It was Sunday and Ethan had just woken up from bed. He had made up his mind the previous day not to stay home today. He just couldn't stand the thought of being in the same place with Dred so had decided to just grab some food and go to kirk's.
The house was silent as he made his way towards the kitchen after bathing and changing into some nice clothes. His wrist watch read 10:20am. It was still early but hopefully Kirk would be awake.
He was in the process of making something to gobble up real fast when he heard heavy footsteps approaching from his mother's room. He quickly grabbed his food which was a half made sandwich, and stuffed it into his hoody pocket.
Dred stepped into the kitchen and looked at Ethan a long time. "What are you up to, wimp?", Dred growled at Ethan.
Ethan decided it was not Worth it stirring up trouble this early in the morning so decided to bite back his retort and just shake his head.
"You better not be stealing any food,boy. You work in a restaurant, you should eat your fill when there. On Saturdays, eat enough to cover Sunday as well as Monday morning. Leave the small food in this house to those that deserve it. I mean me!" Dred informed Ethan hotly.
Ethan started bristling as he heard Dred say this. How dare him decide who deserved food in this house when he didn't buy any of it. He'll be damned if he let Dred decide his eating habits for him.
His mouth curled in anger as he got ready to throw back a retort that will hurt Dred to his bone.
"Yes. Go on. Say something. Give me a reason to beat some sense into you this morning. Just go ahead."
Dred taunted Ethan in a whisper. Ethan Soo wanted to punch Dred in his ugly face. How could God create such a person?. Ethan knew Dred was intentionally riling him up. He wanted an excuse to beat Ethan again. Ethan took in a deep breath and walked by Dred without a word.
Dred smirked as he saw Ethan walk by him.
"Just what I thought. You're nothing but a wimp. Keep walking, weakling!" He continued taunting as Ethan continued walking.
"You better come home before dark, boy. My door waits for no man. You're free to test that statement!", Dred shouted at Ethan's still moving back as he opened the door and stepped outside.
Ethan was shaking with anger. That fool deserved some serious pain in his life and Ethan promised himself to deliver that pain one of these coming days.
"You wait Dred. I'll give you a reason to attack me one of these days. Then I'll turn the tables and make you suffer like you're making me do now." Ethan said to the wind as he made his way to Kirk's.
Hermes was reading a book in his hall. He had been reading since morning and had only gotten up to go to the bathroom or fix himself some more snacks when he ran out of it.
The book was very interesting and Hermes had been hooked from the very moment he opened it. The humans were knowledgeable species. They never ceased to amaze him with their growth. At times he asked himself if they were the very same people he and his fellow protectors had taught all those years ago.
The very same people who had barely covered themselves when the protectors had first met them. Back then,these mortals didn't even know what fire was. Today, they had electricity that replaced real fire in cooking and even keeping themselves warm.
Not just that,they had made so many things that it would take him days to list all their wonderful inventions. And their literature was simply the best. Maybe even better than the gods own,he dared say.
They wrote their mind freely and wrote for entertainment, unlike the gods who were always formal and barely did anything exciting. Maybe if he survived this new war that was brewing, he would try to write his own book and have it published. That would make him very happy.
He had done and accomplished many things during his time among the humans,but not once had he written a book. Writing and publishing a book would be the ultimate accomplishment for him. He smiled as he thought this before continuing with his book.
He was still buried in his book when his nose started tickling him. He made to rub his nose when he felt a giant sneeze building up deep from his core.
ACHOOO!
He sneezed loudly. "Ooh that felt good. Even though my nose now hurts a little". Hermes told himself. He was turning to his book to continue reading again when,
ACHOOO!!,
"Goddamit..my nose is gonna fall off if I continue sneezing like this." He said whiles rubbing the tip of his nose in pain.
A..Ah..AAH...AAACHOOOO!!.
This third sneeze was so powerful that it flung Hermes backwards from his sofa. Whiles still on the floor, Hermes heard the flap of powerful wings in his room and quickly jumped to his feet, thinking that one of the protectors had tracked him here to deliver a message. When Hermes saw who or what it was, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets In his shock.
On his center table was a large white, blue and golden eagle. The eagle was absolutely and breathtakingly beautiful. Or handsome since Hermes knew it was a male. It's beak and talons as well as it's legs from below the thigh was golden.
It's body,from it's chest to it's tail and then it's thigh was absolutely White and it's head down to its neck was a complete shade of blue. This was Zeus's eagle. His soul animal to be precise.
This animal would be alive so long as Zeus was alive. It grew in strength along with Zeus and weakened along with him. It was the same with all soul animals.all the protectors had one.
When a protector died, He died with his soul animal. And when he got reincarnated,he got reincarnated along with his soul animal. Zeus was very fond of his soul animal and barely let it out.
Why was this animal here?, Hermes asked himself. As if answering his thoughts, the animal sent out a series of pictures into Hermes' head. The moment Hermes got a glimpse of the pictures running through his head, he knew why the bird had come.
The pictures the eagle had sent into his head were all recent memories from Zeus's perspective. There was trouble. Very big trouble. The others were in danger. The dark forces were attacking. If the protectors didn't get help immediately,they would all perish.
The bird had sensed this and had come to call for help. It had come without zeus's knowledge and Hermes knew why. Zeus just wouldn't allow it to come if he knew what it intended to do.
Hermes dashed into his secret training room behind his personal library and quickly equipped his war armor as well as a long sword which he placed on his back and a small dagger which he stuffed into the side of his shoe. When he returned to the hall,the bird was gone.
He quickly opened a portal in his room but stopped himself for awhile to think things through. He was about to go against zeus's order here. he knew the others had accepted their fate and were ready to die but he just couldn't sit down and let them perish.
He still hadn't found the right person to bestow the chain unto and he believed zeus himself would be the perfect person to choose a worthy candidate who will be even better under his own tutelage.
He was going to save them all. Together they could plan for the future. He tapped his side pocket which held the 'eye of the gods'.
"I'm coming my brothers and sisters. the dark forces is everyone's responsibility. You're not dying today." He said before jumping into the portal which immediately closed and disappeared behind him.