AresJoxerCupidStrife - Kate

War Awakens - Ares
Who I Am - Athena
This is Our Love - Persephone and Hades
I Want It All - Strife
I'm Going to Go Back There Someday - Cupid
Somethings Burning - Hephaestus
You're Still The One - Aphrodite
Bad Reputation - Eris
Lord of Song - Apollo
Chance to Run - Artemis
Rainy Day Man - Dionysus
Right Thing To Do - Xena
The Gambler - Hermes
Always Right - Hercules
Hate - Gabrielle
Envy - Eve
The End Of Lies - Truth

Disclaimer: Don't own anything used herein. The Silverhawks belong to Rankin Bass productions. The characters of the Greek mythology as I use them belong to both the Greek People, and renaissance pictures and whomever else holds copyrights for Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The song lyrics belong to Sailor Moon used in Episode thirty

Title: War Awakens (Ficlet Olympians Reborn Chapter not sure yet)
Author: Kate
Rating PG at least. (Maybe PG15 for language)
Summary: Joxer finds War and something triggers Ares Godhood

Joxer entered the combination middle/high school feeling as if his search was nearly over. Zeus had sent him here to find Ares and the others. Zeus had told him he had to reunite with Ares soon. Once Hercules and Xena had discovered that the children of Olympus had been reborn, they had rounded up Gabrielle and Eve and had begun a crusade to kill them. So far, they had failed and the thirteen were together now. According to Zeus, the thirteenth member of the group was new. He was to be Truth. And that made him a huge threat to the four blockheads.

Joxer walked into the gymnasium as a boy went flying across the room into a wall. Looking across the room, he saw the thirteen teens he had been sent to find. At the front of the group was Ares, where he should have always been. Behind him, and to his right, was Hephaestus. Next to Heph was Aphrodite. On Ares' left was the new one. It had to be him, as Joxer had never seen him before. On the new one's left was Eris. Behind Eris was Strife. Behind Ares directly, was Athena and behind her were Hermes, Dionysus, Apollo and Artemis. Behind Aphrodite was Persephone. Making thirteen teenagers who stood there. Joxer looked at the group' seeing that once they returned to Olympus, and their jobs, things would be much smoother and happier.

"Hi, I'm Joxer," he said as they all looked at him. He found himself looking into Ares eyes and was sucked back into the memory of when he'd had to watch Ares suffer at Xena's hands.

(Flash Back)

The four blockheads had seemed determined to make him suffer just because he was proof of the fact that The Way was wrong about some things. At the end of that session, just after Zeus had thrown Hercules off Olympus with the three women, Joxer had held Ares close

"Deep in my soul,
Love so strong,
It takes control."

"It's gonna be okay, Ares," Joxer told his beloved, "Just hold on, please hold on. I love you. We're gonna make you better."

Even Joxer had known though, that the only way to save Ares was to have all the children re-born and have them grow into friends. As a result, he knew Ares would have to go away from him for a time. Ares had stared at Joxer in shock hearing his words. Not daring to believe Joxer loved him. How could Peace love War? And yet, in Joxer's eyes, he saw it was the truth. Joxer loved him. He could also see the truth of the other statement. He was dying

"Now we both know,
The secrets bared,
The feeling shows."

Ares had felt his mother gather him into her arms and cry. Zeus had been there, as well. Ares somehow knew that his parents were sane again. Something had healed all the rage and hate. He knew he was dying, though. And by the looks of their faces, his parents knew as well. He felt his parents reduce him and the others to energy and take them out someplace safe. Someplace they would be allowed to grow up happy. But as he felt himself slowly slipping away he made a promise to come back to Joxer soon, no matter how far apart they were.

"Driven far apart,
I'll make a wish,
On a shooting star."

Joxer had helped Hera gather the symbols of godhood together and he and Iolaus, who carried the Sword of Justice, took the swords of War and Truth. Hera and Zeus took the other symbols of godhood but the swords had to be kept together until the time came for War to re-take, and Truth, to take their swords.

(End Flash Back)

"There will come a day,
Somewhere far away,
In your arms I'll stay,
My Only love."

Joxer knew the time was near for it to happen. Ares' sword had been glowing and humming for weeks. Ever since the first day of the sophomore year Ares sword had been glowing. Glowing and humming and almost singing it's joy. So, Joxer came. And Joxer watched. Now he saw, it was almost time. He could see it in how he group just spilled power over, not even realizing it. Joxer remembered his promise. To keep Ares in his heart always. No matter how far away he was he was; their love would live on.

"Even though you're gone,
Love will still live on,
The feeling is so strong,
My only love."

Joxer turned, hearing a commotion. He saw Ares standing over the prone body of the new boy. He knew, in that instant, he knew. Ares was going to wake up. Especially when he saw who had hurt his little brother. Joxer noticed the glow over Ares chest before Hercules did. Noticed it and smiled. The mark of War would burn through the t-shirt Ares wore. Always tight clothes as if he knew he did not belong in loose clothes. Zeus said Ares and Eris would retain enough, as all the Olympian children did, to know they had a purpose. Joxer smiled as Ares met his eyes and nodded once sharply. His memories were returning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ares stared into Joxer's eyes and it was like a veil lifted from his mind. He remembered things. Remembered who he was. Knew who the four people in front of him were. Enemies.

Ares stood over his hurt brother, staring at Hercules coldly. Hercules did not seem to know him and he knew it was because he wasn't looking 'godly'. He felt a burning in his chest. No, he corrected himself, not in his chest, -On- his chest. Over his heart, something was coming. Something long asleep was waking. And he knew in his heart of hearts it was his true self. He knew Joxer. Remembered his promise to Joxer. The day was here at last.

"There will come a day,
Somewhere faraway,
In your arms I'll stay,
My only love."

Now in front of him, a sword appeared, humming and glowing and His. Ares watched Hercules face as he reached out and touched his sword. Hercules showed white fear as Ares grasped the handle of the sword now humming in front of him. Offering him the answer to his dreams. The power flowed through him, surrounding him in a nimbus of raw power. Power that burned away the shell of Res Heart but not destroying him. Merging him with Ares, God of War. Ares felt a weight in his ear and realized the stud he always wore had been replaced by something heavier. Now he could see Hercules' lips moving, hear him saying some thing. Oh, yes.

"Xena! It's, I mean, its Ares! He wasn't supposed to be here! None of them were but Truth. Michael said so."

To this, Ares smiled as the light from the sword turned his customary dark blue. He was changing and he knew it. And in his father's name, the world needed him again.

Desperately. Ares smiled at Joxer from his place in the center of the nimbus of dark blue light. Joxer had brought his heart back. And the secret of his past had been in it. Always there.

"You've reached the deepest part,
Of the secret in my heart,
I've known it form the start,
My Only Love."

The secret burned through him. Telling him again of his purpose, showing him what he was to do. Not a secret at all, a memory. Set aside until he needed to remember. Until one of his family was hurt and he was needed again in the same instant. His secret name. What he was; War.

'Yes,' he thought, looking at Joxer, 'the day has come, my beloved. My only beloved.'

Ares smiled at Hercules as the light faded around him. The mark of War over his heart, now clear for anyone to see. He was the God of War. Clad once again in his tight leather pants and vest. Sword at his side. He was Ares, God of War again. And he liked it

"There will come a day,
Somewhere far away,
In your arms I'll stay,
My only love."

"Yes!" Strife yelled from the back of the group, the family, Ares corrected himself. "Uncle Dark and Dangerous is ba-ackkkk."

Ares turned to Joxer, seeing only his love at the moment, but knowing Truth lay before him on the ground. He whispered something only Joxer would know and understand.

"My Only Love."

"My Only Love."

Title: Olympians Reborn Ficlet 2: Who I Am. (Athena)
Author: Kate
Pairing: A/J, C/S
Rating: No idea
Summary: Who she is.

Athena had watched Ares from the moment Will had fallen into his lap. The look on his face when he looked at the man who had attacked Will was older than it should have been. It was also oddly familiar to her and Athena wanted to know why. She watched Ares as something began to happen to him and she felt like something was knocking on the door of her mind. Something she had known. Something that she wanted more than anything to know again. Her mind began to see things from a long time ago and she began to question herself, "Who am I?"

"If I live to be a hundred
And never see the seven wonders
That'll be alright
If I don't make it to the big leagues
If I never win a Grammy
I will be just fine
'Cause I know exactly who I am."

Athena knew who she was. She knew it form the images flashing through her mind. She saw all of her friends there, in those images, but something was different. Oh, they hated each other. But she didn't want that, and as she was the smartest, she would have to find a way to make sure they stayed friends and more, become family.

Like they were on the way to becoming, before Hercules had attacked young truth. But Joxer was here. Joxer who was Peace to Ares' War. Athena looked into her mind and saw her answers.

"I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The Spitting image of my father
And when the day is done my momma's still my biggest fan
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I've got friends that love me
An they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am."

She was Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. She would leave War to Ares this time. This second chance they all had been given by their father and mother, Hera. She was Athena, the godling that resembled Zeus the most. She was the spitting image of their father. And she knew it now. Watching Hercules stand over Truth laughing made as her angry, as it had made Ares and over her left breast a burning began.

Burning away her mortal life but not erasing it. Just blending it with her godhood. She knew emotions this time. Knew what her poor brother and sister had felt in everyone else's scorn on Olympus last time. And this time, she would not allow it to happen again. They were friends and family and she would be a real sister this time. She would not repeat the mistakes form last time. And that meant not fighting Ares for War. That would be Ares alone this time. All War would be his.

"So when I make a big mistake
When I fall flat on my face
I know I'll be alright
Should my tender heart be broken
I will cry those teardrops knowin'
I will be just fine
'Cause nothing changes who I am."

Athena watched Ares lift his sword, as her symbol appeared in front of her. A spear. Athena touched it and watched her former followers stare at her in shock. She knew they wanted to ask why she would take it back. Why she would want to challenge their narrow-minded views again. She knew the world needed her family again. Athena knew now that she understood emotions; she had a chance to have her heart broken like Artemis' had been. But she also knew that her family would help her. As they helped Arte. The world was tearing itself apart, she knew. Because of The Way and she knew it was time to stop this foolishness of one belief being better than another. She was Wisdom, and as Wisdom, she knew this.

"I'm a saint and I'm a sinner
I'm a loser, I'm a winner
I am steady and unstable
I am young but I'm able."

She knew she had the same propensity for good and evil like all her family. Love and hate, ice and fire. But now she knew she had been wrong then, in the past when they had all watched Ares, tortured by Xena, Hercules and the others. Even if he'd told them he would die alone for them, they should never have allowed him to suffer like that alone. She knew she had been able to stop his pain but she had been afraid to do anything. That galled her. She had always claimed to be as brave and strong as Ares before. Now she knew through those memories, that she had been wrong.

"I am Rosemary's granddaughter
The Spitting image of my father
And when the day is done, my momma's still my biggest fan.
Sometimes, I'm clueless and I'm clumsy
But I got friends that love me
And they know just where I stand
It's all a part of me
And that's who I am"

She had made a huge mistake. Now she had a chance to change it, fix it. Be the person she should have been then. She grabbed her spear and felt the change. Her clothes became her robe and breastplate. She was Athena, Goddess of Wisdom when the light from her godhood faded. And as she looked at her old followers who had tortured her brother before they had been reborn she smiled at them coldly and answered their question.

"Why do I want to re-take my place in the order? Because, this is Who I Am."

"And that's who I am."



Title: Olympians Reborn Ficlet 3: I'm a Believer (Persephone & Hades POVs)
Author: Kate
Summary: Persephone gets home, gets in trouble and Gets even with her adoptive family 2 POVs this time
Rating: Not sure. What do you give a story where the king of the underworld curses out his wife's adoptive family?
Pairing: A/J, C/S, H/P

Persephone got home from the most amazing day of her life. She'd known Ares and Athena were special but she didn't know how. And Strife and Cupid knew too, apparently. Persephone heard her adoptive mother screech her name and went into the room slowly and waited to be told what needed to be done today. Surprisingly, it was just her bedroom that day. Sephie went into her room and began to clean up slowly. She hoped someday someone would take her away form this place.

"I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else
But not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seems
Disappointment haunted my dreams"

Her very own Prince Charming. Not that she thought that would ever happen for her. Maybe Simone, her adoptive sister, but not for plain Persephone. Her birth parents had been killed in a car accident when she was 4. Sephie had grown up here with these snobs. She'd known Res and Will Heart all her life but only through Emily who was one of Simone's best friends. Sephie sighed heavily as she daydreamed about her dream man/Prince Charming who would come and get her form this life of loneliness. Not Res or Will or even Pol. But maybe someone else. Someone richer than her family---

**********************************************************

Up high on Mt. Olympus, Persephone's Prince Charming, also known as Lord Hades, sat daydreaming about when he would see his Persephone again. He'd missed her so much since she had been reborn. He was so depressed at one point Demeter had come down to the underworld and made him come up here to Olympus. It took Persephone having to be reborn for them to finally make peace. Demeter had promised him that as soon as Persephone came back, she would let them be together, always. Hades even had a temple here now as well as the one in the Underworld. Even Poseidon now lived here. Hades sat watching and waiting, quietly remembering when he'd fallen in love with Persephone the first time. He'd been sure he'd never be in love but then he'd met 'Sephie. Sweet 'Sephie. In the instant he'd seen her face he'd known she was the one for him.

"And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her
If I tried."

Hades looked up as Demeter came to him.

"It's almost time, Hades," she told him. "The sword of War has gone and Iolaus is preparing the sword of Truth." Hades nodded as he followed Demeter into the main hall, Zeus' hall, to wait.

*************************************************************

Persephone sat in her room after dinner that night feeling down. Her mother had yelled at her all night about Res attacking Simone's friend, Eve's Uncle. The woman didn't care about Herc beating Will half to death. Oh, no, just that Simone was upset. Sephie sighed and looked out her window wondering if she'd ever know love. It seemed the more she gave, the less she had. And she always felt an empty place in her heart. Persephone wondered why she even tried some days. No matter what, they wouldn't love her.

"I thought love was
More or less a given thing
But the more I gave the less
I got, oh yeah
What's the use in trying?
All you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine
I got Rain"

Persephone stared out the window as it began to rain and a chill permeated the air. Something about it reminded her of something. Someone she loved came to her when a chill filled the air. Someone---Someone---tall, dark and mysterious. He was so sad when she was gone. So very sad and alone. Persephone knew he was special whoever he was. Someone she loved but couldn't be with all the time. Someone---her husband? Husband---Hades? That felt right. But these memories, they were from a long time ago. From before now. Persephone suddenly wondered if this was what Res and The felt when they started glowing. And if it was, did it lead to something good?

Persephone realized she was glowing at the same time Simone walked into her room without knocking. Simone never had to knock. She screamed for her mother when she saw Persephone. Mother wouldn't allow this, Persephone thought. She thought of the man Hades just before the mother came in the door to try to grab her and shake the light out of her.

On Olympus, Hades head came up hearing Persephone call him her husband. She remembered, and she still loved him. That caused him to smile. He and Demeter looked at each other across the tale and smiled. The smiles were short lived as a second later, they both heard and felt Persephone call for Hades in despair. Hades looked at Zeus who nodded. He then gathered himself and flashed to his wife dressed in his King of the Underworld outfit. Although angered by whatever made his Sephie despair, Hades was eager to see her again after so long. He had missed her sweet face since she'd been gone. He truly loved her. Even Demeter knew that. Upon arriving Hades saw his Persephone backing away form a rich looking woman who was yelling at her calling her devil child.

/We'll just see about that/ he thought to himself.

"And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her
If I tried"

Hades immediately went to his wife's side and lifted her face to look at him, not the woman and girl shrieking at her.

"Hello, my Sweet Sephie," Hades said to her. "I have missed you."

"HADES!" Persephone cried as she threw herself into his arms. Hades pulled her into a long kiss that finished awakening her godhood. Then, he gently set her on her feet and turned to her family. Persephone had only seen the look on Hades had on his face once before now. It was the look he wore when he wanted to not just gather a certain soul, but to release it from it's body himself. Hades was in a killing mood.

"How. Dare. You?" He demanded in a cold, hard voice. "How dare you touch my wife and order her as if she were a common slave or servant? She is my wife, Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. No mortal has the right to make her think she is less than a person!"

Catching Simone trying to back out of the door, Hades snapped his fingers and froze her in place. He did the same to her mother and pulled them in front of himself and Persephone. He waved his hand and dressed his wife in finest silks. Then he turned back to the two women.

"I don't know what kinds of psychotically, bitchy person began your line but I tell you this now, no one harms my Persephone in any way. Not without facing me. Clear? And let me tell you this now Simone, between you and my Sephie? I'd take Sephie any day. She is more beautiful than you could ever hope to be. For your insides are as nasty as a six day old corpse!"

Hades then kissed Persephone again before turning to the mother. He was enraged at her and her husband and he was already planning a special place for them in Tartarus for the way they'd treated Sephie just because she was an orphan. Hades looked at the woman's mind and smiled coldly.

"Your preacher man is going to be out of a job soon. That I promise you. And we do not place children in eternal torment for mistakes, by the way," Hades turned his back on the two women and offered Persephone his hand.

"Come, my queen, your mother would like to see you again," Persephone took his hand and the two of them vanished into the ether, heading back to Olympus. Hades felt a joy in his heart that rivaled the summer son. He got an echo form Sephie's. They were together again. and she apparently liked what he'd done with his hair. Dying a blond streak into it had actually been Demeter's idea. They had forever now. And nothing would separate them again.



Title: I Want It All (Olympians Reborn Ficlet 4: Strife)
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Strife wants it all
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)

"I want it all,
I want it all'
I want it all and I want it now"

Strife walked through the alley heading home. Ares and Athena amazed him that afternoon. As he walked, his own memories began to filter in. He'd called Ares 'Uncle Dark and Dangerous' which meant that he knew him as his uncle from before. Strife wandered and thought. Finally deciding he wanted what he'd had before. He wanted all of it.

"Adventure seeker on an empty street
Just an alley creeper, light on his feet
A young fighter screaming, with no time for doubt
With the pain and anger can't see a way out,
It ain't much I'm asking, I heard him say,
Gotta find me a future, move out of my way"

Strife was a daredevil. He and Cupid, who had gotten there just as Ares finished changing, were the troublemakers in their group. Strife smiled as he thought of the look on Hercules' face when he'd seen them together. Apparently they weren't supposed to be friends. Things change, was all Strife could think about that statement.

He was the scrapper in their group. He loved to fight. Res would and could and enjoyed a good fight. But there had to be a reason for it. 'Course, according to his memories, Ares had always wanted a reason to fight. Strife knew he had to figure out who he was soon. He didn't have time for doubt if the looks on the faces of the four shit heads had been anything to go by. None of them had anytime for doubt. He wouldn't have a future if he didn't figure it out. But he wanted one. Had to find him a future soon. Especially with Hercules chasing him.

"I want it all,
I want it all,
I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all,
I want it all,
I want it all, and I want it now"

Strife sighed and went into a side alley that dead-ended so he could plan a trick for Hercules. He was also the group prankster. And after Will was beaten today, he wanted to pull some mischief on the one who'd done it. Strife giggled almost insanely as he spotted some rope. An idea for a trick sprang to his mind. A Bugs Bunny-ish trick, but Strife had never cared where the ideas for his pranks came form. Strife set up some bags of garbage and then set the rope like a trip wire and ducked into the shadows. He so wanted Jerkules to pay for what he'd done to Will. He knew Unc would handle the beating but Strife just wanted a lick for it. Will was like another big brother to him.

"Listen all you people, come gather round,
I gotta get me a game plan, gotta shake you into the ground,
Just give me what I know is mine,
People do you hear me, just give me the sign,
It ain't much I'm asking, if you want the truth
Here's to the future, for the dreams of youth"

Will was Ares' brother and Strife thought maybe something else. Will was one of them. Had always been one of them. Strife heard Hercules coming and waited. At the last second, he pulled his rope and Hercules went flying into the pile of smelly trash. Strife giggled again. At the same time he giggled, a tingling began over his chest and Strife realized he was changing. He was about to have it all back and he couldn't wait. Strife wanted it all. He really did.

"I want it all,
I want it all,
I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all,
I want it all,
I want it all, and I want it now."

Strife took in the look on Hercules' face as his memories came back. He couldn't help giggling even more as the burning sensation over his heart intensified. He hoped his mark would be as cool as Unc's was. Seeing as how they were permanent. Strife laughed as Hercules backed away form him. His mind was filled with all kinds of mischief he could play on Hercules, Xena and Gabrielle and Eve who he now knew from school, as the leader of the snobs who'd upset Will's sister during lunch. Emily hadn't come to school today after what had been said yesterday. Strife decided to play some real mischief on the whores who'd said Emily was easy. And the Football jock that'd tried to rape her. And that asshole reverend who was gonna allow it until Res showed up. Strife's mind was back on it's one track; Mischief.

"I'm a man with a one track mind
So much to do in one lifetime, (People do you hear me),
Not a man for compromise and where's and why's and living lies,
So I'm living it all, yes I'm living it all
And I'm giving it all, and I'm giving it all,"

Strife smirked at Hercules as the 'hero' backed very quickly away. Strife started his giggling again as Herc slipped on a banana peel and fell into the smelly garbage again.

"That'll teach you to beat on kids, Jerkules," Strife said to him. Strife vanished himself to The and Heph's house where they were used to seeing him for dinner. All three of them were in lower class families, but they didn't care. Strife grinned seeing Dite there too. She'd been with Heph for years it seemed. Strife giggled when he realized how accurate that was. He sat in his accustomed pace where the parents of The and Heph always left a place for him. He knew he and The knew who they were now and they hoped the others remembered too. That was the prayer he said to Zeus. Strife, God of Mischief and children prayed for them all

"It ain't much I'm asking', if you want the truth
Here's to the future, Hear the Cry of Youth."



Title: I'm Going To Go Back There Someday Olympians Reborn 5, Cupid
Author: Kate
Rating: No idea
Summary: Cupid gets to fly again
Pairing: A/J, C/S, H/P

Cupid ran up to the tree he and his friends usually sat under at lunch when he heard the commotion. He was late joining the gang because of a test he'd taken. When he got there, Cupid froze. The leader of their group, Res, Heart, was standing, facing a tall blond man over Will's unconscious body. Cupid had a flash of Deja Vu as he watched Res shift into a stance that he'd never seen him use. Res was older than he was. He, Athena and Hermes and Strife were the youngest members of their group but they were booted into higher grades because of their intelligence. It was like something wanted the thirteen of them to be together. To be friends.

"This looks familiar, vaguely familiar
Almost unreal yet, it's too soon to feel yet"

Cupid stared as Ares began to glow. Starting with a light over his chest and Cupid was struck again by Deja Vu. Something very familiar. Something that he wasn't sure about yet but he did know---Vaguely. Like a half forgotten dream

"Close to my soul, and yet so far away
I'm going to go back there someday"

Cupid felt something tugging on his soul. He was almost sure whatever was happening to Res was important and that whatever Res was becoming would be, or should be, known to him. Cupid felt the knowledge was close, but at the same time it was so far away. And that was driving him nuts. Cupid determined to find the missing thing in his memory. To get back to where he was almost certain he belonged.

"Sunrises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls
Is that a song there, and do I belong there?"

Cupid thought, as he watched Ares begin to glow, of the sky and what he was sure it held for him. Cupid yearned for the sky. He always had but only his friends knew.

Cupid watched Res as a sword appeared in front of him. Cupid felt like he belonged in the sky. Like it was calling to him with songs and remembrances. He so wanted those remembrances too.

"I've never been there, but I know the way
I'm going to go back there someday"

In his dreams of what the sky held for him, Cupid saw a bright, beautiful shining place. Now, as he looked at Res, Cupid began to remember that he did know the way to the bright place that called to him. Home, he thought most when he saw it. It was home. And Cupid wanted to share it with his friends.

"Come and go with me, it's more fun to share
We'll both be completely at home in midair"

Cupid wanted Strife to be with him there, in midair, but he also wanted all of his friends there. He could fly in his dreams; he was at home there in the sky. Which was why he wanted to be a pilot. Cupid focused back on Res who seemed to growing and he suddenly had an image flash across his mind. He was there, and so were the others, but it was different. Everyone hated Res, and he himself had wings. And he had a bow. A bow that brought, it brought love? Yes, his bow brought love.

"We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings
We can hold onto love like invisible strings"

Cupid stared at the group as more images and memories bombarded him. He knew it was because of whatever was happening to Res, no, not Res: Ares. Ares, his father? Yes, Ares was father. And Strife was cousin and lover. They really were a family, not just friends but a real family. That was why it all seemed so familiar to him. The thirteen of them were a family.

"There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met
Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?"

Cupid felt burning over his heart as he thought about his family. He saw his father, standing in the nimbus of his power. The dark blue nimbus of his power. Cupid grinned knowing that Ares, God of War was back. And maybe, just maybe, Cupid, God of Love could stand with him against Hercules and the other three shit heads who'd attacked and beaten Will for no reason.

"You can just visit, but I plan to stay
I'm going to go back there someday"

Cupid decided he would keep this as he felt his wings erupt from his back, shredding his shirt and the lightweight jacket he always wore. His Dad was standing too, now holding his sword. Now, auntie Athena was glowing too, but her Godlight wasn't as cold as it used to be. Still silver, but warm now. Cupid grinned deciding he wanted to keep his family. He wanted them all to stay friends. He knew some day had come. He was going back now. Back home, to the bright place. Home, to Olympus.

"Whoa, Dad," Cupid said as his bow appeared in his hand. "We look good, don't we?" In the rest of the group he could see as he was sure his auntie Athena and his dad could see, sparks of godhood in all of their friends. Even Will who now lay at their feet, still unconscious. Cupid looked up at his dad and caught War's grin. The grin that said whomever had hurt his family was gonna get it. Hercules backed up almost afraid. Athena moved to his dad's side and the three of them stood there protectively over Will and in front of the rest of the family. Cupid grinned finally feeling he was home. And home was a good place to be.

"I'm finally home," he said to himself and received a warm smile form his father for it. Ares had always had good hearing. Ears like a bat more like it, but Cupid smiled under the warmth of his father. He truly was on his way back there. Wherever there was.

"I'm going to go back there someday"



Title: Something's Burning Olympians Reborn Hephaestus
Author: Kate
Pairing: Aphrodite/Hephaestus, A/J, H/P, C/S
Summary: Heph finds fire in himself and his girlfriend
Rating: Uh, maybe PG-13 form implied sex
Archive: Forgot, all of these can be archived at AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle and Triple Threat.

"You lie in gentle sleep beside me
I hear your warm and rhythmic breathing
I take your hand and hold it tightly
Listen, can you not hear our young hearts beating"

Heph woke up in the early morning hours as he felt Dite shift and sigh against him. She was so damn beautiful that he was sometimes still awed by the fact that she wanted him over all the beautiful boys in their group of friends. Heph didn't think he could hold a candle to Res, or Pol, or even Will, but Dite told him otherwise. Heph smiled and took Dite's hand as she began to wake up. He held it tightly so she would see his love for her. Heph imagined as he held her hand tightly that he could almost feel Dite's heart beating in rhythm with his

"I kiss the sleep form your eyes
Your smile is sweeter than the morning
And a here it comes
Can't you feel it baby?"

When Dite woke up, Heph greeted her with a gentle smile and a kiss. Dite was always telling him his morning kisses helped her shake off the last bit of sleep. He liked to kiss his girl, Dite. He loved making her feel warm and loved as she said his kisses and embraces did. As they broke apart, Heph looked down at her and smiled. He felt something. Something was coming for him. He suspected whatever the something was, it had to do with Res, The, and Cupid and what had happened with those three at school yesterday. Something had caused those three to change. Something had made Res angry. Very rarely did Res put the 'A' in front of his name, even though it belonged to there. Yesterday, he'd looked like an Ares before he'd finished changing.

"Can't you feel it, here it comes
Feel it! Feel it! Fire! Fire!
Something's burning, something's burning,
Something's burning, and I think its love"

Ever since he'd watched those three change, and ever since he'd heard Strife call Res 'Uncle Dark and Dangerous', he'd been having flashes of the man Res had become. Flashes of Dite, himself, The, and all the others. They had been a family, but the family they were was full of jealousy, hate and pain. Now, it all seemed to be moving the right way. They cared about each other now and Heph figured it was because they were friends this time, too. Had been friends in some cases since elementary school, some even longer than that. In those flashes, Heph saw himself as always being surrounded by Fire and Love. He looked at Dite and smiled. She smiled back at him warmly.

"And now the sun, is burning brightly.
We lie n love so close together.
I get the feeling, deep inside me
My love for you will burn forever."

Now the sun was up. Heph smiled thinking of his Titan Great Uncle Helios riding his chariot across the sky. He stopped; suddenly realizing that memory was older than this life. Heph felt a tingle begin over his heart and looked down at Dite in some fear. She was smiling at him re-assuringly and Heph began to suspect that she knew as well as he now did that this was the second time around for both of them. He knew his love for her was eternal.

"I cup my hands to touch your face
And once again I feel your fire
And a here it comes
Can't you feel it baby?"

He gently cupped Dite's face in his large hands. He felt the fire that was Dite's Love crash against his fire, which was that of the forge and they both braced for what was coming. For it was obvious to Heph that Dite felt what was coming too.

"Can't you feel it, here it comes"

Dite pulled Heph down so their lips met in a kiss full of fiery passion that ignited the fires in both of their beings.

"Feel it! Feel it! Fire! Fire!
Something's burning, something's burning, something's burning"

The fires of their true selves burned through Dite and Heph, blending the ashes of Dite Mitchell and Heph Jones with the Godheads of Aphrodite, Goddess of love and Hephaestus, God of the Forge and Fire. The fires of their true selves also blended with each other making them wed once more.

"And I think it's love
And I think its love
And I think its love"

It was indeed love, they both knew, which droved them together, to find each other even as children.

"Can't you feel the fire keep burnin'
Can't you feel the fire keep burnin'
Can't you feel the fire keep burnin'"

Heph and Dite faced each other in the mixed nimbus of pink and red-orange.

"And I think it's love"

Heph opened his arms for Dite to run into again. Without even knowing what he'd been waiting for, Heph knew he'd been waiting for this forever. Dite rushed into his arms once again clad in one of her trade mark dresses that was barely there. They held each other close and at the same time felt a third presence between them. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Love
Can't you feel the fire keep burnin'
Love"


Title: You're Still The One
Author: Kate
Pairing: Dite/Heph, A/J, C/S, Hades/Persephone
Summary: Dite's thoughts after they change
Rating: No idea
A.N.: Takes place immediately after she and Heph change

"When I first saw you I saw love
And the first time you touched me I felt love
And after all this time, you're still the one I love"

Standing, looking at Heph and the new being they'd created, Aphrodite felt her heart swell with joy. Cupid and Strife had Bliss, she and Arry had Cupid, now she and her Hephy had Glee. She smiled at Heph across the flames that were a mixture both of their signature colors, just as Glee would be.

"Looks like we made it.
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way.
We knew we'd get there someday"

Dite smiled at Heph as they came together in an embrace in the fire holding Glee's energy between them. They'd finally made it. They were completely together and now they had a beautiful child made between the two of them. Their very own Glee

"They said I bet
They'll never make it
But just look at us holding on
We're still together, still going strong"

Dite thought of the members of their family before this re-birth. How they said Dite and Heph would never make it as a couple. Dite knew she could laugh at those former selves. Looking at her and Heph in a mirror it was obvious they were still together and still holding on to each other. Now they had Glee to hold onto too. Now Aphrodite looked at her husband of the last several thousand years.

"(Your still the one) You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life.
(You're still the one) You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss goodnight"

Aphrodite smiled at her Heph as Glee began to take on a solid form. The surge of power from the two of them re-awakening must have developed her to birth time. She had Heph's dark hair but Dite's eyes. Dite gathered her daughter and her husband in a huge hug and they prepared to leave that place. It was past time they went home. Home to Olympus. Besides, Glee would need to grow up there. The first newborn God.

"Ain't nothing better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'"

Dite smiled up at Heph, never happier that they had ignored their family. Through everything they'd come through, heaven and hell included thanks to Ares dragging them all out of hell, they were all still together. But now Dite had some ideas of what to do to get back at Eve, and her mother and Hercules and Gabrielle the head of the popular crowd. Now it was more than just Emily, it was what they'd done to Ares too. Dite grinned as their daughter giggled at them from her nest in their arms. Dite was extremely glad they hadn't listened. Because if they had, they wouldn't have Glee now. Glee snuggled against her father's warm chest and yawned. Dite and Heph smiled down at their daughter and prepared to leave. But for Dite, it was going home. Home where she felt the most loved. Home with Heph.

"(You're still the one) you're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life.
(You're still the one) You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the One I kiss goodnight"

Dite smiled at Heph as he built a portal out of fire for them. Dite felt like Heph was the one she belonged to. Heph was the only one she dreamed of, the only one she wanted now. Even though she knew her godhead was love, she wanted and only loved her Hephaestus. Heph smiled as the portal was completed as they stepped into Dite's temple on Olympus. He was still the One for her.

"You're still the One
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the One I want for Life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the One I kiss goodnight."

Dite smiled as Heph laid their new daughter in her crib and covered the now sleeping baby up. They rested for an hour before going to see Zeus, Hera and the rest of their family. Dite giggled, sensing Hades and Persephone in one temple, and Cupid and Strife in another. Dite smiled at Heph again, unable to stop since they'd woken up. Tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with Hercules and company. They would check on Will soon but Dite had a feeling Iolaus was already there. Dite looked at Heph as they gathered Glee to go to Zeus and Hera an hour later. It was a look of love she gave him. He returned it just as they flashed out of the temple. They'd finally made it.

Made it home.

"Looks like we made it,
Look how far we've come my baby"


Title: Bad Reputation
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Eris doesn't give a damn about her reputation
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle, Triple Threat

"I don't give a damn about my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
Hey, a girl can do what she wants to do
And that's just what I'm gonna do"

Ris watched her friends during school the next morning. She could feel the start of whatever had happened to Res starting to happen to her. Res had changed everything about him just since yesterday. After they'd taken Will to the hospital, Ris had heard him come back and felt him draw power into himself. Where it came form, she had no idea, but he had done something to himself. He looked like a teenager again but if you really looked you could see the changes. Ris heard the girls form the popular group talking about her and she sneered back at their upturned noses. They could say what they wanted bout her, she didn't care. But what they had said about Emily was irritating her beyond belief. She ignored the guys who said she couldn't do certain things because she was a girl. She was going to disabuse them of that notion. They were living in the Stone Age and Ris was determined to show them things had changed.

"And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation
Oh no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me
Oh no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me"

Ris grinned as she thought about her reputation. The church boys, as she called the holier than thou boys on the football team, had started a fight with Res one night and Ris decided not to let her brother have all the fun. Ever since then, she'd had a seriously bad reputation going for her. It made people leave her and her family alone all through elementary and high school. Ris liked that. She and Res and Em and Will had had enough problems when grandma poisoned Will right before that fight. Res had fixed him with some pink jelly that Eris knew was important but she couldn't remember what. She heard the rich girls snigger as one of them asked her why she didn't dress like them, Eris grinned at them ferally.

"And I don't give a damn about my reputation
I never said I wanted to improve my station
And I'm only feeling good when I'm having fun
And I don't have to please no one"

Eris treasured the looks of shock on their faces when she'd told them she didn't want to look like a clone of a retard. She hated long skirts which is all this group wore, she liked showing skin and she loved having fun, which was something these girls only had when they tormented people. Ris grinned again and said she didn't have to please anyone so why dress like a nun? Or a slut in Eve's case.

"And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation
Oh no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me
Oh no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me"

Ris grinned as she walked away from them. The look on their faces was priceless. She noticed Emily was sitting between the two groups alone and decided to be nice for once. Ris knew she was worried about Will, who had yet to wake up. Actually, they were all pretty worried about Will. He was special and even Apollo knew that.

"And I don't give a damn about my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
And I don't care if I'm Strange
I ain't never gonna change"

Ris sat by Emily as the other girls stared sneering at them saying Ris wasn't doing her rep any good sitting with someone they didn't like. Ris grinned back evilly and asked them who cared what they thought or wanted. She was angry with these sanctimonious sluts who insulted anyone who wasn't like them. Somewhere between one of the next snide remarks, Ris felt the same burning over her chest that she'd gotten from Res yesterday. She stood and faced them asking quite casually if the thought her outfit was trashy at the moment. One of the girls said yes and Ris laughed at her.

"And I don't give a damn about my bad reputation
Oh, no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me
Oh no
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Not me
Me, me, me, me, me, me, me"

Ris smiled evilly at the girls as she felt herself changing just as Res had yesterday. And The and Cupid and from the looks of them, Strife, Sephie, Dite and Heph. Ris smirked as she began to remember who she had been a long time ago. Eris was her name then. Eris, Goddess of Discord. And boy was she in the mood to spread some. But not in her family for once.

"And I don't give a damn about my reputation
The world in trouble there's no communication
And everyone can say what they want to say
It never gets better anyway"

Eris smiled as her clothes changed into a leather mini dress. She gave the girls at snob central a sneer and took Emily's hand and led her to the group. She knew her appearance hadn't changed, just her clothes. But the looks she was getting were exactly what she hoped for. And, boy, was she causing those girls some discord.

"So why should I care about a bad reputation, anyway?"

"Discord is gonna have some major fun with those girls," she said to herself.



Title: The Lord of Song
Author: Kate
Pairing: A/J, C/S
Rating: No idea
Summary: He is the Lord of song

"Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music do you?"

Emily watched Apollo as he sat under the tree the group Will, Res and Ris belonged to. He was a beautiful man but he would never notice her. She wasn't like Will, that she knew of. Apollo was always writing something and Emily had suspected always that it was anything but her favorite thing which was music. She wondered what it was though. It seemed to take up a lot of his time. Emily sighed knowing she'd have to go see Will soon. He still had not woken up from the beating he'd taken yesterday. Emily still didn't know why he'd been attacked like that though. All she knew was that Eve knew something about it.

"It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah"

Emily watched Apollo as he stood up and turned to look at her suddenly. She ducked her head and went to science class. At one time, she thought the Diamonds; her group was the most beautiful. Then she'd met Will, Res, and Ris' friends. This group had beauty, hands down. And smarts and individuality. Although what had happened to Res since freshmen year was something she still didn't understand. He'd gone form Denim jackets to leather and wanting a car to wanting a motorcycle. And not just any motorcycle, Res wanted a Harley. Not that Emily doubted he'd get one. Their parents seemed to be able to afford everything they wanted. Whether or not they'd buy it was another matter altogether but Res had never asked for much before so she figured he was entitled to ask for something big. But Apollo, now he was good looking. For the longest time she couldn't figure out what he was doing with the group Will was apart of.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hallelujah
Hallelujah"

Apollo sensed Emily watching him again. He really was happy that she'd stopped dying her hair white. He rather liked her hair red-gold/blond. Not that many of his friends knew about his crush on her. Will did, and Res and Ris because they were related to her. Artemis did cause she was his own twin. But not many others. Apollo gathered his latest composition and headed back to his next class. He smiled at her as he walked past and then groaned inwardly when Simone grabbed his arm. He really hated this girl and her attempts to get him to go out with her were starting to annoy him greatly

"Hallelujah
Hallelujah"

As Apollo broke Simone's hold on his arm, he began to have a feeling of Déjà vu. Like he'd done this to someone else along time ago. Some bard? Now where did that come from? Apollo shook his head as he walked trying to figure it out. He knew for sure something was up in their group. If what had happened to Res, The, and Cupid at school yesterday was any indication, things were definitely going to be up soon. Something Big.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her"

Emily watched as Apollo shook of Simone's hold as he tried to walk away. She wanted to strangle Simone for grabbing him like that. Apollo was as worried about Will as the rest of them were. As she was, if she'd just find away to say it. She did love her brother. Maybe she didn't always show it but she did. She loved Res and Ris too, but they'd always seemed like usurpers to her. Maybe that's where she was going wrong. It was obvious now that she looked at it, whomever had added those two to her mother's womb had wanted them loved. And she knew her parents were good at love. Very good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"

Apollo watched Emily from the corner of his eye later that day. Something was changing in her just as it was changing in all of them. Even Ris must have noticed it.

Also, he'd been having more flashes of before. He was different then, cold and arrogant and not at all the way he wanted to be. Apollo thought back on what had happened then now that he was remembering it. He knew some things were different. Better than they had been then. Apollo thought of Res and Ris---no, Ares and Eris, and he shuddered thinking about what he'd done to them. He was amazed Ares hadn't pounded him into the dirt this morning.

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

For that small forgiveness he was truly grateful. But then, he knew Ares had always been capable of forgiveness, just no one ever tried. Apollo knew shame when he thought of how the head of three houses on Olympus had been treated.

"You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah"

Apollo walked down to Emily after school finally getting the courage to speak to her. He noticed Reverend Shit head by the door waiting to yell at Emily and he smiled grimly at the guy who'd thrown all 13 of them out of church at one time or another for refusing to say 'I believe in One God'. It was a good thing they had refused too, if the memories he was getting were any indication. What business was it of his whether or not they were Christian? Apollo was heartily sick of the way the Christian children treated everyone else and got away with it. He looked up at the sun in the sky and grinned. He loved the way he felt at that moment. What business was it of the reverend whether or not he called deity by the name father? The King of the Gods was Zeus, after all, and Zeus was his father. He saw the reverend make a grab for Emily and he growled. No one touched someone he cared about. Ever.

"Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah"

Apollo grinned as he felt warmth flowing through him at just about the same time a burning began over his chest. He was ecstatic because, as his memory told him, he was Apollo, God of the Sun and a bunch of other things mostly though, he was God of Music and he loved music. Apollo stepped up to the reverend in a shining gold nimbus. He loved this. Loved the look on his face when he saw Apollo as he truly was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't fell, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth I didn't come to fool you.
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah"

Emily watched as Apollo began to glow a bright, beautiful gold as he made his way over to her. He stared at the reverend in a cold fury and growled. Emily was surprised to say the least. Her best had never been much and she couldn't feel much for this group, but apparently Apollo thought it was enough by the way he was growling. Emily stared at him as she finally connected his name to the glow around him. He was Apollo: God of the Sun and Music and Philosophers and Medicine. He grinned at her and she felt her heart melt. Apollo liked her and he liked music. He stared the reverend down as Emily stood looking at the Lord of Song, all she could do was say yes when he asked her to the fall dance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Apollo grinned as he walked away after making a date for the fall dance. He'd been surprised that she'd said yes.



Title: Chance To Run
Author: Kate
Pairing: Aphrodite/Hephaestus, A/J, H/P, C/S
Summary: Artemis is looking for her one chance to run
Rating: Uh, maybe PG-13 for implied sex
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle and Triple Threat.

"I've been tellin' my dreams to the scarecrow
Bout the places that I'd like to see
I said, friend do you think I'll ever get there
Ah, but he just stands there smilin' back at me"

Artemis sighed as she sat in the yard of the farm her family owned. She was talking to the scarecrow again about where she wanted to be in life. Arte was bored with farm life. Really bored. She wanted more than anything to go away from here. To fly but not the way Cupid wanted to. Arte thought back to School yesterday with Res, The and Cupid changing right in front of the guy who'd beaten Will up. She'd never seen Res that angry before. Res was normally the mediator in their group. Not the short fused one. Arte mused quietly that Strife and Eris were more the short fuses.

"So I confessed my sins to the preacher
About the love that I'm prayin' to find
Is there a brown-eyed boy in my future, yeah
He says. Girl you've got nothin' but time"

Arte thought back to the last time she's spoken to any man of the cloth: The Monsignor who never tried to change them. He was getting old though. He'd gone into a nursing home a while ago but Arte and the others still visited from time to time. When she'd told him about the boy she wanted and when she'd asked if he thought she would find him, he'd told her she had nothing but time to find him. Arte was impatient though. She wanted her to meet someone soon. She wondered who had as much time as the Monsignor told her she did.

"But how do you wait for heaven
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know, that you were born, born to fly"

Arte had always wondered how you were supposed to wait for things as important to you as what she wanted. She noticed Apollo had seemed happier since just that morning and she figured he had finally gotten the courage to speak to Emily, Will's twin sister. Arte was happy for him. Her brother needed a girlfriend. A steady girlfriend who would like him for himself. Arte knew Emily had liked Apollo for ages. So it was about time they got together. Arte's mind drifted back to her own problems though. The monsignor was wrong though; it was almost impossible to wait. And she didn't have time because she was afraid she would miss it.

"My daddy he's grounded like the oak tree
My momma she is steady as the sun
Oh you know I love my folks
But I keep starin' down the road
Just lookin' for my one chance to run"

Arte's thoughts turned to her grounded in the here and now parents. Her and Pol's parents were very anchored to the earth, as it appeared to be on the surface. But part of her wondered if there was something else. She'd seen Res change yesterday. As had everyone else. Res and The and Cupid has become something more than the surface of them would have hinted at. Res had always been protective of their group and he'd always defended them loyally. But right she'd seen a super boost in that trait since school yesterday. Or was it Will being hurt? She didn't know. What she did know was that she wanted to hunt the attacker down with her dogs. 'Wait a sec,' she thought, 'my dogs?'

"Yeah cause I will soar away like the blackbird
I will blow in the wind like a seed
I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams
And I will grow up where I'll wander wild and free"

Arte thought on the image of a pack of hunting dogs with her. She was curious as to why that felt so right but if Apollo's own change just in the last few hors meant anything, maybe the image was real. Arte wondered what else was in her mind. Besides her parents, her other memory parents, Apollo and Dionycious. Dio was special to her. He had been for a while she was just afraid to tell him. And after he'd beaten Rickey up for touching her inappropriately when she'd told him she wasn't ready she'd realized how much he really meant to her. Arte felt a tingling on her chest as she thought of Dio and the others in their group. She thought it was just a feeling of friendship until she heard a cry from down the road and the tingle became a burn. The voice of the cry sounded like Dio.

"Oh, how do you wait for heaven
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know, that you were born
You were born yeah
You were born to fly"

Arte ran down the road towards Dio's house. She knew he was in pain. As she ran, she felt a glow encompass her. White like the moon. And her memories of before came back making her dreams make perfect sense. She was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the moon. And someone had hurt her chosen one. And this time around she planned on having a chosen mate. Dionycious, the god of the Vine and creatures of the forest would be her mate in everything. He was already her best friend. Arte got to the house in time to see Eve's uncle Hercules leaving and to see Dio's mother come out calling "Someone call 911. My boy is hurt"

"So how do you wait for heaven
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know that you were born"

Arte felt rage boil over her as she saw Dio laying on the ground bleeding. Arte turned and started after the man she knew as Hercules form somewhere. Her light flashed and she found herself older and taller. Like Res had been yesterday at school. In her hand was a silver bow and she knocked an arrow and let it fly at Hercules. Her hounds came at her scream of rage barking and growling at Hercules as Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Moon, called a hunt for the first time in ages

"You were born to fly, fly, fly, fly"

Title: Rainy Day Man- Dionysus
Author: Kate
Pairing: Aphrodite/Hephaestus, A/J, H/P, C/S, Artemis/Dionycious, Athena/Hermes, Apollo/Emily,
Summary: Artemis' Rainy Day man recovers and gets his godhood back. As well as a girlfriend.
Rating: Uh, maybe PG-13
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle and Triple Threat.

"When I think about the first time
I thought I found someone who cared for me
But things were not as they appeared to be"

Artemis sat and held Dio's hand as the monitors continued their beeping. Dio was recovering but it was a near thing. Hercules was going to pay for this, Artemis swore. Dio had been there for her when her first boyfriend had dumped her last year and had been her best friend since preschool. Dio had always been the one to share his crayons with her in preschool even if she was a girl. The day that her parents came and took her out of school because of grandma's death she'd refused to release Dio's hand so he'd gone with her and held her as she cried. That had been first grade. And that was just one of the many ways Dio had been her very best friend. The latest example was Rocky first touching her and then dumping her when she said she didn't want sex.

"Rainy Day Man
On your shoulder I cried
When my first brush with love
Left me shaking inside
Rainy Day man"

Artemis smiled as she thought of the look on Rocky's face when Dio had popped him one in the jaw. Dio may not have been the biggest of their group, but he was the sweetest. Artemis smiled. Again thinking of all the tears she'd shed on Dio's shoulder as he just held her. Like a brother, even though he was younger than her, she sometimes got the feeling Dio was older on the inside than she or any of the others thought.

"Ever since I can remember
Just like a brother you've been strong and true
Always been the one to see me through"

Artemis smiled. She knew Dio had always been there for her, no matter what. The time he'd hitched home from an aunt's house to be at her birthday party had surprised her and was one of her fondest memories. He'd promised he'd be there and he was. Dirty and hungry, but he came through for her. Artemis grinned ruefully remembering other times when Dio had seen her through. Middle school when the girl's teased her about not being interested in guys and the fact that she liked archery. Dio had bought her first bow. It was her birthday present when she was seven. Her first real bow.

"Rainy Day Man
You're much more than a friend
I would give anything
Just to see you again
Rainy Day Man"

Artemis finally saw Dio as more than just her very best friend. She loved him so much it hurt and now she was afraid she'd lose him before she got tell him. Artemis sighed, though; he'd pulled through this, just as he'd pulled through appendicitis. That had scared her, when she'd seen him pass out in school from the pain. He'd ignored the ache so he could come to her recital. She sucked at music but Dio came to all the things she had to play at and he clapped for her. He said she had more guts than he did to get up there regardless of lack of talent.

"Always been the one to see me through"

Artemis smiled. She needed Dio. Needed him to see her through the rest of the twists and storms life threw at her. Like he'd seen her through the hunt club, and the paint ball game. He'd played on her side. He was always on her team. That was a promise he'd made in nursery school. And even if he wasn't the best, he tried. He even joined her archery classes so she didn't feel like a screw up when she made a mistake. Not that she did. She was a natural at archery. Dio had said that was her gift. His was being able to tell when the grapes were ready to be harvested or when wine would be good. Somehow he always knew. And yet he only tasted for the church when his parents asked him too. They never forced, they simply asked. And Dio would taste when asked.

"Rainy Day man
On your shoulder I cried
When my first brush with love
Left me shaking inside"

Artemis' mind drifted back to Rocky. Only now did she get that it was Dio who blackened his eye for what he said about her. It was Dio who told them all to shut up about her sexual preference by asking Simone if she had slept with Artemis. And it was Dio who made her laugh the next day. It was always Dio.

"Rainy Day Man
You're much more than a friend
I would give anything
Just to see you again."

Artemis watched as Dio smiled in his sleep. She leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. "Come back to me, Dio, my beloved Dionysus, I still need you," she said to the still unconscious, smiling Dio. Who was now glowing green? Artemis stared as a fairy flew into the room from the open window. It fluttered around Dio and Dio smiled more. Artemis realized he was changing too. Changing and growing into the man she now knew as Dionysus, God of the Vine, but also within him was Bacchus, God of Debauchery. Artemis watched, as he seemed to take on an almost elfin appearance. Dio shifted as he began to come awake.

"Rainy Day Man"

Dio opened his eyes as he finished changing. He smiled at Artemis and gently extended his hand to her. He'd wanted her since they were children on Olympus but she was doing that virgin Goddess thing. Hopefully this time things would go different. From the looks on Artemis' face he was thinking it would be just what he hoped for. Artemis kissed him again but this time it was on his lips and he knew, as sure he was the God of the Vine, Debauchery and Fairy and Forest Creatures, he was no longer just the guy who picked up the pieces.

"Rainy Day man"



Title: The Right Thing To Do (Xena)
Author: Kate
Pairings: Not in this one
Rating: PG
Summary: Xena's thoughts.

Xena sat in her room, in the house she shared with Eve, Hercules and Gabrielle, lost in thought. She was confused. What were they doing? Hercules had beaten the boy Michael named Truth almost to death. Why would Michael want Truth dead? Xena thought Truth was something the world needed a lot more of. So, why the rush to kill him? Was Michael hiding something? Was there something he didn't want known? Why fear a teen-aged boy to the point of beating him to death?

She was glad Ares had been there and almost glad he had become War again. She thought maybe he could do something about the blood baths in the world. War was, after all, his domain. And the world had gone mad ever since she and the others had tortured him. Xena wondered if maybe killing the Gods had been a smart thing to do? Michael had been furious about her refusal to kill the Olympians as babies, and that is what had begun her questioning the rightness of what they were doing.

She was still curious as to why the boy known only to them as Truth was such a huge threat. He was a teenaged boy. Now Michael had set War and Peace on them. Not to mention Wisdom, the junior Love God and Mischief. Possibly others. She looked up as Hercules came in. He looked like an arrow had singed him.

"Damn Artemis and her arrows," he cursed. "I almost had Dionysus dead!" Xena paled thinking it was going to far. Hercules was getting too fanatical. She went back to her room and sat down. Now very worried.



Title: The Gambler
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Hermes
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle, Triple Threat
Thanks to my Beta for the help. Carrie, you make the sentences make sense I when I use the wrong spelling. Thanks muchly

"On a warm summer's evenin' on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with a gambler; we were both too tired to sleep.
So we took turns a starin' out the window at the darkness
'Til boredom over took us, and he began to speak."

Hermes sat in his room late one night thinking about things. Things like Res and The, and Cupid at school that day. Hermes was curious about that amazing thing had while he pondered that, he began to think of another time in his life when something odd and amazing had happened. It was just after his younger brothers had died of heart defects. Hermes wondered now if the two things were related maybe? The summer after his brothers died, he'd spent at his aunt's house in Nowhere Ville. Hermes had met a strange old man on the train. They'd both been bored senseless so they had begun to talk.

"He said, "Son I've made a life out of readin' people's faces,
And knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.
And if you don't mind my sayin', I can see you're out of aces.
For a taste of your whiskey I'll give you some advice"

The old man had sat with Hermes and talked to him about his recent grief. Hermes hadn't said a word to him about what caused him to be on the train heading for Nowhere 'Ville, Nebraska, but the old man had known something was troubling him. Hermes had listened as the man, for once no stupid platitudes, told him how things were in life and it was very rarely easy to live but it was worth it. He'd told Hermes he could tell he was out of luck in life right now but he offered to give him some advice in return for some of Hermes' soda.

"So I handed him my bottle and he drank don my last swallow
Then he bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light.
And the night got deathly quiet, and his face lost all expression.
Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right"

Hermes had given the old man his Pepsi and let him finish it. Then the old man had asked him for some junk food. Hermes only had some candy cigarettes. Hermes let him have a box of those too. Then the old man got real quiet like he was trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say. Then when the old man did speak, Hermes heard words he still didn't quite understand but the more he thought about them, the more he got the feeling it was important that he did eventually understand. He got the feeling the Old man was trying to tell him how to survive in this world. Even if the ten year old he'd been didn't quite understand it.

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run
You never count your money when you're sittin' and the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done."

Hermes had yet to figure it out as he wandered into school the next morning. All he knew was that somehow he ended up staying with his aunt in this town where he'd met Strife and the others. Even now the words didn't make any sense. He just hoped he'd get whatever the other man had been trying to tell him soon.

"Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what top throw away and knowin' what to keep
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep"

The old guy had told Hermes to survive at all costs. He told Hermes that survival was very important in the world but more than just survival was the only way to truly live. Lately, Hermes had begun to believe him. He walked forward to hear Eve talking about how Uncle Hercules was going to nail Dionysus later that afternoon and he got worried. The light of fanaticism in her eyes scared him and he knew trouble was coming. Dio was a nice guy. Quiet mostly, but still a nice guy. As he thought of the threats he began to get angry. And then he began to feel something else altogether. As Eve and her cronies approached him, Hermes thought of a bluff to keep them off him. It worked too, which surprised him.

"And when he'd finished speakin', he turned back towards the window,
Crushed out his cigarette and faded off to sleep
And somewhere in the darkness the gambler, he broke even.
Within his final words I found an ace that I could keep"

Hermes looked at the kids coldly. He'd known some of them for as long as he'd been around this town. Since he'd come to live with his aunt. But he knew Eve from somewhere else. He realized he knew her from some where else. She'd been there when Res was hurt. Before they were all put here, before they cared about each other. Hermes felt the burning in his chest as other memories replaced the ones he had. No, not replaced, just merged in. Hermes was amazed by what he was feeling and remembering and finally the old man's words, his father's words made sense. He was the God of Thieves and Liars and Gamblers now that he knew what gamblers were. He smirked at Eve and her zealot friends as they closed in. He knew he'd have to get to Res soon. As he was Liars, Res was War and Will who was still unconscious form the thoughts he was getting form Emily who was sitting with Eris, was Truth. And Truth was something that had been needed in the world for a very long time. Hermes grinned, knowing his Ace in the Hole was his ability to lie and to control liars. Liars like Eve and Hercules. He grinned and told them Res was behind them and they scattered for the most part. Hermes grinned as he felt all his knowledge and powers come back. And even though he didn't grow too much, he grew a little.

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's don"

Hermes bolted suddenly from Eve knowing he needed to be with Res and the others. Something told him he was one of the last to wake up. And the fact that Peace had brought War's sword left him in no doubt who was going to Bring Truth's. As he ran, he thought it would be good to see Iolaus again.



Title: Always Right
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Hercules
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle, Triple Threat
Thanks to my Beta for the help. Carrie, you make the sentences make sense I when I use the wrong spelling. Thanks muchly

Hercules sat fuming in rage. Of all the things he hated in the world, he hated losing the most. And he knew he'd lost and failed against the Olympians. He had felt Hermes come back to Godhood and it annoyed him. Why couldn't they have just stayed away? And now Xena was questioning him about Dionysus and his plan 15 years ago to kill them as babies. He and Gabrielle figured that would have been the best way to rid themselves of the Olympian brats but when they'd tried, they'd almost been arrested. Now, the Olympians were Gods again and he couldn't get near the other boy. Something was shielding him from any attack.

Hercules growled in frustration as Eve came in, whining about the Olympians taking her group's rightful place as the most popular. Even Hercules couldn't find a way to make the Olympians the bad guys in that. They were nicer than Eve's friends to everyone. Herc knew from experience though, not to tell Eve otherwise. Eve was almost as vindictive as Gabby in her hatred of people of other religions. Which, Hercules thought, was good thing. Gabby and Eve were both fanatical about their religion and the fact that the Olympians were going to destroy just made them more violent.

Hercules loved having others to help him, who followed his views. He hated people who argued with him. Especially Ares, who had proved him wrong several times. Hercules still believed his dark brother had lied about him being at fault for a famine even if Zeus did agree with him.

Herc went back to his new plotting as he thought of other things. He smiled finally deciding they were doing right. Of course, they were, Hercules was never wrong.



Title: Hate
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Gabrielle
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle, Triple Threat
Thanks to my Beta for the help. Carrie, you make the sentences make sense I when I use the wrong spelling. Thanks muchly

Gabrielle sat with Eve in the living room of their large, opulent house as the girl told her how Ares and Eris had humiliated her group. How the thirteen of those freaks had bested them in test scores and sports. Gabby just added this transgression to the list of things that she hated about the Olympians. The other thing gabby hated was Xena's anger with her for never telling her Joxer was Peace to Ares' War. Like anyone should have cared? And now there was going to be Truth. Which couldn't be allowed or the Way would lose dominance of the world.

Gabrielle despised threats to her beliefs to the point of persecuting and tormenting anyone who wouldn't follow them. Gabby still got enraged when she thought of Joxer taking Ares' side over Hercules' about the famine. How could they have said that Hercules was at fault? Ares burned the fields. Gabby conviently forgot why he had.

Because Hercules had fouled the water with animal waste which lead to the ruined crops with contamination. Ares was always to blame in her eyes. Never mind that people had over populated the area. Gabby snarled as she thought of all the bad things Ares was responsible for. Now Xena was regretting what they were doing and showing displeasure at Hercules for what he'd done to Wine-boy. No one but God should have wine in her warped mind. It wasn't good enough for mortals. Besides, Dionysus wasn't important to her.

Gabrielle went back to nursing her hate as Eve slipped away from them. Going to stir up trouble or try to at School with Hermes and the others.



Title: Envy
Author: Kate
Rating: not sure
Summary: Eve
Pairing A/J C/S H/P (In the full story)
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle, Triple Threat
Thanks to my Beta for the help. Carrie, you make the sentences make sense I when I use the wrong spelling. Thanks muchly

Eve watched the Olympians from under the tree where she and her group had sat everyday since starting here. Her group had run this school until Uncle Hercules had attacked and beaten one of the freaks. Her group had been the most popular and beautiful, but now something was changing in her ordered world. This wasn't how it should have gone. Eve was used to having things her way, and then comes this group who changed everything. It started with Res when Will Heart had been hurt. Eve knew her mother did not like that. She wasn't too comfortable with it either. Not that she liked Will, but Emily was her friend and she had been at the hospital most days now. Besides, even Eve knew you did not beat some one with the strength Uncle Hercules had.

She was amazed Ares had done nothing to them before he took Will away. Eve hoped he got better. He hadn't done anything to deserve what Hercules had done to him, except be born to carry the Sword of Truth. Something even Eve agreed was needed in the world. She wasn't stupid; the Way had become twisted and corrupted by its power as evidence by the abuses of power over the years. Eve thought back to aunt Gabby and the rabid hatred in her eyes when she even spoke of the group that they had all called freaks until a few days ago when the girl, Eris stood, up to them and told them they were stuck up snobby bitches.

Part of Eve knew it was true. Her friends and her were stuck up and they did bully the other students into giving them everything. At least until they ran into Ares in a pissy mood, he'd disabused them of their notions of superiority in five seconds simply by refusing to give them the candy he had. Res was always too tough for any of her group to face against. Eve looked at the group and realized it wasn't hate she felt. But Envy. She wondered what it would be like to with that group. Maybe she should talk to her mother about it.



Title: The End of Lies
Author: Kate
Pairing: Aphrodite/Hephaestus, A/J, H/P, C/S
Summary: Truth comes to Earth
Rating: Uh, maybe PG-13 for implied sex
Archive: AJCS, Bottom of the Bottle and Triple Threat.

Ares stood in the hospital room, quietly watching his younger brother heal from the damage he'd sustained from Hercules' fists. He was beyond furious right now. He was so beyond furious that he could not hold the glamour when he saw any of those four. Which was why he was here and not at school. Ares turned towards the door when it opened and smiled. Iolaus was here. Iolaus, whose presence Will needed to get well above all else right now. Ares excused himself quietly to go and check on Dionysus. Hercules had attacked and beaten him as well as Will and it made Ares' blood boil. Dionysus was gentle and kind. So what if he liked the outdoors? There was absolutely no excuse for Hercules attacking him.

Iolaus smiled as Ares left him alone with his future consort, the God of Truth. Io had been waiting for this for a very long time. Truth was needed and Iolaus had known it would be up to him to bring Truth his sword. Now Iolaus felt the same anger as the other members of the family. Even Peace had been disgusted by this savage attack. Iolaus sat next to the bed and began to hum quietly. He knew this boy, he had known him through the dreams they'd shared all through the boy's life. Iolaus smiled softly as he felt the boy's God spark begin to respond to his presence. Iolaus grinned. It wouldn't be long now, Iolaus knew. Whatever circumstance had led to Ares giving the boy ambrosia, Iolaus was glad for it. Iolaus smiled as the boy turned towards him in sleep. He hoped Will remembered him. It would be so much easier to teach him if he did.

Iolaus turned, hearing the door open and smiled coldly at the man who came in. He knew and recognized Hercules and he had a few things to say to him. He quickly turned away from the door before Hercules saw his face.

"You might want to leave this room," Hercules said to Iolaus. Iolaus grinned, knowing that with his back to the door as it was, Hercules didn't know who was there.

"And why should I want to do that, Herc?" Iolaus asked calmly as he stood and turned to face him. "After all, it's my future consort you want dead. Although, why such an honest, heroic guy as you wants the God of Truth dead, I will never understand. Some hero you are."

"Iolaus?" Hercules stammered. "No, I-it can't be. You're dead!"

"Really Herc? Tell me then, is justice truly dead in this world? Why then, are the Olympians being called back to power? We are needed, Herc. You're friend Michael wrecked a very important balance. Look at all the wars in the world. Ares has been out of commission since you tortured him until just yesterday. Tell, me then, who do you suppose started those wars?"

"Ares," Hercules stated. "We all know Ares is responsible for all the badness and bloodshed in the world."

"Bullshit," a weak voice spoke from behind Iolaus. Both men turned to see the now awake Will sitting up watching them.

"You can't lie to me, Hercules," he said. "You know exactly who is responsible for all the destruction in the world. And it is so -Not- my brother." Iolaus smiled and walked over to the bedside. He saw recognition in Will's eyes, of him, and let out a relieved sigh. Will smiled back at him wanly. "As if I could forget you, Io?" The teen asked. He turned back to Hercules and sighed.

"You're the self deluded idiot, aren't you?" Will asked him. Off Hercules' look Will chuckled. "Yeah, thought so. I'm ready whenever you are Iolaus," he told the man he knew as his mate.

Iolaus grinned and called forth the silver Sword of Truth. He turned it so the handle was towards Will when Hercules suddenly spoke

"Wait, William, wouldn't you rather leave truth and responsibility to God? I mean it's not an easy job they've given you. It just shows how cruel they are." Will gave Hercules a cold look. "Cruel like what you and the other three did to my brother? Cruel like what Eve said about my sister? Cruel like starting wars over the same belief just that ideal has been perceived differently? Cruel like persecuting, castrating, and torturing and maiming and killing those who wont conform? Tell me oh, mighty and noble hero, what is so humane and kind about wiping out an entire culture for refusing your belief system?"

"We were trying to teach them the right way. The only way."

"Your way?" Will asked. "What makes you right, Hercules? You are nothing more than a hypocritical bully. You are a spoiled child who has helped in the destruction of cultures that held the cures to things like AIDS, Cancer, treatments that were less painful in brain surgery, amputation, and tumor removal. What makes you so good? You've helped kill thousands of people, you helped bring about the dark ages, and hell, I bet you even helped Hitler. No, you aren't a hero, Hercules, you are a first rate villain. And that is Truth."

So saying, the teen grasped the handle of the sword and felt it fill him with warm energy. He smiled at Iolaus as the power of pure, unadulterated Truth filled him and all in the hospital with him. Hercules ran out of the room running from the truth of his actions and being. Ares came in just after he left and smiled. "We are complete." The God of War spoke. "The Pantheon has now filled the last void in power. Truth is here, at last."

As Ares finished speaking, a scream of rage ripped around the earth as Michael realized he'd finally lost his hold. The Sword of Truth, the last of the Four Swords of Olympus had finally, and irrevocably, been claimed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days, later at school, the entire group sat under their tree, watching everything and everyone as they wandered past. With the thirteen of the group were now Emily, as Apollo's mate, Hades, who sat holding Persephone's hand and looking like a teenager with a streak of blond now prominent in his hair, Joxer, who sat with Ares, and Iolaus who sat with Will. Iolaus started humming a song he knew from Will's memories and soon everyone was humming. Iolaus nudged Will to get him to sing the main verse, which went:

"Look at me, here I am
Right where I belong"

He looked around the group and grinned knowing he was where he belonged.

"I see that face coming back to me
Like and old familiar song."

He looked at Iolaus and grinned. Iolaus had been familiar to him for as long as he'd been alive.

"What better place could anyone be? Cause you're here with me!
It's all I've been looking for
And so much more
And now I'm here
Now you're here!
Nothing can go wrong, Cause I am here right where I belong!"

Ares chuckled at his younger brother as Iolaus got him to sing that song from the Muppets take Manhattan. It was truly a song that suited all of them because they were right where they belonged. They were Together as a family. He looked at his brothers and sisters and sang the last line himself.

"What better place could anyone be?
Cause you're here with me!"

The End.

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