Time seemed to move at an abnormal pace as I drifted in and out of consciousness. My body hurt in every way and there seemed to be no end in sight. It felt like I was being crushed under the very powers that I used to help. This thought floated above the pain as I wondered if I could control that power. The more I thought about it, the more I realized just how impossible that thought was as I thought back to the body lying behind Cat when I had came back to my senses. I had done that and it was all because of this power, so there was no way I could control something that strong. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I was able to catch glimpses of what was happening. I watched as I carried upon Lukos’s back heading straight for Mt. Olympus, then I was led to a cell underneath the temple I had been in before, and then there was yelling above my body. I couldn’t understand what was being said, but a bunch of people were in this cell with me, and as I felt a need to cough in pain from my chest, everyone went silent again. Feeling too tired to deal with this right now, I decided to stop fighting my body and closed my eyes again to rest.

In a dimly lit room, Cronus awoke to a mixture of pain and embarrassment he hadn’t felt in a very long time. As he sat pondering over what had happened, Hades walked into the room carrying a folded rag and a tray of assorted meats and bread. He placed the rag on Cronus’s head before placing the tray beside him and sitting in the only other chair in the room, waiting for Cronus to speak.

“Thank you my son, but tell me, who was that boy? Is he a demi god?” Cronus asked these questions before eating a small amount of meat just to help with the knot in his throat. Hades closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking up.

“No, he’s just a normal human that Gaia chose to aid you in resurrecting the others. He was supposed to die after giving you the power, but that power……..the energy that exerted from his body was something I had never seen before. It should have pulled the muscles away from his bones, yet he was able to move even after the powers died down. I’ve never seen anything like that, and now Zeus has him locked up and even knows I am working with you. I am sorry father, but I have only succeeded in making your work harder.” As Hades spoke his mind, Cronus sat up and stretched out his arm before rolling his neck, succeeding in making a loud cracking sound. As Hades finished speaking, Cronus simply waved him off.

“Don’t apologize to me, you have done me a great service.” Hades took this in with much confusion before Cronus continued. “It has been a very long time since I have fought against someone capable of killing me, so long in fact that I want time to prepare for this fight………how grand it will be to finally fight at full power again. I’m so excited I can barely contain myself.” As Cronus spoke, the sign on his arm started to glow, slowly encompassing his whole body, before returning again as he sighed. “Unfortunately, our fight will have to wait until Gaia’s plan has come to fruition, but when it does….” He swiftly punched a hole in the side of room before smiling back at a scared Hades. “I will get my revenge.”

I hadn’t slept that well in a very long time, so long in fact that I didn’t wake up when someone entered the cell with me and sat beside me. As I opened my eyes and started to stretch out while yawning, my left arm was pulled back by a shackle of sorts chained to the bed. I tried to pry it open, but it wouldn’t budge in the slightest.

“That has strands of Pegasus’s hair woven through it, you’ll never break it.” The only voice I wanted to hear that moment spoke from behind me as I quickly turned around to see Cat watching me from the chair. “They refuse to unchain you until the rest of the gods have been rallied for the hearing. You’ve been deemed a threat to our ways, so much so that they are going to try to have you killed…….Justin I’m so sorry, I tried to stop them but they wont listen to me.” As Cat continued to talk, the panic became more and more evident in her voice and on her face. As She finally stopped she put her head in her hands and tried to breathe deeply, but I simply reached over with my right hand and took her hand in mine before smiling. As she looked up at me I spoke.

“Thank you Cat, you are so sweet it almost hurts, but I think I am the one that needs to apologize, I have put you under so much duress, I feel like I have been nothing but a burden for you, yet you continue to watch out for me. Thank you for trying so hard, but this is simply out of our hands now.”

“Technically that’s not true.” The new voice cause me to turn towards the door where Apollo stood looking in. He chose not to move closer even though the door was not closed and continue to speak. “We are waiting on Artemis to finish her rounds then the trial shall begin, but I think you are misunderstanding how this will work Catarsus. You are guilty until proven innocent and will need to prove your innocence in front of the gods, all of them. Are you prepared to put your life on the line and not only challenge a god’s words, but also to prove them wrong?” He asked me before starting to walk away. “Personally, I like to think that what people do instinctively shows more about their character than what they do planned. Keep that in mind and I wish you good fortune.” As Apollo started to walk away, I finally worked up the nerve to speak.

“Apollo…..I am glad you have your wreath back.” It was all I could think to say, but those words seem to touch Apollo in a way he hadn’t expected as he smiled softly and nodded before leaving. As he rounded the corner, two gods wearing helmets and carrying spears passed him heading towards the cell. One walked in and unchained me while the other stood watch, then I was handcuffed behind my back andthe four of us together marched out of the cell and upstairs. The silence struck me by surprise as I figured the meeting would be held here, but as we moved out of the hall and up towards the top of Mt. Olympus, I could feel a lump form in my throat. We reached the top of the mountain to find an open-roof court room with all of the gods sitting in rows with 13 of the 14 main Gods seated in front above a single platform. I was escorted to the platform where I was forced to kneel and a steel pipe was inserted between myself and the handcuffs, effectively sealing me in place until someone moves the steel pipe. As I sat there looking around at all the gods I had heard stories of as a child, I could hear them speaking about me amongst themselves. Some spoke of my execution, while others, though few they may be, spoke of how heroic I was. As the time passed, the talking grew louder until Zeus felt enough time had been wasted. He looked up from his seat and cleared his throat once.

“We are here for the trial of the human Justin under the charges of attempted murder along with conspiracy to overthrow our government. Let the trial begin.” As he said this last sentence he slammed his hand down, causing a sound similar to a gavel with the added effect of a streak of lightning streaming across the sky in the background.

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