Welcome Home

[Demeter]

Charis was no Disney princess. She didn't bounce out of bed, wide awake and with a bright smile while singing about chores or dreams. She oozed from her bed, grumpy and ready to kill anyone who spoke to her. She crawled from sleeping area to eating area of her quarters, where the tower's kitchen staff had her pot of strong coffee waiting.

She would sit at the low table, head resting on the polished wood while she found the strength to drink her coffee. After two large cups, she would shuffle into the bathing area to start getting ready for the day. Even still, all but the newest residents of Haven knew not to approach her before noon, as they were likely to be gnawed upon by a cranky Oracle if they did.

And then there where the days when she had to be social before noon. Today, as she was hustled out the door by her daughter, was one of those days. Alexius dumped her into a pony cart, leapt onto the driver's bench and gave the reins a snap. Snarling at her daughter, Charis sat on he passenger bench and worked the tangles from her hair.

Alexius had her father's personality. Meaning she was a morning person. Gaios had always risen with the sun and been happy about it.

"The ship won't dock till noon. Why do we have to there now?" Charis whined while tugging at a snarl.

Up ahead, Alexius rolled her eyes. "This isn't the quarterly passenger ship, Mother, this is the yearly special supply ship. The docks will be crowded and you being present will keep out guest from being trampled."

"I believe Helios requested that we not draw attention to her. I'm sure my presence on the docks will do the opposite."

"Don't you remember that Lord Josif is accompanying her to Haven, with the excuse of delivering some ancient text? Pay attention to him, not her."

Charis scowled and lightly smacked her daughter with her comb. "No need to get smart with me, young lady. Just drive the cart."

By noon, Charis was both bored out of her mind and annoyed. She was out of her tower by noon which meant that advisors, guild leaders and just people had found her and where pestering her for everything. She knew she was the de-facto leader of Haven but there was a reason she kept office hours and had a team of staff members to handle minor problems.

Luckily, that team of staff had found her before she'd done any damage to people or real estate and were currently handling the advisors and guild leaders. That didn't stop people from staring at her though. But her pair of phoenixes kept the people from getting too close. Coco and Paisley were so rarely allowed to chase anyway.

Now that the supply ship had arrived, she'd draped herself over the railing between harbor wall and the icy cold water while watching the teams of strong spirit horses tug the ship into port. Haven's harbor was deep enough to accommodate cruise ships but the logistics of having a harbor within an ice cave meant no engines allowed. The ships had to be pulled in.

***
Josif stood on the deck of the supply ship. The chest of texts were at his feet. While they were rare and precious documents that had, at one time been part of the Palace Library in Atlantis, they were just a decoy. The real reason was by his side.

Josif kept his arm around his daughter. It was Aurora's wish to travel to Haven. She hoped there was someone here who could help her and after the latest accident with her abilities; it seemed there was no other choice but a journey to Haven.

He wished his daughter to have as peaceful visit as possible so the real reason they'd journeyed to Haven had been masked for multiple reasons. First, while demi-gods-and-goddess were a dime a dozen (thanks to Zeus), he only knew of one other person who was the biological child of two men.

That one may not have been a demi but even he knew to keep quiet about his biology. Josif could only imagine the chaos if it was known that the gods had the ability to create life from the genetic material of same-sex partners.

Aurora was his greatest joy, a child that was both his and Helios but he couldn't go shouting that to the world. No, he had to take a step back and tell people Aurora was, genetically, the child of Helios and one of his sisters.

The second reason was that people were wary of a demi-goddess who had fritzy abilities. The hope was that there was someone or something here in Haven that could help. No god had been able to fix it, let alone know what the problem was. No tutor in healing had been able to teach her ways around it.

For the sake of his daughter's very soul, Josif hoped the answer was here.

***
Charis leaned over the railing, eyes fixed on the chest at Josif's feet. Only Alexius' grip on the back of her gown kept her from tumbling into the water. Her gaze had past over Lord Josif (as good looking as ever; shame that he only batted for the other team) and his daughter (cute little sunspot) and focused on the chest.

Lord Zahir had uncovered the trident and raised Atlantis more then two hundred years ago but they were still finding bits and pieces of the island throughout the world's oceans. The library had been located last month and the contents had been, by some miracle, preserved.

The library contained more then just knowledge from the scholars of the world. It had also been a storage place for the personal writings of the royal family. That chest could contain anything.

For the first time, she'd declared dominion over any artifacts recovered from an Atlantis site. Lord Zahir and Lady Charlotte had been quick enough to turn over the contents of the library to her but Lady Loralie hadn't want to.

Reportedly, she'd been soundly scolded for her actions by Zahir and her deity. It had finally been settled that all documents would be sent to Haven for translation. The translated copies would be sent on to the new Atlantis, with Charis having say on what went onto the new library.

That was why Lord Josif was here. To not only be near his daughter but to learn how to speak and read Atlantian.

For now, Charis stare at that chest, her fingers sinking into the soft wood of the railing. Some part of her brain noted that she would have to order the railing replaced and the harbor side buildings inspected for rot. She twitched as the ship was tied off and the gangplank was lowered into place.

The moment it was secured, she shot off, scurrying down to the dock and then onto the deck of the ship. She barely glanced at her guests. She plopped down in front of the chest and, with a touch, unlocked it. She pried open the lid and snatched the first volume from the stack.

She flipped it open and gave a soft whimper. This was one of her mother's journals! Ignoring the staring people, she sat and started to read.
****

Alexius, trailed by her grand-nephews, followed her mother down to the ship. A flick of her wrist had one nephew prying the journal from the Oracle's hands and using it to lure back to the harbor street while the other hoisted the chest.

Alexius turned to Josif and Aurora. "Welcome to Haven, Lord Josif, Lady Aurora. I am Alexius, the Steward. You'll have to excuse my Mother. The discovery of the library has affected her greatly. I do hope your journey was pleasant enough. Now, if you'll both follow me, I'll escort you to your rooms with the Oracle's Tower where you can rest and wash up before dinner."

[Maira]

The nightmares had plagued her all through the voyage, just as they had in the days before they departed. It was hard not to have nightmares when, after stumbling across a beached and injured baby dolphin during one of her many walks on the beach, her healing powers took over and absorbed the baby dolphin's injuries into her own body instead of his. As soon as he was well, he immediately started trying to get back to the water and she barely had the strength to get him there before -she- collapsed in the surf. She wasn't sure how long she lay on the beach, dying of injuries that weren't her own, before the water finally started to pull her out to sea. The mother dolphin, who had been anxiously watching her own child die, kept her afloat somehow until somebody found her and pulled her from the water. While she was dying, the Other part of her was completely silent. There wasn't even an inkling of his presence. She was left alone, floating in the sea, dying. All because she had wanted to help save another living creature.

When they finally made port in Haven, Aurora was physically and mentally exhausted. After she had been pulled from the water and healed of the baby dolphin's injuries, she requested again to be taken to Haven to see if they could help her. With the Oracle there, and her ability to talk to all the Gods, sure -one- of them could help her. The Other in her mind would not leave her alone the entire voyage and even as she stood on the deck of the ship with her father, he chattered away at her telling her all about the Oracle, a woman named Charis. Apparently the Other knew this woman but he couldn't remember what their connection was. Aurora couldn't help but wonder how any part of her could know somebody she hadn't met.

When the ship was finally tied off at the dock and the Oracle made her way on-board and proceeded to ignore both her and her father Josif completely in favor of the chest of books they had brought with them. Aurora's heart sunk, she had come to this place with all of these people and the person she had come to see was ignoring her... The Other was very strong in her at the appearance of the woman, but he was also unusually quiet as he contemplated her.

When another woman approached them and started talking to them, Aurora turned her attention away from the Oracle. The Other didn't approve and demanded to see the Oracle again. Under her breath, Aurora murmured, "She's ignoring us, she won't help us at all." When he tried to seize control of her body so he could look at the Oracle again, Aurora trembled with the effort to resist him. "Knock it off!" she practically growled. The Steward, Alexius, blinked curiously at her, but continued to speak. Aurora blushed and leaned into her father, her eyes going to the ground in embarrassment.

When Alexius invited them to follow her to their rooms, Aurora had to slip her arm through her father's so that he could physically steer her where she needed to go. The Other wanted desperately to follow the Oracle and continued to try to take over until the woman had been out of sight for a few minutes. There had been few times in her life that the Other had tried to wrest control of her body, less than a handful and never so insistently, and now that they had arrived at the place she was supposed to get help things were only getting worse. What had she done?

[Demeter]

Before she left her newest neighbors to settle in for the evening, Alexius inquired if they preferred warm or cold water for their morning swims. She knew that both Josif and Aurora had a fondness for swimming; it was her habit to research her guests likes and habits in order to make them feel welcome.

After both declared they'd prefer warmer temperatures, Alexius took her leave. She checked on her mother, shook her head over the woman, and went onto her own quarters for the remainder of the day. In the morning, she escorted Aurora and Josif to a spot for their swim. As it was quite a distance from the tower, she took a pony cart.

She had Aurora sit up front with her while Josif was in the back. "In light of why you are here, I'm taking you to a special location. Its called the Atlantis Pool and only the Oracle, her family and her guests are allowed there. Consider it a place to go when you need quiet. After you swim and break your fast, your days can start. Josif, your tutor in the Atlantian Language will be waiting. Aurora, once you are ready, I will take you to Healer Zeno and his assistant, Healer Clarissa. Zeno is a close friend of the family; an ancient from Atlantis, like my mother, and understands the need for discretion. You can trust him and Clarissa. We would like them to try and find an answer before you are subjected to the Oracle's touch. I will remain with you the entire time and your father will be nearby."

Before long, they'd reached the gated entrance of the pool. Alexius pulled the pony team to a halt and handed the reins to Aurora. "Once I have the gate open, drive them through, she said before hopping out of the cart. It took a moment but she was able to unlock and pulled the ivy covered gates open far enough to drive the cart through.

She handed the ponies off the young, mute Brood girl who worked as an attendant in the pool. The girl had one red eye and one startlingly white eye. "This is Mai. She's one of the Black Brood that we've offered shelter to over the years. She's blind in one eye and cannot speak do to an childhood injury but you needn't hesitate if you need anything. She will see too it."

The Atlantis Pool filled most of the large cavern. The ceiling was illuminated by the ball of light that glowed golden and the waters were blue. The walls and most of the dry surfaces were covered in plant life and small schools of fish streaked through the water. Off to one side was a small island that boasted trees and a few Phoenix nests. Against the far wall, was a small, temple like structure. In front it, a woman sat.

Alexius leaned close to Aurora. "No need to worry, that is Anmis. She's the pool's caretaker and lives here." Alexius didn't mention that Anmis was truly a Goddess. She, like many of the Altantian Deities, had been reduced in power following the fall of the great country and had gone into seclusion. Everyone except Chaos - he thrived following the fall.

Seeing that her guest were exploring the lush shore of the pool and that Mai was wordlessly directing the other attendants in preparing the morning meal, Alexius stripped out of her clothing and waded into the water. Once she was deep enough, she slipped into her seaform. She cruised over to the Goddess' perch and spotted a pile of clothing.

Anmis tipped her head to the left. "She's in the Well. Been there for hours now. Who are your guests?"

The Well was a deep hole in the floor of the Pool and her mother's favored hiding spot. "Lady Aurora and her father, Lord Josif. We told you about them."

"Yes, the messed up little demi-goddess. Once she's settled, I will speak with her. Now go swim, childe, and see if you can coax her out of the well to eat something. I know she's an excellent swimmer and that in her water form she doesn't need to breathe but sometimes she stays down there for so long that I worry about her drowning."

***
Charis peered over the rim of the well and watched as the cute little sunspot cut through the pool's blue water. She was racing her father across the water and winning. With only her eyes and the top of her head visible over the rim, she watched their progress.

The Sunspot wore a bathing costume that any normal person would call modest but looking at that woman in that costume made her twitch. She decided that she'd been too long without companionship if a one piece that covered everything made her twitchy.

Interestingly enough, Sunspot's finely formed father did not cause the same sort of twitches. She watched as they swam over her head. The well was the deepest point of the pool and no one would spot her unless they were looking.

Which, Charis thought as she heard a splash and saw Alexius coming after her, wasn't very often. Scowling, she flipped away from the wall and dived down. She swam to the bottom, knowing that Alexius couldn't follow that deep. She sat on the bottom and rolled her eyes when she heard Amnis' voice telling her that was childish.

***
Alexius scowled as her mother's tail vanished into the dark. Her mother's sea form was like one of those ridiculously pretty goldfish. Her iridescent scales covered most of her body. The scales covered most of her body, resembling an off the shoulder dress. Her shoulders, back, belly and the valley between her breasts were exposed flesh. Her fins were long and transparent and seemingly useless.

***
Amnis looked up when the gates of the Atlantis Pool creaked open. It was late and the ball of light glowed silver. Charis was still swimming circles in the pool. She'd eventually learned what had disturbed her so; she'd uncovered one of Gaios' medical journals.

At the creak of the gates closing, she looked again and saw young Aurora glancing around. Mai was asleep so she went over to the girl. Luckily, she was already on the near shore. "Good evening, Aurora. How can I help you?"

[Maira]

After their time in the Atlantis pool that morning, Aurora had felt strangely comfortable and at home in Haven. There were so many people around them, pressing in from all sides really, but she didn't actually feel terribly out of place. Alexius had made a point to show Aurora that she wasn't the only lost or hurting person here and, in a way, that helped. Yet, after her father had returned to his quarters and had gone to bed, Aurora started to feel restless. She didn't want to bother him anymore that she would have at home, she knew what the restless feeling meant after all, so she just put her swimsuit back on and made her way back to the Atlantis pool.

For as long as she could remember, the sea had soothed her. The sea made her feel more whole than anything, or anywhere, else. The actual harbor at Haven would be too cold for her to swim in, especially at night, but the Atlantis pool had been pleasantly warm and the schools of fish had been friendly.

It took her a while to reach the cavern housing the Atlantis pool, but the walk was pleasant enough and the closer she got, the more drawn to she felt. She slipped quietly through the gate, grateful that her walk hadn't been foiled by it being locked, and padded her way quietly towards the water's edge. Even though she'd been looking around, Aurora had somehow not seen the pool's caretaker Amnis until the other woman spoke. Instead of being startled by the other woman's presence, Aurora felt just as soothed by her as she was by the water.

With a shy smile, Aurora answered the woman, "I was really just hoping for a late night walk along the sands and a swim in the nice warm water if that is allowed. Sometimes at home I can't sleep and after a swim I am relaxed enough that sleep no longer eludes me." As always, the Other was silent when she was near the water. He had retreated as soon as she had slipped through the gates to the cavern. It was almost like when they were near the sea, he finally felt at home and so didn't try to push her out of the way. Aurora always half wondered why that was.

[Demeter]

Amnis arched a brow at Aurora's confession about the sea. The daughter of a Sun Deity and of a clan dedicated to that Sun Deity was calmed by water? That was just...odd. "You are welcome here, Child, at any time. Though you do have some company tonight," she said while jerking her head towards the water.

She could see Charis' scales flashing silver in the false moonlight as she raced against the current. "She is very unsettled tonight," Amnis murmured. "She'll probably vanish into The Well soon and pout. Thrice-curse that spell that allows it."

She could see that Aurora was giving her a look. "The Well is a very deep, very dark and very cold hole here in the Pool," she waved her hand towards the center of the water, "everyone but The Oracle can only reach halfway down before the pressure and the cold and the dark becomes too much and they have to surface. A spell was placed on The Oracle many eons ago, before the founding of Haven, that kept her from being affected by the pressure. You must understand; she was very suicidal at the time but the Gods needed to keep her alive. This spell was just one of many placed on her. All but this one have been removed now as she no longer actively seeks to end her life. She actually requested that this spell remain in place. Only a handful of Haven's residence have a sea form and accidents do happen and the harbor is deep."

Amnis smiled at the young woman. "Do enjoy your swim and let me know if there is anything I can do for you."

***

Charis overheard the conversation between Amnis and Sunspot. She didn't travel down to the bottom of The Well to pout over things; she went there to hide. It was handy, being spelled to withstand the pressure of the deep. As she circled the Pool, Charis kept one ear open to the two. She didn't trust Amnis to not do anything. Deities had a habit of messing with people.

When she neared The Well, she dipped down but stayed near the rim. She'd let the Demi-Goddess have the pool to herself.

***
Amnis knew these waters almost as well as she'd known the waters of Atlantis. Sitting on the shore, with her toes tapping in the water, she watched as Aurora floated in the false moonlight. And while the young Demi floated, Amnis used the waters to get a feel for her. As a Goddess, she was able to slid into Aurora's soul undetected and with greater grace then Charis.

What she found was confusing. The woman's soul was jumbled and in chaos. There was also a spark of something familiar to that soul. Something that escaped all possibilities...

She'd once had this soul as a loyal and devoted servant. Even as jumbled as it was, she still recognized it.

She knew it couldn't be possible. She and the others had scoured the earth for eons to find this soul and no sign had ever been found. Amnis swallowed hard; she couldn't tell Charis. There was no telling how the woman would react.

Instead, she did what she could to put the soul to sleep and allow Aurora some peace.

***
Healer Zeno sighed as he was interrogated by his patient's father. It wasn't unusual, he thought as he flicked eyes over Lord Josif, that deal with rabid parents who wanted answers but it was tiring. His calling was to heal and he'd never disobeyed but he'd given up his annual rendezvous with the delectable Saiyuri and her equally tasty mate Theiry to take on this case. Saiyuri had even arranged for the use of her grandfather's very private island and said she was packing very light. Zeno resisted the urge to pout.

Charis so owed him for this but he supposed he should be thankful he was dealing with Lord Josif and not the divine parent. Although, when Josif asked about his training, Zeno growled. "Sir, I am the healing master of Haven. I was trained in the original Atlantis Hall of Healers by none other then his Royal Highness, Gaios."

In the corner, he spotted Aurora, groaning and blushing, obviously embarrassed by her father's antics. It wasn't as if he was about to preform an exam or anything. He just wanted to test the girl's knowledge of healing. She had the Healing Touch so he was curious about what she knew.

***
The captain of her guard had to run to keep up with Charis as she darted through the crowded marketplace. The gods had told her to get her skinny backside to the harbor. Not once to openly defy deities, she'd scooted out of her tower. Generally, she was only told to hurry when something bad was about to happen.

She was still a block away from the harbor when something did happen. Over the noisy market she hears the crashing boom and and the screams from the docks. In her mind, she caught the whispers of the gods; three toddlers had been knocked into the water while their mothers were struck by a falling pallet of goods. In the crowds haste to rescue the women, they hadn't noticed the missing toddlers.

The crowd in the marketplace had also noticed the commotion and had made it impossible for Charis to move. She turned to the Captain and motioned at the people. With shouted command, the crowded moved, opening up an aisle for her to rush down. As she slid around the corner, Charis kicked off her shoes before vaulting over the railing to the harbor. She shifted into her seaform and sliced into the water.

***
Zeno shouted orders to the healers traveling behind him. With his offices being close to the Harbor, he and his healers were on the scene of the accident quickly. He turned to Aurora. He'd dragged her and her father along; assigning Lord Josif to crowd control. "You are a healer, even if you have a wonky healing touch. Standard first aid only," he said.

A flash of white went past him and Zeno whipped around to see Charis shift and dive into the water. If she was diving into the deep water of the harbor, there were more victims. Shouting for Aurora to stay on shore and ready the docks for possible drowning casualties before stripping down and diving in after Charis.

[Maira]

Her late night swim in the Atlantis pool had indeed helped her relax enough to go to sleep. Even after leaving the pool the Other stayed quiet and as soon as her head hit the pillow in her room she slept deeper than she ever had. The next morning she got woken by a polite knock at her door. When she didn't answer the knock right away it became slightly more insistent and was accompanied by an unfamiliar voice entreating her to dress and meet Healer Zeno in his exam room after lunch. Grumbling to herself about being woken so early when her appointment wasn't until after lunch and how she hadn't even had breakfast yet, Aurora threw off the covers and climbed out of bed to dress.

When she emerged from her room, she practically ran into her father exiting his room right across the hall from her own. He teased her about sleeping so late and she just looked at him, confusion clear on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice coming out very grumpy as the longer she was awake the more active the Other became and that always made her rather tense. All her father did was smile at her and escort her down to the dining hall. When they arrived, Aurora gawked at the lunch fare on the other guests' plates. Had she really managed to sleep until lunch time? That had never happened to her before, the Other had never let her sleep that long.

They hurried through their meal and then made their way to Aurora's appointment. Her father was being a menace to the poor healer and she couldn't help the groan that escaped her before they finally got down to testing her misfiring healer abilities. She was surprised to discover that her talent was pretty extensive for so little training she'd had, and clearly her father and Healer Zeno were as well. They weren't quite done with the battery of tests that Zeno had planned for her when there was loud booming sound. All three of them bolted out of the exam room and when Zeno gestured for her and her father to follow him as he bolted toward the docks they did just that.

Upon arriving at the docks, the chaos was overwhelming and Aurora nearly ran the other way. Randomly being able to heal an individual is one thing. Being surrounded by hundreds of people, many of them injured, she wasn't sure she could handle. Over the loud sounds at the docs and the yelling of the Other in her mind, Aurora almost missed Zeno's instructions to only minister first aid since her skills were still untrained. She didn't have a healer's kit, rarely carried anything more than bandages even at home, so when another healer ran by she just snagged the kit from his shoulder. The man turned to grab it back so she quickly explained, "Healer Zeno told me to get a kit and help with first aid." With a dismissive wave of his hand the other healer ran closer to the disaster and Aurora grudgingly followed. She couldn't help anybody if she weren't there when and where they needed her after all.

As she got closer to the source of the chaos around her, and further from her father, the Other started getting exceptionally bossy. He was telling her to hurry up so he could help the injured. Aurora stopped briefly, before being yelled at from inside her own head, wondering what he meant. The Other had never been present at any of her healings in the past so certainly he didn't mean that. What did he mean though?

*****

Aurora had no idea what had happened. The last thing Aurora knew, she'd been getting her supplies out next to one of the would-be rescuers who was in need of stitches and now she was waking up in the cavern that housed the Atlantis pool. Even stranger, she was alone. Sitting up, Aurora looked around curiously until she spotted Amnis on her island. The woman was watching her and when their eyes met, Amnis waved her over. Curious, Aurora got up from where she'd been resting on the sands and made her way to the woman. She had to swim to the island, but she was a strong swimmer and not tired by the task at all. When she walked out of the pool, up the sands toward Amnis, she asked politely, "I'm sorry to bother you but can you tell me why I'm here?"

While the other woman spoke, Aurora sat in the sand at her feet and wiggled her own into the fine warm grains. By the time that Amnis was finished telling Aurora about her actions at the docks, the young woman was gawking. Apparently she had worked on the minorly injured until somebody pulled her away for a few minute's break as her skills were still untrained and the worst of the emergencies had been dealt with freeing more experienced healers to tend to Aurora's patients. At that point she went into a rage at being taken from her work and Charis had had to knock her out with the help of the Gods. To say Aurora was embarrassed was an understatement. She pulled her knees to her chest and hid her face behind them.

[Demeter]

While the girl had been knocked out, Amnis had continued to rearrange the pieces of her soul into the proper order. It seemed that the more she fussed, the strong Gaios became. In order for young Aurora to be whole, the soul had to be balanced. "It is not the first time she's had to do that, Child, and I doubt it will be the last. The last time was another young Demi-goddess who'd gotten herself stuck in a bit of a time loop."

Amnis stood, pulling Aurora up with her. "Now, you need food and a swim before you go to see the Oracle. She wishes to speak with you and to take you to the eastern most caves. She wishes you to speak with one who was once a healer but since her fall, her gift no longer works. She hopes that this woman will be able to help you cope, should Zeno and the others fail to correct you."

***

Charis made the trip to the Eastern Caves at least twice a month to bring food, clothing and other goods to the twelve Mutari who lived there. They were one half of the original 24 Alati who'd flaunted the Gods and been turned to Mutari. The other twelve had perished over the centuries. They'd come to Haven ages ago and sequestered themselves in the Eastern caves.

There was one among them, a woman, who'd once been a student if Gaios but she'd fallen when she'd purposefully done harm to another. She long since paid for her sins and had been forgiven. She wished for Aurora to speak with another who had a wonky healing gift but there were some ground rules.

Holding the reins of the cart pony limply, Charis half turned to see her passenger. "Do not try to heal anyone you see with your gift. There is something about them that seems to suck the life right out of anyone who tries to fix them. Do you understand? You shall only speak with Sappho."

[Maira]

The food and the swim did much good for Aurora's embarrassment at Charis having to knock her out and before long she was ready to accompany the Oracle to the Eastern Caves. When they arrived at the caves, the Oracle expanded a bit on what Amnis had told her about why they were there causing Aurora to blink nervously before nodding her head in understanding. She rarely tried to use her healing gift, it normally just acted upon her desire to help an ailing person or creature.

If the Other had been the cause of her freak out at the docks, Aurora worried that maybe he was also the reason for her other healing disasters. She didn't know how to voice this concern to Charis so she kept it to herself and did as she was told. When they finally came to a stop inside the eastern caves, Aurora looked around curiously. There were obvious signs of habitation, but nobody seemed to be around. She looked at Charis for some sign of what to do. The older woman, though, had climbed down from the cart and was tying the reins to a wooden post that she assumed was normally used for such a purpose as there was a water trough at its base.

Climbing out of the cart herself, Aurora followed Charis. Eventually they came to a door and just as Charis raised her hand to knock, the door opened revealing a smiling woman on the other side who must've been Sappho. "Its a pleasure to see you, Oracle, I'm glad you thought I might be able to help," the woman greeted Charis cheerfully before turning her gaze on Aurora. Then, with an even warmer smile for Aurora, Sappho held out her hand and welcomed the girl to her home, "I hope we are able to become friends."

As Sappho shook Aurora's hand, the Other knocked the girl out of the way entirely and with her voice he answered Sappho, "But we already are friends, dear one, what has happened to you?" As the Other's words trailed off, Aurora's eyes rolled back into her head and her grip tightened on Sappho's hand. The Other did his best to discover what ailed Sappho and as he probed, he (and in turn Aurora) became entangled in the force that Charis had spoken about. Both souls could feel their life force being torn away and the scream that erupted from Aurora's mouth was haunting to those who heard it.

[Demeter]

It took Charis a moment to spring into action, shocked as she was by the sounds coming from Aurora and Sappho. Gods be damned, she told the girl not to touch! Couldn't she just not touch? Shouting for assistance, she leapt forward to haul Aurora away.

Morcant, the one original who was the least affected by healers, was then one who came forward to pry their hands apart. Once he had the hands apart, he wrenched Sappho away from the healer. Using a Godly touch, Charis knocked Sunspot out and floated her back to the wagon.

In the back if her head, she heard Amnis calling her to bring the girl to the Atlantis Pool. Making her apologies to the other Ancients, Charis drove away from the North Cave. Once at the Pool, she deposited the unconscious girl on the beach. She looked to the Goddess. "Well, I brought her here. What's going on."

Amnis drifted across the water. "Put one of her limbs into the water. Her soul is jumbled up; it will be easier to fix it if she's in contact with water."

"Her soul is jumbled? That's her problem?"

"Yes, now leave, Charis and let me focus on the girl."

Once Charis left the Pool's cavern, Amnis turned towards Aurora's body. "Now, Gaios, let's finish putting you back together. You can't keep stressing Aurora's body like this."

***

Outside of Haven, Narak flapped his way towards the summit of a mountain. His wings, stressed from fleeing and frozen, couldn't carry him much farther and he hoped that there was a cave up ahead. He stumbled as his numb legs bumped into rock and he was tipped into an opening. He knocked his head against the ground.

Below the summit, Charis hurried into outdoor gear. Her spirit dragon friend was calling to her, telling her that a red brood had just tipped between his wing and body and knocked himself out. Sending a messenger to the Healer's Hall, Charis opened the Judas Gate of the Soul Gate and slipped into the harsh outer elements.

The gate, built into the summit of the mountain, was guarded by the dragon's bulk but Charis was able to clamber over until she reached the male brood. Not a healer, or even a subtle person, Charis slapped the brood across the face. "Come on, wake up. The healers can't get a stretcher or an unconscious person around that dragon's fat ass."

Narak, barely under, snapped back and stared up at the face above him. White surrounded by red. As his thoughts came back, he shoved at the woman, pushing her towards the opening of the cavern. "Go, get away, leave."

Charis squawked as she was shoved out in the open and squealed as a thick black arrow shaft whistled past her head. Narak, cursing and confused about where the woman had come from, leapt forward to shield her. His breath left him as an arrowhead punched through him, back to front. Powered by the muscles of his assailants, that arrow had passed through his body and into the Woman's.

He heard her gasp, he stared as her eyes went wide and his world shattered when she screamed. It wasn't just the singular voice of a woman; it sounded as if hundreds of thousands of voice were all screaming at once.

Below his feet, all of Haven heard the scream. Actions still as deities shouted to their servants that the Oracle was under attack and wounded. The guardians of Haven phased out and reappeared in the sky outside. The thirty Alati stared down at the brood who'd chased the other into their territory.

Narak, still very confused, clutched at the woman pinned to him by an arrow and stared up at the ones who's just popped into the air above him. He yelped and stumbled back, dragging her with him, when the mountain moved. He gaped as the summit of the mountain morphed into a very angry, enormous black-and-white spirit dragon.

Below, in the Atlantis Pool, Amnis listened to the commotion and turned to Aurora's body. The spells to kept Charis from inflicting mortal wounds to her body had been lifted long ago. At the moment, only the arrow preserved her life. Healer Zeno had the skills to save her but the wounding of the Oracle had caused chaos and injury within Haven; he was needed there.

Amnis touched Aurora's forehead. "Wake, Gaios, right your soul and save her."

[Maira]

Charis may have thought she stopped what was happening to Aurora by knocking her out, but all she actually achieved was knocking out her body. The two parts of the the soul that resided in her body were swirling in a tempest, draining Aurora's life force steadily as Charis moved her to the Atlantis pool at Amnis's command.

Once she was left in the care of the goddess, and Gaios heard himself being called once again by the deity that had chosen him so long ago, he tried so hard to shove the foreign soul out of this body. Only, that soul was tied to the body even more strongly than he was and instead of her leaving, he felt himself begin to detach. In a mad scramble to not be lost again, Gaios clung tightly to the girl's soul, which only increased the rate at which the tempest was raging.

Finally, Amnis instructed him to "right" his soul to save "her" and he would have shouted at her that he was trying. But after a moment, he realized that Amnis wasn't talking about the girl. She was talking about Charis. In his jumbled state, Gaios was actually more open to the other deities than he had been in life, and he could feel their pain at their Oracle being injured. He had finally found her again, he couldn't lose her now!

As much as Gaios wanted to be the primary soul in control of the body, he realized that the only way to save this body at all was to give up control of it. If he wanted to be able to use this body to save his mate, he needed to give up who he was. Heartbroken that he would never speak to Charis himself again, but knowing that he could still love her and help her, he surrendered the place he had taken in the girl's mind. He slipped to where she could reach his skills and memories if called upon. As he left, he shoved her own talents where they needed to be, as well as her emotions and ability to control their body. He gave the girl every part of herself as he slipped away only to be remembered as what he truly was: a lost soul that had been bound to hers upon her very unorthodox creation.

As soon as Gaios settled into the recesses of her mind, Aurora sat bolt upright with an intelligible yell. Before Amnis could speak to her, Aurora was up and using skills she didn't know she had to phase out and directly to Charis's side. When she popped back into reality, Aurora muttered under her breath, "Handy that, Gaios, thanks. Now tell me what to do!" In an instant, the healers memories filtered into the foreground of her mind and she shoved lesser healers out of the way to get to the mate of the other half of her soul.

*****

Despite all the medicines at the healers compound, once Aurora had her stable, she insisted on moving Charis to the Atlantis pool. Atlantis was Charis's home and one of the last remaining Atlantean deities was there. Gaios, and now Aurora's, deity was there. Amnis was a goddess of healers and where better to be than with such a deity when one was trying to heal a wound that had so nearly ended a life?

Aurora had spent hours in the Atlantis pool, keeping Charis afloat in the waters, while Amnis imbued them with her waning powers. Even while concentrating on directing those powers, in addition to her own, into Charis, Aurora vowed to herself to introduce young healers to Amnis. The more that believed in the Goddess, the less likely she would be to fade away as the other Atlantean gods had.

While Amnis may have been a Goddess, Aurora wasn't and that meant that eventually she would need rest. Only when she was having trouble keeping herself awake and afloat did she finally move Charis to the shore and onto a blanket that Amnis had prepared. With the goddess's help, Aurora got Charis ashore and situated so that her feet were still in the waters of the pool.

"You rest, child, I'll wake you if anything changes," Amnis told Aurora once Charis was made comfortable. Aurora nodded and then laid down next to Charis, her feet also in the water, and her fingers entwined with the older woman's.

Gaios slipped another memory to Aurora then, one that enabled her to keep a low-level of healing cycling between the two of them. It would help keep Charis's vital's synced to Aurora's even while she slept. As the body healed naturally when it slept, this method would both keep Charis alive and prompt her body to take action to heal itself. The only risk to this skill, was that Aurora might get trapped in sleep too until Charis was well enough to wake on her own. It was a risk that both Aurora and Gaios were willing to take.

[Demeter]

The Oracle Slept for close to three years. The announcement to Haven that she’d gone into a Deep Sleep after the accidental attack by Brood warriors (whom were deeply apologetic that they’d pursued a foe into Haven’s territory and that The Oracle had gotten caught in the crossfire) had sent the city into a panic. She had slept deeply in the past but the events had always been announced and never last this long. In the past, she’d Slept In State and had been able to be viewed. Now, she Slept curled in a field of flowers, hidden from the public.

Aurora had woken, soul surprisingly whole, and had gone about her studies under the healers of Haven while caring for Charis. Though some did comment about a recently backward, novice healer having charge of the Oracle’s health; those who mention it to her face were usually growled at before being hustled off. Amnis was pleased with integration of Gaios into Aurora.

The Brood who’d been chased to Haven remained a captive, unwanted by his people for he was cursed. Amnis, the mother goddess of Atlantis, had visited the Brood Male and learned a number of surprising things. He had indeed been cursed; cursed to a genetic level to only father Black Hided offspring. Cursed by none other then the Oracle who might have been an all powerful being but shouldn’t have been able to curse a Brood to his DNA. Lastly, she learned that it was possible for Charis to curse the Brood because the Brood held the Soul of Amyntas. Having that particular soul meant he was linked to Charis and thus able to be cursed by her.

She may not have been completely gentle in her examination of the captive.

Unlike Aurora, this soul was whole but it was flipped. Amyntas had been the last ruler of Atlantis during a time of unrest when the things that had once made the great city special had become outcast and unwanted. His soul had supposedly been destroyed by what magic the Godless had developed when the final uprising had occurred. But, like the soul of Gaios, it had been shattered. Unlike Gaios, whose soul had been scrambled when it reformed, this one bad been reformed whole but reversed. She’d learned of the rumors that other Broods whispered about him; he’d hunted down and destroyed Black hided brood and any who broke the Convents of the Brood. He’d been the one who’d nearly destroyed the ShatterSoul triad and it was that act that earned him being cursed by Charis. This Male Brood only saw in Black and White. The soul, traumatized by whatever had happened during the uprising and sinking of Atlantis saw conformism as the only way of survival. He’d have to be broken of those thoughts before she’d allow Charis to be fully reunited with him.

Amnis had guarded the body of Charis as she slept and watched as the physic wounds of losing Gaios and Amyntas had healed and closed. Charis, as she was now and fully in control of her faculties, would be a powerful sight to behold. Charis, soul whole, could move forward in her destined path. The transfer of blood during the life threatening injury and Aurora’s efforts to heal had notified Charis’ soul that her mates’ souls had somehow survived.

***
Narak sat on the floor of his cell, holding a cloth to his head. As far as prison cells went, this one was pretty damned luxurious. He had his own bathroom and a small courtyard to himself. Still, it was a prison cell and he was a captive. They’d clipped his wings; using actual clips to prevent him from extending them without pain. They stayed on no matter what form he took and he’d tested the clips’ limits. It had also been made clear that escape from Haven would be near impossible for one such as him.

He wasn’t wanted by the Brood and knew that this room and courtyard were the safest place for him. The Brood living here in Haven hated his very being and the Alati barely tolerated his existence. He held a cloth to his head because an enterprising pair of youngsters had scaled the tree outside his courtyard to throw sharp stones at him. He sighed and leaned back against the frame of his bed. This had been the last three years of his life.

This place made the dreams worse. The dreams started after the curse, after everything went cockeyed. Sometimes, they were soft dreams; dreams of nothing remarkable or memorable but he felt that once life had been very good after having those ones. Others were of turmoil, fire and blood. He hated those ones.

***

On her ledge in the Atlantis Pool Cavern, Amnis leaned hard against the remaining two-thirds of what was now called The Pantheon Triad. She needed to Awaken Amyntas if there was any hope of correcting things. She needed to traumatize him to get there but that would hurt the other two as well. The soul had been reformed and slept silently for eons until it was somehow released when Narek had been born. As this was only its second life and while that life had been remarkable, there’d been nothing truly scarring. They had to relive the fall of Atlantis and she believed Charis’ trauma would be key to awakening Amyntas. She’d have to seek forgiveness later.

Charis slept on the narrow shores. With her psychic wounds closed, now was the best time for this. She pressed her will against Narak; the Brood quickly dropping into sleep and his body collected by Aristomach, who was blood sister to Amyntas. Convincing Aurora to sleep was hard as the girl was a demi-goddess but she eventually gave in. Zeno, blood brother of Gaios, escorted the body to the Cavern.

Amnis requested the siblings to remain in the cavern. She would need all the help she could get to string the narrative together. The others who’d been present during the Fall would arrive shortly. Looking at the three, she would force them to remember.

***
The streets were splattered in blood and feathers, fires raged, and screams filled the air. The earth shook as the continent collapsed under the Gods’ anger and the answering strike of the rebels. The fighting, and looting, continued even as land fell away. In the High Palace, Amyntas carefully peered out through a window slit. The mob below was still working on breaking down the main gates. So far, the massive gates had held back the mob but the sturdy wood wouldn’t hold forever.

He could see the warriors still loyal to him and the Gods gathering inside those gates. The mages kept a shield up over the palace to prevent any projectiles from landing. Amnis herself kept the chamber they’d taken shelter in sealed but she weakened with every death and every back turned. Bion, the God of Chaos, stood with her, supporting the Mother Goddess physically. Bion hadn’t weakened as his kind of magic ran rampant in war.

The mob outside was a concern but the real danger lurked inside the palace in the forms of his sister-in-law, her husband, and their cronies. The situation now unfolding had been smoldering since the time of Charis’ grandfather, when mortals, brought to Atlantis by their Otherworldly friends and lovers, had put their ideals and ideas into circulation. Xanthe and her lot had started the fall when, a fortnight ago they’d stopped talking in terms of if, desecrated the tombs of the First, stolen and destroyed the Book of Balance, and drank from the Holy Well.

The Gods had demanded retribution for the defiled resting place of their earthly bodies but Xanthe and her lot had refused to kneel and turned their backs to the deities. Angered at their refusal, the Gods struck at the rebels and they, now infused with the same powers as the Gods, struck back. They did not share the same control as the Gods and the strike went wild, starting the collapse. Even now, twelve of the thirteen clan high clerics were riding for the Shield Points. The thirteenth, Charis’ eldest sister, Nike, stood at the center point, waiting for the others to join and raise the island’s shield. Arcadius, his sworn brother, stood with her to guard Nike from attack. The center island had to be preserved, no matter the cost. Saving the island would mean the death of the clerics.

Amyntas turned away from the small window to where Charis clung to Gaios. Zeno knelt at her side, carefully winding a new length of bandaging linen around her abdomen. She’d dodged when Xanthe had attacked last night but not far enough.

When the riots had started, his goal had been to maintain his kingdom. Atlantis was lost, Amnis had said. In the aftermath of the rebellion, the Gods did not have the strength to hold it. It would sink and all would be lost if the Shield could not be raised in time. Even if the clerics were successful, they would be trapped, hunter and hunted, underwater until death. His goal now was to get his mates and the children away from Atlantis so they could live.

Beyond his mates, their daughters and nephew clung to their nurses. Guards milled around while his sister oversaw the removal of the tile that covered a hidden passage to the docks. When the rebellions had started, he’d ordered the fastest of the navel fleet to be made ready. He could only hope that the ship was still there and the crew loyal.

Once the tile was pried up and the passage declared free of rebels, the children and their nurses went down first, closely followed by their uncle Zeno. Their aunt lowered each down. He crossed over to his mates and pulled his Queen close. She clung to him, trembling. Though a skilled archer, Charis was not made for war or fighting. She was the soft sweetness of their triad; a symbol to the people of Atlantis. She’d never expected to be queen and had fashioned herself into the people’s princess.

Her father had named Xanthe his heir; Nike had abdicated her rights when she’d ascended to the position of high cleric, but the council had opted for tradition. Those who could wield the Trident would be the rightful rulers. Neither Xanthe or her spouse could touch the thing.

That had just been another brick in Atlantis’ tomb. The Trident had rejected all who’d dared touch it but Charis. He could still remember the sight of her when he’d come to try his hand. She’d been as she was now; pale and trembling in the wake of the unknown. As he had in the quiet hours after a relative nobody had pulled the Trident from a hunk of coral, he held her tightly. “You need to live; you and Gaios,” he said while drawing the other man close as well. “I will find you again but you two have to take the children and get to safety.”

His sister was the one to pull a sobbing Charis from him. She carefully lowered the wounded woman down to Zeno, warning him to keep ahold of her. She went back for Gaios, prying him from her brother’s arms. “We must go now; Amnis won’t last much longer.”

At the door, Amnis used all of her remaining strength to keep the door shut. She needed to ensure that the others could get to safety. Bion understood her goals and held her physically while adding his power to hers. With his unwavering strength, she could keep Xanthe out for now.

Even they could not manage to keep them out forever. The others were to diminished to offer and had already drifted to slumber. Bion, her brother, lover, and friend, would survive this and flee with the Trident and the icons of the other Gods to safety.

She felt him jerk and gasp before looking over her shoulder at him. “Bion?”

“The Octahedron. Someone has picked it up and survived.”

“You don’t have it with you?”

“I haven’t exactly had the time to go and fetch it. Its been abandoned and kept in my out of the way temple for a few years now, you know.”

“Idiot. You should have grabbed that first. Now, let me see.” She pulled hard on his power and allowed them both to see the young man, sweating and shaking, as he clutched the Octahedron. They both sucked in a breath as the recognized the face. Its twin was here in the room with them; the late king’s youngest son. The twin had survived after all. “Go. Go and fetch it and him and get them to safety. Take the Trident now and get them to safety. Amyntas, give Bion the Trident now.”

“Amnis, if I leave, you’ll…”

“I’ll survive, as will we all, but we cannot let them get the Icons. Put me down and go. Now!”

She slid the floor once he put her down, unable to stand under her own power, and watched as he collected the Trident and vanished from the room. She looked at her followers. “I won’t last long now. Go.”

As Aristomach wrestled Gaios towards the tunnel, Amnis vanished and the door burst open. Xanthe, followed by her followers, flooded into the room. Seeing them, Aristomach shoved her brother-in-law towards the tunnel and drew her sword.

Amyntas could hear the screams of Charis and the children as they were dragged down the tunnel. He watch as Gaios looked towards the tunnel before diving towards him, shoving him and taking the blade Xanthe had thrust into his own side. He caught Gaios as he fell, shouting for Aristomach to go with the others. Setting his husband down, Amyntas drew his own sword and engaged Xanthe.

In the tunnel, the rest of the refugees could hear the echos of fighting. They could hear others entering the tunnel to chase them down. Soldiers carried the children; Zeno carried Charis as her knees had turned to water the moment she’d felt Gaios being stabbed. Aristomach brought up the rear.

They emerged from the tunnel onto the docks. The boat was there, the crew waving to them to hurry. They were shouting that the barrier was being raised and the clerics could only hold an opening for so long. Bion was there, his new head cleric a shaking lump at his feet.

The refugees tumbled into the boat, Zeno all but tossing Charis at Bion before getting the children’s nurses on board. Powered by Bion’s chaos power, the boat was propelled towards the opening in the barrier.

As they passed through, Charis sat up, eyes going wide. They only had a moment, a little gasp as a warning, before she screamed. It was a terrifying sound, echoing and powerful. It was a death scream. Zeno heard Bion curse, watched as he lept at the woman to physically hold her.

Bion held the woman in a physical and mental hold to keep her from flying apart to get back to her mates. He could feel all the young gods from other cultures reaching out to hold her as well. He knew what she’d felt; the death of her mates but it was more then just that. They hadn’t just been killed; their souls were just…gone.

***

In the present, forced to relive the dark moment when her diamond spine had been forged, Charis jolted awake. The barely healed physic wounds had been violently ripped open again. Like before, the witnesses only had a moment of warning before she screamed. Now, confined to a cavern and powered by her new abilities, that death scream shook the earth and fractured the ice. The mortals would register it as an earthquake and flock towards Antartica.

The other two jolted awake as well. Aurora-Gaios and Nerek-Amyntas, scrabbling towards the screaming woman.

Later, when Charis was quiet but catatonic, it was Aurora who ripped into them all, cursing them out. She even approached the very confused Brood and struck him, wanting to know what kind of person he’d been twisted into. She too a heard the rumors regarding this particular brood. The man before her may have held Amyntas’ soul but he was hardly the man Amyntas had been.