Athena's's POV
We made our way down the hallway and back towards the treasure room, "Do you even know where you're going!?" I question, having to quickening in pace behind him as he speeds up.
"Isn't it...here?" He seemingly ignores me while peeking between rooms, whispering to himself in lost thoughts.
"Percy?" He furiously prances towards a direction, eventually stumbling into a room fit for a king...and a queen? The sheets of a grand bed with black and sandy colours lining it, the room seemingly filled with possessions that I have no intention of learning their intended use or history of.
"Her face, this isn't it. So why" He continues thinking out loud, confused at his own words as he shakes his head in denial. Staring up and seeing a painting of a beast like figure with Green eyes, his arms held around a woman with black hair and foggy eyes. "Percy!" I grab his shoulders and shake him out whatever trance he was in, rapidly blinking as he comes back to reality.
"Why. Are. We. Here?"
"I've been here before, I can see something. Her face, it's so painfully memorable and yet I don't know why"
"You've most definitely not been here before, lets get that straight. The others would of pointed that out, don't you think?"
"I...guess. Unless-"
"Unless those aren't your memories." Aeon walks into the room once again tip toeing in silence. "I'm sorry but it's becoming more apparent that I'm making a mistake in letting you live." He steadily walks up to Percy, making him back up towards the painting." You want to know who that woman is?"
He towers above him, staring up at the image that Percy can't quite identify. But quickly shakes his head for the answer "That's Fenrir's sister, technically. Your sister as well." He explains, "As far as we're concerned she's still not to be found much like Hades, she was nothing but trouble might I add."
Percy slowly sinks to the floor, "I'm...becoming more like him aren't I" He asks in denial but very well knows the answer himself as he stares off into the ceiling.
Stunned with her human like form, it bugged me to not question it, "But she's um-"
"Not a wolf? You'll be more surprised at their third sibling. But nonetheless they most definitely are related."
"And what exactly did she do?"
"The Goddess known for her rot and decay, she wilted the life of others just for amusement. Their flesh turned to dust and bones grew brittle within seconds. Collapsing under their own weight, or at least I'm told that by Persephone."
"You've never met her?"
"No, this was before your Moon Goddess took it upon herself to severe everyone into new bodies" I practically felt his eyes roll with his annoyance at even mentioning her. Amidst explanation Percy gets up with a tipsy body as if drained of energy.
"Something...isn't right" He looks towards his bracelet that's equally coloured to our spirit bodies, his eyes losing it's colour in a sense of dread washing over them. A chip pops from it, bouncing across the floor and fading into dust.
"We need...the mirror" His body sways into the wall while dragging himself towards the door. Aeon's hostility becoming more apparent to me as he walks towards Percy.
"Please don't" I mumble out so only he hears, his eyes flicking in intensity as he stops himself.
"And why shouldn't I?"
"I-there's nothing I can really say other than believe in him" I drop my head a bit in shame for feeling so weak but there's nothing else I can do but plead for Percy's life. A moment of silence before I hear him walk over to me, placing a finger under my chin and raising my head to stare at him.
"You know I had four children, three of which were boys. The 2nd oldest was a girl much like you, your hair colour the same as my own once was. Day in and day out fighting in the primordial weathers, eventually bleaching itself into an unnatural hue." He leans closer to me, my nose can't help but pick up his intense scent flushing through my nose as he stares at me.
"But your eyes lack the concentration" He drops my face, walking outwards to the door and following Percy in quick motion. "You really know how to hurt someone don't you!" I call out as I run after them, knowing he most definitely heard me.
-
With the help of Aeon leading us we meet in the main hallway, being greeted by Persephone who evenly matched us in timing. "Here we go" She dangles a key between her fingers, heel turning towards the treasure room but pausing in her step.
"What's wrong?" Referring to her dazed state
"Oracion, be on guard" She goes to take a step forward put Percy jumps ahead of her
"I'm here" He whispers out, completely ignoring us as Aeon's clanking armour reforms around him once again. The resonation of metal pieces that slap against his body now lined up to nearly completely cover him, his tail still sticking out of it and nearly knocking me to the side.
"Percy wait come back!" I chase after him, stopping him from moving forward. A bright golden hallway leading up to the treasure room, the ominous sound of tapping footsteps spinning around us like a frenzied dance. Percy stares off as if in awe but the sight still remaining hidden to me.
"He's in a memory" Aeon answers, Percy still gawking as his eyes follow the traces of memory being shown to him, "She's so pretty" he murmurs
"So what's with that tapping?"
"I'm...unsure"
"No matter, keep moving" Persephone stomps past us in heels, her dress being caught by the slight breeze as it flows back and forth with her increasing pace.
"Nobody knows us" Percy once again comments, rushing past Persephone and slamming his hands against the door. Only to end up falling through it and out of our sight.
Before one of us could say anything Aeon stomps with his foot, cracks forming up towards the door and breaking what image was placed in front of us. "An illusion that my eyes weren't able to see, interesting" He smugly regards, walking ahead of us and towards Percy.
"Watch where the hell you walk!" She gets flustered, referring to his destruction of the palace. The room we enter, full of golden items placed on pedestals and other floating treasures swirling around themselves as natural as flocked birds. "Chris..." Percy lifts his head up and glances ahead of him, recognising his beta and calling outwards him.
"Who is that woman!?" She booms out, alerting Aeon who growls under his breath. We observe Chris's actions as he stares down at the uniquely shaped glass in front of him, raising a fist towards it after the woman strokes his hear and whispers into his ear.
"ANUBIS, TURN THE MIRROR TO HER!" Persephone calls out between us, his eyes staring past the white haired woman and towards us as they visibly shift in colour. Instead reaching for the mirror and lifting it towards the woman. Silence falls in the room as we stare at the image in front of us, in no less confusion as before.
"You've never seen me like this, have you? My most dearest husband, Anubis.", A shared chill flows through us as we still remain silent. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She looks saddened in the mirror as he still keeps it up and blocks their eyes meeting.
"That's...not possible, you can't be her!" Persephone walks closer to the mirror, still feet away. Covering her mouth in shock as it still shows the woman's same white haired reflection.
"This mirror shows the truth, does it not?" She spins around and smiles happily, running over to Persephone and going to hug her.
"Wait don't!" She jumps back in fear but ultimately get's caught in her arms, "You're...warm?" A confused tone but no rejection in her body language as she almost embraces the hug.
"The Goddess of rot and decay, Hel" Anubis slowly drops the mirror, equally stunned with confusion.
"You" A shockwave of electricity tingles my body with the air becoming icy. "It's you" the candle lit flames audibly shift in the air, the growling from behind me freezing me in my place alongside the very gods in front of me who now stare with a face of fear. "You birthed him." His literal soul piercing eyes feeling like knives on my back, "You left me. To raise him. That thing." I turn around to see Aeon now on all fours with a gaping mouth showing off his pearl white canine teeth, his sword nowhere in sight as he abandons all of his previous false humanity. The irises of his eye becoming darker in hue with each passing second-impatient stomping now cracking the ground as he kicks off his back legs and charges towards the woman, nothing but a golden and violet blur of his eyes coming into view as he dashes past me, leaving traces of the frosted air brush past him.
"I'm sorry, I don't know you" Her soft voice followed by the booming sound of a shattered wall nearly deafening my ears, looking up to see the wall behind them torn open and gradually caving in from surrounding rocks. All caused by the force of Aeon stopping in his frenzied state.
"What." The previous tension of the room that he alone created, now ceased and placed into air like a coin toss. "I don't know you" She almost looks scared in a sense, but still keeping her calm demeanour. The image of the mirror he now stands in front of with his jaws nearly clamped around her neck, the picture of a human man with tanned skin and green eyes reflecting his figure.
"Is that..." I go to question but Anubis drops the mirror on the floor in front of him. The woman remains standing next to Aeon as he now huffs and puffs in an angered state with nobody to take it out on. The human figure in the mirror mimicking his actions, a concentration of force spirals around his hands as he rises his fists above it. "NO" Percy goes to stop him but another shockwave forces us back and to our feet. Persephone and Anubis sent sliding across the floor and towards us...everyone but her, her hand now resting on Aeon. Once again chanting to him, "I don't know you".
His final inhale in with dark clouds raising above his head, a blinding brightness and ear drum ringing screech sounds through the room as I cover Percy's eyes along with my own.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮
He raises his fists once again, after the mirror remains seemingly untouched.
𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘮
"I'M NOT THIS!" He smashes it down once again, the mirror once again unphased. Percy taking the opportunity to run up to him.
"Please!" He calls out, Aeon staring at him with tears streaming down his face. Percy making the mistake of going to pick up the mirror as he stumbles back in fear. It's body floating, now intent on keeping Percy staring at it. "Oracion" The mirror cryptically calls out, the image of a grey coated wolf now replacing Aeon's human one. Standing up confidently and mimicking Aeon's posture with a sadistic toothy smile on his face, "Do it again". It snarls out while Percy cries to himself next to a pillar. The burning gold eyes of the wolf in the mirror slightly tilting towards the woman, his smile only increasing more.
A crashing roar thunders through the room, Aeon clawing down the mirror with glass treading through his skin and fur. Striking and carving it up every which way until it drops, crumbling into pieces and hitting the floor like rain..."Percy" I croak out in sadness for him but he sits there frozen with an unhealthy pigment to his skin. "I'm sorry" Aeon looks at his blood covered hands with shards of glass sticking out of them, his expression almost like a child in fear of what punishment he's going to receive. "I'm sorry" He faintly voices once again in disbelief of his own actions.