War of the Gods

Prologue

A blonde-haired woman ran down the hallway, white chiffon fluttering in the breeze, revealing more of her long, golden legs. Her brown eyes looked shocked as she burst through a pair of elaborate oak doors. Engravings of half-goat men and curvy women in scanty robes danced across its surface, vines swinging across their legs and encircling their breasts.

                                          In the middle of the room stood a giant of a man, a neatly groomed beard adorning his laughing face. At the sight of his terrified wife, his smile disappeared. "What is it?" he boomed, deep voice thundering through the room, voice echoing between the wide walls and vaulted ceilings.

                The woman took a deep breath. "It's happening. The thing we feared most. The Romans and Christians are coming. And not just for us. They're enclosing on all of the major Pantheons. They want us all dead" she blurted out, heart hammering painfully fast in her chest. She took deep gulps of air, struggling to calm her ragged nerves and collect her racing thoughts.

                                     The bearded man clenched his big fists, face darkening and screwing up in a snarl. His bright blue eyes glinted dangerously as he stalked over to an oval opening in the stone wall. He stepped out onto the white sand, hot from the blazing sun. His sandalled feet padded silently as he walked over to the edge of the ocean, the blue water lapping serenely at his toes. If he was smart, he would hide and tell no one else, but he knew he couldn't; he was Greek and Greeks never hid.

        With a weary sigh, the man tossed a coin into the water, watching as it began to quiver. A giant splash and another bearded man appeared wearing robes the color of seafoam. His hair was pitch black and wild and his eyes were of the darkest blue. "What may I help you with, younger brother?" he intoned. His voice was harsh and grating from years of living beneath the ocean.

The one he referred to as 'younger brother' took a deep breath. "Dearest sister, please explain to our brother what you explained to me" he urged, nudging the woman softly with his elbow.

               The blonde woman nodded and moved forward to stand next to him. "The Romans and Christians are coming for us. They're coming for us all. They intend to end every Pantheon except for their own" she whispered, small voice cracking halfway through. Her brown eyes glittered with unshed tears and held the brightness of a cornered predator; an unusual and dangerous fear that could only mean one thing: there was something bigger and worse out there.

The dark-haired man tightened his grip on the golden trident he held in his left hand, a snarl leaving his lips. "The nerve of those bastards!" he shouted. A dark storm cloud swirled into view as the once calm ocean became choppy and rough.

            The blonde-haired man stiffened, golden sparks leaving his long fingers as lightning slashed its way across the darkened sky. The waves crashed loudly and thunder boomed, shaking the very earth they stood upon.

          The woman let out a choked sob. "We're all going to die" she whimpered out. A man with blue skin and eyes littering his body appeared beside her, a look of fury on his face. "Oh, Argus" she whispered, smiling up at her dearest friend. Quite possibly her only friend within her Pantheon; she wasn't exactly the most liked person.

                                            Lightning forked across the sky once more, and the dark-haired male came up with a plan. "We need to send out others. Keep them hidden. W can save the world" he announced.

      And on that day, the War of the Gods began.

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