DEMIS (A Clash With Lightning)

Prologue

At the highest mountain in the underworld sits the proud castle of Hades. It is both grand and beautiful, but it is also dark and frightening. Inside, there are countless undead servants working off the mistakes they made when they were alive, hoping to eventually move on to paradise. Usually, the only residents of the castle are these spiritual servants and Hades. However, much to Hades's discomfort, there are six other gods from Mount Olympus here to visit. All seven gods sit at a table in a dimly lit conference room of the castle, the mood of the room matching that of the gods: dark and brooding. They are discussing the fate of not only the mortal world but also that of the very gods themselves.

At one end of the table sits the most powerful god to exist, Zeus. He clasps his hands together as he watches the lesser gods chatter amongst each other clamorously, his eyebrows furrowed as his patience clearly dwindles.

To his left sits Apollo. Apollo is one of the less uptight gods. He is always carrying a flawless smile on his face and radiates a golden aura visible to all. The reason is that he is the sun god. He is known to be a fun-loving god and can often be found attending human college parties and nightclubs. Tonight, however, he bites his bottom lip anxiously, and his entire body is overcome by trepidation.

Sitting next to Apollo is the magic goddess, Hecate. She is always consumed with her work. She rarely takes time to meet with the other gods; however, the situation at hand is too detrimental to ignore. Tonight, she sits without revealing any emotion and waits.

At the other head of the table sits Hades. Hades, like Hecate, is always drowning in work to do. He never leaves the underworld because when he does, it becomes unstable. Hades's emotion on this night is pure anger as he shoots glares at the king sitting across from him.

On the right of Hades sits the charming sea god, Poseidon. Poseidon is very calm and collected compared to most of the other gods present. However, hidden away in the deepest part of his mind, he is very afraid and silently beginning to panic.

Next to him sits Ares, the war god. Normally, in a situation where war is about to unfold, Ares would be excited, but this is entirely different from a war among humans or even a war among the gods. Should this war ever be declared, he is not sure the gods would be able to win.

Sitting next to Ares is the stunning Aphrodite, goddess of love. She gives off a kind and welcoming demeanor, but those who know her understand that she is more selfish and insecure. Tonight, her lips tremble as she hugs herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"What are we going to do?" Apollo asks with a shaky voice.

"I feel so helpless!" Aphrodite exclaims. She holds onto Ares's arm to comfort herself as he pats her hair gently.

"There is nothing we can do to stop it. Someone has been stealing our power," Poseidon says calmly.

"Whoever the traitor is will receive the cruelest punishment there is. I myself will lock them in the deepest pit of Tartarus to burn for eternity," Hades grunts, his voice thick with anger.

"That is, if we find the traitor," Hecate retorts.

"How will we survive if they escape?" Ares asks.

"Zeus, I would love to hear your suggestion on how we are to get out of the mess you created," Hades questions coldly.

"Watch who you are speaking to. You may be part of the Big Three, but I am still your king," Zeus snaps.

Before Hades has a moment to respond, Poseidon speaks up. "I believe I may have a suggestion."

The gods all turn to him expectantly.

"What if we recruited the aid of our human children? Since the source of our problems is Zeus's son, then the best way to retaliate would be with our own children. The power of the gods may be drained, but the demigods have not been touched," he says.

Everyone is silent for a moment as they think about what he said. The plan is simple and frankly seems like shooting an arrow at a small target in the dark, but it is the only one they have.

"Forgive my rudeness, Poseidon, but how are we to trust our livelihood to the hands of humans?" Hecate asks in disbelief.

"They are not just regular humans, Hecate. They are half-gods, and in the current state of Olympus, they hold more power than all of us at this table," Poseidon explains.

Hecate scoffs. "These humans do not even know of their origins. They believe themselves to be completely normal, and they don't know how to wield the power of gods! With all due respect, there must be another way. This is simply irresponsible."

"Actually, I don't think the idea is half bad," Apollo says, rubbing his chin and a grin returning to his face. "I have a human son that I just know could kick ass!"

"I also have a son who is already very strong. He would be very useful," Ares says.

"My daughter is just perfect! We have to recruit her," Aphrodite exclaims, her eyes sparkling as she throws her arms in the air.

"I also have a daughter," Poseidon begins. "She is strong and intelligent."

"We can also use my son," Hades admits more begrudgingly.

The gods' mouths drop to the floor in disbelief at Hades's words.

"You have a human son?" Aphrodite asks. "There is no way. When did—"

"I do, and I do not wish to discuss it further," he interrupts, rubbing his eyebrows.

"Then it is settled," Zeus says. "I will schedule a time for Hecate to meet with the demigods and begin their training. They will have a long journey ahead of them."

"Your majesty, I beg you to reconsider! There must be another way. We have barely discussed—" Hecate begins.

"My decision is final," Zeus says.

With that, he disappears back to Olympus. One by one, the gods disappear after him until only Hades and the servants are left inside the castle.

Author's Note: This book is still in the works, and I have not had it properly edited yet, but please feel free to point out any mistakes, and I will try to get them fixed!