Days of Atlantis: The Vampire Saga
by Julien Gregg

This is the story of Darias and Ren, two gods born of a human queen. They were born the princes of Atlantis and their lives were nearly destroyed by the Olympian God Zeus. After a lifetime of rape, torture and violence, Darias attacks Zeus and is cursed by Apollo. He can never see the sun again and must hunt humanity for their blood. The vampire is created. Learning of his brother's plight, Ren attacks Zeus, thinking that he is the God who cursed his brother. Ren will be cursed by Artemis. He will be ruled by the moon and be forced to change into a beast who hunts humanity for their flesh. The Forsaken is created. This is their story. Many of the Greek and Egyptian Gods will be featured in this story. I did research, but I felt it was necessary for this story to change certain things about the Gods. This is only a story so please don't try to correct me. This is the beginning of the Vampire Saga. This is how it all began. So just enjoy the ride. This story contains scenes depicting violence, death, murder, torture, rape, homosexuality, heterosexuality, homosexual sex, heterosexual sex and has a strong violent and sexual theme. If it is not legal in your place of residence for you to read this type of material, or if you are offended by this type of material please leave the site now. For all others the chapter links are below.

This story is a work of fiction its characters do not exist outside the story. Any resemblance to living people or places is strictly coincidence. This story is Copyright © 2015 Julien Gregg. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This story contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

Prologue
Atlantis 9458 BC

The sun rose over the beautiful city of Atlantis. It reflected off the polished golden tips of the trident that the three hundred foot statue of Poseidon held in his uplifted right hand, pointing to the sky above him. The city circle gleamed in the morning light, the streets swept clean by the Queen's men the night before. Early morning scents filled the air. A plethora of aromas from the baking bread of the bakeries, the sweet candy in the candy shops, the musky wool as it was sheared from sheep and of course the mouthwatering breakfast being cooked and served at Athena's Cavern, the inn run by Mase Flonce and her husband, Pete who had one eye.

The trumpets sounded from the castle's towers to wake the residents of Atlantis and bid them good morning. Inside the sprawling castle Jer, the royal physician was just coming out of the queen's bed chamber with somber news for Savetor, the queen's consort. Jer was a short man with a bald head, pinched features and sharp brown eyes. He wore the dark robe of the physicians of his order. He stood a full two feet shorter than Savetor's six feet. Savetor was a muscular man who'd first drawn the queen's eye as a teen when he had bested his fellow students on the practice yard with his quarter staff. His blond hair was as fair as the sun, the norm in Atlantis. The queen's own hair was like spun gold. His blue eyes were like the morning sky on a clear day. His body was covered by a long white robe that did nothing to conceal his sculpted musculature. He looked down at Jer with an expectant expression.

"It is as we've feared, My Lord," Jer said in his raspy nasally voice. "The Queen is indeed barren."

"It cannot be so," Savetor said. His voice was deep, the timbre of most of the men in Atlantis. "She is of the direct line of Athena. The Goddess wouldn't abandon her own flesh and blood. Jer, we must have an heir to the Laurel Throne!"

"I beg forgiveness, My Lord," Jer said, bowing his head. "There is nothing that any of us at the order can do for her."

It was well known that Queen Amaila and Savetor had been trying to produce an heir to the throne. The people of Atlantis were waiting with anticipation for the news that their queen was with child. The news that she would never be with child would be reason enough for a lot of them to try to pull her from the throne. It could mean the first civil war in Atlantian history. Savetor closed his eyes and sighed as he thought of it.

He wasn't the only one paying rapt attention to what Jer was saying. Another man stood just behind and to the left of Savetor. To Savetor the man was Borrs, his personal groom. In reality the man was the God Poseidon, the creator of Atlantis and its primary God. He'd taken on the persona of Borrs so that he could be there for this meeting between Savetor and Jer without suspicion and without revealing that the Gods were just as interested in their plight as the citizens of their city and country.

The man who stood beside him, the other groom was Argon. This man thought about what it would mean if the people revolted and killed their Queen. Would it then be time for one of the other Gods, perhaps himself to take the throne until they could impregnate another human? He liked the idea, for he hated masquerading as a servant to the human consort of a barely noble born Queen. He was a God after all. Argon was the name he'd chosen when he'd agreed to help guard the royal family. His true name was Dionysus, God of Ecstasy. His likeness wasn't found in the Atlantian Temple of Gods. It was a fact that galled him, but if he were to take his true form and rule Atlantis he could topple Poseidon's temple and have his own erected in its place.

Of course he'd probably have to fight Aphrodite for the throne. That was of no consequence. She was the Goddess of Love, and she could never defeat him. He'd studied war under his own mother, Athena who cared so little about what happened to Atlantis that she'd surely give him the throne if he asked for it. Of course Poseidon would battle him for the throne as well. That gave him something to think about. Poseidon was a very powerful God. He was the God of the Sea, and his trident could kill as well as bring life.

Yes, Poseidon would battle him and he'd most likely kill him. It was a very closely guarded fact that the Gods could be killed, but everyone knew that higher Gods could kill the lesser Gods very easily. If only there was a way for him to get rid of Poseidon before they overthrew Queen Amaila. He was so busy thinking about getting rid of Poseidon that he didn't see the flash of God power down the gilded golden hallway. He looked for Borrs who had been standing beside him but found that he'd gone. He wondered if another of the Gods was masqurading as another human. He left Savetor to stand with Jer alone so that he could find a place to flash back to Olympus.

"I can't have open war in Atlantis, Brother," Poseidon was saying to Zeus when Dionysus flashed into the garden of Mount Olympus. Hades had come through his portal and stood beside Zeus as they faced Poseidon.

"What you are asking isn't something that I will do," Zeus said. "We have to stay out of this, Poseidon. I know that these are our people, but if we show them favor the Greeks will know."

"You would abandon my people, the people of your own brother for your precious Greeks?" Poseidon demanded.

"I will not have you talking about my people that way," Zeus grumbled. "I am the King of the Gods. You will not push me, Poseidon. I may be your brother but I have already decided that we will stay out of this."

"Athena," Poseidon said as the Goddess flashed into the garden. "Would you truly abandon one with your own blood in her veins?"

"My blood has been so thin in these humans for generations, Poseidon," she said. "I must do as my father says. You know this. None of us can help you."

"Hades?" Poseidon inquired, turning to his other brother with a small thread of hope. He knew that Hades had no love for the people of Atlantis. He had no love of any people. He was the God of the Underworld and he only had any feelings for souls that he could keep away from Zeus.

"Do not ask, Brother," Hades responded. "You know that I will not anger our brother."

"And here it is," Poseidon said, turning to Zeus. "You have now split our family. I am done with you all."

He flashed away from Mount Olympus and stood in front of the temple of a Goddess that would make Zeus furious if he found out that any of the Olympian Gods came to her. She was Isis, the Goddess of Creation but her pantheon was Egyptian. Zeus hated them all out of his distrust. It was known to all of them that Isis was so much more powerful than Zeus. Her father, Set was the most powerful of them all even though he didn't decide to be the creator. The God of Creation was Ptah, the very God that Set had decided his daughter would take on as her consort. Isis had balked. All of the Gods of every pantheon knew about it because Egypt shook with her anger when her father said that she had to be Ptah's wife. She was in love with Osiris, the God of the Dead. Set was angry about that, but before he could do anything to stop it Ra was born. Isis was a powerful Goddess indeed. Her son with Osiris was the God of the Sun like Apollo but so much more powerful than Apollo could ever dream to be.

He looked at her stone and brick temple, made from the same stones as every other building including the new constructions which he didn't understand. Her priestesses were coming and going from the temple, looking every man in the eye with a look that if they were Gods would kill them. No man was allowed in Isis's temple. He was about to break that rule. He had to. He had come to appeal to the only Goddess outside of his own pantheon that had ever wanted a foot hold on Atlantis. He would give her that if only she would help him.

He could have flashed into the temple, but he knew he had to show respect if he wanted her help. Instead he transformed himself into an egyptian male and walked into the temple. The priestesses tried to prevent him but he used his power to deflect them all until he was standing in the inner sanctuary. Her statue was almost as beautiful to behold as she was. It depicted a feminine beauty like no other from the skirt low on her hips to the headdress on her head. He stood there looking into her sandstone eyes and silently beseeched her.

The priestesses were carrying in bowls of incense and offerings to lay at the statue's feet. He refused to move even as they tried to talk to him. Then he was suddenly standing in the upper chamber of the temple before the actual Goddess. She was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. Gone was the headdress. Her hair was plaited in thousands of tiny braids and pulled back to the back of her head. She wore the same skirt but it was white instead of the color of sand. Her chest piece was gold and matched the bracelets around her wrists.

"I know why you've come, Poseidon," she said. "God of the Sea and Storms. You have come to a very dry place in search of aid for your beautiful blond ones."

"I have," he said softly, kneeling at her feet. "Please, Isis, I need you as I've never needed another God in all of my existence."

"Atlantis is in trouble then?" she asked as she ran one black painted fingernail down the side of his face.

"It soon will be," he said. "Already the lesser Gods of Atlantis and Greece plot to take the throne as soon as the people overthrow and kill their queen."

"And why would they overthrow and kill their queen?" she asked. "It is well known to those of us of Egypt that the royal line of Atlantis is God born."

"They were God born," he explained. "I had to stop mating with the females of my own line for fear of producing negative results. Athena and Aphrodite took my place, but both have grown bored. Queen Amaila is the last of Athena's line. None from Aphrodite's line still live."

"What of your own line?" she asked.

"They too have died out, Goddess," he replied. "I come to you with a specific request."

"You know that request would cause more trouble than it would solve, Poseidon," she said.

"Yes, but I also know that you would love to have a foot hold in Atlantis," he said, smiling up at her.

"My, but you are beautiful to behold," she said. "Those eyes, so like the ocean that cradles your city are like pools to drown within. Your hair is the color of the sun and your skin is like the fresh milk of the cows some of my less fortunate people now think are their gods."

"Ah, but none is more beautiful than you, my beautiful Isis," he said, leaning forward to kiss the top of her exposed foot.

"I'm intrigued by the prospect of a union with you, even if it would have to be brief," she said. "You know that any offspring we may create will be more powerful than any of those lesser gods you speak of from Atlantis and Greece."

"I know," he said, nodding. "But they will have to be strong to rule Atlantis."

"Aphrodite's line was never strong," she said, smiling at him. "We in Egypt have often laughed about this and wondered just when those descendants of the Goddess of Atlantian Love would be pulled down. Now you ask me to help you make sure that Queen Amaila remains alive and keeps her throne. You would have our offspring placed in your barren niece's womb?"

"Of course, Goddess," he said. "It wouldn't work if she suddenly had a baby that no one had known her to carry."

"You wish to ensure the survival of your people," she said, tilting her head to the side and looking at him with her onyx eyes. "I'll help you."

The people of Atlantis rejoiced when they learned that Queen Amaila was with child. The physicians were baffled, and Savetor was beside himself with both joy and suspicion. He'd heard everything the physician had said about Amaila, but here she was with child. They'd even told him there would be twins. A double celebration for the family. Days of feasting and gayety made the city come to life with laughter and singing. They sang to the Gods, laid offerings upon the waters at the feet of Poseidon in his temple and sang Aphrodite's name as they passed through the temple of the Gods. Even Athena was celebrated, though the people knew she'd all but turned her back on the city of the Gods.

All of the Gods on Olympus could hear the celebrations. They swayed with happiness as the people paid homage to them once again. Poseidon was slapped on the back by Zeus, envied by Apollo and Athena and basically hated by the lesser Gods. Artemis came to his chambers on Olympus twice to throw herself at him basically, but he had no time for her and sent her away.

"It seems that you're to be congratulated, Poseidon," said Apollo when they were alone in the garden of roses. His strong brow was creased as he looked up at Poseidon who was at least two heads taller than the Adonis that was Apollo. "Are the babes yours?"

"They are," Poseidon beamed. "I felt it was time that we had more God born among the Atlantians."

"You've been neglecting the Greek for your Atlantians for too long, Poseidon," Apollo accused. "They place offerings at your temple in Zion, but you never visit. Your followers grow weary."

"I was in Zion yesterday, Apollo," Poseidon said softly. "Who are you to question where I go and what I do?"

"I never meant to offend you," Apollo said quickly. His blue eyes boring through the elder God. "I only wished to inform you of the suffering of your Greek followers."

"You've done so," Poseidon said before he returned to the Sea of Storms, leaving Apollo alone in the garden.

"I thought Amaila couldn't conceive," said Artemis as she came to stand beside her brother. "Perhaps it was Savetor that couldn't plant a fertile seed."

"So it would seem," Apollo said, but he was thinking about what he'd heard the physician say about Amaila not being able to produce offspring no matter who set forth to sire them. Poseidon had really done something to get her with child. He just wondered what it was.

"You think too hard, brother," Artemis said. "Come to the temple and join the celebration. The people will love it."

"You know I don't gallivant for the Atlantians, sister," he said coldly. "I find them petty and ungrateful for the life we've afforded them. I grow more weary of them with each passing generation. Do you know they've forgotten that it was Poseidon and Zeus who made their way of life possible to begin with? All they remember is Poseidon. I told Father that it was wrong not to punish them for not building a temple to worship him in Atlantis, but he didn't listen. Now his name rarely, if ever crosses their lips."

"Father has enough followers in Greece to keep him happy," Artemis replied. "I myself have more followers in Greece than in Atlantis, and I'm not upset by that. I love Greece and merely tolerate Atlantis. Aside from the beauty of the city, Atlantis doesn't boast much more than beautiful people who are only beautiful because every single one of them has at least some of our blood in their veins. The Greeks love us without the incentive the Atlantians take for granted."

"I must agree with you on the people of Atlantis, sister," he said as he turned to face her. "They are beautiful, but one does get tired of the sea of blond hair and blue eyes of the Atlantians. I myself prefer the dark hair and icy eyes of Greece."

"Still," she said. "They are paying homage to both of us in Atlantis on this night."

"Yes," he said, sighing again. "But still we were insulted by the sharing of a temple."

The Temple of the Gods in Atlantis had rooms for each of the Gods. Only Apollo and Artemis, the God of the Sun and Goddess of the Moon shared one room. It was well known to the people of Atlantis that Apollo and Artemis were twins. Artemis wasn't offended by the shared space in the temple, but Apollo was. It was only one of the reasons he secretly hated the Atlantians. He was thinking of that when forked lightning lit up the sky above Olympus. Their father had returned from his secret wandering. They looked at each other and then flashed themselves to their father.

"I've been to visit the Queen of Atlantis, brother," they heard Zeus saying to Poseidon. "I smell you all over her."

"You knew I would step in when her husband couldn't get her with child, brother," Poseidon replied.

"You aren't all I smell on her, Poseidon," Zeus said as more lightning forked the sky. "I smell something else that burns my nostrils."

"Atlantis will thrive, brother," Poseidon said. "That's all that is important."

"Atlantis will thrive until they learn the truth of what you have done to Amaila," Zeus replied.

"Just what are you implying, brother?" Poseidon said, finally turning to face Zeus.

"Those babes are not Demigods, Poseidon," said Zeus as he sat on his throne. "I smell no human blood in them."

"They are as yet unborn, brother," Poseidon laughed. "How could you smell their humanity from the womb?"

"Do not test me too far, Poseidon," Zeus said coldly. "If Amaila is to be the mother of full God children, you should have consulted me and Hades. I will know which of the Goddesses of Olympus helped you. Tell me, brother, was it Aphrodite or Athena? I know it wasn't Artemis. She doesn't possess the power to do what you've apparently done."

"None on Olympus helped me, brother," Poseidon said just as coldly. "You saw to that yourself. Do you think they would defy you?"

"And you have done just that," Zeus spat.

"I didn't defy you, Zeus," Poseidon replied calmly. "You washed your hands of Atlantis because they didn't build you a temple. You told me that their existence was mine and mine alone to tend and cultivate. I've done that."

"We all agreed that no new Gods would be born on Earth, Poseidon," thundered Zeus.

"No," said Poseidon. "You all agreed that no new Olympian Gods would be born on Earth."

"You are their father, Poseidon," Zeus snapped, sending more tongues of lightning fanning across the sky.

"I am only their father," Poseidon replied calmly in the face of Zeus's anger. "Their mother is not an Olympian."

"You went outside our pantheon to create these children?" Zeus said, sitting forward on his throne and glaring at Poseidon.

"You left me no choice, brother," Poseidon said.

"Brother, what have you done?" said the quiet voice of Hades as he stepped out of the onyx mirror that served as the doorway between Hades and Olympus. "I feel the strain of another pantheon on the Queen of Atlantis. You know that is forbidden."

"It was never forbidden, Hades," Poseidon replied. "It was only looked down on. You yourself mated with a Goddess from another pantheon to create Hermes."

"And look how that turned out!" cried Hades. "My son is the God of drunkeness!"

"A time for everything under Olympus," Poseidon quoted from the writings of Zeus.

"Have you mated with a Goddess of the Elder Pantheon?" Zeus demanded.

"No, brother," Poseidon said. "I mated with Isis. She is the mother of the babes in Amaila's womb."

"You did what?" Zeus cried, getting to his feet and literally lighting up the sky over Olympus with lightning.

"Think carefully before you threaten them, brother," said Poseidon carefully as he gazed up at the fury in his brother's blue eyes. "Isis has vowed to keep a watchful eye on her offspring. She was agitated enough that her children would be tied to both Olympus and Egypt. If you try to harm them she might do something drastic."

"You should never have done this, brother," Hades warned. "You should have stuck to creating demigods."

"Oh sure," laughed Poseidon. "Because we all know how well Hercules and Perseus turned out. Zeus and Hared are both so happy with their offspring."

"You dare to condemn my sons?" Zeus screamed.

"When was the last time your sons set foot in any of your temples?" Poseidon asked. "When was the last time Perseus even called out to his mother?"

"A God could declare war over this, Poseidon," Zeus said in a quiet, dangerous voice.

"Yes, a God could," he conceded. "But would you really want to risk the ire of Isis? Understand that if you piss her off she'll not come alone. Osiris, Ra and Set will come with her. Those alone may not be as strong as the three of us, but together they'd destroy Olympus and quite possibly Greece and Atlantis at the same time."

"What is it that has you all so upset, my uncles?" asked Athena as she joined them through the doorway that led to Atlantis. "Zeus's lightning can be seen over both Atlantis and Greece. The people of both countries know that he is unhappy, and they fear that they have done something to anger him."

"Do you know what Poseidon as done?" demanded Zeus, turning to face their sister.

"Of course I know what he's done," she laughed. "I followed him from the palace in Atlantis to the temple of Isis in Egypt. I couldn't get to the top of the tower to hear what they talked about, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what they'd done when Amaila, who is as barren as the desert the Egyptians love so much was suddenly pregnant. I suppose it was Isis who decided on twins. She always wanted twins to rival Apollo and Artemis."

"You knew and you didn't come to either of us?" Hades asked.

"Why should I come to either of you about this?" she demanded. "These two children will be the most powerful gods of all time with Isis for a mother and Poseidon for a father. Think about it. I wouldn't move against them, brothers. If you do it wouldn't be Isis and her fellow Gods of Egypt that I would fear. It would be the children of this union. They alone could be our undoing. Ask the Fates."

"Oh yes, Aphrodite's precious Fates," Zeus snapped. "Three overindulged demigod women who think they see the fate of the world when they look into that soup they call the primordial source."

"My sister's daughters have the gift of sight, brother," said Athena. "You know they predicted the birth of Hermes a full fifty years before Hades decided to procreate. They predicted the birth of Atlantis and the fall of the Sea People. When have they ever been wrong?"

"Have you consulted them about these babes?" Hades asked.

"Of course I have," she said, smiling at her brother. "I went to them as soon as I learned Amaila was pregnant. They told me what these babes will become, and I admit that I'm nervous over their fates."

"And what did they tell you?" Zeus asked.

"That these babes will lead harsh lives," she said. "Because of this they will become vengeful Gods when they reach their majority and their powers are unleashed. Terrible things will befall humanity because of their treatment."

"You plan to touch them?" Hades asked, looking startled.

"I do," she said. "I suggest that we all touch them. I know for a fact that several Egyptian Gods plan to touch them."

"Do you know what they will become the Gods of?" Poseidon asked.

"Yes," she said, looking startled. "The eldest twin will become the God of Blood and the younger the God of Wolves."

"Blood and Wolves?" Zeus asked, falling back onto his throne. "The Fates said this?"

"They did," she said. "I want my cousins to know that they have nothing to fear from me. I think you should make sure they have nothing to fear from you as well, Zeus. You too, Hades. Perhaps one of you should talk to Herad while we're at it."

"We will haven nothing to do with these child Gods," Zeus said in his voice of authority. He was King of the Gods after all. They had to obey when he laid down a law. "We will stay out of Atlantis from now on. None of us will set foot on its shores. We will not tempt these child Gods."

"What of the Egyptians?" Poseidon asked as his heart broke over the law preventing him from having anything to do with his own sons.

"I can't control the Egyptians," Zeus said. "If they are driven to destroy us all it will be on their heads, not ours."

Artemis looked at her brother in fear. The Gods of Blood and Wolves? That meant that it would be the two of them that pushed them over the edge. She was after all the Goddess of the Moon and he was the God of the Sun. It was well known that any Blood God would be turned away from the sun. That meant that Apollo would curse one twin and she the other. She needed to talk to the Fates as fast as possible.

There was much discord on Olympus. Poseidon spent almost all of his time in the sea. Hades stayed in his own realm, and Athena spent most of her time in Greece. Zeus himself went to the Fates to hear what they had to say about these children. Aphrodite was still angry at him for not allowing her three daughters to come to Olympus. He'd tried to explain that he'd never allowed his own son or Herad's son to come to Olympus. They were both demigods just as her three daughters. That didn't seem to matter to Aphrodite. Her triplet daughters had been born blind, but still they saw the future and sometimes hidden things from the present. They were impossible to lie to, and they were dangerous when angry. He still didn't know who had given them a pool of primordial liquid.

The Fates lived in a deep cave on the shores of Greece. The entrance to the cave was guarded by what appeared to be stone dogs the size of small huts, but when you stepped too close they came to life and breathed fire. Zeus didn't fear them. He was the King of the Gods after all. He could shut them up with a blink. The stone dogs didn't bother with Zeus as he made his way to the cave entrance. He could hear the three sisters inside as he made his way into the cave. The inside of the cave looked nothing like anyone would expect. There were actual rooms inside with red velvet benches, large wooden chests and of course the stone bowl that sat on a large rounded flat stone in the center of the space. It was filled with the primordial liquid that supposedly allowed the three sisters to see the future. They could see the future without the liquid from the primordial source, but it acted as a focus and let them see specific things in the future.

"Zeus," whispered one of the sisters. She sounded panicked, and he wondered why.

"He has come about the child Gods that Poseidon and Isis have created," said another.

"He must leave us!" cried the third. "This is what we have foreseen."

"This is not what we have foreseen," said one of them in a chastising voice. "He has come to learn of the child Gods, not to punish or to destroy."

Punish or destroy? He had no idea what they meant by that. Well, he had one idea, but he was sure that he was wrong. They were the daughters of his niece. He would never harm them. Yet it sounded as if they'd foreseen that he would at some point in the future. He didn't like that idea. He only wanted information about the child Gods, nothing more. He stepped further into the cave.

The Three Fates were as beautiful as their mother. Their long golden hair lay in waves over their alabaster shoulders. The tunics they wore were brilliant white and covered them from neck to ankles, tied around their waists with golden cords. Their features were perfect, save for the sockets of their eyes that were a bit sunken from the lack of eyes to hold their shape. They had full lips that men would say were made for kissing and high cheekbones. They were slim but curvy in all of the right places. He felt the same as he did every time he saw them. He was sad for them having been born without eyes.

"Oxyanna, Fenya, Sonya, I have come to seek your guidance about the child Gods that are as yet unborn," he said. "They are the sons of my brother, Poseidon and the Egyptian Goddess Isis."

"We know why you have come, Zeus, King of the Gods," said the first sister who stood on the left side of the bowl. "You wish to know if the child Gods will be the destruction of Olympus."

"Yes," he said, not knowing which of them the speaker was. They were all three so identical that no one who knew them could tell them apart, save Aphrodite.

"Darias and Ren will be two of the most destructive Gods to ever exist," said the second sister who stood in front of the bowl. "They will seek vengeance on all who have hurt them and treated them unfairly throughout their lives."

"And when their God powers manifest?" he asked.

"They will go to the Temple of the Gods in Atlantis and beg answers to why they have been abandoned by the Gods. They will go to their father's temple in Atlantis and curse his name for allowing them to be mistreated all of their lives."

That didn't tell him what he wanted to know. Could his decree be part of what set the future into motion? He wanted to know if they were a danger that was impossible to change. Could he do things that would ensure that they didn't come for the Olympian Gods? Short of intervention he didn't think so. Intervening in the lives of either of them would be a grave mistake. The humans would become jealous and vengeful.

"The child Gods are not who you should fear, Zeus," said the third sister. "You should fear the wrath of Isis."

"What does the Egyptian Goddess have to do with this?" he demanded.

"She is the mother of the child Gods and she will blame you for their treatment in Atlantis," said the first sister. "You will do an unspeakable thing to set in motion the course of their lives. She will know what you have done and call you to account for it."

"Tell me what it is that I'm going to do that will set their lives on this path," he said.

"We see not what it is that you will do," said the second sister. "We see only that it will anger Isis. There is hatred in your heart for these child Gods even now while they are unborn. Your actions will be dictated by the hatred in your heart, Zeus. You will condemn humanity with the hatred in your heart."

"I will stay out of their lives completely," he said quickly.

"You have already meddled in their lives," said the third sister. "You set forth a decree that the Gods of Olympus will have nothing to do with them until they reach their majority and come to Olympus themselves. The future is already being set."

"And what do you see?" he asked, aghast.

"Darias will come for you and be cursed by a God to hunt humanity for their blood," she said. "He will be turned away from the sun and never welcome on Olympus again. Ren will come for you and be cursed as well. He will hunt humanity for food and be ruled by the moon. He too will be unwelcome on Olympus. They will gain followers who will join their hunts. They will be what children fear in the night and grown men quake at the thought of. So we have seen."

"So I should just kill them now?" he asked, terrified of what they had seen.

"It is already too late for that, Zeus," said the second sister. "Already your daughters and wife plot to touch them when they are born. You will react badly to this deceit. There is no changing what we have seen. It is already in motion, set by your own hand."

He left them and flashed himself back to Olympus where he locked himself in his temple to think. It was already too late according to the Fates. He'd set the future in motion already. According to the Fates it could not be changed. What was he to do?

The Gods of Olympus began to plot and scheme to touch the children when they were born. Zeus knew they were plotting, but should he stop them? He had no idea what gifts the others would bestow upon the children, and he couldn't ask any of them. They had to touch them. He knew that. To let them go untouched by the Gods would be the biggest cruelty he could administer.

Poseidon took his anguish out on the storms of the Earth. He made the seas turbulent around Greece and Atlantis and brought forth storms for months as his children grew in the womb of the human Queen of Atlantis. The people flocked to the temples to beg the Gods to have mercy on them. They didn't understand why the storms had come, and Zeus was miserable as he heard their cries. Then finally the storms stopped. Poseidon had reached the end of his fit.

With the absence of Poseidon's storms, Spring brought the budding of tulips and the beautiful golden roses around the palace of Atlantis, and the Queen gave birth to her twin sons. Savetor knew after one look at the twin boys that they weren't Amaila's and Poseidon's as he'd been led to believe. Poseidon was blond haired and blue eyed just like Amaila and every other Atlantian. These infant boys had dark hair and onyx eyes. They weren't Amaila's sons at all. The glow to their skin told him that they were full God children and not Demigod. He was afraid as he gazed upon them. Should he kill them now while they were defenseless? He couldn't do that. Already the bells were ringing all over the city, alerting the people that the heirs to the Laurel Throne had been born. The eldest, Amaila had named him Darias, would be the Prince of Atlantis, Heir to the Laurel Throne while the younger, named Ren would be his General of the Trident. That was the name for a second born prince.

Jer was already admitting Amaila's Ladies in Waiting to be the first to kiss the foreheads of her "sons". He counted so many of them now. Before her pregnancy Amaila had only four Ladies. Now there were nine. All were blond haired and blue eyed Atlantians, but when had the new five joined her service? He supposed it didn't matter. They each filed through to kiss both boys' foreheads, but he noticed that the new five also ran a finger over their left cheeks. That was odd. Amaila didn't seem to care however. She was too busy smiling at everyone and doting on her newborn babes.

"Aren't they wonderful, Savetor?" she asked, beaming at him. His stomach nearly revolted. They were Gods, he wanted to shout. Instead he smiled.

"They are wonderful, wife," he said, though he'd have rather run screaming from the room. What kind of Gods would his "sons" become?

The new nurse maid took them from Amaila's arms as Jer began to examine her. The pregnancy had not been easy for her, and Savetor was afraid that she might still be suffering. He barely noticed as the nurse maid, whose name he had never learned took the sleeping babes out of the room to the nursery.

Isis took the babes to the nursery where Poseidon waited. She knew that Zeus had decreed that all Atlantian and Greek Gods were to have nothing to do with the boys or to set foot on the shores of Atlantis. However she also knew that Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis and Herad had been among the five new Ladies in Waiting to the Queen. They'd each touched the babes as she had, giving them their special gifts. She planned to corner each of them before they went back to Olympus and demand to know just what gifts they had given her sons.

"They're beautiful," Poseidon said as she handed him Darias. She found that it was a fitting name for a son of a Goddess. She wasn't sure about Ren, the name Amaila had insisted on for the younger twin. It was her dead brother's name, so she supposed she had to let it stand. After all Amaila had to believe that they were her true sons at least until they were old enough for their God powers to manifest.

"They are beautiful," she agreed. "I fear that Savetor saw through my ruse though."

"He knows?" Poseidon asked, arching a brow.

"He may," she said dismissively. "I'll erase the knowledge from his head before he can spread the tale."

She looked down at the sleeping babes and closed her eyes. Poseidon smiled as their dark hair turned blond. Each of them opened their onyx eyes as they turned blue like those of the Atlantians. The glow of the Gods faded from them as well. Now they were truly hidden from the other Gods. No one would know what they truly were.

"Perfect," he said as he placed Darias in his crib. "You plan to stay on here?"

"For a time," she said. "I can't neglect Egypt too long."

"You talked to the Fates?" he asked.

"I did," she sighed. "I'll do my best to guard them, Poseidon. I know that you can't risk openly coming to their aid, and I can't do anything that would give me away. I'm not a Goddess of Atlantis. The people would turn on them if they knew they were my sons. I will do all that I can to protect them."

Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite and Herad flashed into the room. They each stopped short seeing Poseidon standing there gazing down at his sleeping sons. Isis merely looked at them, but she would begin to question them soon. Perhaps the looks of fear on their faces was enough to let her know that they would do anything she asked.

"Poseidon," Athena breathed. "Does Zeus know you're here?"

"No he does not," he said. "I suspect he doesn't know the four of you are here either."

"Of course he doesn't," said Herad. "If he were to find out we'd be cast out of Olympus."

"He can't cast me out of Olympus," said Athena. "I'd rather not feel his wrath however."

"Then our secret is safe between the five of us," Poseidon said.

"You each touched my children," Isis said, looking at each of them. "I will know which gifts you bestowed on my sons before any of you leave this room."

"I made them desirable," said Aphrodite. "All who see them will love them."

"I gave them strength and great minds for battle and defense," said Athena. "I wouldn't leave my nephews without either."

"I gave them the love of the moon," Artemis said, hoping it was enough to keep them from doing anything that would cause her to curse either of them.

"I gave them the knowledge of the Atlantian and Olympian Gods," Herad said. "They'll know all about us even though we're not allowed to be a part of their lives. When their powers manifest they'll know how to find us."

"All acceptable gifts," Isis said, smiling at them. "You have honored my sons. I thank you."

"And I will give them immortality," said Hades as he flashed into the room, making the women jump.

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Poseidon asked. "Does Zeus know?"

"Zeus is off in search of Hercules," Hades replied. "I came because decree or no, I will see my nephews in the flesh at least once before they come to Olympus."

He walked over to the crib and placed a feather light kiss on first one of their foreheads and then the other's. Then he ran a finger along their left cheeks with his eyes closed. Both of the babes gave a tiny gasp as he did so. Isis wasn't sure that she trusted the Olympian God of the Underworld and the Dead, but if he gave them immortality at this age she supposed it was all right. They wouldn't achieve immortality on their own until their God powers manifested. This way they couldn't be harmed before then. If he hadn't done it they could have been killed any time before their God powers manifested.

"Zeus is looking for all of you on Olympus," Hermes said as he flashed into the room. "I came to warn you, and I wanted to see my cousins."

"He's back already?" Hades asked.

"He found Hercules," said Hermes. "Whatever the boy said to him has him in a bit of a rage."

"Great," sighed Poseidon.

"May I touch them?" Hermes asked, looking from Poseidon to Isis and back.

"What do you plan to give them?" Isis asked. She knew what his perview was, and she didn't think her sons needed to be lusted after.

"The ability to see through lust and charms," he said. "I want my cousins to know when love is pure and untainted."

"Then please, touch them," said Isis as she stepped back from the crib.

I'm sorry, little cousins, he thought as he ran his finger along their left cheeks. Zeus is making me do this to you both. Your lives won't be easy after this.

What the others didn't know, and Hermes was forbidden from telling them was that Zeus never went in search of Hercules. He'd been watching Atlantis all day long. He knew they were all here, and that was why he was angry. They'd each defied him. Only Hermes was there at Zeus's order. He'd been ordered to touch them and make them the object of lust. He'd also given them the ability to see through their own lust and find true love, but he didn't know if it would do much good with what else he'd been forced to give them.

Isis stood looking down at her sons as the Olympians flashed out of the palace and back to Olympus. She didn't even notice when Set flashed into the room. He stood watching her for a long moment before he let his presence be known. Isis turned to find him standing there and smiled.

"I've come to order you back to Egypt," he said. "I'm sorry, but Zeus is beside himself with anger. He's talked to the Fates and so have I. We're not going to have anything to do with their lives until they come to Egypt to find us."

"But Set," she said. "I have to protect them. They're my sons!"

"I know, but after what the Fates showed me I can't allow you to have anything to do with them as they grow," he said. "Come, Isis. We must go."

"I have to erase the knowledge of what they truly are from Savetor," she protested.

"I've done that," Set said. "He thinks they're Amaila's sons now."

Zeus waited until they were gone. He flashed into the room with Constantine. He'd changed her to look like a plain woman. It was the exact disguise Isis had worn as the nurse maid to the children. It was perfect. He quickly touched the two sleeping babes, making them cry with the force of his gifts. He gave them the ability to hear the thoughts of others as well as empathy to know what others were feeling. It would be a fitting gift with all that was coming. He left Constantine with her orders and then went in search of Savetor. If Set had erased the knowledge of what the boys were from his mind, what Zeus had planned would be perfect.

He found the man walking down the hall from Amaila's room. He stopped him and ran his finger down the man's left cheek, making his eyes roll and his knees buckle. Zeus caught him as he fed him hatred for the boys but didn't expose their secret. He made the man hate them for being Poseidon's sons when he was merely human.

Horus stood and watched what Zeus had done. He didn't have the power to undo it, but after what he knew the Fates had told Zeus he couldn't believe he'd done this. He flashed himself to the house of the man that the Fates had told him would be the boys' teacher. He had a young infant of his own to take care of. Horus touched him and gave him such love for the twins and a fierce determination to protect them. Then he touched the sleeping babe in the cradle in front of the man's chair. This young one would love the twins like brothers. He would do anything for them and would be their one true friend for eternity.

He returned to the nursery to touch the twins themselves and found Savetor standing over their crib with a pillow in his hands. He cleared his throat to get the man's attention. He'd already made himself look like one of the guards that the queen had ordered to stand outside the nursery to protect her children. Savetor put the pillow back in the crib and left the room. This man would have to be watched, but Horus knew that he couldn't watch him. No God from Olympus or Egypt would be able to watch over him. There was another pantheon to choose a protector from though. He had to think on it.

He touched them and gave them all he could. He couldn't make them immune to pain, though he wished he could with all that the Fates had showed him was coming for them. He made them resilient and strong. They wouldn't break from the treatment they were destined for. They would be steadfast and persevere. He hoped they killed Zeus for what he'd done. He would return when it was safe to tell them just what Zeus had done to them.

When he returned to Egypt he found Isis in a rage. She was hurling the offerings of her people around her temple. She knew what Zeus had done. Horus was sure of it. He didn't know if he should tell her what he had done or not. He still wasn't sure if the Gods of the pantheon of the savages would even bother to protect the children. He had no idea how to make them either.

"What will I do, Horus?" she asked, and there was such anguish in her voice that he went to her and put his arms around her.

"We'll find a way to protect them," he vowed, though he knew he was probably only telling her what she wanted to hear.

"If they hurt my sons I will make them dance in their blood," she said. "I will destroy Atlantis and Olympus. I will make them pay."

"I know," he said. "I went to Atlantis and touched them. I made them strong."

"Thank you, Horus," she said, holding him tight. "Ra is planning to defy Set and go to them himself. I hope he doesn't anger Set too much. He's already been punished for meddling with the Pharaoh."

"Ra will be fine," Horus replied. "He's crafty and smart."

"He already so loves his brothers," she said, smiling. "He plans to give them such gifts if he can touch them."

"Where is he now?" Horus asked.

"Off with Osiris," she said. "Osiris is in a fit because I mated with Poseidon."

"Of course he is," laughed Horus. "He'll get over it. Isis, they're such a wonder, your sons. All three of them."

"They'll be so destructive, Horus," she said, looking troubled.

"And which of us isn't destructive?" he asked, making her smile.

Ra stood in the nursery in Atlantis, looking down at his sleeping brothers. Oh how he loved them. He knew from listening to his mother that they were in for a life of misery and pain. He wished that he could just take them back to Egypt, but his father already hated them for who they were. He had no idea what to do to protect them, but he knew he had to. He kissed them both and touched their cheeks. He gave them all of the knowledge of who he was and how much he loved them. He made them understand that he couldn't help them though he wanted to so badly. He gave them the only gift he could. They would thrive in water because of who their father was. They would be good to all of creation because of who their mother was. Now they would speak to the dead because of who their brother was.

 

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