3 comments/ 10106 views/ 25 favorites The Last Demigod Ch. 01 By: geovani772 Of Storms A young man and older woman sat across from each other in a lit only by the light that shone through the room's one window. The drapes that hung over the one window in the small round room were tattered throughout and shredded at the ends. Despite the numerous tears and holes in the thick drapes, the drapes billowed with each random gust that blew into the small room. Between the man and woman, stood a short old wooden and round table. The table was so short that it forced the two to remain hunched over while they continued their game of Chess. Like the board, the pieces were also old with most of the pieces missing bits. It was the man's turn. He placed his fingers where the head of knight should have been and picked it up. He clenched the piece in his hand tightly while he thought out his next move. "So how do you remember it?" the woman asked politely. The man didn't reply. "Anthony?" she asked. Anthony placed the knight in its new position and smiled. "Check," he replied. The woman sat back in her dusty, leather chair, crossed her legs and brushed the dust off her very faded blue jeans. "How do you remember it?" He sighed. "Like it was yesterday." He threw himself into the leather chair he was on and slouched. "One of my earliest memories. It was sometime in the middle of the night." He paused, tilted his head back and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. "I heard voices, sounds, coming from my mom's bedroom. At the time, I had no idea what she was doing, but as all children are, I was curious." He paused to take a peek at her. In that moment, the light that shined through the billowing drapes had encased her face in such a way that it highlighted a beauty that he had not noticed. The light had also highlighted the brown and streaks of white in her long hair. He initially didn't notice how smooth and silky her hair was. The most surprising part of this moment in time was her brown eyes. No, not brown. Hazel. Her hazel eyes sparkled like gems. "Anthony? You were saying?" "Sorry," he replied and fixed his grey eyes back towards the ceiling. "The door was shut, but not all the way. I remember because I pushed the door open without having to turn the knob. The first thing I saw was my mother's back. She was moving in a strange way, I thought at the time. When the door opened all the way, it creaked loudly. My mother turned, saw me, yelped, and threw herself around pulling the sheets on her." The woman shifted in her chair. The rubbing of her arm against the leather of the armrest seemed to break his train of thought. "Sorry," she quietly said. "After she moved, I saw a man. He looked as shocked as my mother. Before my mother could say anything, that's when it started. The ground shook. It was as if I had tripped on something, but I wasn't walking. I fell to the floor. My mother yelled and jumped from the bed. The man followed. She picked me up and as soon as she was standing, I felt a sheet draped over me. I couldn't see anything, but I felt my mother stumble and strong hands and arms grasp over us to keep her up. Before I knew it, we were outside. I pulled the drape from my face and..." "What?" He let out a sigh again. She noticed he was gripping the armrests tightly. "I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about this." He raised his hand and took a deep breath. "No, it's fine. I saw that my house was crumbling. It was as if something reached from below and pulled it down. My mother began to sob and I felt the man wrap his arms around us. I looked towards the sky. All I saw was light streaking across the darkness of the night. I tried to find the moon, but I couldn't. 'Fire' the man was yelling. 'Fire everywhere' he repeated." "What happened then?" "The rest is a bit hazy. My entire house was destroyed. We walked for a while. I only knew it was a while because I had fallen asleep in my mother's arms and when I woke up, it was morning. I remember not being able to see the sun. I've always loved the sun, but it was cloudy that day. The clouds were a dark grey. The type you see during a thunderstorm. I actually heard the thunder starting." "Were you scared?" "No. I don't ever remembering being scared of thunder. At that time, I felt safe maybe because my mom was holding me the entire time. I don't know. But that's when it got worse. Once I heard the thunder, I saw the lightning. The fiercest lightning storm I have ever witnessed. I remember seeing the bolts dance across the clouds. Trees around us were getting struck. My mother and the man began to run. It was a short while before we found ourselves in some part of a house that was barely standing. I remember half the roof was gone. For some reason, I remember thinking it was so neat." The woman chuckled. He glanced again at her and noticed she was leaning forward with her head placed below her chin, her elbows on her knees. He leaned his head back and turned towards the window. The maroon drapes continued to billow. A few beams of light were shining on his knees. He stretched out his hand till a beam struck his palm. He immediately felt the warmth and clenched his fist. He felt that he could almost catch the light. "Go on," the woman said. "We huddled together in a corner of the house. The man and my mother were talking, though I can't remember what they were saying. A loud boom had interrupted them. I remember clutching onto my mom tighter. Another boom followed. And another. My mom pulled me from her, tore a large piece of the sheet she was using to cover herself, and wrapped it around me. She placed a finger over her lips. I remember tears clouding my vision." He paused to wipe a tear that had formed. "What made the booming?" "At the time, I didn't know. Before my mom had left me, she said 'find Apollo.'" The woman nodded slowly. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "She repeated it as she stood and walked away from me and the man. The man called out for her, but she kept walking out and into the street. And that was when I saw it." "The monster?" He nodded. "The biggest thing I had ever seen." "Body of a man, three heads of a dragon, black wings, and serpent legs," the woman said quietly. He nodded again. "I don't remember much after that. The storm had eventually passed, as you know. The man took me took a small gathering of others who survived the storm. Everything after that gets hazier. I lived with that group up until I felt I was able to fend for myself." "And the man?" He shook his head. "He left shortly after he arrived, people had told me." The woman chuckled again. "Did you ever find Apollo?" He returned a confused look. "No. I didn't know if I should be looking for a place or a person." The woman began to nod slowly as she began to turn her gaze elsewhere seemingly caught in thought. "What is it?" "Do you want to know what really happened?" "What do you mean?" "How the world ended." He sat up. "Yes," he replied sternly. "But first, we haven't been introduced," the woman stretched out her hand and said, "My name is Artemis." He reached out and gently grasped her hand. He noticed she had the smoothest and softest skin he had ever felt. "Nice to meet you." The two sat back into their seats, almost in sync. She leaned forward, picked up her King piece and slid it one spot to the right. "You're turn." "I almost forgot about the game." They both shared a short laugh. He leaned forward and gazed upon the Chessboard. "So what about the end of the world?" She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well... I need you to do something for me." "What?" "Close your eyes." He sat up and closed his eyes. "Relax." He sunk into the leather chair. She stood up and walked towards him. He immediately opened his eyes. "Keep them closed, please." He closed his eyes once again. She paced around to the back of his chair and gently placed her smooth hands on the side of his face, covering his ears. She leaned forward and whispered, "Listen. What ever is happening, do not open your eyes till I tell you." He nodded. He felt her press her hands against a little firmer. He started to feel as if he were beginning to fall. He grabbed at the armrests. But he didn't feel them. She cooed in his ear and repeated, "Relax, keep your eyes closed." He tried to calm himself, but they were falling. He was in the chair, but he was falling with her. "Open them." He opened his eyes and saw her, but she was much younger. There was a grey tint the world around him. "Artemis?" he called out. As beautiful as he thought she was before, she absolutely gorgeous when she was younger. Her face was fuller and her body firmer. She was dressed in a brilliantly white toga that had a golden sash that stretched from the top of her right shoulder across her body, in between her small breasts, and attached at a golden embroidered belt that was tightly clasped at her narrow waist. Her hair was even longer, but was held in a neat bun that hung loosely at her back. She also wore a golden headband that housed a olive branch wreath. "Artemis," he called out again. This time, the younger Artemis glanced at him and placed her finger to her lips. She then turned and began to walk down the hallway. He had noticed that they were in something that resembled a bedchamber. The walls were made of white stone and pillars. It was something he had seen out of a history book about Ancient Greece. The floor seemed to be made out of gold or some other precious medal that had precious stones embedded into it making elaborate designs. The hallway led to a much larger room that was just as decorated as the bedchamber. The larger room had an enormous door that was plated with silver and lined with pearls. He noticed there were door handles. There was a large oval window on one of the large doors and from out shone a blinding light. "Where are we?" he asked, but heard no answer. They waited in the hallway for a moment, until the large doors flung open towards them. "Artemis!" a man in a tan brown hat, cloak and what appeared to be wings coming from the sides of his head called out. "They've breached the gates! You must find your mother!" "What about my brother?" she yelled out. "He's at the front lines with Ares and Athena!" "I must be with them!" She charged towards the door, but the man grasped her at the shoulders. "Your brother commanded that you find your mother first." She pushed the man's arms away and nodded. She hurried out the door. Anthony followed after her. As soon as he stepped out, he found himself of awe in the scenery before him. He looked over what he could only figure to be heaven. It was a vast city with palatial buildings. Each building had a similar theme, but each was different in its own way. The roads spiraled, turned, and forked in every direction between the buildings and over them. As far as he could see, clouds lined the exterior of the city. He had noticed that the building he had just exited was attached to an even larger palace. He turned and was once again caught in awe of the colossal home of Artemis. Where am I, he thought to himself. He soon realized that he no longer could see Artemis. He began to run in the direction he remembered seeing her go. The man that had alerted Artemis zoomed by him. He realized that the man wasn't running, he was flying! Anthony stepped to the entryway of the palace and noticed that the door was higher than any building he had ever seen. He wondered how much larger the palace could get and feared he would never find Artemis, but he suddenly heard a scream. The foyer of the palace had two grand stairways that lined the sides of the room that led to a large second level that had a balcony over the entryway that led to the rest of the first level of the palace. The scream came from up the stairs. He made his way as quickly as he could and turned the corner to find Artemis armed with a bow. "Let her go!" Artemis commanded. She held the arrow aimed directly at the creature that was holding whom Anthony assumed was the mother of Artemis. "The time of the Olympians is over!" the serpent looking creature said with a hiss at the end of each word. He was holding a black, curved blade against the throat of Artemis' mother. "You won't live to see it," Artemis said as she loosed her bow. Anthony couldn't even see the arrow move before the serpent creature's head whipped back with the arrow lodged in his eye. "Mother!" Artemis cried out as she dashed towards her and wrapped her arms around her. "My dear," her mother said as she returned the embrace. "We must go." "Where to?! Hermes said that the gate has been breached!" "Where is your brother?" "At the gates, Hermes said." "I will aid him," Artemis' mother said. "No! Find father, I will aid him." Artemis' mother nodded and dashed towards the rest of the house while Artemis turned and dashed toward the stairs. "What's going on?!" Anthony yelled out, but she didn't seem to hear him. She leapt off the middle of the grand stairway to the first level and proceeded to leap out the door. She then began to dash with inhuman speed across the pathway of where ever they were. He was having a hard time keeping up. He noticed that the serpent warriors that were fighting Artemis' people outnumbered them five to one. Upon being able to see the gate, he saw what appeared to be a legion of all kinds of monstrous creatures storming the gates. He recognized all but one monster, the same monster he saw kill his mother. BOOM went that familiar sound, but it wasn't the terrifying creature, it was the largest man Anthony had ever seen. The man had a thick white beard and long white and grey hair. His muscles were thick all throughout his exposed anatomy and in both his enormous hands were what seemed to be flashing lights. Anthony looked closer and saw that the large man was holding rods of light. No, not light. Lightning! Anthony thought to himself. "ZEUS!" roared the terrifying monster. As large as Zeus was, Anthony didn't feel any safer. The monster was as large as the entryway of Artemis' palatial home. How could they stand a chance? "YOUR TIME HAS COME!" roared the monster. "NO!" Zeus thundered back. His voice matched the intensity of his appearance. Zeus reached back, lightning crackled about him and formed into a rod in his right hand. He then leapt forward and hurled the rod at the monster. "RETURN FROM WHENCE YOU CAME, TYPHON!" he roared as the lightning rod soared through the sky between them. The lightning bolt struck one of Typhon's three dragonheads. The giant terror seemed to be dazed for a second, but the head that was struck resumed its perked position and glared back at Zeus. Anthony looked towards the gate where he saw the small number of Artemis' people. Each was armed with a different weapon, but her and the man that she was standing by were both armed with bows. Anthony made his way closer to them and looked at the man. He had noticed that the man by Artemis looked just like her except... he had grey eyes. They're siblings, Anthony realized. "Artemis, you must fall back!" her brother commanded. "Not without you and our kin!" she replied. "Apollo!" another soldier cried out, we can't hold them any longer. BOOM! BOOM! The thundering of Zeus' lightning bolts in the sky was deafening. Each toss of a bolt resulted in a low rumble of the surrounding area. "FALL BACK!" commanded Zeus, his voice a thunderous sound itself. Apollo and Artemis continued to loose arrows against the oncoming legion as the rest of their fellow soldiers retreated. "RUN!" Anthony cried out, but still they didn't hear him. The monstrous legion surrounded the siblings, yet they still continued to unleash their fury till finally they closed on them. Anthony began to run towards the palace, but he realized the creatures couldn't see him. Suddenly, he saw Hermes fly through the crowd that surrounded him. Hermes wasn't armed, but what ever force kept him the air was strong enough to knock the creatures off their feet. The flying man dove towards where Apollo and Artemis were. Anthony lost sight of him for a second before he saw Hermes shoot out of the middle of the enormous crowd with both Apollo and Artemis. He held onto their garments as the two continued to loose their arrows on their pursuers. Anthony threw his hands up in cheer, but then realized a shadow cast over him. He turned back to gaze upon the enormous Typhon. The monstrous tyrant slithered over Anthony and all went black. He threw himself from the chair and over the small round table that held the chessboard causing the old chess pieces to scatter onto the floor. He was back in the city of Dion. He found himself gasping and sweating. He pulled himself onto the chair that Artemis was once sitting on. "What..." he said out loud, still trying to catch his breath. "What happened?" he managed to ask. Artemis was already seated on the chair opposite him. "I'm sorry I had to show you that way, but words could not convey the horror of it all. The god monster Typhon destroyed our home and any survivors were cast out to live on Earth." "Home? Where was that?" "I'm sure at this point you've come to your own conclusions, but yes, it is exactly what you were thinking. The vision I've shown you is that of the destruction of our home, Mt. Olympus. I am Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Hera and twin-sister of Apollo, your father." He opened his mouth, but couldn't form the words. "You are a Demigod. The last Demigod, in fact. When Mt. Olympus was destroyed, Typhon unleashed the worst of his sons on Earth. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, the sons of Typhon died out before mankind could be obliterated." "What killed them?" She managed a smirk before she replied, "When the great mother Gaia died, so too did the laws that allowed gods to walk among the earth. When a god steps foot on earth, they age faster than mortals do." He threw his hands up. "Wait, wait..." His breathing was irregular. He was slowly turning pale. "Anthony," she said with the utmost of grace, "calm down." And with that, he felt his breathing return to normal. The clamminess of his hands began to fade as he felt himself lessen the grip on his thighs. "This... this is all unbelievable." She slowly nodded her head. "Yet... you've seen a son of Typhon before." He closed his eyes and dug his head into the backrest of the leather chair. "Okay... okay..." He took a deep breath. "Let's say everything you've told me is true." "Mmhmm." He opened his eyes and fixed them on his newfound aunt. "What do I need to do exactly?" "Well, first we need to find-" "No, just tell me exactly what I need to do," he interrupted. She paused then returned a stern glance before answering, "First, you should show more respect. Second, to phrase it quickly, you need to find a way to get to Mt. Olympus and restore the Olympian Lineage." "How?" "A child of a god must be born in Mt. Olympus to restore us, or you, as the rightful owner." "Why me?" "Not only are you the last Demigod, but you happen to be the closest to Mt. Olympus." With that, she stood up, strode to the window and pulled apart the maroon tattered drapes. "You see that mountain over there, that's where our home used to be." "Oh, well, that's convenient." "It's not that simple. First, we need to find an Olympian female before you get there and then we have to defeat the children of Typhon that remain there." "Won't we need help?" "As much as we can get." "Great! Where are the remaining gods?" "When we fell, we were spread out across the earth." The Last Demigod Ch. 01 "How did that happen?" "The boundaries of gods don't work as simply as the boundaries of man." "Of course they don't." She smirked. "Have faith, nephew." She walked over to him and placed a hand on top of his short-cropped brown hair. "I do know where one Olympian resides." "Great, let's start there! Who is he?" "His name is Heracles." - "STOP THEM!" Apollo commanded. He reached back and pulled an arrow from his quiver, set it against his bowstring, and pulled. Across the great plain stood the colossal man armed with an enormous sickle blade. He stood the height of four, maybe five men. "My lord, Apollo, we cannot defeat him," cried out a soldier. He appeared to be human. "Remain steadfast, Laomedon. You will not fall today." The young soldier nodded as he charged with his brigade in tow. Apollo loosed another arrow. It whistled loudly as it soared through the sky and entered the shoulder of the colossal man. The surrounding soldiers advanced and began to slash and cut at the man, but his skin seemed highly resistance to their metal. The giant's skin responded to their weapons as armor. Zeus stepped to his son's side as well as another man. He was clad in thick black leather armor, with a longsword sheathed to his side and an axe strapped to his back. "It seems we missed the fun, father," the man in black said. "The fun's not over yet, brother," Apollo answered. "Ares, come with me. It's time we put your grandfather back where he belongs." Anthony opened his eyes and found himself looking at the horn and reins of his horse saddle. He threw his head up. "You OK?" Artemis asked. "Must've dozed off. Sorry," he replied. "No worries, we're almost there." There was something calming about the clattering of the horses' hooves on the crackled old asphalt. "I still remember seeing this road packed with hundreds of cars. I absolutely loved the ingenuity of mankind," she said. "I've only read about them." "It must be strange to see how they are in pictures and how they are now. They're just shells of what was such a great invention." He didn't know what to say. The world he lived in was much different than the world he has read of. People back then had a myriad of choices. Life was more complex. Now, it's simply live and let live. He remembered hearing stories from the older people in the group that he had grew up with. They spoke of how people used to kill each other for every reason imaginable. What was so confusing about it was that he couldn't imagine a world where people killed each other for any reason. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. "Why people used to kill each other." "A tale almost as old as time. What were you dreaming of?" "How'd you know?" he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You were mumbling. What is a bad dream?" "No... yes... well, I'm not sure. I wasn't even in the dream. I was watching something happen. It felt more like a memory than anything." She slowly nodded her head as their horses continued to walk on the old highway. "What is it?" he asked. "It's been said that Demigods are cursed with visions of their godly parents' past." She seemed to want to say something else, but remained quiet. He cleared his throat, uncomforted by the silence before asking, "Do you have any children?" The uncomfortable silence remained between the two for a few moments before she finally replied, "No." She then quickly added, "We're here." She pointed towards a village similar to Dion. There were hundreds of small white houses with short, sloped red clay rooftops. Most of the homes looked abandoned and riddled with holes. "Heracles is here?" he asked. She nodded while she kept her gaze fixed on the empty village. "My brother always favored small villages as opposed to the large cities." "Why?" "He lived during an age of many, many heroes. Most of those heroes grew vain and remained only in great cities like Thebes and Athens. But Heracles, he always remained humble. This village, Karitsa, and Dion were ones he frequently visited." The ground began to rumble. Cracks made their way through the asphalt of the highway that the two and their horses were standing on. Their horses began to neigh loudly, shifting their feet upon the now unstable ground. Artemis leaned forward, cooing in her horse's ear, but Anthony's horse began turn itself in each direction uncontrollably until suddenly it bucked Anthony off and dashed away from them. The rumbling ceased. "You alright?" she asked. He nodded and quickly brought himself to his feet. "What was that?" "That," she replied quickly staring at something behind him. He quickly turned toward the direction of Mt. Olympus and saw five women. He quickly noticed that the bottom half of each of the women were snake bodies. "What are those?!" he called out. She lept off her horse and unstrapped the bow that was sheathed within her horse's pack along with her quiver of arrows. "They're daughters of Echidna," she replied before pulling an arrow from her quiver and setting it on her bowstring. "Take my sword." "But, I've never -" "GET IT!" she commanded. He quickly went to her horse's pack, pulled the sword from its sheathe. The sword was heavier than he though causing him to grip the hilt with both hands. He clumsily pointed the sword towards the oncoming creatures and asked, "What now?" "The pointy end goes into the monster." He looked at the daughters of Echidna as their got closer. He noticed they were naked. The lower half of their snake bodies were covered in black scales. Their dark brown, speckled skin was covered in dried mud. He noticed their hands had claws and their teeth were jagged and their eyes gleamed yellow with rage and hunger. Instead of hair, their head was covered in the same scales that their snake tales had. "Don't let them eat you," she said before she loosed one arrow. The arrow found its way directly into the eye of the daughter of Echidna that was in the center. The force of the blow sent her flipping back with her snake tale swinging under her and forward. The other four paused to take a look at their fallen sister, then turned back at the two and continued their approach but this time they slithered slowly and spread out. Artemis placed another arrow against her bowstring. "Watch my back. These beasts like to surround their enemy in groups." He nodded as he watched the remaining four spread out so that they were all surrounded. The horse began to neigh loudly against, stomping its feet. It was panicking. He stuck the end of the sword in the ground before taking hold of the loose reins. He began to gently pat the side of the horse's neck and cooed in its ear as he saw his aunt do. "Anthony!" she called out. He grabbed the sword as the four daughters resumed their approach from all four directions. She loosed another arrow, but creature she aimed at dodged it. She pulled two long daggers from another sheathe in her horse's pack after strapping her bow to herself. One creature leapt towards Artemis. In response, she charged forward, hurdled over the advancing creature. She quickly strapped two daggers to her belt, grabbed her bow and an arrow, and loosed it towards the creature that advanced. It turned quickly, but didn't move fast enough as the bow found it's way into the creature's head. The other serpent swiped at Artemis' connecting with her shoulder. Artemis tumbled back and grasped at her left shoulder. It was bleeding, but the wound wasn't deep. She strapped her bow back to her side and unveiled a dagger in each hand. The serpent that stood before her crouched low in preparation of attack. Artemis quickly glanced back at Anthony. He was swiping at them while both were in a crouched position seemingly searching for their attack point. "STAY BACK!" he yelled at them. The serpent by Artemis lunged forward with both her clawed hands ready to swipe and her jagged teeth and forked tongue exposed. She waited till the serpent was close enough and struck forward with her right dagger. The serpent swiped it away. She then struck with her other dagger sending it deep into the serpent's ribs just below one of her very large breasts. The injured creature hissed loudly and grasped at Artemis, digging her claws into the former Olympian. She yelped out until finally the creature died and loosened her grip. "HELP!" she heard Anthony yell out. She quickly turned to find him on his back. One serpent was on top of him, trying to bite and scratch at him as he struggled to keep both from happening. She looked around for the other serpent, but found that it was lying on the floor with the sword buried deep in the space between her neck and shoulder. She grasped her bow, set an arrow to her bow string, but realized she couldn't do it. Her hands were numb. She fell to the ground unconscious. Anthony heard the thump and quickly glanced to see Artemis on the ground. Still struggling, the serpent kept gnashing her teeth at him. Suddenly, the serpent lifted off him. Shocked, he thought they could fly. But no, the serpent wasn't flying. It was being held by something much bigger. Anthony could see a large hand grasp at the serpent's head and watched as it was pulled clean off. The large, hulking man tossed the corpse of the serpent aside and leant a hand out to Anthony. Anthony grasped the large hand and felt himself jerked up to his feet. "You hurt?" the large man asked. Anthony noticed that he stood just above the man's firm stomach. He knew he was considered taller than most, but this man was absolutely gigantic. "Are you hurt?" the man asked again. "I'm fine, but I think my aunt needs help," he replied as he quickly walked over to her. The large man followed, kneeled over Artemis, and picked up her arms. "She's been poisoned," he said before picking her up and placing her on the horse. "We must move quickly." The large man took the reins of the horse and began to walk into Karitsa. "I'm Heracles." "Uncle... Uncle Heracles?" "Heracles is fine," he quickly corrected. All of the homes that were damaged were empty, but as they continued to walk deeper into the village, Anthony noticed that some homes were repaired and could see a few heads peeking through the draped windows. "How many people are there here?" Anthony asked. "About fifty. Mostly women and children with a few farmers." They stopped by a gateless short white clay wall. Heracles attached the reins to the post and picked up Artemis. He walked towards the small house. Anthony followed. The house was just as small as the others they had passed with the same faded red clay roof. The door was actually a very large brown towel that was attached to the top of the inside doorway. The first room was round. To the right was the kitchen and on the opposite side two doors. Heracles opened one door and laid Artemis on the bed. He quickly walked towards the kitchen, opened a cabinet and pulled some small herbs that Anthony didn't recognize. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Anthony asked. "Yes," Heracles replied. He showed Anthony a small flower with many pink petals and short yellow pistils. "I need you to find this Peony flower. It grows randomly in the fields between Kasitka and the plateau of Mt. Olympus. Grab as much as you can find and hurry." "Will she be OK?" "I don't know. Hurry." Anthony nodded before quickly making his way out of the house. After mashing what he had left of his Peony flowers, he headed back to Artemis with the paste in hand. He pulled a stool next to the bed and sat on it. Although the room didn't have any windows, it did have a sunroof. The cloudy glass in the ceiling kept this room always dimly lit and unfavorably cold. He grabbed two finger scoops worth of the paste and rubbed the paste in the wounds on her arms where the serpent creatures had dug their claws. He could see the veins from the wounds turn dark. Someone knocked on the door before he quickly whirled around in response. "Love, it's only me," said the blonde woman. She was wearing an old white t-shirt that she utilized as a dress and old black sandals. Her hair was tattered as if she had just woken up. "Who is that with you?" "Artemis, my sister," he replied solemnly as he placed a hand on her forehead. He noticed that her head was extremely warm before saying, "Get me a damp towel and a bowl of water, quickly." With that, the blonde woman left. Artemis groaned. "Arty? It's me." But she didn't reply. The blonde woman arrived with the damp towel. He took it, squeezed it of any excess water and placed it gently on his sister's forehead. - Just outside of the small village Karitsa, stood an enormous dog-like creature with three heads. Thick saliva drooped from each of the three heads as all three heads were focused on the small village. Its thick black fur was covered with cakes of mud and dried blood and its eyes gleamed with a yellow tint. The large beast was accompanied by two similar creatures, but smaller. One was red and the other brown. "Kerberos, m'lord," said the brown one. "We should strike now." The center of the three heads shook in disagreement. "No, Gaeros," Kerberos replied. "You've heard the stories. Heracles has taken part in destruction of most of my kin. We will attach once the god is alone." "And what of the Demigod?" Gaeros asked. "As we learned from his encounter with the daughters of Echidna, he has no battle skills. We should rid the universe of the last of his ilk," said the red three-head dog beast. "I agree with Kaiphos," Gaeros added. "The godling's time will come," Kerberos replied. "Until then, patience. Our father waited and planned for six thousand years. We can wait a few more days." The Last Demigod Ch. 02 Of Wars With his brown eyes fixed on the growing fire, he knew it was time to hang the pot of beef stew. Once a former Olympian champion, Heracles was reduced to a mortal whose days were shortening ever so quickly. "One thing I've been wanting to ask," Anthony said while lounging on one of the two couches that were placed opposite the fireplace, "how can I be the last Demigod if you're still alive, Uncle Herc?" "I thought I asked you not to call me that," Heracles replied before continuing with, "It's simple. When Demigods die, they're earthly bodies go to the Underworld while our 'souls' become gods on Mt. Olympus." "So there are two of you?" Anthony asked quickly. Heracles began to stir the soup while noticing it had began to boil. He then turned to his nephew and nodded. "Yes." "Why would anyone want to go to the Underworld?" Anthony asked. Heracles paused, turned to look at Artemis, then back at Anthony, but remained silent. Artemis sat up, gripping her right arm that was still healing, and replied, "There have been times. I've never been there, but your father and Heracles have visited the halls of Hades in their time." "Where is Hades?" Anthony asked. "We don't know. He did come to Mt. Olympus' aid during the Third War of the Titans, but after the Olympians failed, all surviving Olympians were thrown from Mt. Olympus randomly across the world," Artemis replied. "It's been sixteen years, though. Why haven't you all found each other yet?" Anthony asked. "As I told you earlier, Olympians age faster on earth. Heracles' and my generation were the youngest. It seems that the older generation, that of my father's, weren't so fortunate," Artemis replied. Heracles cleared this throat before adding, "The only member of our father's generation that I have seen since the destruction of Mt. Olympus was Poseidon. He was with Perseus, who had died from his wounds. That was shortly after we arrived. Poseidon and Perseus had landed near Ancient Troy. I landed on a small island in the Aegean nearby. I found a boat and took it to mainland. From there, I got my bearings." "Where is Poseidon now?" "I do not know." "Okay, Anthony, that's enough questions. It's time to eat," Artemis said before standing up, pulling the stew pot from the fireplace. "Uncle, what happened to that blonde woman?" Anthony asked. "She lives with her two sisters on the other side of town. I visit her every now and then," Heracles replied. "Typical," Artemis added quickly. They all shared a chuckle while preparing their bowls then beginning to eat. "Okay, last question," Anthony said. "What's next?" Heracles and Artemis looked at each other before answering, "We go see Ares and Athena, the gods of war." - CLANG... CLANG... CLANG went the sound of metal crashing on metal. The cavernous room they occupied had walls that were seemingly made entirely of iron. The smell of fire filled the air and the sound of burning was accompanied by the occasional rhythmic clanging of metal. A brawly, stout man with a bushy brown beard and curly short black hair stood by the forge fire raising then hammering on a burning piece of metal. He was flattening the metal, fashioning it into some kind of a weapon. The sound of footsteps began to accompany the sound of the ever-burning fire of the Great Forge of Olympus. "Hephaestus, the great blacksmith!" called out the man who walked in. "Apollo, what brings you to these dark parts?" said Hephaestus as he laid his great mallet down against large black anvil. He used the leather straps on his wrists to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Father has summoned us." "Hrmm," the great Olympian blacksmith replied before continuing his work. Apollo crossed his arms. "Look-." Hephaestus quickly interjected by saying, "The great father of the gods knows where to find the only blacksmith in this realm." "Brother, please. It is a matter of great urgency." Hephaestus glared at Apollo, threw his mallet to the iron floor, and stomped his way towards the exit of the Great Forge. Moments later, the two arrived at the Throne of Zeus greeted by a small gathering of their half-siblings. "Welcome, my children," said Zeus with his arms spread open as he stood atop his throne. By his side, the mother of all gods, Hera. Beside Hera, sat Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis. "Why have you summoned us?" Hephaestus called out after stepping through the small group of gods. "There is trouble lurking beneath Mt. Etna," Ares replied. The tall, muscular god of war stood clad in his black leather and steel armor accompanied by his sheathed longsword and axe that hung at his back. "Of course there is trouble!" Hephaestus replied. "Typhon and Enkelados, two of the greatest threats to the universe, are housed there! And it was you, great father, who decided to put them there!" "ENOUGH!" said Zeus as his voice boomed throughout all of Mt. Olympus. The clouds surrounding the great realm of the Olympians grew grey accompanied by the low rumble of thunder. "You forget to whom you speak." "A fool," Hephaestus replied defiantly. "And an old fool at that." With that, he turned and began to make his way from the throne. "Hephaestus! This isn't about me. It's about your family, your home. Do they mean as little as I do to you?" Hephaestus turned, glaring at his father and replied, "You can go to Tarturus." Each of Hephaestus' siblings gasped at the statement as Hephaestus eventually left. Apollo had wanted to call out, but Artemis held him back, shaking her head while bringing a finger to her lips. Zeus continued to speak, but the words were muffled. "ANTHONY!" Artemis yelled. "ANTHONY!" she repeated. Anthony opened his eyes and threw the blanket off him. He tumbled out the door and into the backyard of the home of his uncle, Heracles. He threw open the back door that led to the kitchen and there stood his uncle and aunt, Heracles and Artemis. "Something wrong?" Artemis asked. "Another vision... dream thing," Anthony replied. "I remember those..." Heracles added. "It's time to go," she said. The three exited the white clay house with their large backpacks swung on each of their shoulders. They carried jerky, water bottles, extra pair of clothes, vials of peony flower, and other small necessities for the trip. "So where to?" Anthony asked. "To Litochoro. Athena has established a base there," Heracles replied. "A base? A base of what?" "Olympians," Heracles said. - "The reign of the Olympians is over. The Second Age of the Titans has begun," said Typhon, the monstrous creature with three heads of a dragon, body of a man clad in black armor, and several serpent tales for legs. "Father, what of the remaining Olympians?" asked Kerberos. "We should finish them off while we have the chance." "No, my child, let them wallow in their pity. Not only have they lost their home and their immortality, they have lost their precious mankind." "And what of your brethren in Tartarus?" "I will..." "Father?" "I hear something..." Below the crumbles of the once palatial throne of Zeus, Apollo was crouched and hidden beneath them. Or so he thought. He tried to step backwards without dragging his feet. He was surrounded by pebbles and shattered glass making his objective of complete covertness all the more difficult. Kerberos turned his three dog heads toward the general vicinity of where Apollo hid. He lowered his three heads to the ground and began to sniff. "MASTERS!" yelled a creature with the lower body of a gigantic spider and the body of a man with four arms. "We've found the escape passage!" "Kerberos, go with Edecras, now!" Edecras and Kerberos dashed out of the ruin of Zeus' throne. Apollo watched Typhon as the great father of all monsters stared upon his destructive victory. "Come out, son of Zeus. I can sense your presence," Typhon said. Apollo leapt from the rubble and attached an arrow to his bowstring. He aimed it at one of Typhon's three dragonheads. "You know better than that, son of Zeus. I'm father of the hydras. Do not be so foolish." "Your other progeny didn't seem to inherit your survival skills." Typhon chuckled. "Unfortunately so. How about you lower you weapon and let us speak titan to god." Apollo loosed the arrow sending it coursing on a directly line to one of Typhon's serpent legs. Typhon let out a yelp as the arrow dug deep and connected with a second serpent leg. Apollo then leapt forward and proceeded to shoot another arrow with Typhon slithering to the side. The great father of monsters seemed to move slower. Apollo loosed another arrow and another. Each one finding it's way into Typhon's serpent legs until finally the great father of monsters fell to his side. "Interesting. You fall so easy to the Master of all Archers," Apollo stated as he attached one more arrow his bowstring and aimed it at Typhon's body. The head of the arrow was blackened with a syrupy substance. "The famed poison arrow of Apollo and Artemis..." Typhon muttered as he lay on the ground. "I've always seen the bow as a cowards weapon. It reminds me of that one cowardly pup of King Priam of Troy. What was his name?" Apollo remained silent. "Whatever his name... the one who downed the mighty Achilles. A sad thing, really. Achilles was mightier than most Demigods but in the end he really was just a man after all. Pity. His body still floats about in the Underworld. What a great Olympian he would have been..." With that, Apollo pulled his bowstring as tight as he could, but before he loosed it he was knocked forward onto his chest. He turned to see who it was... "Ganymede?!" Apollo exclaimed. The young Immortal stood before Apollo in his typical Olympian toga. He had the same wavy long red hair and perfectly round shaped facial features. His eyes were a deep auburn. His physique wasn't that of a soldier, but more of a musician. Anthony opened his eyes again to see the starry sky up above. Who was Ganymede, he wondered. He tilted his head to the right to see Heracles still asleep and then to the left to see Artemis still asleep as well. The fire they had set up for their dinner was already dwindled down to a feint red glow. He sat up slowly so as to not wake his protectors. He recalled the countless times where he lay on the dirt during his younger years. The group he had grown up with called themselves the Nomads. There were twenty-four of them the first time he remembered being able to count and as the years went on their numbers diminished. He was the youngest. The day before he decided to finally leave the group and be on his own, the group was down to seven members. One couple had been stricken with grief after their son, who was a few years older than Anthony, died of a fever. They took their lives a few days after their son's death. He traversed what he knew to be Greece until he wound up in the town of Karissa where there was a larger group of survivors. He continued to ask each and every person he met if they knew anything about a place, person, or thing called Apollo until one man had told him that he would find Apollo in Dion. "Anthony?" Artemis said, still half asleep. "Everything ok?" Anthony smiled and nodded. "Yes, Aunt Art, I was just thinking of how I got to you." She smiled before quickly falling back asleep. Anthony lied back down, cupped his hands beneath his head and tried to find the constellations. The only constellation he knew by heart was of Orion the Hunter. He wondered if Orion ever existed. He chuckled at the thought. He let his mind wander before falling asleep. - Across the stretch of both ancient and modern ruins of Greece, stood a small battalion of twenty-five Olympians and the two gods of war, Athena and Ares. "They should've been here by now," Athena asked. "You give them to much credit, woman," Ares replied. "We should get to the Dias Gate at once." She shook her head in disagreement. "Don't be a damned fool." "You have a better plan?" The goddess of war nodded, "Yes, we wait for Artemis and the Demigod." He scoffed in reply while gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword tightly. "Look at us!" he yelled. He ran his fingers through his greying hair and yelled, "We're getting older!" She quickly stepped right in front of him, within inches of his face. She was just as tall as the god of war and even more deadly than he. "Get ahold of yourself. Now is not the time for self-pity. Go do what you usually do when you're in need of a confidence boost." He turned from her and headed back to the once abandoned house that he had made his residence. The area of Litochoro that Ares and Athena had made their base camp was in the most prestigious area of the small city. The house he chose for himself had originally been built as a three-story manor, but most of the third level was mostly destroyed. As he entered his home, he slammed the large wooden door so hard that the walls along the frames seemed to crackle in response. He turned to gaze at the ceiling above the door with concern. He then realized he was concerned about something so inconsequential. He scoffed. He went up the stairs to his bedroom down the long hall. The house had eight bedrooms though two of them no longer had outer walls. The bedroom he chose was the largest and seemingly retained most of the luxurious furniture that the house's original owners had purchased. His bedroom had two large white wooden doors with golden knobs. He opened the door and found the two nymphs that had stayed with him for the past couple of nights. He realized he was getting tired of them, but maybe one last romp would do. "Wake up," he commanded. Both the nymphs were still nude though under the covers. One of the nymphs had a thin, limber body of a dancer. He could see her long brown hair hanging off the side of the bed where she lay on her stomach. Her name was Ismene. The other nymph, Combe, was quite the opposite. She was slightly muscular and taller than Ismene though still short compared to Ares. She had long black hair, but it was always kept in one tight braid that hung at her back. "Wake up," he commanded again as he slowly pulled the sheets off them revealing Ismene's creamy light complexion and cute round ass. As for Combe, he favored her muscular ass and legs along with the darker color of her skin. He wanted them now. Combe was the first to wake as she turned. Her eyelids were still heavy from sleep as she slowly turned to her back. She waved for him to come to her. He stood to the side of the bed and grumbled. With her eyes still closed, she unzipped his pants, slipped her hands inside and took hold of his huge limp cock. She pulled it from the zipper hole and placed her lips around the soft head of his cock and began to stroke his shaft. Slowly, but surely, his cock began to come to life revealing its true length. She could only fit the head of his cock and maybe four more inches of it into her mouth, but used her hand to keep the rest of the shaft slick with saliva. She began to jack him off quicker as he was now completely erect. He felt himself slowly beginning to sway as he watched his muscular nymph go to work. He realized Ismene was still sleeping. He bent over Combe as she began to slide her lips and tongue along the length of his shaft while fondling his scrotum. He slapped Ismene on the ass hard enough to leave an imprint of his hand. Ismene quickly sat up and turned giving him an irritated glare. He stood up straight and folded his arms. "Come here," he commanded. Ismene slid off the bed, walked around the bed and stepped to his side. He wrapped his muscular arm around her and used his other hand to cup her small breast as he slid his tongue in and out of her mouth. She pushed away, but he held her firm as he sucked on her upper lip. She continued to try to push away, but he slid his hand down from her breast over her flat belly and slid his middle finger into her pussy. Her indifference seemed to melt away as he began to finger her pussy and play with her clit while Combe continued to slobber on his cock. He then pulled away from Combe and tapped her on the shoulder. She moved so that she was now horizontal to the bed and directly under his scrotum. He nudged Ismene onto the bed so that she was on all fours and on top of Combe. He grabbed just below his the head of his cock and pressed it against the lips of Ismene's wet pussy. He pushed in quickly, forcing Ismene to moan loudly. He reached under Combe's head and pressed it up till her mouth met the bottom of his scrotum. She began to suck at his nutsack while he moved Ismene forward and backward on his cock. He tightened his grip on Ismene's hips and began to buck her forward faster while Combe continued to coat the bottom of his scrotum with saliva. He felt a similar tightening in his scrotum. With that, he pulled his cock out of Ismene, took a step back, and shot his load over Combe's face. He hung the vaginal juice and cum covered mushroom tip over her lips till she began to suck at it. He shuddered as Combe lovingly sucked at the tip of his now sensitive cock. He pulled from Combe and slapped Ismene on her pale cute white ass. "Get out," he said. Ismene stepped over Combe and headed out with Combe following suit. He stripped himself of his armor and clothing and threw himself onto his large bed. Fucking Athena, he thought to himself. He'll show the bitch once it's time for him to use his sword. He'll show her. - After just having finished breakfast, Heracles began to pack up the rest of their items on their horses. Anthony sat staring at the dwindling fire, thinking about nothing. Artemis placed herself beside him. "What memory of your father's did you see last night?" she asked. He shook his head in response. "Don't want to talk about it?" she asked as she wrapped an arm around him. Anthony was taller and wider than she, so her arm only reached to almost his other side. "No, not really." "It could help. Remember that these are actual memories. Anything could help." He sighed and finally answered, "Apollo... my father was in Mt. Olympus. It seemed like it was just destroyed and he attacked Typhon. But he found that they were betrayed." She pulled away from in surprise and asked, "Betrayed? How do you know?" "I don't know. When these memories happen, it's like I am my father. I... he felt betrayed." "By who?" "Someone by the name of Ga..." "ARM YOURSELVES!" Heracles quickly interjected. She jumped to her feet and looked in the direction Heracles was pointing. It seemed to be a pack of large dogs but each of them had three heads. "Offspring of Kerberos!" she called out as she ran to her horse, unstrapped her bow and quiver, slung the quiver over her head and shoulder and grabbed an arrow. "Sword!" Heracles called out. "Grab a sword!" he commanded to Anthony. Anthony was already at his horse as he grabbed the longsword that Heracles had given him. He grabbed the hilt of the sword with two hands and stood in line with Artemis in the middle of the two men. She loosed her an arrow and struck one of the six oncoming beasts. The arrow went through one of its heads, but didn't seem to slow it down even though that head drooped as the beast continued to run out. She loosed another arrow, and another till the beast tumbled to the floor dead. "CHARGE!" Heracles commanded as he ran forward. Anthony followed suit. Two of the beasts leapt at Heracles. He swiped at the nearer one, cutting two of its heads off and tumbled away from the second. Anthony swiped at one dog beast, but it evaded him. The other three seemed to want to attack Artemis. She continued to loose her arrows. One hit a dog beast in the eye, then in the leg, and then in the body, but still it continued on. The Last Demigod Ch. 02 He chased after the beast that was slowed by Artemis' arrows. It sensed him near, turned, and crouched low in defense. He set his feet and yelled, "COME ON!" The beast leapt forward and he slashed in response. His blade connected with one of the heads slicing it off, but the unharmed head snapped at his leg. The fangs left a long shallow cut along the length of his thigh. He stumbled back. The dog beast in front of him only had one working head left. It crept low and began to circle him. He kept his blade between both him and the beast until finally the beast lunged. He stepped to the side, turned, and cut the beasts head off. "HAH!" Anthony called out. He then turned to see Artemis defending herself with her two long daggers against one dog beast. He then saw Heracles with the two beasts in each of his hands. "BEAST!" he yelled out with his own thundering voice. The one by Artemis saw its brethren and retreated. She sheathed her daggers and set an arrow to her bowstring and aimed. "No," Heracles said. "Kerberos has showed his hand. Let him know that the son of Apollo will not be so easily defeated," he finished with a smile. Artemis slapped Anthony on the back of his shoulder. "Nice job." The three regrouped and sheathed and packed their weapons. All then remounted their horses and continued to head towards Litochoro with Heracles at the front. "Hey," Artemis called out to Anthony. "What were you going to tell me about your dream?" "Oh, oh yeah," he replied. He suddenly couldn't remember. He was feeling sick. "You ok?" she asked. "Yeah... no, I..." he said before he felt off his horse. "HERC!" she called out. He turned to see Anthony on the floor as she jumped off and was at his side. She inspected his person and found the slash that the dog beast had left him. "Shit. We have to find shelter," she said. Heracles nodded. He picked Anthony up, placed him on his horse. The two remounted with Anthony's horse's reins in Heracles' hands. "I know a place," he said. - The streets of Mt. Olympus were filled with every single god, goddess, nymph, Immortal, and muse. The heavenly city was filled with chanting and praise as Zeus, the father of all the gods, stood atop the podium just within the gates of Mt. Olympus. The golden gates were wide open as the greatest hero of that time stepped in for the first time as a god, Heracles. "Welcome, my son!" Zeus said as his voice boomed over the loud chanting of the hundreds gathered. Heracles was greeted by each of the hundreds of extended family and friends. He recognized gods he had fought alongside, his half-siblings, and demigods who had also died and become gods like him. He slowly made his way to where Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athena, Artemis and Hades stood waiting to greet their newly arrived Olympian. "Welcome," they all said in sync though he noticed Hera and Ares seemed to hold some disdain. Apollo was the first to greet him, followed by Artemis. "Welcome, brother," Apollo said. Heracles grasped Apollo's forearm in greeting, "I can't tell you how honored I am to meet the god of the Son." Artemis pushed in between the two and wrapped his arms around Heracles before yelling, "Herc! You finally made it!" Heracles laughed. "How long has it been?" "Thirty mortal years, I think," she replied. "Looks like you two have a lot of catching up to do," Apollo said as he turned before giving Heracles one last pat on the arm. He began to head back towards his residence as he passed his father, Zeus. Zeus stopped him by grabbing gently at his shoulder. "Tis a fine day," Zeus said followed by a hearty laugh as the gods and goddesses surrounding Heracles uncorked their bottles of wine. "Fine day it is, father," he replied as he continued to walk. He squeezed in between the crowd as they all flowed in the opposite direction until finally he was able to walk without being bumped. Moments before he arrived at his palace, he saw both Hera and Ares conversing just outside Ares's home. It gave him pause, but he shook off the thought. A stinging suddenly gripped hold of him. Anthony opened his eyes and grabbed at his leg. He saw Heracles and Artemis sitting beside him. "What... what happened?" he asked. His head felt hot and heavy. The pain in his leg was unbareable. "Everything's fine," Artemis said. "But my... my leg..." "It's healing. We were able to use the peony flower in time," Heracles said. "Rest." Anthony nodded his head as he tried to calm himself. Both Artemis and Heracles stood up and left the small cave that they had used as shelter for Anthony. "You heard him right, didn't you?" Artemis said. Heracles nodded. "Hera and Ares." "Still don't know why father stayed with that psychotic wench," Artemis said. "It's not something we should be concerned about. We're running out of time, Artie." "I know, but we can't travel while he heals." "We may have to. We won't be around for long and who knows how long Athena can keep Ares idle?" "She may hate him, but she knows how he is. She made sure the collect as many nymphs and muses as she could find." Heracles shook his head. "We have to go now." She sighed. "At least give him the night." He placed his thumb to the side of her eye and gently brushed her wrinkles. "We're almost out of time," he said solemnly. She nodded. Artemis went to Anthony while Heracles prepared the horses. He then went into the cave, picked up Anthony and placed him on Artemis' horse. Artemis then hopped on in front of Anthony and had him lay on her. "Let's go," Heracles said. The three continued on. It would be another entire day before Anthony finally opened his eyes. They were a mere hours from arriving at Litochoro, but Heracles knew the horses needed the rest. They sat camp on a small hill over looking the valley that held the small city they were venturing to. "What's the plan when we get there?" Anthony asked. "Once we meet the Olympians, we will escort you to the Dias Gate," Artemis answered. "What's that?" "The Dias Gate was created by Zeus so that gods and lesser gods, such as nymphs and muses, could travel easily from Mt. Olympus to Earth and back," she replied. Anthony noticed Heracles was focused on their immediate surrounding area and not on their conversation. He wanted to hear his input, but figured it would be best not to bother him with questions. "How did Zeus travel?" he asked. "My father would transform into a giant eagle and fly." "That's all you have to be able to do, fly?" She chuckled. "You also have to be an Olympian. But essentially, if you were an Olympian and you could fly, then you could travel as the god of lightning." "Who else can fly?" She grasped her chin with her forefinger and thumb. "Hmm, good question. The only other god that could fly that comes to mind is..." "Hermes," Anthony quickly answered. "Nice! Did you see him in your dreams?" He nodded. "I saw him save you and my father." She smiled. "He was a great hero," she said solemnly. "What happened to him?" "We don't know. Last time we saw him, he was with your father," she replied as she stared at the ground seemingly caught in a thought. He didn't want to say anything more. He could see how worried she was about her father. And Hermes apparently. The next morning, they arrived at Litochoro shortly after the sun rose. They were greeted by Athena, the goddess of war. Athena smiled and warmly embraced both Artemis and Heracles at the same time. "This is Anthony, son of Apollo," Artemis said as she brought Athena to Anthony. "Welcome, Anthony" the warrior goddess said as she wrapped her arms around Anthony. She was a bit taller than he and he could feel the muscles of her arms and shoulders as she hugged him. "Where is Ares?" Heracles asked. "You know your brother. Always the last to rise," Athena said. Heracles nodded. "I'll go fetch him. We must leave at once." "That we must," Athena replied. "I'll muster the rest of the Olympians. We should be leaving shortly." With that, she left. "How long will it take us to get to the Dias Gate?" Anthony asked Artemis. "It's located in the physical Mt. Olympus of Greece. We should arrive no later than nightfall." "What do we do when we get there?" "There's an ancient fountain that was created by Gaia, mother of all life, that sustained the realm of Mt. Olympus. It runs on substance like water called ambrosia. Mortals referred to it as the nectar of the gods." "You're saying a fountain on earth powered Mt. Olympus?" She nodded. "Is that so surprising? Mother Gaia created earth before mankind ever existed. Before Mt. Olympus existed, the Fountain of Gaia was simply a fountain that flowed with ambrosia." "What was the purpose of ambrosia before Mt. Olympus was created?" "That I don't know," she chuckled. "I'm sorry for all the questions..." She lovingly wrapped an arm around him and said, "Don't ever be sorry for that. Your inquisitive nature only means that you're very intelligent. I don't know if you know this, but your father was also considered the wisest Olympian to ever have existed. You remind me so much of him." That made him smile. "So if Mt. Olympus was destroyed, what happened to the Fountain of Gaia?" "It stopped running. There was a link of ambrosia between Mt. Olympus and the fountain. When Mt. Olympus was destroyed, it stopped flowing." "So what we need to do is get it running again..." "Exactly." "Why wasn't this done before?" He paused and then asked, "Do we have any ambrosia?" She smiled. "We do have some, yes. The last bit of it. And this wasn't done before because when Mt. Olympus was destroyed, we became mortal and mortals cannot set foot in Mt. Olympus. Even if we did use ambrosia to restore the fountain, the children of Typhon would destroy the link again." "What if mortals do go through the Dias Gate?" "They would die," she replied gravely. He nodded his head slowly. "That's one of the reasons we need a Demigod. You have the blood of a god running in your veins making you able to enter Mt. Olympus once the Dias Gate is opened." "And then I have a child with another Olympian..." She didn't answer right away. He noticed a tear well up in her eye. "What is it?" he asked. "I misspoke when I told you that our godhood was restorable. Zeus was called the Father of all gods for a reason. He wasn't technically a father of all the Olympians, but all Olympians were connected through him. He created Mt. Olympus in his image and we came after him. Once Mt. Olympus was destroyed, that link was severed. Even if my father survived the war, he would not be able to set foot in Mt. Olympus." "Wait, wait, I'm lost." "Once you enter Mt. Olympus, you will recreate it as you see fit. All Olympians' links to Zeus and Mt. Olympus were severed once Mt. Olympus was destroyed. But once you create it, all gods after you will be linked to you." "But I'll be the only one. How could I make more gods?" "It's something we've all worried about. We don't know. There were very few times where Zeus had bestowed godhood on a mortal or made a mortal an Immortal, but we don't know how he did it. All I know is we've got to get you to Mt. Olympus." "What about Typhon?" he wondered. "I'm sorry, dear nephew, we can only hope that you will find the power to defeat him." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before finally asking, "Are you sure I'm the last Demigod?" She bit her bottom lip and looked away. "No, we don't know for a certain," answered Ares as him and Heracles came up behind them. "We don't know how many of your mortal women our pervert of a father fucked after you were born. Not to mention the other countless gods who fornicated with your kind." Heracles turned and sent his large fist into Ares' face, knocking him to the ground. "Still the kiss ass, I see," Ares said as he slowly got up. Artemis turned to Anthony and said, "You're the last one any of us spoke about before Typhon attacked." Heracles nodded. "It's true. Olympians tend to talk about their mortal offspring. It's a type of gossip for them," he added with a shrug. "Let's move out," Athena commanded. Heracles, Ares, Athena, Artemis, and Anthony all gathered at the top of a mound as they watched dozens of Olympians march towards Mt. Olympus. "Do we have a plan?" Anthony asked. "I already told you," Artemis replied. "No, I mean, to deal with Typhon. Wouldn't he be guarding the Dias Gate?" She shook her head. "He doesn't know where it is. He will, however, notice us moving towards Mt. Olympus." "That's what we're for," Athena answered. "We're going to protect you." "So listen to every word I have to say and don't be a hero," Ares added. "Don't mind him. He's always been a fool," Athena said. As Heracles, Athena, and Ares began to move ahead of the Olympians, Artemis tugged at Anthony's arm. "If we run into any trouble, trust your instincts. Remember, you're the son of Apollo," she said. He slowly nodded as they followed the other two.