Long Past Dawn

My mouth waters as I stare at the thin cut meats, potatoes, loaves of bread, cheese that spreads like butter and tart berries. Every dish is mouth-watering and I can't wait to take a bite.

I load my plate high with meat, fruit, pita bread, and cheese. It would be an understatement to say it smells heavenly.

I lift a bite of meat and cheese to my mouth and savor the taste as it almost melts in my mouth. I'm about to shovel more food into my mouth when I hear what sounds like hooves on the marble floor.

Confused I turn to see where the noise is coming from.

As the noise grows louder the merry chatter in the hall turns to hushed whispers. And that's when I see it.

The huge mare from my dream walks into the room, its fiery mane purple in color and its wide midnight black wings tucked safely to its back.

And it looks right at me as if we're the only two in the room. The air crackles as I feel the connection again. But before I can process the feeling the mare has turned towards Hippolyta and the connection is gone.

"Eímai o Iféris, o trógon tis sárkas, eímai edó gia Avagí," The mare says, spreading its midnight wings wide.

I have no idea what it said, not to mention that it spoke or the fact it's a f.u.c.k.i.n.g winged horse, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't good by the shocked reactions of the Amazon's.

I shift in my seat ever so slightly and the mare wh.i.p.s its head around to face me. I go as still as stone as the horse starts to walk over to me.

A small part of me wants to freeze it but the majority is saying the mare won't harm me.

The mare drops its muzzle and nickers softly as if to say 'I'm yours'.

"Avagi," It says as I reach out to touch it. Its muzzle is velvety soft and as I lay my hand on it, it feels as if the world has clicked together.

I gasp as I feel the connection again. But this time it's not as soft, this time it burns through me as if forging us together.

"Who are you?" I ask breathlessly as the burning feeling fades away.

'I am yours and you are mine,' the familiar voice resounds in my head and I gasp.

"Is that you?" I ask, gazing up at the creature in front of me.

The mare nods and scraps the ground with its hoof.

For the first time, I realize how stiff Lyra, Eulalia, and Anastasia are in the seats next to me. I'm about to ask what's wrong when I'm abruptly pulled away from the mare. I let out a sharp cry as my shoulder is yanked to the side.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I massage my hurt shoulder.

"That's what I want to ask you!" Anastasia hisses in my ear as she stares over at the mare, "How are you talking to... to a god!"

"A god?" I repeat as I look over at the mare. I mean I know it has wings and everything but still, couldn't that be done with genetic manipulation? There's no way gods are real... right?

'I think you will find that gods are very much real,' the mare says in my mind.

If it can work one way then it can work both ways right. 'What... Do you have a name?'

The mare looks at me and nods, 'I am known as Iferis, the eater of flesh.'

Iferis? The name sounds familiar but where is it from? I furrow my brows as I try to figure out where I've heard the name before. I'm also just going to ignore that eater of flesh part too.

I look over at Lyra, Eulalia, and Anastasia, the shock on their faces is evident and a part of me knows that I should be even more shocked than them but somehow I'm not, somehow it just feels comfortable, like I've been telepathically talking to winged horses with fire for a mane all my life.

Man, what type of fantasy web novel is this?

Iferis butts my hand slightly as if to get my attention. One question comes to mind as I gaze up at the winged horse in front of me.

'Why are you here? Why now?'

Iferis looks at me before turning back to the entrance of the hall, 'I wanted to come earlier, I have always wanted to meet you but he said the time was wrong.'

'He?' I echo, who's he? I, too, turn my attention to the entrance of the temple and am shocked by what I see.

A man steps out of the shadows, the torchlight casts an otherworldly glow over him.

He has god-like features, a strong jaw, pale, pale skin that seems almost as if it's never seen the light of day, long black hair that falls past his shoulders and dark eyes that are almost black and just seems to suck in the light.

He's wearing a black toga that's dr.a.p.ed over him and in one hand he has a staff with two prongs on the top of it, kinda like a trident if it had the middle prong taken out. As I stare at it I'm reminded more and more of one of those lobster forks if it was the size of a tree branch.

He looks like someone off of a Roman vase.

As soon as he steps in the room all hell breaks loose. Amazons abruptly stand up and turn towards him as if he's a threat, even Lyra and Anastasia stiffen and jump up from their seats.

Eulalia.... well Eulalia being Eulalia just pours herself another drink as if the room didn't feel like someone was about to be killed.

Somehow the tension in the room seems to have reached a new high.

Iferis starts to trot over to the man but halfway there she turns around to look at me as if asking why I'm not following her. I eye the man wearily, I have no idea who he could be but by the fact that no men are on this island and his less than warm welcome I'm not sure I should trust him, much less get closer to him.

I'm lost in thought and distrust about the stranger as Hippolyta finally stands up from her seat. "Why are you here Hades?"

Hades? Isn't he like Pluto? Right now I'm just feeling more and more confused. The man named Hades steps forward a bit more and walks toward Hippolyta, "I think you know why, Hippolyta. I'm here to bring the girl to her mother."

Girl? What girl? No, better question, which girl? And her mother? Ok officially very confused. And why does it sound like they know each other?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hippolyta narrows her eyes and somehow I think she knows what he's talking about, even though what she says is saying otherwise.

The man laughs, "You know what I'm talking about. I know you do Hippolyta. You know a god when you see one."

Ok, ok, ok some explanation, please! Gods? Bringing someone to their mother? Please please please, for the love of God, explain already!

There's a moment of silence where they just seem to stare each other down. Even without any words, you can sense the tension between the two.

Hippolyta looks the man up and down once more before finally slumping back down into her seat with a sigh, "Fine, take her. But she better come back by dawn or Hera help me."

Hades nods in agreement.

I'm slightly confused about what's happening right now, as are most of the Amazons. My confusion only grows as Hades turns and starts to walk over to me. His face softens slightly as he looks at me, as if he knows me from somewhere.

Iferis happily trots back over to me and I stroke the mare as Hades advances over towards me.

Somehow I feel like I should know him but I don't, he has the type of presence that once you feel you won't be able to forget.

"Dawn," he says as he stands in front of me, even if he isn't smiling somehow you can hear the gentleness in his tone.

"Y-yes…" I stutter as I stare up at him.

"Come with me, I'm here to bring you to your mother."

My face pales. Mom? But she's dead, does that mean that I'm about to be killed.....

I look up in fear at the man in front of me, just what does he want with me? Iferis must sense my fear because she nudges me gently in a comforting way.

Somehow I just know I can trust him if Iferis does, and it also doesn't feel like Hades is going to kill me...

I slowly get up knowing this is how every horror movie starts. My legs are shaking but I steady myself on Iferis.

'Thank you' I tell her as I use her as support as we walk out of the hall, all of Amazon's eyes are on me.

'I am here for you, this is nothing.'

'Thank you anyway,' I say in my head and I hear Iferis laugh slightly in my head.

We step out of the temple and out onto the slightly dew-covered grass. I suck in the breath as I see the huge canopy of stars above us, more than I can count.

It's amazing and perfect and huge. Compared to it I feel so small.

"This way, Dawn," Hades says as we walk towards a midnight black chariot pulled by... I take a double-take as I realize the chariot is pulled by skeletal horses. Can this night get any weirder?

I board the chariot and each step I take seems to feel like the wrong step but with the warmth of Iferis beside me I just know that everything will be ok.

Hades comes on after me and what happens next might be the biggest surprise of the night, Iferis shrinks down to the size of a plush toy and hovers next to my shoulder as I try to figure out what the hell is happening.

I'm abruptly pulled from my thought as the chariot lifts off from the ground with a slight shake. As in lifts off. As in flies. As in off of the f.u.c.k.i.n.g ground.

I try to balance myself and strangely I can, though any common sense says that I should have fallen off the chariot by now. At this point, I think It's safe to say that this is crazy.

Or maybe it was from the very beginning, but who can tell.

As we gain altitude we get faster and faster until the ground below us is a dark green-blue in the darkness of the night.

I'm starting to wonder where we're going but with the wind chilling wind blowing against me stops my voice from getting out. So it seems I'll just have to wait and see.

After a moment there's a bang and a whoosh of air and the scenery changes drastically.

What was the chilling night air of Themyscira but the warm sweet air of somewhere else and not to mention the time of day has also changed, on Themyscira it was a few hours past sunset while here it seems to be noon with the sun high in the sky.

"Where are we?" It takes me a moment to realize that I said the question aloud and not just to myself.

Hades smiles beside me, "This is Olympus, Dawn. This is your home."

Olympus? As in the home of the gods? Small question but what the f.u.c.k am I doing here?! And how is this my home?! New York is my home and this sure as hell doesn't look like it!

'Just look,' The mini Iferis says in my mind, 'just look and you'll see that it's unlike anything you've ever seen. You'll see that it is your home.'

So I do look. And Iferis is right. Olympus is unlike anything I had ever seen before.

It looks like a magical fantasyland filled with people and creatures beyond imagination. Flowers are everywhere, filling the air with their intoxicating fragrances. The air itself seems alive. It was honey-sweet and warm and enveloped you in a blanket of peace; it was rich with the sounds of singing birds and filled with insects that never stung. It seemed to be the type of place that if a bee landed on you, it was only because it wanted to be petted.

The buildings in Olympus seem as beautiful and unique as the land itself. Most were made of smooth white marble with tall, intricately carved pillars reaching high into the clear blue sky. There were open theaters and the wide cobbled streets were lined with statues of fighters and heroes.

There's no cars or trucks pumping pollution into the air. The Olympians below us seem to walk or fly wherever they need to go. There are even a few chariots in the sky like ours.

Iferis is right, Olympus is like nothing I've ever seen or anything that can be explained by science. Though in the past month I've seen a lot that science can't explain. But one thing Iferis is wrong about is though this place is beautiful it's not my home.

'Well?' Iferis says, her eyes bright as if waiting for me to agree with her.

'I'm sorry Iferis, it is beautiful but it doesn't feel like home to me,'

Iferis looks depressed for a moment before bouncing back to her usual self. I laugh slightly to myself at the sight of her, she's just like a little kid.

'Don't worry!' She says cheerfully, 'I'm sure it will soon!'

Will it? Will anything ever really feel like home ever again? My mind asks as my stomach twists into knots. I still don't know where we're going.

"Um, where are we going...?" I say as I turn to Hades.

"Well," He starts, "First we need to go see Zeus, he'll know where Artemis is."

Wait wait wait, backtrack will you. "Zeus?! As in like Jupiter?!"

Hades chuckles slightly as we pass by another chariot, "I suppose that was one of his names, though not many use it now."

Ok, I'm ready to wake up to find that this is all some honey-wine-induced dream.

'This isn't a dream,' Iferis says as she nudges me slightly and settles comfortably on my shoulder, 'this is real, you're about to meet your family.'

'My family is dead,' I say a little too pointedly and immediately regret it as Iferis looks down and away from me. 'Listen... I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that..."

Iferis doesn't answer me and the rest of the way to Zeus is spent in silence.

It was a tall, white marble palace and the marble almost seems to glow in the noon sunlight. As I look at the tall pillars and white marble steps leading up to the magnificent entrance, I realize it's very much like the same temple that I was at earlier. Along the road leading to the palace stood a long line of statues that seemed to serve as an honor guard.

It's beautiful and amazing and out of all the buildings here, it's the most impressive and hard to miss.

We land in front of the imposing building and I step off the chariot, my legs wobble slightly as I step down onto the cobblestone but other than that I'm fine.

I look up at the beautiful stonework and masonry that looks like it was just made yesterday and feel my stomach knot together. I don't know what will happen after we go in there but I have an indescribable feeling that whatever I learn in there will change me forever.

Besides me, Iferis grows back to the size of a normal horse and we start the walk up the steps of the palace.

'It will be ok,' Iferis says after a moment of silence.

'Will it?' I ask, the butterflies in my stomach feel more like hot needles right now.

Iferis nods and nudges me up the steps with her muzzle, 'I promise that all will be fine.'

I only nod in response as we get to the top of the steps. I guess this is where the real challenge starts...

Once inside the palace, I hear a voice call out from somewhere, "Ah Hades! My dear brother! How are you!"

Hades stiffens beside me at the sound of the voice and I hear him whisper under his breath, "How the youngest acts like the oldest."

I'm about to ask what he means by that but we have somehow gotten into a long chamber that reminds me a lot of something more from the medieval times than the accent greek.

In front of us is a tall man who looks to be in his late twenties, he has blonde hair and a slight beard, with a youthful twinkle in his light blue eyes, his skin is tan and it almost seems older than he looks. He's wearing the same type of toga as Hades but his is a pure white.

"Hello Zeus," Hades says rather stiffly as he looks up at the man on the marble throne.

The man laughs and it sounds light but also somewhat like the sound of thunder. He kinda reminds me of a younger version of Santa Claus, "Is that any way to greet your brother?"

Oh so they're brothers, they look nothing alike. The man's, I guess he's Zeus, turns his attention to me and I gulp slightly.

"And you've brought me a gift!" He says merrily before talking to me in a lower voice, "Don't worry, I'll show you a good time."

I unconsciously take a step back from the man and Hades puts an arm between us. "Zeus, she's thirteen and yo-"

Whatever Hades was about to say is lost as Zeus speaks again, "Ah you must mean thirteen hundred, a bit young but don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

Oh my god, what an asshole. "No Zeus, thirteen as in was born thirteen years ago," Hades says calmly, as if explaining it to a child.

Zeus clicks his tongue and slumps down a bit in his throne, "I see," but he then continues full of energy, "So why did you come here? Kore- I mean Persephone is with you right now so I see no reason for you to come here unless..."

"No Zeus," Hades says with a sigh, "I know where Persephone is, this time I'm here to find Artemis."

"Oooooh, her," Zeus says, "Not much fun, always hanging out with those chicks, not to mention the whole v.i.r.g.i.n-for-eternity thing."

Hades laughs under his breath as if what Zeus said is funny, "We just need to know where she is Zeus, and if you could keep it in your pants while we're here that would be lovely."

Zeus sighs as if he didn't hear the remark, "All you ever want is information from me, I hardly ever see you and when I do not even a warm welcome," Zeus perks up in his throne and all I can think of is some giant puppy, "I'll tell you if you come to family brunch"

"For someone with six siblings, why do I need to come?" Hades asks before he sighs, "Fine whatever, where is she?"

Zeus smirks and says, "Probably at her palace, ask if her answer from 1879 is still valid!"

Zeus has to shout that last part as Hades has already started to herd me out of the hall and back out towards the chariot.

"Gods are such children," he says under his breath and I can't help but agree with him.