation?”
“I fear not Perseus,” the god turned around and there was something in his eyes that immediately caught the demigod’s whole attention. He did not like that look one bit, it usually meant trouble.
“Is this about the monster?”
“You have heard about it?” he sounded surprised.
A grim grin appeared in the human’s features and he too gazed over the sea. “Who didn’t? Say, is it Hades’ doing again?”
To Perseus’ surprise, Zeus shook his head. “No, this time my brother might be the person to save the world… at least in a passive way.”
The demigod’s eyes narrowed. “You expect ME to destroy it then.”
“No,” he was full of unexpected surprises today. Zeus turned around and so did Perseus, whose eyes were clouded by doubt.
“Father?”
The god put his hands on his son’s shoulders and intended it to be in a comforting manner. “This… creature, is strong enough to kill a titan. It might even pose to be too much for us gods,” he hesitated, “This creature does not belong to our world, it came from another one.”
“I don’t think I understand…”
Deep blue eyes closed for a moment. There was no reprimand in the older male’s voice. “I do not expect you to, for not even us gods fully understand. Yet, we came to the conclusion that we are in need of a champion from said world. I would not send you in a battle with such a creature, not when you have Helius to protect, but… I need you to guide our warrior. He is new to this world and needs the help.”
Perseus did not answer immediately. He shook one hand from his shoulder so that he could turn around to look at the small fisher hut he and his son were living in. Zeus waited patiently, though he knew that time was running short, he knew that he had no right to force his son into this however.
“If…” he was still battling with himself, “If something were to happen to me,” he looked deep into midnight blue eyes, “will you care for Helius? Will you truly care for him, not as a god, but as a grandfather?”
“Why not as both?” Perseus raised his eyebrow. “There is still a god in him, no matter how thin the blood. And as such I can offer him a place by my side on Olympus.”
The short haired man gripped his father’s wrist tightly. “I trust you to be good to him.”
“I will,” Zeus promised. “When the time is right I will return my son, until then, you know how to reach me.”
“Yes father,” the two men locked eyes for a moment, a silent conversation was taken place. Then the king of gods took a step back and with a final nod, he vanished. Perseus was left to inform Helius of his newest adventure.
When Obi-Wan came back to his senses, he was more than perplexed. He was lying in a bed that was way too soft to be his own and he was absolutely sure that he had just been training with his Master anyway. So, how did he end up here, wherever ‘here’ was?
He tried to open his eyes and immediately regretted having done so. Everything was so bright and he actually wondered if he was one with the Force. A groan escaped him at the headache that now started to torture him, so much for being one with the Force.
“Easy, you need to get used to it first,” a deep baritone voice said above him. Obi-Wan knew that voice. And when a warm hand touched his forehead, making the headache go away, the ginger haired man was pretty sure that he was dealing with a Force sensitive.
“Master?” he asked and turned his head towards the sound, “Qui-Gon.”
For a moment, no reply came and the Padawan wondered if he had misheard or if his brain had come up with that voice.
“You seem confused child,” something wasn’t right there. Qui-Gon did not call him ‘child’. “I shall answer your questions, but first tell me, are you a slave?” Obi-Wan furrowed his brows and dared to take a peek. The light wasn’t as bad as before, but he did not dare to fully open his eyes, which is why he could only see a dark figure leaning over him.
“I am no slave, I am a Jedi.”
“Then why do you call for your Master?”
What the hell was wrong with this guy? “’Master’ is just a title, a title for my teacher.”
“Ah, so you are a student.” He, whoever he was, finally seemed to get it. Thank the Force for small mercies.
Also, his sight was getting better as well and he could make out tons of hair on the being above him and it looked like the man, it just couldn’t be a woman, was wearing sparkling clothing. That sounded ridiculous, even to his own ears.
“What happened? Where am I? And who are you?”
A rich chuckle sounded above him. “So many questions from one so young… Have patience child, all in due time.” Why did everyone always have to be so cryptic?
Obi-Wan decided that he had heard enough and with ne found determination, he pushed himself into a sitting position. The other being in the room allowed it, even stepped back to give him room to move and breath. The Padawan mentally counted from ten to zero and once he reached the last number, he fully opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him, took his voice. This definitely WAS Qui-Gon Jinn standing right before him, but then again, it was not. Again that did not make much sense. The man looked exactly like his Master, even the crocked nose was the same. The only difference was, that THIS man’s hair was jet black and that his beard was way longer. And Qui-Gon would NEVER wear such fancy, sparkling and shimmering clothes, they would be too showy for his life as a Jedi.
And though this man looked and sounded like his Master, he acted and moved differently. Where Qui-Gon was grace, this man was power, where Qui-Gon was sure, this man was arrogant. Also, the Force around this one felt quite different. Obi-Wan was not sure if he liked it. His Master’s aura however, was inviting warm and often comforting.
“I see that you are feeling well again. Very good. Then follow me, we have not much time.”
The ginger haired male wondered about that last statement, but he didn’t ask. He had already learned that his questions wouldn’t be answered, at least not know. This Zeus person, had indirectly promised to answer them eventually however. Well, he just had to wait and see.
Obi-Wan was being led through endless corridors. It reminded him a lot of the temple, just… this place seemed older and it was actually shining and glittering. It was definitely different from the halls he had gotten to know as his home. Not a word was being exchanged between the Padawan and Zeus, who seemed content with the silence. Obi-Wan was not. This place was strange and he could have used the distraction. Needless to say, he was more than glad, when they finally arrived at their destination, namely a large circular room with twelve occupied thrones in them. The people inside the room were bickering with each other.
“Brother Zeus,” a man with a trident exclaimed, “you have returned.”
“Indeed Poseidon, and I brought our chosen warrior.”
“Warrior?” Obi-Wan could not help but interrupt, “I am no warrior, I am a Jedi.”
“See?” the man to whom this voice belonged, reminded the Padawan a lot of Xanatos, “I told you, he would not be the right one.” “Silence Ares, nothing is decided yet.” The aggressive male actually shut up at Zeus’ words, that was interesting.
“Brother,” it was not Poseidon, who spoke up, but a dark man with a dark aura, who was lounging on the biggest of the throne’s that was a little bit away from all the others. “Why don’t we let Ares test him?”
“But he already said that he is no warrior,” protested the trident holding man.
“Alright, before ANYTHING happens, do I want some answers,” the Jedi in training decided to step in, before things could get more out of hand.
“This insolence,” it was a female voice, but the freckled young man did not even bother to look at the speaker. His blue-green eyes were solemnly resting on Zeus, who did not look pleased at being challenged.
“You should watch your tongue boy.”
“Should I? The way I see it, you need me. Hurt me, torture me, and I won’t do a thing. Kill me, and you will have to find another ‘warrior’ and you have already revealed to me that you don’t have much time left. Ignore my questions, and I won’t do anything either.”
“Do you have any idea to whom you are talking?”
Obi-Wan shrugged, “Zeus?”
Fury blazed in Zeus’ eyes and it was probably only due to his two brothers that he did not unleash it on the cocky Padawan.
“I am the king of gods, creator of the humans and you DARE to speak to me like this?”
“Temper, temper, brother,” the darkest of the three brothers spoke. Obi-Wan could sense a lot of dark emotions coming from him, anger, hate and jealously among them. But they were all coming from one single source, fear. That man actually feared his brothers, that was, what the Force told the young Padawan.
“We need him,” added Poseidon. About him said the Force that he was naïve and perhaps even a bit dull. He was easy to manipulate and somehow Obi-Wan had the feeling that his two brothers had done so on a regular basis.
“Ares,” Zeus spoke up. His arrogance and pride could probably be detected by non-Force users as well. Obi-Wan had lost all the awe he had previously held for the man and now there was no doubt in his mind left, Qui-Gon was definitely better. “why don’t you answer his questions?”
There was a mad glint in Ares’ eyes and an evil grin on his features. His hand was slowly moving to a shield that rested near his throne, as well as a sword that rested on his lap. Obi-Wan did not need the Force to know what would happen next. He sent Zeus, who was pushed back by his two brothers, an unimpressed look and then turned to face Ares. With a shrug, did the Padawan’s robe slide to the floor and with a brief flick of his wrist, was it shoved out of the way. The present were all gazing astonished at the fabric that had seemingly moved on his own and Obi-Wan was left to wonder, what kind of gods these people actually were.
Ares growled loudly and it was followed by some kind of battle cry that Obi-Wan did not quite catch. It was not like he cared, he was more occupied with defending himself against the other’s metallic sword that – despite being metal – did not melt against the lightsaber. Ares’ eyes were trained on the glowing sword for a moment, but then he returned his attention, to what he could best, fighting. Not ones did he allow Obi-Wan to get away from him, not ones did he allow his opponent to catch his breath. He had to admit though, the ginger haired male was stronger, faster and more agile than he had originally thought. He was a worthy opponent. But still, it was no surprise, when the blue blade was wrenched out of the ginger haired man’s grip.
“Yield,” demanded Ares.
“Never,” retorted Obi-Wan, who was only beginning to break out in sweat. The pars against his Master were more tiring, even though Qui-Gon never attacked this brutal, he was not an uncivilized barbarian after all.
The god of war scoffed arrogantly and moved as if to behead the younger male, despite Zeus’ warning shout. Obi-Wan had expected it, actually CALCULATED it and surprised everyone, by grabbing the other’s arm and hitting him right in the face. Out of shock, did Ares drop his sword, which Obi-Wan immediately picked up. It was way heavier than he expected, but with the aid of the Force, he was able to wield it.
“Yield,” this time it was the Padawan, who spoke the word.
The god looked as if he wanted to strangle someone, preferably the insolent human in front of him, but a warning glare from Zeus made him bow his head in defeat. “I yield.” Obi-Wan nodded in satisfaction and threw the sword at his defeated opponent’s feet, before calling his much preferred lightsaber back to his hand. This could have ended worse. He silently thanked his Master for so many hours training in combat, with weapons and without.
“He is a worthy warrior, if he defeated Ares,” a female spoke up and all eyes turned to her.
“So you agree,” Zeus spoke up, “Athena?”
“I do,” she nodded her head and approving murmur could be heard.
“Very well,” midnight blue eyes settled on the Padawan, who just wanted to return to his Master. This was all giving him a huge headache.
“Now, what about my answers,” he did not like to be left out, especially if the conversation was about him.
He could see his Master’s copy grit his teeth in barely concealed anger, but Poseidon stepped forward instead. “Ask then.” “Where am I?” that question should be easy enough.
“Olympus, home of the gods,” it was Athena who answered.
Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgment, he had absolutely no idea what that meant. “Who are you,” he motioned to all present.
“We are the gods,” Poseidon straightened proud.
“And why am I here?”
“Finally some interesting questions,” the darkest of the three brothers said.
“You are here,” Zeus completely ignored his brother’s comment, “because we need you.”
“Figured as much,” he mumbled under his breath, glad that no one seemed to catch it. “Yeah, but why EXACTLY?” Why could they not simply answer his questions?
“There is a monster, it came from your world, and you are to defeat it,” Athena spoke up.
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. They could not be serious. “Why don’t you take care of it? You are gods, aren’t you?”
“Do you think we would have brought a whelp like you here, if we could?” Ares countered angrily. He was a sore loser, Obi-Wan could tell just by looking at him.
“If I am the whelp, what does this make you then?” he asked, but only half hearted and therefore he did not catch the god’s reply. He had a bad feeling. The Force urged him to be extremely careful. It was not a good sign.
“There are a lot of innocents in danger, aren’t there?” he finally asked, completely ignoring the angry ranting of his beaten opponent.
“Yes,” Zeus seemed to have forgiven him, at least enough to talk normal with him.
Obi-Wan scowled. Even though he was not in his own dimension, he was still a Jedi. He knew his duty, he knew what he had to do in order not to shame his Master and his training. “Alright then, I’ll do it.”
Shock resonated through the whole hall and the gods exchanged surprised looks. “You do?” one of the assembled exclaimed, though Obi-Wan had absolutely no idea who he was.
“Do not get me wrong, I am only doing this, so that no more innocents will be endangered.” He was no fool, he knew that there were already casualties. If he could keep more families intact, then he would do so.
“Then let us explain…” Zeus began.
The needed information was quickly given and Obi-Wan found that Perseus, who was supposed to Zeus’ son, yet much more sympathetic in the Padawan’s eyes, was a brave and likeable man. He found it very easy to converse with him and to form a battle strategy.
“It is getting dark,” Perseus said from his position behind the Padawan on his Pegasus’ back, “if we do not find it soon, we will return and continue the search tomorrow.”
“Good idea,” Obi-Wan easily agreed. “Though Zeus won’t be happy about it,” he briefly glanced at the sky that was surprisingly cloudless.
Perseus grunted, “He will have to live with that, I fear.” The ginger haired male had soon learned that there was a certain tension between the god and his son. He had wisely decided not to ask for details, it was not his place to ask.
“Wait,” Obi-Wan suddenly exclaimed when his companion wanted to turn his horse around. He had felt something in the Force, a warning.
“What is it?”
He did not reply immediately. “The creature… it is near,” he whispered, his eyes darting over the water surface. Suddenly his eyes turned wide, “Turn around!” Perseus did react immediately and not a second too late. Where they had previously been, reached now a tentacle out of the water, grabbing at thin air. The sky above them rumbled with thunder, Zeus was angry. (Perseus had also explained him a few things about the gods, that that he could understand them a little bit better.)
“I hope we are fast enough,” Obi-Wan turned around, just in time to see the water being disturbed by more movement. The tentacle retreated, but he could see a gigantic shadow moving towards them and it was still gaining speed.
“Don’t worry,” Perseus gritted out between clenched teeth, though there was something in his voice that gave Obi-Wan a bad feeling.
“We are not going to make it,” the young Jedi exclaimed, when the shadow was directly under them. The land was still a little distance away. He could hear his companion curse behind him, just as one of the being’s limbs shot out of the water.
It should have hit or caught them, Obi-Wan knew that. But a strong wave seemingly out of nowhere, had appeared and hit the creature, making it miss its target. It was obviously a little disoriented at first, but soon moved after them again.
“Thank you, uncle,” Perseus mumbled and urged his mount forward. “Almost…”
They had made it, the Pegasus was now flying over dry land and the creature reached out in a last attempt to catch those, who so daringly had entered its territory. Another wave, much larger than the first one, appeared seemingly from nowhere. The clouds had darkened too and the electricity was heavy in the air. Together, lightning, wave and something dark yet good that definitely belonged to Hades, threw the creature onto the beach, where the deformed being struggled. The kraken like creature wanted to get back into the water, but the ocean retreated and did not allow it and whenever it made any attempt to follow the water, lightning would hit the ground. The creature obviously did not like the lightning, not one bit. A gruesome sound escaped its throat and then, Obi-Wan felt the Force swirl around it. It was like nothing he had ever felt before.
The darkness around the creature became suffocating and he had to clutch his head in order to not fall to it. The pull was incredible. Obi-Wan was distantly aware of someone calling his name, but he was too occupied with fighting the dark side to really take notice.
Like a tornado, the dark side of the Force swirled around the creature and Obi-Wan could SEE it changing. When the masses of energy had settled and the young Padawan could look again – he was aware of the steadying hands on his shoulders – he saw that the creature had transformed into a being out of his darkest nightmares.
“What…” Perseus began, but he could not say more. The words would not come to him.
Even Obi-Wan was stunned for a minute. He wiped away the blood that had escaped his nose and concentrated on the light side of the Force to find out as much as he could. One word immediately sprung to the front of his mind, “Sith”.
Instead of the form of a kraken, the creature was now feline like, with long strong legs, deadly claws and teeth, the size of a man. Horns escaped its skull, as well as the spine. At the end of the tail, was a long and deadly looking spike, though Obi-Wan doubted that it was poisonous, it would still cause a lot of damage. The dark being’s ears were alert and its eyes were resting on the flying horse. For a moment, the Padawan wondered, why it had no wings, but then he guessed that it must have known about the god of the sky and deemed it safer to walk on land. So it was intelligent to a certain extent too.
“What now?” cried Perseus, his hands were still clutching Obi-Wan’s shoulder, but more for his own comfort, than to steady the ginger haired man.
A screeching roar escaped the dark being.
Obi-Wan furrowed his brows and asked the Force for guidance. The first part of their plan had worked, they HAD lurked the best to dry land, but had they known that it could transform… it was to be excepted, the dark side was tricky after all.
“Do you think you are able to distract it long enough for me to land a hit?” he asked the older man behind him. In all honesty, he was not sure if he had a real chance against this monstrosity, but he at least had to try.
“I think so, yes.”
“Very well then,” he swung his legs to one side of the Pegasus and with a determined nod to his companion, he jumped down, using the Force to slow his fall. Perseus eyes were wide and staring at him in disbelief, but the warrior shook his head and turned his mount to fly at the monster that seemed torn between attacking the flying irritation or the Padawan on the ground. It settled for the Pegasus first, since it was flying and circling around its head.
“A little more help would be highly appreciated,” Obi-Wan boldly screamed towards the sky, not sure if those so called gods would be able to hear him and if they did, if they would come to their aid. Apparently, they did.
A stray lightning bold would strike towards the creature, that easily dodged the electricity. Poseidon’s ocean formed a high barrier to keep the best away from the water. It was better than nothing, decided the Padawan.
“What is the plan?” a voice right next to his ear said and Obi-Wan had to force himself not to jump in surprise. He had not expected Hades to actually make an appearance.
The Jedi grimaced, “Perseus is distracting that thing in hopes that I will get close enough to land a killing blow.” He just hoped that his lightsaber would truly make any damage.
Hades hummed in thought, before shadows arose all around him. Only a moment later, bat like creatures emerged, though they were much larger and looked much more dangerous than their small mammal relatives. Immediately they took flight and joined Perseus in his quest to annoy the dark creature.
Obi-Wan nodded his thanks and with better chances, he run forward with Force enhanced speed. He believed that he had only one attempt, which meant, that he had to make it count. They could not afford a mistake, not if they wanted to survive this mess.
In the end, everything had happened in a blur and if Obi-Wan was honest with himself, he did not know how he had accomplished it. He remembered one of Hades’ creatures picking him up and allowing him to ride on it. He also remembered the creature jumping high in the air, its mighty jar barely missing the Pegasus, but its claws hitting the warrior and his mount. It was then that Zeus had made a physical appearance as well, hurrying to the wounded human’s side.
Obi-Wan also remembered that the creature had landed on its back, having made a misstep due to Poseidon’s water hitting its hind legs. It was then that the Padawan had made his move. Without regard for his own safety and life, he had jumped onto the creature that was struggling to get up and he had pushed his lightsaber deep into the monster’s chest, desperately hoping that he hit the heart and that the creature had one to begin with.
A deafening scream of pain had escaped the dark being and it had hit the disoriented Padawan with its tail, thankfully not the spike, but sending him quite a few meters away and leaving him groggy and unable to get up. Also, the ginger haired man seemed to recall that the creature had struggled its way over to him, fueled by his desire for blood and revenge, its mighty claw high in the air. Obi-Wan had known then that he was about to die, he had accepted it, even though he regretted not being able to say goodbye to Qui-Gon, when said man suddenly appeared next to him, picked him up in a hurry and barely carried him to safety.
Right after, the creature had dropped to the ground, twitching one last time, before it stopped moving altogether.
A moment of silence passed, during which the water returned to where it belonged, the storm vanished and Hades’ creatures returned to wherever they had come from. Nobody dared to speak or to make a sound, the only thing Obi-Wan could hear, was his own panting breathing.
“Master?” he finally said, not quite believing his eyes. It was then that midnight blue eyes fully turned to him, there was something that suspiciously looked like relief in them, but before the younger male could truly identify it, he found himself pulled into a bone crushing hug.
“Padawan… Obi-Wan, I am so glad that you are safe… I was so worried.” There was no doubt in the Padawan’s mind about his Master’s words, he could feel all the tumultuous emotions coming through their reawakened bond.
“How?” he asked, not truly sure what exactly he wanted to ask.
“After you suddenly disappeared, I asked the Force to guide me to you. It took quite a bit of convincing, but eventually it sent me here… wherever here is… I was so worried after our bond just… disappeared. I could not feel you, could not reach you.” He took a deep breath, “Can you forgive an old man for worrying?”
“Of course Master,” he replied immediately and was glad that his Master finally pulled him to his feet, only to hold him still close. He was receiving healing and comforting energy from the pulsing bond and was very grateful for it.
A large hand ran through copper spiked and fingered the braid that had been slightly undone by Obi-Wan’s impact with the ground. Without further ado, large yet surprisingly skilled fingers, opened the braid and took the beads out, letting them fall into the ginger haired male’s hand, before redoing the symbol of their partnership. They did not notice a familiar pair of eyes watch them closely, cataloging their affectionate interactions, almost analyzing them.
The owner of those pair of eyes looked down at the figure sitting by his side. Zeus had never really understood human affection, not until know, witnessing it firsthand. It was not a sign of weakness, how he now realized, seeing those two warriors and there was no doubt in his mind that the man, who looked so much like him, was a warrior, just as fierce as the young one. A moment the king of gods hesitated, but then he slowly and carefully reached out to run a hand through his son’s hair. It startled the demigod, but after realizing what was happening, he visible relaxed and actually seemed to enjoy the unfamiliar attention he was getting. A small smile appeared on Zeus’ features, which was mostly hidden by his long beard, but still seen by his oldest brother, Hades.
But the god of the underworld turned away from the father son pair to walk towards their champion, who was openly smiling at the newcomer, who – to Hades’ horror – looked exactly like a much younger version of his brother. He hesitated and for a moment actually played with the thought of just going back to his domain, but then he decided to give his thanks, since Zeus seemed otherwise occupied and Poseidon was too stupid to do so.
“Hades,” Obi-Wan greeted the darkest of the three brothers.
The god inclined his head, “I came to humbly thank you for your help.” He made the mistake of looking into the Zeus’ copy’s face. The man could look just as threatening as his younger brother.
“It was… well, it was not really my pleasure, but I am glad I could help you.” The ginger haired man shifted on his feet. He had seen the weary and slightly scared gaze the long haired ruler of the underworld had sent his Master. For a moment he pondered, if he should say something, but the Force gave him the needed push. “They DO care about you, you know.”
Hades blinked in confusion, “Excuse me?”
“Your brothers,” the Padawan had a distant look, “they DO care, I can feel it. They… they just don’t know how to approach you. You have distanced yourself from them and your… darkness… scares them. You should talk to them, what can they do? Scream at you perhaps… but I think you are above that, aren’t you?”
There was doubt in the god’s face, but it soon turned into a thoughtful look. Then his gaze turned to Zeus, who was helping Perseus to his feet and exchanged a few words with his son.
“I understand that you do not want to get hurt again,” Hades flinched, even the older warrior’s voice was the same deep baritone, “but if you let fear rule your life, you will never find happiness.” The way he said it, told the god that he was speaking of experience, and the way the younger man turned to him, told him that he was somehow involved.
“I will… think about it,” he promised and finally he bowed and made his hasty escape. This was getting too emotional for him and he needed time alone, time to think.
As soon as Hades had made his escape, Zeus realized that he had yet to speak with their champion. He promised his son to return later, so that he may check on his grandson too, and then he made his way over to his… copy and the ginger haired man. Who knew, perhaps he might still figure out, how these mortals had such power…
“Child of the other world,” Zeus started talking, he did not even know the boy’s name, but he was promptly and rudely interrupted.
“So… YOU are responsible for kidnapping my Padawan.” “I wouldn’t call it kidnapping,” he did not come further, for the Jedi Master took a threatening step forward, leaning very close to the man, who looked almost exactly like him.
“Listen VERY carefully. I do not care who you are, or if you truly are a god, I don’t care if you are ALL gods, if you EVER do that again, you will deeply regret it.” He had gotten louder to the end of his speech.
The king of gods certainly looked impressed and Obi-Wan silently thought that it had perhaps not been such a good idea to tell his Master everything that had happened.
“But, we needed the help,” the excuse sounded lame, even to Zeus’ own ears.
“Let me rephrase it,” the Jedi master leaned even closer towards the other male, “if you ever kidnap my Padawan again,” his tone was just a bit too calm and collected, “I will kill you!”
The god’s eyes were wide, he was not used being threatened. Instead he cleared his throat and visible relaxed, when the older Jedi took a step back again. He leveled his eyes at the Padawan, who looked as if he was suffering. “Yes well,” he cleared his throat again and caught the ginger haired man’s attention, “I just came to thank you for the great work you did…” he let the sentence trail off.
“Great work? Thank you for your great work? That is all you have to say to this?” Qui-Gon was in one of his moods. Even the mumbled reply – that Obi-Wan did not hear – did nothing to soothe his temper.
“Don’t you think I am aware of that? He always does, he is amazing and I am very proud of him.” Qui-Gon shot his Padawan a quick glance, “But don’t you dare touch him again.”
“We won’t, do not fear.” Something in the god’s tone made it clear that he truly meant that. “Nevertheless, you shall receive a reward worthy of a god, for your duties.” He bowed and before his counterpart could, he vanished in a bright lightning strike.
Master and Padawan shared a look, not knowing what to say, but knowing that they wanted to get back home.
(many years later)
“Master! Master!” Obi-Wan cried in distress.
“It is too late… It’s…” Qui-Gon was fighting to stay conscious. He knew he was going to die, but he needed to say a few last words.
“No!” the Padawan shook his head and the older man could see tears forming in his Padawan’s eyes.
“Obi-Wan promise… promise me you’ll train the boy…” he breathed out.
“Yes Master,” a single tear was streaming down his cheek.
With the effort of an army, he raised his hand to wipe the offending drop away from his boy’s face.
“He is the Chosen One… he will… bring balance… train him.” Something told Qui-Gon that this was supposed to be his last words in the land of the living, but strangely, he felt his energy returning to him. Surprised he glanced up at his Padawan, but Obi-Wan was not looking at him anymore, he was staring at something at the other end of the complex.
“I promised you a reward worthy of a god, did I not?”
Confused and shocked, did Qui-Gon turn his head in the direction of the speaker, only to find himself looking at what appeared to be his reflection.
“Zeus,” whispered the ginger haired Padawan. The god of lightning and the sky, bowed his head and vanished as soon as he had appeared, leaving Qui-Gon to wonder what had happened. But the Jedi Master would not complain, not when he had been presented another chance… another opportunity. And there still was the disagreement he had with Obi-Wan…
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