"...We will continue to smoke out these radicals until there is none left! Nothing and no one will harm this kingdom and it will stand as it has since the dawn of time! I promise you this in Chaos' name!"
Kylian Snow's voice reverberates through the gargantuan crowd of civilians down from the balcony he was located. The clamour that generally followed such a large body of thousands was absent, all in the gathering were engrossed in the handsome young man's captivating speech.
"They have brutally massacred one of ours. We will retaliate! We will not let them bully us into submission! We will not capitulate to their savagery! We will not relinquish our right to live free from those who wish us harm. My fellow Cruxiians, tell your neighbours, your families, yourselves to raise and oppose the Jymesh infiltration of our planet. Chaos will not bend so nor will we!"
With that, the crowd roar and bellow in approval and appreciation. Many thrust their fist up in the air. Others proudly wave the Cruxiian flag high for all to see. The flag is composed of a red background with a fierce, sharp looking black crown planted in the middle. Some others carry their enthusiastic kids on their shoulders.
But everyone yelled with the same love and pride for their planet, Crux.
Kylian smiles and waves at the adoring multitude before disappearing into the room behind him.
Once he is out of the public's eyes his smile disappears, making way for a sullen look on his face.
A uncannily beautiful man lounges completely calm and relaxed on one of the two crimson couches facing each other, in the small pristine, white room. He looked timeless. Like he could be anywhere from his 20's to 60 with ageless eyes like constellations and an exquisite golden crown that contrasted with his glowing silver-white hair. His timeless looking skin was the colour of charcoal, Kylian knew that this was a result of the accumulation of the remnants from dead planets and galaxies.
"That should have hopefully stopped more panic from spreading." Kylian declared.
"Very good. We've got a week to wipe out the Jynesh. This time they've went too far." Chaos rose up skillfully revealing his golden armour and the sword in a scabbard at his side concealed by his large kingly cloak.
"You'll be going with the Tribs?" Kylian's coal eyebrows lifts up in surprise. The Tribulations were the third and last bisector in the Perservance sector of the Chaotic Army. The soldiers were trained to wreck chaos and destruction. Their missions involved destroying cities or planets. Occasionally they can fight battles but it was a rare thing. Chaos has never intervened during their missions. Lhymes was a trusted friend and advisor of Chaos. Everyone knew this. But Kylian didn't see revenge as a reason why he would follow Tribulations on this mission to destroy the Jynesh. Chaos was all about ruling your emotions and never acting out of them. If he fought, he would be fighting out of anger, going against what he taught Kylian.
"No. I'm off completing a separate task."
Kylian immediately understood what was meant.
"Will I or the company be coming with you?"
Do you need me to kill some people?
"Neither. I want you to stay here and take care of the city, continue being Kylian Snow for a little while longer. I've got things to take care of. Personal things"
Kylian was curious now. What could be so important that Chaos himself had to sort it out?
"Make sure Lhymes's funeral is a public affair. I want the public to know just how much we've lost."
Kylian nods with understanding.
"And how long will your grace be gone?"
"I'm not certain. But be vigilant cause there might will be something bigger than the Jynesh to worry about."
This caught Kylian's attention as his sea green eyes widened slightly.
Chaos worried about something bigger than the potential unmasking of the mythical planet of Crux, his seat of power?
"But as for now, I bestow permission for the Wicked Company to silently assist Tribulation."
Kylian smiles at that, a real authentic smile.
Chaos nods his head in response. "Make them regret that I ever created them."
"Nothing less." Kylian bows before exiting the room. "Safe travels, your grace."
After travelling through an array of twists and turns in the same building, Kylian finally reaches a set of double doors. He pushes them open and almost immediately the sound of the clashing of swords and other weaponry welcomes him. The doors opened to a gigantic hall with walls filled with every weaponry you could think of, a gym looking area at the left side and towards the right was a higher platform.
On this higher platform, two people stood; a young, dark haired girl struggles to lift a longsword that looks nearly twice her height. Her small tanned forehead scrunched up in concentration. Facing her, the tall, muscular man sporting a small trimmed blonde beard on his face. The man, in about his mid twenties, crouched down in a fighting position and carried a similar looking sword to the young girls. He looked about his mid twenties.
Kylian slowly takes in the scene.
"Essence won't take you back so you fight a little girl. Not exactly a very fair fight."
The man, Alexios turns his head almost lazily to the door Kylian leans on with his arms crossed.
"Who says life is fair?"
"I do." He uncrosses his arms and stood up straighter.
"When it concerns my daughter."
Alexios smiles amused, a smile Kylian returns with ease.
" Daddy!" The young girl drops the sword only noticing her father's presence now. Her formerly concentrated face breaks into a wide toothy smile. She rushes to Kylian with her arms wide open.
Kylian gladly lifts her off her feet with a faux tired grunt and hugs her.
"How are you today, sweetheart? And how was planet Zorax?" Kylian smiles at the young child in his arms.
The girl's dark blue almost violet looking eyes light up and she begins to rant about her short weekend at the rainbow planet.
Kylian nods half listening, half thinking about Chaos's approval with working with Tribulation. He remembered the last time the company was employed to shadow the Tribulation. It ended with blood and fire and the Tribs never even knew the Wicked Company was there.
As they should never.
The Wicked Company is considered a myth to everyone who's heard of them. Chaos has yet to introduce the universe to the company. He had his reasons though, Chaos doesn't do anything do witho-
"Can we?" Arden looks up with hopeful violet looking eyes. Her features almost exactly mirrored her father's when she wasn't smiling.
"I'm sorry, love. What was that?"
She frowns slightly. "Can we go see the big fishes."
Kylian sighs.
"I have very important stuff to do today. Maybe another day."
He despised seeing her face drop with disappointment. "I promise. For now I'm going to need to talk to Alex."
He gives Alexios a pointed look which he comprehends immediately.
Alexios picks up both swords and settles it on the wall with a slight clank.
He grabs a towel and wipes his face and hands before letting it dangle from his side. He then departs from the room.
Kylian drops the disappointed girl on the wooden boards, and crouches down to align his face with hers. His hands grasp at her arms.
"Arden, please wait here. We'll be back in a minute. Try not to do anything dangerous."
Arden pouts but nods.
Kylian straightens up and slightly squeezes her shoulder before retiring from the room.
Alexios leans against the wall in the long empty corridor, he shoots Kylian a weary, grim smile.
"We will be following the Tribs."
Kylian gets straight to the point. He believed that there was no point in wasting time. The company should be preparing now.
A look of incredulity appears on Alexios' face and his blue eyes widens.
"Have you called the company yet?"
"No just you." Kylian pauses. "You're in a.. I mean you seem better."
Alexios sighs displaying tired creases on his face and takes a deep breath before answering.
"We need to go.. for our sakes." For Lhymes'. "I can call up the company and have then in the throne room in half a spell."
Kylian nods. "Excellent. I'll see you there then."
He clasps his hand on Alex's shoulder, comfortingly before entering the room again.
He remembers a time when he used to be slightly envious of Alex's ability to be able to successfully avoid the agony of loss by distractions. And in turn accept his loss and move on from it. That was before he looked closer and realised that the agony was always there he was just good at carrying it. Every time when Kylian glanced at Alex's eyes, he saw pain caused by the guilt of May Castellan's death, the demigods in the second titan's war and countless other deaths. Lhymes' death will just be another burden for him to carry. Everyday, Kylian was sorry he couldn't do anything to lessen the burden of the man who had grown to be like a brother to him.
Arden gasps and drops the knife she was spinning around on the floor. Hastily, she picks it up and hides it behind her back.
Kylian holds out a hand, expectantly. Guiltily, the young girl delicately and with caution places the knife in his outstretched hand.
With expert skills, Kylian twists the knife in his fingers, examining it. It was surprisingly light. The blade was black and made out of obsidian. Both sides were slightly serrated. The handle was bound with Deryl wood, a hard but light substance from a rare tree only found at Crux.
"Nice blade." He glances back at the guilty looking girl. "Where'd you get it?"
As Arden opens her mouth to speak, Kylian lifts a finger to stop her. "Uh uh. No more lies. Just the truth."
She looks at him with disbelief. "But I didn't even say anything."
It was always the defiant tilt in her chin and the glint that appeared in her dark eyes that gave her away.
Just like me...
Before.
He waits.
Her gaze turns downwards.
"Alex gave it to me. But he made me swear not to tell you." Of course he did.
Kylian sighs and glances back at the knife.
"Please don't be mad at him!" Arden pleads.
"I'm not." He hands the blade back to his daughter. I am going to kill him. Wicked companion or not
She gazes at him confused but takes the knife back.
"I can help you use the knife if you want me to."
The girl's violet eyes lit up in excitement. "Really."
Kylian smiles. "Yes. Really." He narrows his eyes.
"But just don't tell your mother."
"I swear on Queen Bubblemint's life?" She solemnly lifts her hand to her chest as she swears on her favourite book characters life. Once again, the uncanny resemblance between her father and herself was even more apparent when her face became solemn.
"Good. We should wait for your mother. But in the meantime.." Kylian pulls out a chocolate coin from behind her ear and hands it to her.
Arden gave him a pointed look that always reminded him of her mother. "I'm not two anymore. Even I know how to do that."
Kylian almost laughs at the transition Arden heedlessly made from looking like him to her mother.
As if answering to his call, the said person entered the room; A young, petite looking woman with elfish features and dark hair. Her eyes shone a dark blue that almost looked violet and her ears were slightly pointed. She wore a loose tunic, with a belt around the waist, that accented the dips and curves of her figure.
"Kylian.." She started, her eyes widen in surprise.
She hesitates for a split second before composing herself.
Kylian swiftly straightens up and clears his empty throat with a cough before settling with a slight nod.
"Princess."
"I was expecting Alexios, my lord."
"I had to let him go, confidential matters."
Once again, The princess is hesitant. "I.. I apologise for Lhymes' death. He was just as close to me as he was to my father."
"Yes. I recall. But, my princess, you have nothing to apologise for."
"Of course." Her legs were turned towards the door anxious to leave.
Leave me again, He thinks bitterly.
Her hands outstretch to Arden. Kylian glances back to the girl. The knife was already hidden. Kylian sees the barely noticeable outline of knife on her boots. Clever girl.
Arden embraces her father before running off to her mother. The princess shoots Kylian a tight smile before exiting the room.
Kylian inhales deeply, remembering back to a time when the princess couldn't even make herself talk to him.
At least now she could have a ten second conversation without running.
He glanced down at his watch he had 20 minutes to change out if his all black morning clothing and get down to the
throne room.
Two stoic, rigid, guards solemnly stand at the huge, white, arched double doors, dressed head to toe in army green and roughly the same height. They both wore a sharp mask that covered half their face.
They both nod in respect at Kylian, who nods back before they open the doors. Kylian was dressed head to ties in red, the traditional Tribulation colour. But he had a dark cloak blocking anyone from seeing his clothing. If Kylian Snow was to be seen in clothes normally used by those of the Tribulation sector, by those who are employed to destroy cities, countries and planets, there would be a lot of questions asked. The crimson red clothing was necessary because Kylian was going undercover.
The heavy doors creak with effort as they're pulled open.
A long, dark hallway greets him, the width about two houses long and the length... Kylian couldn't even see the ending. The only thing that kept him from being blinded completely were the moving pictures that adorned the walls. Each video shone a bright almost blinding golden colour. Various events and stories throughout history were told through golden threads. Kylian watched as they formed a man with a crown made of bones and whip in his head and thin people bowing before him, bound together by chains.
Crestof. Slavers king of Persenc, when Persenc was known as a slave planet.
The scene changes to a baby wrapped in dirty white cloths. Kylian could almost hear it's cries.
He knew this story very well. The child would grow up to be the saviour of the Persenc race, casting away their bonds and creating a new name for them.
Finally Kylian reaches the bottom of the long corridor and the heavy double doors automatically opens. The doors had no handles and didn't open for everyone, only those worthy. In fact if you tried to push them open you would be mercilessly fried on the spot.
As they separate, Kylian meets a stark contrast to the dark hall he had just been in. The throne room was dome shaped. Although it was day outside the ceiling was adorned with a night sky with silver stars that looked so close you could almost see their shapes. Even though the sky was dark, the walls were so white they lit up the room. At the far end of it all on a much higher platform, there was a large throne as dark as obsidian, planets and constellations and stars moved slowly around it. If you stared at it for so long it would feel as though you were falling through space. Two rows of about twenty pillars divided the room in three. The middle sector, the largest, leading directly to the throne.
Twelve smaller thrones were placed around the side of the large room. Each etched with assorted images and moving pictures. Each held its own uniqueness that made it different from the next.
In the middle of all this was, Five young people; two boys and three girls all dressed in crimson red. Alexios was one of them. Two of them sat on the floor, leaning against pillars. They all looked like they were in their twenties. Some looked younger, down to about 17.
Immortality.
They all turn to glance at Kylian, his footsteps echoed in the throne room.
"You're late." One of the boys observed, his voice also echoing in the large room. He had bizarre pitch black hair, as dark as night itself. His gaze didn't leave the ceiling that he had been staring at when Kylian came into the throne room.
"What you couldn't find the right shade of red." Alex japes with a small, mischievous smile.
Zeke's lips twitch slightly.
Kylian scoffs, unamused.
The room descends into a deep silence again, waiting.
Kylian takes this time to observe them all;
Zeke continued to stare at the ceiling, his pale golden eyes unreadable. His 'dark as night' hair muffled like he just hopped out of bed which was strange because Kylian never saw his hair uncombed not once. He wore a crispy red shirt and red cargo pants, looking like a proper Trib.
Sienah stood in a long V necked black dress, a long slit travelled up from her thigh down to her ankle where the dress ended. Her long dark leg pokes out of her dress skirts. The material was so thin, Kylian could see the shadow of her legs through her dress.
She leans against a pillar in an almost seductive way, her long white hair pressed against the pillar. She throws a wink at Kylian's direction as she catches him examining her. Her indigo coloured eyes twinkled.
Kylian ignores her and glances at Idra who sat cross legged on the floor with a laptop on her lap. She typed vigorously, her piercing blue eyes behind glasses that reflected her laptop screen. Her pale white hand reaches for the coffee that was beside her on the floor. Kylian noted that she didn't look up not once when he came into the room.
Alexios stood hands in his pocket, waiting solemnly. He shots Kylian another weary smile. He too was dressed in red but covered in black, similar to Kylian. His blonde hair was combed.
Kylian wouldn't have thought anything was wrong if not for his expressive blue eyes. They told him everything.
His sadness shone out of them Yet he looked the most casual out of all of them except for maybe Sienah. She always looked casual.
Matthias on the other hand looked terrible. His pale sky blue hair uncombed, his normally tanned face so pale it looked almost translucent. His head was down and his hand was fidgeting with a rubex cube.
He never did take loss well.
Matthias cursed loudly as he threw down a now completed rubex cube. He runs shaky fingers through his hair, making it even messier than before if that was even possible.
They all glance at him, all except Zeke who's gaze never left the ceiling.
Nobody says anything.
No one wants to address the depressing, quiet atmosphere with its proper name.
Mourning.
Soon the silence is broken by the entrance of another guard dressed in the same army green but without a mask and a woman. She enters the room from a door that seemed to have materialised out of nowhere.
"Chaos wants to see you before you go." She announces.
Idra and Zeke both stand and we all make our way to the maskless guard who stood holding the door open.
She nods at Kylian as he passes through first.
"Zion." Greeting him with the name true to his nature was seen as a form of respect.
He nods back. "Koren."
Kylian notices wisps of her dark hair coming out of her normally neat bun and a satisfied glint in her eyes. Her green shirt was crinkled. He hides his smile of amusement.
She does take her job of being Chaos's personal guard rather seriously.
A Very Long Time Ago
My name is Percy Jackson. And I'm pretty sure for the first time in my unlucky miserable life, I'm feeling truly safe and having the finest months of my demigod life.
I have wonderful friends who I would trust with my life and die for.
I have friends who have miraculously come back from the realm of hades. I have this beautiful, smart girlfriend, that I love very much and am looking forward to going to college with. My mom recently gave birth to a girl named Andromeda.
I am content with my life.
Especially now with my arm around Annabeth, listening to the campfire songs, surrounded by the warmth and love of my friends.
Beside me Leo stands up and begins to dramatically sing out to a red faced Calypso.
Under my arm I feel vibrations from Annabeth's laughter. Her laughter joins mine as well as many others.
Across from me, The flickers of light from the campfire casted a shadow on Rachel Dare's face, making her seem otherworldly.
I smile at her.
She doesn't smile back. For some reason. Her face is serious and almost scary looking.
Suddenly her back jolts up like somebody sharply kicked her or something. Her head lifts up to the starry night sky. The deep breath she takes fills up her whole being. I could see it from where I sat.
Her eyes flicker a bright red as her head tilts down again.
My eyes begin to furrow in confusion and worry. Why did her eyes flash red?
Familiar green mist begins to pour from her mouth.
"Rachel!" I call whether to her or to get everyone else's attention I don't know.
Everyone notices and it all turns silent. The oracle was slowly possessing Rachel and becoming her.
I unconsciously tighten my grip on Annabeth and mentally repeat a prayer unsure to whom I was praying to; Don't let it be about us. Please don't let this be about us. Please don't...
Rachel's back jolts forward and her head shoots up again with a loud gasp. Some campers move to support her, the ones who were used to seeing occurrences like this.
I was still frozen, my mantra still in repeat.
After what felt like aeons, the oracle's mouth opened and she begins to sprout her next prophecy.
"After the moon becomes the dawn
Before the final battle is won
A legend's myth, an old wife's tale
A hero's tide will burn and fail"
My heart jumps before spluttering like a car engine running out of fuel. Or in this case like a hero running out of bravery.
"...The life of the thief was always a lie
The son of the shaker shuts his eyes to divine
But if he shows his face to those above
Then others will reign with hate, no love
The empire of gods will rise and fall.
The chains of destiny wrapped around all."
One she finishes and Rachel returns to her body.
The only thing heard is the soft evening breeze and the crackle of the flames. Even Annabeth went stiff underneath my arm
Rachel looks straight at me, almost panicked and scared at the same time. Tears frozen in her wide blue eyes. Shadows continue to flicker around her face. And for a moment I think she's still the oracle.
"You" She says.
"Perseus."