The Prince of Olympus || The Lightning Thief

Prologue

A dimly lit corridor. Exquisite works of art hanging from the walls. An amethyst colored carpet adorned the marble floor. Mosaics of battle littered the ceiling, faintly illuminated by millions of glowing pixies spread along the hallway. At the end of the corridor, there lay a magnificent door.

Για έναν άνθρωπο να κατακτήσει τον εαυτό του είναι η πρώτη και ευγενέστερη από όλες τις νίκες - Πλάτωνας

These were the words that were carved into the marble above the grand obsidian doorway. A rough translation being, "For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories - Plato." On the other side of the intricate designs on the doors was a room so vast that it took a good minute of walking for a normal being to be able to see what lay at the other end. Every single inch was deemed as perfection in terms of decoration. Nonetheless, the crown moldings on the floor and ceiling, the plush carpet, the grand chandeliers, the artwork on the walls, the murals, the columns, the arches, and sculptures paled in comparison to the magnificent throne at the far end of the room, parallel to the obsidian doors.

Perched on the arm of the throne was a man. A man that radiated power. His violet eyes were solely focused on a blonde woman sitting on the throne, cradling a child no older than a few months. The woman's sapphire eyes twinkled as she watched the little girl in her arms reach out to tug on her curls. The man and woman seemed to be ignorant to all else as they watched their daughter assess the throne room while attempting to pull on her mother's hair. It appeared that all was right in the world. Until it wasn't.

The obsidian doors were slammed open by a girl, no older than 16, her brown curls bouncing as she purposefully advanced towards the throne.

"Mom, Dad," she said as she nodded at the man and woman on the throne, her pale blue eyes settling on the baby girl almost instantly.

"Ananke dear, thank you for coming so quickly," the woman said as she handed the baby in her arms to her husband and stood to embrace her older daughter.

"Of course," Ananke replied, a small smile on her face as she returned her mother's hug.

"How's Chronos?" the man asked as he settled on the seat of the throne, cradling the infant to his chest.

Ananke's eyes lit up, "He's excited to meet the newest addition to the family."

The man chuckled as the woman smiled fondly.

"Well, should we get started?" the woman asked.

"Yes," the man mumbled as he handed the infant to Ananke.

Ananke closed her eyes and started mumbling quietly as the little girl in her arms cooed. The man grasped the woman's hand tightly as a faint silver light began to emit from Ananke. The light brightened until it was blinding, until it disappeared completely. Ananke let out a deep breath, heaving as if she had just run a marathon. She furrowed her eyebrows, obviously confused.

"W-what's wrong?" the woman questioned, gently taking the little girl out of Ananke's arms.

"Patience Harmony, let her catch her breath, looking in the future can be taxing," the man murmured, attempting to reassure his wife despite his own distressed expression.

The woman, Harmony, nodded as she worriedly ran a hand through her blonde hair.

Eyes flickering with uncertainty, Ananke's breathing slowed. She met the violet gaze of her father, unwavering. "Are you certain you wish to know?"

"Yes," there was no hesitation in her father's response, his knuckles whitening as he clenched the arms of his throne.

"Very well," Ananke's pale eyes began to glow faintly as she took a deep breath, bracing herself for her father's reaction to the news she was about to share. "Though she is destined to be Queen, Andromeda is not fated to be the heir you seek, father. Your successor is not somebody who holds a direct bond with you."

The man's shoulders slumped, his violet eyes flashing with bewilderment and rage.

Harmony paled, "Chaos, what does this mean?" she asked her husband.

Chaos had no response. He looked Ananke straight in the eye, conveying an unspoken question.

"It's quite difficult to understand the inner workings of fate, but I do know that the heir to the cosmos has already been chosen by Fate itself," Ananke whispered.

"Who?" Harmony whispered.

"He has already been conceived, but is yet to be born."

Chaos's eyes gleamed, hope filling them once again. "Oh?"

Ananke's eyes turned a glowing white as she stared into her father's eyes, giving him access to her mind and allowing him to see visions of a child with jet black hair and sea-green eyes. "Any interference will alter the futures of all Pantheons, including ours."

The man raised an eyebrow, "And without?"

In response, flashes of a black-haired boy holding a blade of bronze, facing against monsters old and new, filled his mind. "He was born to be extraordinary, to be reckoned as a legend amongst his kind, as he is fated for greatness."

"And his destiny?"

"To be determined, your actions now will change the path he takes towards his fate, they will change the order of the world, retribution will be demanded, but ..."

"But what, Ana, answer me!" Chaos uttered, frustration evident in his features, as he ran a hand through his soot-black hair. 

"You will have an heir, balance to be restored, and she will be safe."

Chaos let out a heavy sigh, "How do I change his destiny then?"

Ananke's eyes stopped glowing, "Fate has provided an opportunity, you must claim him before he crosses over into the land of the living."

Chaos looked at his infant daughter, asleep in her mother's arms and smiled sadly. "So be it."

A blinding flash of light engulfed the room, waves of power emitting from the Lord of the Cosmos as he snapped his fingers and claimed his successor, the future King of All.