The Caelus Vance Chronicles: Ancient Souls (#1)

₪₪₪₪ Chapter 7 - Dream or Nightmare? ₪₪₪₪

Caelus Vance

Sleep didn't come easily, but then again, it hadn't in a while. This dream started like a few others; I was thrown into complete darkness. "Hello?" I walked around aimlessly, wondering what I'd find in the shadows. Just as I was about to give up, I saw a temple. It was fresh marble and must've been about 70 feet tall. Up the stairs were about a dozen marble pillars reaching up to a triangular roof engraved with people and animals. I could barely make out who the carvings and statues were supposed to be, but one thing I could tell was that there were many horses. The people on the temple roof seemed to be gods of some sort, but knowing who they were was the hardest part. I decided the best thing to do was to enter the temple. I nervously walked up the stairs of the elegant temple and through the doorway. As I walked down the length of the temple, I could see intricate details lining the walls and floors, all leading up to a large seated statue at the end. The statue was seated on a large throne on a pedestal. There were more designs and carvings on the base of the throne, and as I looked up at the statue, I noticed it was holding a long staff with an eagle mounted on top, its wings spread wide like in flight. On top of the statue's head sat a laurel wreath plated in gold.

"Zeus," I said in awe. This must've been the temple of Zeus in Olympia, or at least what it used to look like. As I was about to continue to look around, I heard a breath. Not a normal breath, one filled with power, and it was so strong that I could feel the air move around. I looked back up at the statue of Zeus, and it blinked. The statue, made of stone, blinked. "This isn't real... It's just a dream. Stones can't move..." As I continued to stare at the statue, it slowly looked at me.

Before I could scream or run, it spoke. "Yes, my boy. This is a dream. One that I have gifted to you." My jaw dropped, and he let out a deep chuckle that shook the temple. "You chose to ignore me. You don't ignore gods, son."

I collected my thoughts and spoke up. "Why do you keep calling me that? Your son. You're not my father."

"Correct, I am not. However, you still have a part of me within you, boy. But this dream isn't for introductions. There is business to be discussed."

"Business?" I had no idea what he could possibly want to tell me that he couldn't just say through our weird psychic link.

"There is a force, a dark force, and it has gained the attention of us gods. We believe it is on Earth, among you all. We fear that mortals are not completely safe. I wouldn't tell you this unless absolutely necessary. It is your job as my sponsor to lead the others. It is in my deepest interest that you rise to the challenge and do not fail me. You are a natural leader, and there is a reason I chose you." I didn't know how to absorb what he said. It was all a bit overwhelming.

"I don't know how to lead people. I don't even know if they would listen to me." Julia was leader material. I was not.

"Make them listen. You think the other gods would listen to me if I didn't show force?" He had a point. But these people were my friends. I can't just act like their boss. They'd probably start hating me. I had so much to ask him about the 'dark force', about my powers, about my family. But I couldn't get through everything, so I went with the most important one. I really wanted to know about my family. About Annie, does she remember me? Does she miss me? Will I ever see her again? But I knew what I had to ask.

"About this dark force, what else do you know? What's the first step?" His mouth formed a half-smile as if he knew my conflicting questions.

"Find my daughter Athena's artefact. Then Miss Hyde may have more information for you. She is a very bright one, use her gifts. Our job isn't to give you all the answers. One last thing: Athena wishes to aid you in retrieving the artefact. If you wish to complete the trial, you will need the shadows to be on your side." I was about to protest and ask for more help, but before I could, the temple faded, and I was woken. I opened my eyes, and it was the early morning.

I got ready, and everyone was already there when I got to the kitchen. Sophia and Aaron were drenched in sweat, Arista and Mary were talking, and Julia was sitting alone with toast and orange juice, sitting untouched in front of her. "Good Morning, Caelus." Sophia smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Training session this early in the morning?"

"Yeah, it was Aaron's idea. He's a great teacher." I was partly shocked by that, but it also made quite a bit of sense. I sat down after getting some food and thought about bringing up the dream. Have faith. Hearing his voice again was strange, but his words confirmed my decision.

"There's something I need to tell you all." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Even Julia lifted her head to look me in the eyes. "Last night, I had a dream. It was dark, and there was this huge temple... I'll get to the point. Zeus spoke to me. He told me," I paused, thinking carefully about what I should reveal to them. "He told me we will need the shadows on our side to complete the trial." They all glanced at each other, confused.

"He came to you in a dream just to tell you that?" Mary seemed more sceptical than the others. I nodded, hoping she'd believe me, but I don't think she did. "If you say so."

"What does that mean?" Arista was now sitting next to Aaron. Mary and Aaron exchanged looks; Mary was sympathetic, and Aaron seemed to be in pain.

"Shadows...? Maybe the Helm of Hades!" Sophia smiled and looked at Aaron, who didn't seem to like that idea.

"No. Absolutely not." He crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I don't think that's an option. We'll need to think of something else. There's got to be something else we can do?" Mary was trying very hard to take the attention away from Aaron. This just intrigued me more. YOU are in charge, son. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Aaron. What are you not telling us?" Mary opened her mouth to answer. "Mary, I asked Aaron." I felt a bit harsh, but it was what had to be done. He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, and then he nodded his head slightly.

"I don't have the helm. And I'm not going to get it." Sophia stood up.

"Why not? We need it, Aar. Please. I can't fail Athena before I even become paired with her." She looked hurt that he wouldn't get the helm for her to complete her trial.

"Do you know where it is?" He looked at me but didn't answer, and his facial expression seemed as if he was listening to someone; I could see in his eyes that Hades was talking to him. His dark eyes swirled around like trapped souls trying to escape.

For about a minute, everyone was silent, but Aaron was listening. Hades must've had a lot to say, and as his speech continued, Aaron's fists began to curl up into balls. "Okay! Okay... fine. I know where it is. It's back in the US... it's with my family. Technically, it's not mine, so it didn't automatically arrive like the rest of my stuff."

"So we just need to break into your house and take it? They won't know who you are, so what's the problem?" Arista had a good point, or at least I thought it was a good point.

"They remember me. I'm not completely sure why, but I left home before I became paired with Hades." The whole memory thing seemed more complex than I initially thought. "But I don't know if I can go back there. At least not alone." His eyes went straight to Mary.

"Of course, I'll be there. We all will, okay?" He nodded slightly and Sophia proposed that we find where the artefact is being held before we get the helm.

Aaron was still highly hesitant about going and changed his mind about 20 times in the span of 20 minutes. Arista was clearly so fed up that she made an unexpected promise. "If you let us all go to collect the helm, I'll let you help find Persephone's sponsor." That was the last thing any of us expected from Arista. However, the promise worked, and Aaron agreed to return home.