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Epilogue

Emma

A Darker Form Of Love

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“Why did you save me?”

“Because you’re my sister. The same ichor that runs through your veins also courses through mine. But of course, you don’t remember that as of yet. But never fear, just as I have slain this pathetic Fourth Horseman, I will restore you to your true identity.”

The man gestured at the slaughtered body of the monster, who claimed to be Medusa. She had almost turned Emma to stone... almost. Bronze ropes still bound Emma to a chair in the middle of the school gym.

“Look — I want to avoid remembering whatever the hell ‘we’ were,” Emma snarled. “So, just go find someone else to screw around with!”

“Oh, I’m afraid this isn’t a choice, sister,” the man smirked. “The true Twilight is fast approaching, and I need my family at their peak.”

The man grasped Emma’s head as she screamed out in agony, a million memories from a different life returning to her instantly.

*****

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“EMMA?”

Allison had just flipped the light on in her bedroom to find her sister leaning up against the bedpost. Emma gave her a weak smile.

“Hey, Allison.” Emma couldn’t help but stare at her. So much had changed in just a few hours. It was hard to believe who her annoyingly superior sister once was and the person she had become.

“Where have you been?” Allison ran over and hugged Emma. “Everyone thinks you died in that earthquake at the school! Dad and Ellie have been worried senseless. We’ve spent the better part of the night looking for you! We —!”

Emma threw her arms around Allison, returning her embrace tightly.

“...Uh, Emma?” Allison asked in shock. “Remember when I said you had a vice grip?”

Emma let go quickly, looking at Allison in an expression of pure grief. “Sorry, sis.”

“What happened to you?” Allison asked, her eyes examining Emma as if searching for proof of a mental meltdown.

“...I’m having to leave home for a while,” said Emma, finally. “And will you quit staring at me like that? It’s freaking me out!”

“I’m freaking you out?” Allison asked, outraged. “You just told me that you’re running away!”

“I’m not running away,” Emma assured her. “I just have some unfinished business to take care of. I’ll be back home soon, I promise.”

“Yeah, just like Mom did?” Allison glared at her. “You’re going to look for her, aren’t you?”

“No!” Emma said in disgust. “I never want to see that bitch again.”

“Then, what in the hell — is so important that you have to abandon our family?”

“...Allison, look me in the eye,” said Emma plainly, “and I’ll explain everything.”

“Fine,” Allison huffed.

As soon as they made eye contact, Emma grasped Allison’s forehead. Allison’s eyes turned golden as she fell to the ground. When she struggled back up, Allison gasped in shock.

“...Aphrodite?”

“Hello, Athena,” Emma smiled sadly.

“Twilight has come?”

“Yes, it has,” Emma sighed.

“Hades!” Allison snarled. “All this for his son? He and Apollo betrayed us for their damned uprising?”

“I get it; you’re pissed,” Emma rolled her eyes.

“Look at what I’m wearing!” Allison gestured at her pink leather jacket, turquoise blouse, black mini-skirt, and matching heels.

“I thought that was your favorite outfit?” Emma snickered.

“It is! Or it was?” Allison shook her head, confused, and irritated. “I love being a cheerleader, but I also think it’s demeaning! It’s like I’m both Athena and Allison! I don’t know which one is really me! Why aren’t you feeling this way?”

“Because it doesn’t matter what was real,” Emma said, “all that does is who I want to be.”

“And you called me annoying?” Allison glared at her.

“Which you?” Emma smirked. “Allison or Athena?”

“Oh, shut up,” Allison sighed, “you’re giving me a headache.”

“Well, it’s about to get worse,” Emma said darkly. “Hades found his son. If he wins Twilight, they’ll rule the realms, which will be horrible for everyone, including us. And he wants me to help them do it.”

“You can’t be serious?” Allison asked in disgust. “Why on earth would you help those bastards?”

“...Because of Ares,” Emma said after a long pause.

“He’s in this city too?”

“Ares is Arnold,” Emma said, her brow furrowing in disconcertion. “It figures that even after centuries of our identities being constantly rewritten, I would still fall in love with him every single time. Some sort of divine sense of irony, I guess. Hades threatened to return all of Ares’s memories to Arnold if I didn’t agree to serve him in Twilight.”

“Oh, yeah,” Allison let out a mirthless laugh. “Unleash the unstable and unstoppable God of War that even the supposed God of Death couldn’t defeat by himself. That’s a wonderful idea!”

“Which is why I accepted his offer,” Emma sighed. “I used the Charm to entrance both Arnold and Hector into doing exactly as Hades wished. That’s also why I’m leaving tonight. The battle is near.”

“You always had a way with your god-given magic,” Allison shook her head, glaring at her twin. “But you brought me back to do what? If you already made a Soul Decree...”

“Only with half of it,” Emma smirked. “Which means if I betray him, only that half of myself will die.”

“Which half?” Allison asked, suppressing her rage at the answer she assumed was coming.

“My Olympian half,” said Emma, with no trace of regret. “When the time comes, Aphrodite will be gone forever.”

“Do you have any idea what an idiotic mistake you’ve made?” Allison snarled. “You gave up the divine!”

“Whatever we were, sis,” Emma growled, “it was never divine. Besides, I wouldn’t be calling anyone else stupid if I was wearing that outfit.”

“Oh, don’t even start,” Allison clenched her fists.

“I never enjoyed being an Olympian,” said Emma. “But I love being Emma Berggrias! And I also love my family, my twin sister! I preferred not to bring Athena back; that Olympian was a cruel bitch! But I did so because I need someone to protect Ellie and Dad while I’m gone!”

“Since when do you care about Dad?” Allison frowned. “I know, you’ve always loved Ellie, but... Ellie’s Artemis, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Emma forced the words out of her mouth. “And we both know how important it is she doesn’t regain her godly self, either. So, protect them. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Emma turned towards the open bedroom window.

“How many of us are in Regal City?” Allison asked.

“Almost all of us,” Emma sighed, “but none have been revived yet.”

Emma started climbing out of the window as Allison spoke one last time, “I’ll miss you.”

“No, you’ll miss Aphrodite,” said Emma darkly as she held back a tear, “just like I’ll miss my sister.”

*****

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“AMELIA HAS OPENED A portal to hell,” Hades said plainly.

“So, what?” Emma glared at him. “You and Hec can stop that easily after you revive him.”

“Only if you give me what is needed,” Hades smirked. “And you know what that is.”

“Yes,” Emma snarled, “I do. Every dark ritual needs a supernatural sacrifice.”

“Yes, indeed,” Hades chuckled. “Tell me, Aphrodite, ... which one of our siblings will die tonight?”

“...The one who deserves it the most,” Emma said calmly.

*****

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“YOU CALLED, MOTHER?”

Emma was standing outside the Hoof. It was time for an official reunion of sorts. Tristan stood before her and his expression was anxious. All of his grand bravado, completely lost at the thought of being reunited with the woman who raised him.

“Tristan,” Emma gave a watery smile. She didn’t think it would hurt this much to see him again, knowing the part of herself that remembered him would be gone if they were successful.

His eyes widened in disbelief. “You really have returned!”

Emma hugged Tristan lovingly. “You’ve grown up to be the warrior I always knew you could be.”

Tristan wiped his own tears from his face as he smiled. “You don’t know how much I missed you and Father.”

“I can imagine,” Emma gave a small chuckle. “I will say, though, that you kept some shitty company while we were gone.”

“That’s the first time I ever heard you curse,” said Tristan, shaking his head. “I never thought I would see the day, to be honest. You always loathed crassness.”

“Things change, Tristan,” Emma sighed. “Even immortals. I just wish I had more time to show you how much.”

“Never fear, Mother,” said Tristan, “once we defeat Hades, our family will have all the time in the world.”

“...You’re right,” Emma tried to give the most sincere smile she could. “Did you bring the Amarus Orb?”

“Yes, I was able to steal it from Legend’s facility without anyone even noticing,” said Tristan. “But I don’t know why you would want it. The Dragon Master it sired, had already drained all the magic out. It’s nothing more than a mere paperweight now.”

“Tristan, you should have already learned,” Emma sighed, “nothing is ever as it seems.”

Tristan handed the orb to Emma, who pocketed it quickly. “Stay on task, Tristan, and hidden when not. I love you. You are the greatest accomplishment that your father and I ever made. But I have to go now if we’re going to succeed. Hades is expecting me. I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I can.”

*****

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“EMMA... WHY ARE YOU... doing this?”

Henry Wheeler was lying in a pool of ichor. Emma glared at him in disgust. She had already used her Deicide to amputate his arms and legs. Truth be told, she had enjoyed hearing his shrieks of pain and terror. The poor bastard really didn’t remember who he used to be... what hell he had put her through. Emma hated to even remember the horrors of her past that he — Hephaestus — had caused!

“...Because you’re the one who deserves it,” Emma growled. She stabbed one of her Deicide daggers into his chest and pinned him against the alley wall next to CK. “I can’t risk you letting Tristan know or Arnold remembering the truth. No one can know but me!”

Emma swung her other Deicide dagger swiftly as Henry’s head fell off and splashed in the golden ichor.

Emma knew this had to end. She couldn’t let the darkness, the insanity, or the sheer fury of Aphrodite ever consume her again. It was time for the Olympians to finally fade away. They were exiled from heaven for a reason. Emma’s siblings would call that a curse. She didn’t. No. This was her second chance.

*****

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“WELCOME HOME, APHRODITE,” Hades gave her a deep bow.

“Cut the crap,” Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m only here because I have to be. Now, who in the hell is so important for me to meet at three in the freaking morning?”

“Everyone,” Hades smirked.

He gestured her into a large training room that resembled a Grecian temple. Inside was a young Fae girl with electric-pink hair casting attack spells at a tall, tan, blonde knight, along with a guy summoning metal to his hands and making it liquify onto his body, and a buff soldier firing off Quantum Gauntlets at three innocent, mortal, captives.

Emma looked at Hades in surprise. “Who are these people?”

“I told you earlier,” Hades smirked widened, “the only mortal standing in our way is a young man named Jason Gardner. And these people are everyone he and his friends have lost over the years. Just decked out in new, more stylish attire.”

“That’s sick,” Emma fumed. “Even for you!”

“No, it is love, dear sister,” Hades laughed. “Our gift to the mortals who will serve us. Just in a darker form. You, out of all of us, should remember that. If not, you had better get reacquainted with it quickly. Because this is just the beginning!”

The End?