| General Fiction posted August 6, 2024 | Chapters: |
...42 43 -44- 45... 
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Battle in the Garden.
A chapter in the book Return To Concorde Valley
Theo's Response
by davisr (Rhonda)
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
| Background Years after a fire took her parents' lives, Echo worked at a small town newspaper. She was rescued from danger by her old friend, Theo, who took her to live in his world, one full of its own danger. |
Ending of Last Chapter:
"I will not yield to you." Echo reached out and grabbed Hermes' sleeve for support.
Hades began to mutter words in a language she assumed was Greek. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but the words were soothing and hypnotic. She concentrated hard on not losing her resolve, but found her head becoming light, and her determination slipping away. Finally, she let go of Hermes' arm.
"Yes, that's it," Hades said as she inched closer to him. "Come to your groom, and tonight I will hold you in my arms as we overlook the destruction of this valley."
New Chapter Begins:
Echo took one step, and then another, away from her friends. She stared ahead at the object of her bewilderment. He was so handsome, and yet, so very deadly. She was like an addict, hating what had a hold on her, but being unable to resist it.
"Please help me." Echo's uttered words were soft and weak... but they were heard.
Echo sensed, rather than saw, Theo pull off his armor and drop it to the ground. He stretched his arms toward her. She was overwhelmed by the same energy flowing from his body she had felt from the sweater he had given her in the woods weeks before.
Tender warmth obliterated the dark forces of Hades and bathed her in pure joy. She turned to the man she loved, the one she thought had forsaken her, and let the tangible feeling pull her away from Hades and to him.
When she reached Theo, he embraced her in strong arms. She felt more comforted than she had since she was a child with her mother. She tilted her head to see his beautiful green eyes. He looked at her tenderly for a few seconds, then closed his eyes. She responded in kind and, for the first time, felt his lips touch hers.
The horrible taste that had been in her mouth for days was replaced with the flavors of summertime and freshly roasted fish cooked over a simple fire.
"I love you," he whispered. "Open your eyes and see me as I was when we first met."
Echo complied and her eyes were blessed with the flickering image of a young boy in cutoff overalls standing in a clearing in the woods. He had a smile on his face and a look of caring and concern in sea green eyes. Her heart leapt with joy.
"You came for me after all," she said, "just as you always have."
Theo rested his chin on her head as he held her tight. "Yes, and now, if I am your choice, I need you to get behind me and stand in the shadow of my power. Only there will you be safe from his control."
Echo took a deep breath, inhaling the woodsy scent that was Theo. She glanced at Hermes, who was smiling warmly. His face betrayed an enjoyment of romantic moments, even when they didn't happen to involve him directly.
Hades, on the other hand, was furious. "I don't know what trick you just pulled, Theo, but I'm the one who made her immortal. You know the rules and have to abide by them."
"You did nothing of the sort," Theo said. His voice became angry in turn. "As I said earlier, all you did was spew your nasty breath on Echo and make her sick."
"You don't know enough to instruct a member of the Olympian Twelve on how to make a human immortal." He stood glowering with one hand on his sword.
Theo shook his head. "You can't make someone immortal who is already one of us. You weren't her first, Uncle."
"Really, then who was? We all know it wasn't you. You can ask her. Until this moment, you've never kissed."
"Not so," Theo said, drawing the eyes of everyone in the garden. "Long ago in a wooded cave, I took a lost five-year-old child and watched over her. I found a safe place for her to rest, cooked her food, and even watched out for wild animals so she could sleep.
"And then, with all the love an eight-year-old boy could possibly have in his heart, I kissed her on the cheek, and transferred my gift of immortality to her. She must have loved me, too, or it never would have worked."
For a moment, no one talked; even Hades seemed floored by the news. Only Hermes stirred, and even then it was to slip closer to Theo and Echo. He did not intend to let Echo slip away again if his uncle attacked.
"Were you aware of what you were doing at the time?" Hades finally asked in disbelief.
"I was," Theo stated, "and I told my father about it later. I explained I loved Echo, and that I knew I would one day ask her to marry me; that she was the human girl in the vision I had just had. Father confirmed that there was one such as her mentioned in my birth Prophecy as well."
"What else did he say?" Hermes interrupted now. The story was getting more and more interesting by the moment.
"He told me he understood, and that he would do whatever he could to help me keep in touch with her until the time was right for us to be together."
"Speak the words of the vision," Hermes insisted. "It's now time to reveal them to us."
Theo nodded and began reciting words seemed etched in his heart and memory.
I saw a cloud of smoke pour into the valley from over the top of Concorde Mountain. It covered all the trees and plants, smothering growing things and wilting everything in its path. The air was full of ash and smoke. The sounds of babies crying and mother's wailing filled the air.
When the smoke cleared, there were men dressed in red and black, with fire pouring out of their eyes. They walked up and down the streets, hewing down anyone they saw with crooked swords. Walking behind them was a man dressed in pale colors. He looked straight at me when he drew close.
'I am your trial,' he stated, and slung a red tipped spear straight at my heart. I caught it in mid air, and broke it with one hand. He laughed mockingly and walked away, destroying as he went. People fled in fear and looked to me to save them.
Then, there was a flash of white light, and wherever the light touched, the smoke disappeared. A silver mare cantered into the center of the light and reared up on hind legs. On her back was a beautiful woman with long auburn hair.
'I am a reflection,' she said to me, 'An echo of ancient love. I will come to you as a child in need. You will help me, but then you must turn away. One day I will be forced to make a difficult choice. To be with you, I must choose you. I am a reflection. Find me when the world is in its greatest need."
"Well, that certainly changes our relationship, Echo," Hades said. He shrugged as though the news wasn't as devastating as his eyes betrayed. "But, it won't change our destiny together. I'm about to defeat your boyfriend and end up with you, anyway. You're strong, Theo, I'll give you that much, but you still aren't strong enough to take me on, nor is your useless friend Hermes, or your scrawny brother."
"But they are not alone," a voice said, causing all of them to turn as two more figures materialized in the flower bedecked garden.
"Dear Hermes," the older of the two men said, "I have reconsidered your invitation to join you and the others here in Concorde Valley. I may have issues with humanity in general, but I just can't lose my best investigative reporter, a local police officer, or my older twin sister Hades is holding captive on Mount Olympus. She is, by the way, my office manager and the place is falling apart without her."
"Claude Baker!" Echo exclaimed. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of her former boss standing before them. "What on Earth are you doing here?"
"Trying to help save the Earth," he replied smiling. "Since I just don't think my inept little brother, Hermes, can do it alone."
"And I'm here, too," Brian Baker announced. He stood behind his father in full armor, a sword hanging by his side. "And at your service."
"This is crazy," Echo said. Her voice was a few octaves higher than it should have been. "Don't tell me you're Apollo, Claude. And you, Brian, a god as well?"
"You're the reporter, you figure it out," Claude said. He graced her with his usual broad smile.
Hermes rolled his eyes. "He's Apollo, and Brian is his son. They were out of pocket for a while. But really, brother, did you have to name your newspaper, The Taylorville Sun?"
"I thought it was pretty clever, myself," Apollo chuckled. "I even fooled Theo when he came to town."
"I had only seen you once before," Theo said, "and then it was briefly when I was very young. Why didn't you tell me who you were when we met in Taylorville, or even treated me better for that matter?"
Apollo laughed loud enough to shake the petals on the flowers next to him. "I was nice to you, Theo. I introduced you to Echo, didn't I?"
He smiled at his friends for a few seconds and then turned somberly to Hades. "What you've done is wrong, Uncle, and we're here, on behest of friends, to see you don't get away with it."
"Really?" Hades snarled. "What you fools don't seem to understand is that I already have. I'm only here bothering with you idiots because I want my bride, and had promised to let her come to me on her own."
"You are here because of the Prophecy," Apollo said. "You knew it was foretold that someday a grandson of Poseidon would challenge and defeat you, and you are here to make sure that this one doesn't do it."
"What Prophecy, Apollo?" Hades snapped. "The one Poseidon made up to scare me?"
Apollo glared at Hades in righteous indignation. "You know I'm the god over Prophecy, Hades, and that I keep careful records in the archives on Mount Olympus."
"You retired, remember?"
"Not entirely. Hermes knew where I was all along."
Hermes nodded. "I keep lots of secrets."
Hades shrugged his shoulders indicating he'd suspected as much. "So you know the Prophecy. What good will it do you? What good will it do anyone? There are none, save Zeus and Poseidon, who are my equals and they are imprisoned on Mount Olympus."
Rolling thunder, followed by mysterious mist, halted further discussion. The fog engulfed the garden and began to pulsate like the beating of a heart. For a moment, no one could see anything else.
When the mist slowly abated, two shadowy figures manifested in front of them. Identical eyes glowered with anger, and synchronized voices pierced the air. "Zeus and Poseidon may be your equals, Hades, but we're your superiors."
"Hypnos and Thanatos, what are you doing here?" Hades asked, taken aback. "I haven't crossed either of you."
One brother shrugged. "Our young friend Theo reminded us that what happens to the Earth happens to all who live on it."
"And so we have come to make sure you don't mess it up any more than it already is," the other continued.
"I've always done the work you've asked of me, Death. You and I have no issue between us."
"We do now," Thanatos said. He stepped away from his brother. "And I don't think I need remind you that with a wave of my hand, I can make you mortal. You are way out of control and I will not hesitate to do as I've threatened. Release the hostages you hold on Mount Olympus and leave these good people alone."
"Theo," Hades said, appealing directly to the young god. "You had better stop and think about what you're doing. The Council of gods has sent you here to defeat me as your trial for godhood, am I right?"
"You are," Theo stated.
"And they have promised you a place in the Olympian Twelve if you are successful, right?"
"Yes, but I would do it without such a prize."
"That's irrelevant, since you will gain it, anyway, on completion of this task," Hades said. "Think about it. Whose spot do you think you'll take? There can only be twelve gods of power."
"I don't know. The decision is Zeus' alone to make."
"He makes very few decisions alone, my young friend. He discusses it all with his Council. Hermes, tell Theo whose spot will be open if I'm defeated."
"You've started it, go ahead and finish," Hermes said.
"The truth is," Hades said, "if you defeat me, you'll become the next god of the dead, and I'm not sure you're prepared for what that will mean. Thanatos, do you mind if I enlighten him?"
"Go ahead," Thanatos said. "Valor earns truth. Let him decide."
Hermes took a deep breath and let it out as a sort of hiss. "Theo, how long do you think it will take for that adoring look Echo's giving you to turn to hate? After years beneath the earth, you'll become cold and heartless, your handsome body reeking of the smell of the dead. She'll beg you to let her go back to where the light of the sun can warm her heart. She'll recoil each time you touch her in desire, and refuse to bear your children. Your friends and family will turn against you, and your name will become synonymous with all that is wicked. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“I do not ask for your job,” Theo answered, “but neither will I run from it. If my king asks it of me, then I will do it, and I won’t become like you in the process.”
“Are you sure, boy? Because that’s what I thought, too. Haven’t you been listening to me? I was like you once. My heart was pure, and my soul free of darkness. And then my brother Zeus asked me, his most trusted sibling, to take on the task of monitoring the Underworld. He was sure I could do it and remain unscathed. I could not and neither can you. You will lose all that you love and hold dear, and you won’t even care when it happens. You'll be satisfied with the attention of your wife, even when you have to force yourself on her and she shudders at your touch.”
Apollo touched Theo's arm. "Let me speak, son." Theo gestured for him to have the floor.
"Hades, your story sounds so tragic as you tell it, but you forget, I was around when you went bad. You were never required to live in the Underworld, just to monitor it. With proper management, it could have been done from the surface while you reigned from your own castle in Olympia. You chose that life because it suited you to not be seen."
"Perhaps, but what of Poseidon? He spends most of his time beneath the ocean, and no one criticizes him."
"That's because he affects the ocean, not the other way around."
Hades made a growling sound. "So what's your point, Apollo? Are you ready to throw young Theo underground and see how he fares?"
"Not at all. I propose to take your place, and give Theo mine. Clearly I was bored with my job, and I'm quite certain the Underworld could use a little sunshine."
"You forget one important point, Apollo. I'm not ready to give up my job."
"And you forget another," Hypnos and Thanatos said together. They raised their hands and swept in a second, and greater, blinding mist.
 Recognized |
AI Images from IZEA
Sorry it's so long this time, but I just couldn't find a good stopping point.
Book Summary so far:
Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents killed in the fire, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy, Anthos, nicknamed Theo, from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.
20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town.
After being stalked by enemies intent on stopping her investigation, Theo, now a man, returns to rescue her from a demonic force. After a battle outside Echo's apartment complex, Echo and Theo fled through the trees toward his homeland, Concorde Valley, an undisclosed place near or within the Great Forests of Southern United States.
Theo takes Echo into Concorde Valley where she is tended to by Phoebus, Theo's father of many roles. He patches her up and sends her with Theo to meet the family.
Theo receives a missive from the 12 gods, via the rascally Hermes, instructing him to free the gods being held captive on Mount Olympus and defeat the enemy Hades.
With the help of family members, some of Greek Mythological fame, Theo sets out to save the world.
Characters:
Echo Jones: Young girl left stranded by a fire that took her home and parents in the first part of the book, then as an adult, she's an investigative reporter for a small town newspaper.
Theo: Named Anthos by his parents. Protagonist of the book, and Echo's love interest..
Specters/men in dark clothing: Minions of the Enemy. Have eyes that turn red when they're angry. Can appear as normal humans, serve the Enemy.
Kitty Sunshine, aka Sunny: Echo's Russian Blue cat
Theo, A nickname for Anthos: An 8-year-old, of mysterious origins, who finds young Echo in the forest and tends to her needs. We see him later as a grown man who rescues Echo once again.
Georgios: One of Phoebus' Captains. Theo's half brother
Phoebus: King of Concorde Valley, Theo's father
Diantha: Queen of Concorde Valley, Theo's mother
Poseidon: god of the Sea, Theo's grandfather
Hermes: messenger god, warrior, boyish charm; Theo's 2nd cousin, one of the ruling 12.
Apollo: Hermes' elder brother, sun God, and more. One of the ruling 12. Currently on sabbatical.
Rebecca: Theo's 25-year-old sister. She's married to Henry and has a baby Caitlyn
Henry: Rebecca's husband.
Adam: Theo's 21-year-old brother
Phillip: Theo's 17-year-old brother
Helen: Theo's 10-year-old sister
Hannah: Theo's 7-year-old sister who loves animals and can talk to them in their own language.
Mary: Rebecca's mother-in-law and a woman who is like a grandmother to the kids.
Mageia: Old Sorcerer who lives in Carack Valley. Used to work for Hades.
Thanatos: One of Nix's twin sons. He supersedes Hades as controller of death.
Hypnos: One of the twin sons. He lulls people to sleep
Nyx: Female personification of the night. Mother to many primordial beings, feared even by Zeus.
Stymphalian Birds: Monstrous creatures from Greek mythology, often depicted as large, carnivorous birds with metallic feathers and razor-sharp beaks and talons. (Quora)
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Sorry it's so long this time, but I just couldn't find a good stopping point.
Book Summary so far:
Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents killed in the fire, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy, Anthos, nicknamed Theo, from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.
20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town.
After being stalked by enemies intent on stopping her investigation, Theo, now a man, returns to rescue her from a demonic force. After a battle outside Echo's apartment complex, Echo and Theo fled through the trees toward his homeland, Concorde Valley, an undisclosed place near or within the Great Forests of Southern United States.
Theo takes Echo into Concorde Valley where she is tended to by Phoebus, Theo's father of many roles. He patches her up and sends her with Theo to meet the family.
Theo receives a missive from the 12 gods, via the rascally Hermes, instructing him to free the gods being held captive on Mount Olympus and defeat the enemy Hades.
With the help of family members, some of Greek Mythological fame, Theo sets out to save the world.
Characters:
Echo Jones: Young girl left stranded by a fire that took her home and parents in the first part of the book, then as an adult, she's an investigative reporter for a small town newspaper.
Theo: Named Anthos by his parents. Protagonist of the book, and Echo's love interest..
Specters/men in dark clothing: Minions of the Enemy. Have eyes that turn red when they're angry. Can appear as normal humans, serve the Enemy.
Kitty Sunshine, aka Sunny: Echo's Russian Blue cat
Theo, A nickname for Anthos: An 8-year-old, of mysterious origins, who finds young Echo in the forest and tends to her needs. We see him later as a grown man who rescues Echo once again.
Georgios: One of Phoebus' Captains. Theo's half brother
Phoebus: King of Concorde Valley, Theo's father
Diantha: Queen of Concorde Valley, Theo's mother
Poseidon: god of the Sea, Theo's grandfather
Hermes: messenger god, warrior, boyish charm; Theo's 2nd cousin, one of the ruling 12.
Apollo: Hermes' elder brother, sun God, and more. One of the ruling 12. Currently on sabbatical.
Rebecca: Theo's 25-year-old sister. She's married to Henry and has a baby Caitlyn
Henry: Rebecca's husband.
Adam: Theo's 21-year-old brother
Phillip: Theo's 17-year-old brother
Helen: Theo's 10-year-old sister
Hannah: Theo's 7-year-old sister who loves animals and can talk to them in their own language.
Mary: Rebecca's mother-in-law and a woman who is like a grandmother to the kids.
Mageia: Old Sorcerer who lives in Carack Valley. Used to work for Hades.
Thanatos: One of Nix's twin sons. He supersedes Hades as controller of death.
Hypnos: One of the twin sons. He lulls people to sleep
Nyx: Female personification of the night. Mother to many primordial beings, feared even by Zeus.
Stymphalian Birds: Monstrous creatures from Greek mythology, often depicted as large, carnivorous birds with metallic feathers and razor-sharp beaks and talons. (Quora)
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