The Worst Luck of All

The Gods

Many people believe that Gods are calm and gracious beings. And we are, most of the time. But when you put 14 of us in a room together - when there's still that little unresolved argument about Hera throwing Hephaestus off of Mount Olympus - there is no such word as calm.

I am the Goddess of the Hearth and Home, Hestia, and apparently the only well-behaved God in my family.

Of course, I am quite used to hearing my siblings and their children fight over anything and everything, but this time I was near the end of my tether.

I had already sat through 2 hours of my youngest siblings - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades - arguing about Chaos knows what before this meeting, and I was sure that if I was mortal my brain would have disintegrated.

The Twins (Apollo and Artemis) were having a hushed conversation in which Hermes appeared to be attempting to listen in on. I don't think it was working.

Hephaestus was talking with Aphrodite about how awful Ares is, while aforementioned God sharpened an already deathly sharp spear.

Hera, my dear sister, was berating her husband over his actions towards mortals. Again. I had no desire to hear about my youngest brothers latest escapades so I focused on the other Gods.

Athena was caught in a long and harsh debate with Poseidon, about how hundreds of sea creatures were in danger because of her patron city's people.

Dionysus appeared to be sleeping, but I knew he was secretly listening in on all of the others conversations. He always did like to know everything he possibly could.

Demeter was making a crown of flowers - her daughter, Kore (or Persephone as she is more commonly known as) used to love making flower crowns before she had relocated to the Underworld.

I caught Hades eye. He was also silently observing everything happening, so perhaps that was the reason we were the first two to notice the scroll lying on the throne room floor.

This was unusual only in the fact that it had not been there mere seconds ago.

I was tempted to alert my family to the scroll, but I knew that if I did, nothing would be done about it, so I summoned it to my hearth and unfurled it.

Hades appeared from the shadows next to me and glanced over my shoulder as I read the letter from the Moirai.

If Hades was not there, I do not know how I would have gained the attention of the Olympian council. I never liked to shout at my family, no matter how much they annoyed me sometimes.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Hades roared, and immediately everyone stopped their chatter to stare at him in shock. "Thank you. If you weren't all busy yelling at each other, perhaps you would have noticed this scroll that appeared from nowhere."

I stood up then and made to pass the scroll to my brother, but he shook his head and persuaded me to read it instead, saying that as I was the one who found it, it would make the most sense for me to read it.

"Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, we write to you from a time of extreme peril and danger. Several millennia from now, several of your children fight in two wars that could have easily been prevented.
This is why we are sending these children, and some other heroes with them, back to the time you are reading this from.
We believe that if these heroes can warn you about what is to come, the wars and all the suffering they have gone through will be prevented.

Apollo, we now speak directly to you. As the God of Healing, you are the one most likely to be able to help the heroes we are sending.
The ritual we are using will exhaust both the ones casting the ritual and the ones being sent through time. They will not be injured but they will be unconscious for a while.
DO NOT FEED THEM AMBROSIA OR NECTAR, for some of them cannot have it.
Once they have woken up, which should not take too long, maybe a couple of hours, they will have to introduce themselves with their full title.
Make sure that the boy Perseus goes last, and that he uses his full title.

We may also send you a few godlings from your time period, and they should introduce themselves to the future heroes.

The heroes from the future know what to tell you, but you can ask them questions about anything and they are allowed to answer. However, some subjects should probably be avoided, and we are sure that you will notice which ones those are.

Do not harm any of these heroes, as they are under our protection, and we are certain that you do not want to find out what we may do to you if you do harm them.

Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos"

After I had finished reading the scroll, there was complete silence, which was nice the few seconds it lasted, before all Tartarus broke loose.

"How is that possible?"
"Why am I the one who has to look after them?"
"Who are the heroes they might be sending from this time?"
"Zeus, if any of these godlings from the future are your children, I swear I will castrate you!"

These were some of the louder responses, but some of the others included, "I hope some of them have dramatic stories to tell", "They are probably all going to be men" and "This is probably the most interesting thing to happen since that fight between Apollo and Hephaestus!"

The questions and comments would have gone on forever, I'm sure, but then a soft white light began to glow from the centre of the throne room.

For the second time, the Olympian council fell completely silent.

Gradually, the light got brighter and brighter, and if we were mortals, we could have been blinded.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the light died down and, in its wake, left a very large group of people on the floor.

Most of them appeared to be unconscious, but there was one, a boy - no, a man - who was standing up, a dazed look on his face.

He was pale and looked like he wished to either regurgitate the contents of his stomach or pass out. Or both.

I belatedly realised Apollo had left his throne and was hurrying towards the children - although some looked more like adults - when, not long before my nephew reached him, the man's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the cold, hard floor of the throne room.

The next few moments passed so quickly, it seemed I had only blinked and Apollo had already summoned several soft fur rugs and lay the children upon them.

He had then checked over all of them in record time and then returned to his throne immediately afterwards.

I and the rest of my family stared at him in shock. He just shrugged and gestured towards the scroll, which I realised I was still holding.

I nodded, not really understanding, but I went back to my hearth and continued to tend to it.

The other Gods and Goddesses went back to their conversations, though slightly quieter after a glare from Apollo, and it stayed that way for a while.

The conversations broke up, maybe 1 hour later, when one of the children began to stir.