Chapter Text
Now that he thought about it, Aeneas figured that he really should have expected to be the child of Aphrodite.
But, to be honest, Aeneas didn't expect to be the son of a goddess. He was just your typical teenager, you see, one who spent most of his time traversing the world and living in rich mansions with his father, and had private servants, some of which he swore had horns on their head when they took of their hats-
Oh.
Yeah, maybe he should have found it out earlier.
But he didn't, not really. Not until he saw his servant turn into a half goat-half man and murder a lion-goat-snake with a baseball bat imbedded with bronze nails.
He had still thought his Father was lying when he told him about the Greek Gods, at least, until the previously mentioned satyr started playing a song and making all of the plants come to life.
So yeah.
Either Aeneas was on drugs, or he was actually the child of a Greek God. And his father was currently solemnly informing him that for the rest of his life, he'd be hunted by scantily clad snake-people who wanted to kill him.
Aeneas had accepted it then, and started practicing his charmspeak. Otherwise, things went back to normal. High school started in a month. It was fine. He could adapt to living with a literal Goddess as a mother. He could handle it.
It was fine.
But this? Being saved from a woman with snakes as hair by a sunglass wearing boy who just dissipated a person into mist? Now this was taking it too far. The man had brown, tightly woven, curled hair and a black, long cloak with a hood, green runes written on it. His face appeared lined, although he could not have been more than twenty five.
Before he could speak, the boy snapped at him tersely.
" Alabastor Torrington." the man growled, thin lips curling. His eyes squinted as though disappointed at the sight before him. " I trust that you already know of your parentage. i need you to come with me." Aeneas was about to refuse, because he wasn't an idiot who went with anyone that turned a freaking person into mist, my god, what the hell- but it turned out that he had no choice.
Alabastor grabbed Aeneas's arm, dragging roughly, and the world turned.
Something sick burned in his gut. Aeneas collapsed to the floor-wait. Floor? His head was still dizzy and woozy and messed up from the split-second long trip, but he could tell that somehow, Alabastor had teleported them to...
Somewhere. There were many, many people standing in the hall. They weren't obviously human. Some had gills and stars in their skin, scales and pink-orange-yellow hair, another with violet eyes, all looking serious in the dark marble hall.
Aeneas heaved, but no breath came out. It was then that Aeneas realized there were divine beings around him, as nothing else could have such an otherworldy beauty and oddness about them. Though, he had never met divinity before, so he wouldn't know. A voice boomed silently in his ears, all encompassing and washing over him entirely. His nerves lit up in a panic, but there was nothing painful striking at him.
" Greetings Aeneas, Child of Aphrodite, though you already know your parentage." An almost transparent lady with whirling features put a ghostly hand on his cheek. His eyes echoed in every corner of his vision. " It is I, Ananke. Primordial of Time. With me are my brothers and sisters, and your guide, Torrington." Aeneas froze, feeling his blood run cold.
" Who are you?" He spoke before thinking, and then realized the question had already been answered.
A wave the lady's appearance shimmered and started changing, rapidly. Aeneas tried to scramble himself upright, but wherever he looked, he found himself overwhelmed by the roar of the voices and tide. His brian refused to comprehend any of it.
" I don't believe this. No, this isn't possible. You're lying or I'm dreaming, or....or..."
Eyes watched him patiently.
Aeneas had learned about the Protogenai. The Primordials. But to meet them... It was absurd. Unthinkable. They did not even have a human form, surely, and if they did, they would not spend their time visiting demigods needlessly, they were too important for that, yes?
He must've gotten high or was dreaming or... No. He wasn't. The thought struck him as he almost crumpled again into the ground.
His dreams were like that, he knew when he was dreaming and when he was waking up, and he knew that he was not going to wake up any time soon, because he was already awake.
So this was real.
" I can't believe this."
A different voice, somehow, Aeneas could tell it was different although it sounded the same.
" Believe it, child. It is your choice if you wish to believe this a false, but I shall tell you now. It is real, and if you do not believe, then you shall die. Better to believe and have a chance, rather than to let it all go to waste." Aeneas still stared, still in shock.
" Impossible. It's impossible." he said again, refusing to believe. " A primordial has never shown before a mortal-"
" Until now." something that sounded like a chuckle revembrated like lightning across Aeneas' skin. " This is serious, and there's is always a first. Perhaps you are blessed, perhaps you are cursed. Only Chaos knows."
He didn't think it was real.... but if it was....
" Why'd you bring me here?" He asked instead, directing his question to Alabastor, and not Ananke.
Another Primordial spoke. " You have heard about the Second Titanomachy and Gigantomachy." It was stated as a fact. Aeneas nodded. His Father kept him up on Demigod Affairs and he had heard all about the Seven. " Now they are rising once more. Together."
Aeneas blinked. And swallowed. " So another prophecy then. Let me guess, I'm part of it. I don't quite know why I'm brought here though." Ananke sighed.
" There is no prophecy." she explained. " The demigods and Olympians do not know of it yet, but they are destined to lose."
Aeneas's blood ran cold. his was too much to take in.
" Oh, okay." he croaked out. Why were they telling him this?
Aeneas didn't know why he was so upset about Olympus falling, he had never met them. Yet... the knowledge that something that withstood so much was guaranteed to break down...
He figured he was going to die, too, then, if Olympus broke down.
" But you can still help to give the Olympians a chance."
That jolted him. " A chance? But you just said..."
He swallowed. Another thought struck him.
" Why are you doing this though? Why try to help the gods?" He said. Questions whirled his head, unable to be spoken out loud.
Ananke glanced between Alabastor and him. " The gods may have done wrong, but compared to the giants and titans in the destruction to be wrought...."
Alabastor spoke up, teeth gritted. Glaring at him with dark green eyes. " .. they're better." he said simply. " Lesser of two evils."
Aeneas slowly turned his head back. " Oh. So what.. do you expect me to do? Is there a Prophecy I should-" he stopped short, not actually truly knowing what he should do. Couldn't the Primordials have picked someone from Camp or from the Romans? He felt woefully unprepared and frightened as he stood before them. Like a prisoner facing an ruthless jury.
Another primordial spoke up. The form they wore had pink-blue scales and large gills. " We have told you, not because of a Prophecy, but despite of it." they remarked. " Olympus may be doomed to fall, but there is still a chance it may be saved. I have pleaded with Chaos, the ultimate, omnipresent and all-knowing. He has answered, and there is a slim chance that Olympus shall survive. But you, of all demigods, play a significant part. You are the few that stand a chance to defeat them."
Aeneas blinked. " I.... I mean. I always wanted to be special- but, this is taking it too far. I've got no proper training on this- and as just one person-"
" There are others." Alabastor said sharply. " I will get them. You are merely the first."
A blink. Disbelief. And then an annoyed rage burned up in him. " Who even are you, and why did you help them kidnap me?" he asked, drawing himself away from the immortals briefly to focus on the very annoying mortal before him.
A moment of hesitation, but Alabastor met his gaze with cold eyes.
" I... helped the Titans in the Second Titanomachy." he explained. " I don't want to help them anymore. The Giants have been active for a few months, and I... got in contact with the Protogenai because they wanted to stop the fall of Olympus. I was recluent, but, they've been relatively nice. There weren't nearly as much monsters anymore. I figured that if I helped, if things got back to normal, I could go back. Not permanently, mind you, just...
He stopped talking, but a wistful sigh made its way out nonetheless. It disappeared under a grunt a moment after. Aeneas' skin crawled.
He narrowed his eyes back at the Primordials. " You sought him out. Why don't you try to destroy the Giants and Titans by yourself?"
The voices answered in unison this time.
" We cannot interfere. We can talk to you. Bless you. Give you advice. But we cannot interfere personally. But you must first find the others."
Aeneas took a deep, shuddering, disbelieving breath. He couldn't believe quite yet. But he had gone too far.
" Are you sure this is true?" He asked skeptically, hopefully.
" It is." All of them said. " We are the Primordials. The Giants and Titans have chosen to rise together. Unimpeded, they will topple Olympus."
"And the others. The-how many of us? We're the only ones? No one else?"
Ananke chuckled." There will be others. They will try to fight and they will succeed and fail. But without the Chosen of Chaos, they will not succeed."
" Then who did... Chaos... choose? And why me?"
A shake of the head. " We know not of Chaos' plans or how he works. We merely ask him for help and he provides. You are the chosen, and who are we to disagree?"
Aeneas did not like the sound of that. He shuddered. The weight of the world on one's shoulders was one thing when there was a prophecy to support you. And even worse when.... worrying truth dawned on him piece by piece. Things were different when there wasn't a prophecy and a freaking primordial just straight up went to your face and said that you were meant to fail in your endeavor, yet you were expected to do it anyways.
" Who are the others?" He asked, with some degree of maturity and acceptance, but mostly worry and paranoia.
" Torrington will lead you. There will be six." A breath, another, and another. He could breath.
" And... will they believe?"
" They already know they are demigods. They will believe. We will come to them."
In their dreams or whatnot, however they did it went unsaid.
" What if they refuse? What if I refuse?"
" Then Olympus shall fall." Ananke said firmly. " I shall be honest. There is a much higher chance of failure than success. But, if all 6 of you work together.... a sliver of hope is still a sliver, no matter how small. We cannot say the exacts of what will occur, but Olympus shall fight. They know not that it is a losing battle, and it would be best not to tell them, for fear of making them lose morale, but they will fight. Alas... Gaea's firstborn have been planning this a while now."
A sound spread across the entire room ( room? ) and into Aeneas' ears.
" Kronos is scattered... it can't be that bad."
" It is. They may not have the Titan King, but they are stealing the power away from demigods to replace him." Aeneas stared in confusion.
Alabastor spoke seriously, " Since a few months ago, they've started picking off demigods from the streets, stealing powers for themselves. They're starting with the weak ones, and moving up... eventually, they'll be able to influence the camps and then Olympus. I've been trying to stop them."
Oh. That was bad. That was serious. Aeneas turned back, forcing down the growing dread and despair.
" How much time do I have?" He demanded. A mutter that sounded similar to 'so many questions..' met him back.
" You are lucky, demigod." A smile met him. " Two years, before it becomes irreversible. More than enough."
No, that wasn't enough, Aeneas thought. Especially not when they tacked 'before it becomes irreversible' to the end. His fists clenched.
" What about... my Father? My friends and school..."
" We will have someone take your place and explain it to your Father."
Aeneas shot up, confusion and protesting.
" We will not sour your image, Aphrodite's Child. We have observed you for some time. And we will replicate you in every way."
Now that was worse. That was far, far worse.
" I'd prefer it if I just went missing." he swallowed. There was a pause back.
" Then that will be what is done." it was determined.
Aeneas nodded slowly, still unable to comprehend. " I still don't understand though." he asked as his final question. The son of Aphrodite steeled himself. "Why me?"
He looked on, trembling and in wonder.
" Chaos has chosen. Had he chosen anyone else, they would have asked the same question. He chose, perhaps with a purpose, perhaps randomly. But he had to choose someone, and he chose. Now are you ready?"
It was a good question. Aeneas looked at Alabstor. He had a dagger and sword on him, hand positioned over the latter, as if expecting him to refuse and being prepared to force him along.
Was he willing to take this quest?
Yes.
It was odd how much he wanted it. But he did, even if he had never met Olympus. Even if he had never seen a monster. He still did. A sound echoed once more in his body, and only then, did Aeneas recognize as being his own heard. His breath escaped from his chest in a terrible laugh.
" Yes." He said finally.
Alabastor nodded, and just like that, the Primordials disappeared, leaving behind an empty hall.
" Let's go." Alabastor said, and the world turned once more.