Long Past Dawn

As much as I wanted to have time to think after seeing Jikan yet again, it seems that the world is against me having time to myself.

After only a few minutes of sitting by myself on the edge of the sea cliff overlooking the ocean I hear footsteps coming up behind me, for a moment I think it might be Jikan but after a moment Hades comes and joins me on the cliff.

I don't turn to look at him, instead, I stare out over the waves as self-destructive thoughts casually pass through my mind. Somehow I know that even if I jumped I wouldn't die, maybe that's why nothing seems to make sense. This strange sense of life with no end to it.

"My mom, the human one, once told me that there are villains, just people," I stare out over the ocean in front of me, "She was wrong, villains are real, they're the people that know they cause people pain and they enjoy watching them."

"' Everyone makes mistakes, but mistakes don't make a villain,' she would say," I turn to Hades after a moment.

"I guess they do..." He trails off before picking the thought back up again, "Even Gods do, it's part of nature that nothing should be perfect."

I want to say that didn't the Gods make nature but I don't, I have a different question.

"Was I a mistake?" I ask after a second.

"... Artemis has always been my favorite of my brother's children, she was by far the calmest for one," Hades starts and I have no idea where this is going. "Even she has made mistakes. Artemis made a mistake, a big one, but just because you came from that mistake does not mean you are a mistake."

"Then who is my father?" My determination is unwavering as I look for the answers they're hiding from me.

He sighs and looks away, "I'm not the one who should say."

Of course, you aren't, I say to myself. Then out loud, "I don't think I want to be immortal, it sounds over ratted, you know, the whole living forever thing."

"A bit late for that," Hades replies after a moment, "Though it is not impossible for a God to be killed, it is hard but not impossible."

"How?" The question springs to my lips.

Hades hesitates for a moment, "I will tell you one day but not today..."

The more seriously, "But Dawn, because of your blood, one of the greatest taboos there is, many Gods will go to great lengths to get rid of you. So be careful, pretty words aren't always true."

"Then shouldn't you tell me how-" I start but am cut off.

"No," Hades says solemnly, "To kill a God is a greater taboo still. But they will justify your murder as cleansing something impure. Sometimes it's best to trust only a few."

I laugh at how well the rules work against me, "Trust only three, right? Me, myself and I."

"..." A complicated look crosses Hades's face, "...Here, I have something for you."

Hades holds out his fist and I put out my hand to take whatever it is.

He drops a bracelet into my outstretched hand. I stare at it in wonder, the thin interlaced metal joins together to form a delicate-looking patter I can't even begin to describe and at opposite ends are two beads. The first is a pure white marble piece with tiny gold veins running through it. The other is a deep red color and looks like ruby, this one again seems to have gold veins running through it. The whole thing looks like it would break if you breathed on it, but it also has it's own strength too.

Somehow it looks beautiful and powerful at the same time.

"Hephaestus made it, an old favor, he said it was his finest work yet," Hades says as he tries to gauge my reaction, "I'll take you to meet him sometime if you want."

"...why?" I say with a small voice, "Why are you all so kind to me?"

Hades looks away, "It's an apology and a promise, an apology for a lie and a promise for the truth.It was actually your mother's idea, I'm simply the messenger."

We sit in silence.

After a moment I put the bracelet on and the material feels much stronger than what it looks like. It fits perfectly as if it was made exactly for me.

The metal shimmers and the red and white orbs dance in the light.

"It's a bit more special than just that though," Hades says, "Now try imagining a weapon."

A weapon? I close my eyes and try to think back to the shape and size of the wooden swords from earlier.

It almost feels like the almost nonexistent weight of the bracelet shifts a bit and abruptly it feels like something has been put into my hand.

I open my eyes to find an exact replica of the swords from earlier, but this time with the same two little orbs in it.

"Woah."