Divergent Path

Family Old and New

Chapter 11: Family Old and New

Unknown Location

A dozen hulking figures shivered inside of a pitch black dome. They huddled with their backs pressed against the room's encompassing wall, clutching their cloaks tightly to wring out any warmth they could. At the center of the space sat an occupied throne. One would think that in a pitch black room, nothing could be visible, but the central figure exuded such a dark black color that it painted a silhouette that demanded to be seen, even in the absence of light. It spoke.

"Mnemosyne, that demigod has not dreamed of his father in months and we have no new memories to act on. Why?"

The jagged cave walls seemed to want to crumble under the weight of the voice. It was ancient and shakingly deep, sending fearful shudders through occupants of the room. One of the cloaked figures looked up towards the throne, brushing long brown hair aside. Though no one could see, she had soft, kind eyes while the rest of her face was marred by a scowl of disgust pointed towards the center of the room. Mnemosyne did not want to be here a second longer, but she knew to watch her tone to avoid being smited by a primordial.

"I am unsure, my lord," she began as convincingly as she could, "There are certain magics and potions that deny the formation of any dreams for a certain amount of time. That may explain why he has not dreamed of his father and been drawn into your realm for me," she said dutifully.

Mnemosyne couldn't have known for sure, but assumed it must be something along those lines.

Clever boy. If we both live following this prophecy, I hope to meet you properly, Percy Jackson, she thought to herself.

"That is most disappointing, niece. For I as well as for you. If he does not dream again soon, I will have no use for you and you will die. And if you played a hand in this development, I will do far worse."

The cavern shook more violently for a moment before returning to stony silence. Mnemosyne's expression contorted into a deeper look of hate, but fear escaped her eyes at the very credible threat. The rest of the occupants shifted uncomfortably in the following silence before a new voice spoke.

"My lord, you have very graciously brought back many titans to serve you, but not all of us. When will you be returning Lord Kronos?" The voice was Krios, Titan of the South.

"I would revive your brother only to kill him. That arrogant child would never kneel, and killing him would turn his brothers against me, leading to your deaths as well. He will not return,"

Krios knew that was true, but he had to ask for his brothers' sake. He adjusted his ram helmet, but didn't get the chance to reply.

"There are not only Titans in this room. But among those that are, you, Krios...

The titan shifted again, tense.

"Perses...

Another figure grunted through gritted teeth, bulging muscles contracting and expanding as he angrily stared into the nothingness.

"Hyperion...

The Lord of the East glared at the being in the center of the room. The titan wore his golden armor underneath his cloak but didn't dare allow it to glow, sure the light would be snuffed out by the otherworldly monster in front of him.

"And Oceanus, was my judgment wrong to only require you all."

The deity did not pose that as a question. He stood from his throne, rising to a height of nearly 40 feet. He verbally beckoned for Oceanus to join him, and the massive merman shifted his bottom half to humanoid legs to walk behind the towering primordial.