Long Past Dawn

Someplace where pain will never affect you? It sounds like a nice place, I might like it there. But I don't think that I'll ever go there. But never the less, I say to myself as I gaze across the field at the Wraiths, it's a nice sentiment.

A question worms it's way into my mind as I gaze at them. Are they happy not knowing? I look over at Hades and open my mouth to ask the question but I see a faraway look in his eyes and the small sad smile on his lips and I close my mouth and turn back to watching the Wraiths. Sometimes you don't need all the answers, sometimes you can already know the answer.

I sigh, I'm done with this. I'm tired. "Take me back," I say as I still watch the Wraiths play in the flowers. All of them seem the same and I can't tell anything about them, whether it's their age, gender or any physical appearance they may have.

I guess that one kid from that french musical was right. Everyone is only equal when they're dead, though somehow I'm not sure this is exactly what he meant.

Hades looks over at me but, as I'm growing used to, it looks as if he doesn't see me but someone else in my place. A.d.u.l.ts are really annoying when they do that.

Hades doesn't say anything so I ask one more question, "Is it true? That you were tricked into taking the underworld?"

Hades hesitates for a moment and the woman comes up and takes his hand, after a moment he answers. "No, I picked it." He sighs, "I was young, though I am the oldest, I was young and naive. I knew that under the Earth I could have any gem I wanted and eventually all mortals would come to my realm, but as time went on I learned the greed that mortals have in their hearts."

Greed? A wave of memories I badly want to forget threaten to overwhelm me and I shiver slightly. Humans really are greedy, aren't they?

With still no answer to the first time I asked I repeat it but stronger and with more determination, "I want to go back."

Hades sighs but after a minute he says, "Ok."

The woman behind him speaks for once, "Hello Dawn. You don't know who I am yet but for now, that's ok, you'll know soon. But until then let me do this."

With that she steps closer and takes my wrist, the places she touches warm and it feels as if a cool spring breeze has gone over my skin. She closes her eyes and after a moment my arm explodes as flowers of all different colors and types rush over me. I suck in a breath of amazement.

After a moment they disappear and for a second I feel a sharp pain on my wrist before that too disappears. The woman lets my hand go and I turn over my wrist to see a three-petaled flower image on it that almost seems tattooed on. For someone who doesn't really like the concept of tattoos on themselves but is fine with others having them I'm slightly surprised to find that I actually like this one.

"You will need me in the future, though when is still uncertain. Once to be protected, another to fight for and the last time to be stopped."

Stopped? What will I do that needs to be stopped?

She sighs slightly and releases my hand, "Be careful Dawn. There are many struggles you will have to face alone."

Many? Like hell, I haven't already had struggles and now you're telling me there's more?! Well that's just peachy.

Hades comes over along with Cerebus. "Let's go," is all he says as he gestures for me to follow him, I nod.

As we walk away I turn back to look at her, I'm still unsure of who she is but I think that I'll find out eventually though I'm too tired to ask right now.

Cerebus bounces in a circle around the woman before she absentmindedly puts a hand on its head and rubs it, her gaze never leaves us as we walk out of the field.

By the time we get back to the front and out of that field the chariot and horses are back. This time the glow worms don't entrance me so much, now the pale white marble walls feel more like a prison. I shiver slightly at the thought of being trapped down here forever, it's so cold down here, I hate the cold.

After a moment Hades speaks and breaks the silence, "Aren't you going to ask who she is? I'll tell you if you ask."

The truth is I do, I really do. But the Wraiths memories are still fresh in my mind as if they were my own and I now know that some things are best left unknown. "No... Well not today at least," I reply after a moment as I look out at the cavern with its million glow worms lighting only the top of it. Just what lies below the light? Again a question I'm not sure I want to know.

"Down there," Hades says as if reading my mind, "Is Styx, the river of the dead."

A river? This deep underground? The air here is freezing how come it's not frozen, how fast-moving are its waters for it to stay unfrozen?

"And deeper under that," Hades continues solemnly, "Is my father."

His father? Then that would mean Zeus's too, neither of them looks like the other. I wonder who takes after who.

"Well we should be going," Hades says as he walks towards the chariot.

I nod and follow him and Iferis onto the chariot. Iferis glances at me worriedly from time to time as we lift up.

I want to tell her I'm fine, that the memories of the Wraith didn't affect me. But even if I did tell her that lie somehow she would know.

We fly out of the cave and back into the honey smelling air of Olympus. As the chariot climbs higher and higher the wind blows harder onto us and after a minute I have to shut my eyes from the force of the wind on them.

By the time I open them again we're back in the skies over Themyscira.

The ride back was quicker than I imagined and by the time we're back to where I'm staying it only feels as if half an hour passed.

As I climb off the chariot Iferis follows after me, somehow it feels strange I'm not more surprised by Iferis staying with me. I turn to watch Hades leave but he just stays there. Hades hesitates for a second before he finally turns to me, he looks as if he wants to say something to me and I wonder what it is. Whatever it is I hope it's nothing like any of the other life-changing things I've been told tonight.

After a moment he speaks.

"Dawn..." Hades says as the wind wh.i.p.s his hair every which way, "Some beings aren't meant to die..."