HATE- THE MOTHER OF LOVE

the beginning of the end

              Nathaniel

This is going to be one hell of a night. I'm sitted on the right hand side of my father, while Daniel is on the left side. My father's chair is inclined slightly to the left and much as I tell myself am okay, I can't help but feel a little bitter. Daniel, though being the rebel of the 2 of us, has always been daddy's favourite. But he has been oblivious of this affection all this time though, ungrateful creature.

Tonight, some millennia down the line, is the night my father was made god by Zeus. This celebration has always taken place at midnight (don't ask me why) , with sacrifices being offered to Zeus, then some stupid speech from my father, then everyone else was allowed to do what they wanted to.

My fathers wakes up to go and welcome every being, and to start off the celebration. I look at Daniel through my peripheral view, and weirdly enough, he seems at peace. Unsurprisingly, this disturbs me. For the last several weeks, he has been jumpy and irritated, and even somehow scared. So seeing him peaceful and totally at ease, disturbs me (greatly).

I'm jerked out of my thoughts when my father returns to his seat. He leans over towards Daniel, as if he's being told something. He nods keenly and together, they get up and leave. Now, there is definitely something weird going on.

I contemplate following them, but it would seem queer to the beings around. So I tell my impatient self to sit still and retail calm. They're probably speaking about Daniel's behaviour these last couple of weeks. But would Daniel volunteer to go and tell my father about what he's been doing and thinking these past weeks? Nope. So what are they really talking about? Aaarrrgggghhhh!! I really have to stop thinking about them and whatever they are discussing.

They finally return, after one hour and forty five minutes (yes, I was counting. I mean who wouldn't?) , and it's during that moment of the ceremony when my father has to make a speech. When his name is announced, he stands up amidst cheers from the beings, and heads towards the center of the crowd, where the podium is situated. He clears his throat and starts his speech (I tune out of course) .

Surprisingly, his speech doesn't take long, and though I haven't been paying attention, I have noticed him throwing worried looks Daniel's way and this of course causes me to be more restless. What really did they talk about?? I turn to look at Daniel, and as if sensing my eyes on him, he looks at me and our eyes lock. We stay like this, neither of us wanting to look away first. He then smirks, and I'm wondering why, when I suddenly feel something tickle me on the sides. I burst out laughing as I try to brush away whatever is doing that, and of course, I look away.

The tickling suddenly stops and I look up at Daniel to find him grinning victoriously at me. So he pulled a prank on me, a simple yet friendly prank, when I would've expected him to do something life threatening. His grin slowly sinks into a genuine smile. One that looks sincere and something more. Regretful?

I smile back at him, only to look away when my father clears his throat. I face forward again to find the whole crowd staring at us. I look at Daniel at the same time he looks at me, wondering if we missed out on anything. We can't have been staring at each other for that long, or did we? He shrugs at me and I stare at my father, who beckons us to him.

I stand up at and move towards him. I reach him at the same moment Daniel does, and we stand on each side of him. He looks at both of us, but I see him gaze longer at Daniel, who smiles at him reassuringly, and he continues with his speech. I don't really pay attention to what he's saying, but am rather thinking about what just transpired before my eyes. When did they get that close? (Oh yea, tonight) 

I'm brought out of my thoughts by a huge applause coming from the crowd. I turn to see my dad talking with Daniel in whispers. He nods a couple of times and I watch as Daniel turns and leaves the crowd. My father guides me back to our seats, as the crowd disperses.

"Where has Daniel gone to my lord," I ask without facing him. I hear him chuckle nervously before answering me. "Miss him already?" Is he really avoiding this question. "No, I was just wondering"  I say to him before excusing myself. I need to find Kenny. He is sure to know about what is going on. I look around for him and when I finally find him, it's with one of the ancient empousas(vampire women)

He smiles at me when he sees me, and excuses himself from the blood-sucking being (no offense I don't really like them). "What's up, you looked distracted throughout the whole ceremony" He starts as soon as he reaches my side. I tell him each and every thing that has transpired through the night, and when I'm done, he looks away and stares blankly into space. He looks as if he's having an Internal debate about something.

After some minutes of silence, he finally sighs and closes his eyes. A look of dread and reluctance comes over his face and he finally speaks. "Today we mark the beginning of the end. This is the day that has been waited upon for millennia. Your twin has gone to wherever Gaia sent him. I can't tell you where, it's not my business to tell you that. But I'm actually glad he did because if happened to be here, most of us, if not all, would be in Tartarus. He chose our lives over his, because he's aware of the kind of danger he's gotten himself into. One simple mistake, and he'll fade into Chaos. But don't worry, he's well equipped. Ananke told me to tell you that in the end, victory will be in the hands of one mortal, but that Daniels chances of winning will be higher than yours,"  He finally opens his eyes and looks at me. I have so many questions for him right now, but I ask the one that bothers me the most

"Why did the god of destiny ask you to tell me that? Isn't it Daniel who should be hearing this?"

He laughs humorlessly and looks at me with the keenest look I've ever seen. He shakes his head and continues talking. "Don't you understand. Have you not seen it coming all this time since Daniel came back from the forbidden gates? Don't you feel it deep within your soul?" I continue staring at him blankly, not understanding a word he's saying. He sighs and closes his eyes for a second, then opens them again. He goes on.

"The reason Ananke told me to tell you this, Nathaniel, is because you are the one who's going to rise up against Daniel, and cause the next war, one which is going to be greater than that of the Titans. You are going to be the loser in that war Nathan, the god of destiny wants you to know that"

A/N

Hellow y'all fellow mortals(by the way, has anyone ever wished they could be something different, like anything other than a mere mortal?. Coz I have at some point)

Anyway, what do you think of this chapter? Daniel finally listened to Gaia(am sure she is beaming with victory)... But we are about to do a time jump . Not a huge one really, but a time jump nevertheless.

Thanks for taking your time to read this book. It means a lot.

Pretty please, don't forget to vote and comment. It will be greatly appreciated.

Don't forget.....,,I love y'all.