The Lost Wanderers in the Present

Current Year 2007. Unknown Location. USA.

The sun had set once again.

For many it would be a time of rest and relaxation, but not for them. The night was merely another different torture for them to struggle through. To them night was a hindrance, meaning only sleep.

And sleep meant nightmares. Nightmares so dreadful that were enough to drive even the bravest of mortals or even immortals insane.

But not that they seem to care anymore.

The night did have its pleasures, though. The stars were a comfort to their immortal souls. Seeing the twinkling lights reminded the duo that they were not completely alone, as they still had one another.

The fire was something they cherished even more than the stars. The warm light danced as it banished the darkness from the small clearing.

The darkness was an old enemy of theirs. They did not fear the shadows. Fear would suggest that darkness could actually harm them.

No, they did not like the darkness because it reminded them of death. Death was also something they did not want to continue to dwell on.

The smell of cooked meat filled the air as one of them turned the rabbit over the fire. They could have just eaten it raw, but there was a small chance that the smell would attract some excitement to their camp. Whether it be enemies or just animals didn't matter to the two.

They both could use some kind of fight.

When the food was ready, one immediately grabbed it off the spit and took a bite before ripping off a large chunk and handing it to the other. The fact that the meat was piping hot did not bother either one at all.

The crackling flames lit up both of their handsome faces. If judging only on their features alone, they could be determined to not only be brothers, but twins.

Looking to be in their late teens, around the ages of 18 to 20, both had mid-night dark hair that slightly overshadowed their eyes. It has been a long time since they had their last haircut.

The main thing that differed them was the colour of their pupils. One of them had dark-hazel, while the other had deep sapphires. Both brothers also had a strange emotion in their eyes.

Eyes that have seen through and been through too much. Dull, lifeless, and tired of living.

"What a surprise." The young man who grabbed the spit commented without looking up. "An Olympian actually taking time out of her busy schedule just to see us."

Most people would have jumped out of their skin if someone just appeared out of nowhere not fifteen feet away from them. Of course, neither of the 2 fit any definition of the word normal.

"Hello Zale, Lucius." The beautiful woman greeted them with a small smile, although it seemed forced.

She had dark hair and piercing gray eyes that seemed to gleam under the night sky. Her head was adorned with a elaborately crested Corinthian helmet, somehow contrasting well with her intricately weaved white Greek tunic.

Usually the woman would also be carrying a lance and a shield, symbols that defined her. Since it wasn't wartime or an formal meeting of the gods, she could be considered to be quite casual right now in front of them.

Athena, the Greek Goddess of war, wisdom, and handicrafts stood before the brothers in silence.

The older teen that first spoke, now identified as Zale, continued to eat as if she was not there. Usually the woman would have been greatly offended by such rudeness, but the twins were a special case due to their... history.

There was a long pause before Lucius finally spoke. "You did not answer the question, Lady Athena."

"Can't an aunt just visit her nephews?" Athena asked politely as she watched the younger twin finish his large chunk of meat.

"No." Was Lucius's blunt answer.

Reflecting only unfriendliness, his sapphire pupils quickly flickered to his brother before focusing back on the goddess, conveying a silent message to his twin. "She definitely wants something, that's for sure."

Their ageless experiences allowed them to understand plenty regarding the true nature and behaviours of others, whether god or mortal. The way Athena was acting was something they could read as clear as day.

"Hmm. Just as cold as ever aren't you, Lucius." Athena spoke in more of a statement than a question.

"And you still did not answer my brother's question." Zale still did not look at her. He just blankly stared into the fire after meeting Lucius's eyes briefly.

"Indeed. I suppose I should just get to the point." As she talked, a chair appeared behind her.

A goddess could not just sit on the ground, since it was obviously beneath their dignity to show some humility. Lucius couldn't help as his lips curled up into a small, condescending smirk.

For the first time since Athena arrived, Zale finally looked at her. He had to stare up from his position on the ground to see her face. His eyes judged her for a moment before they turned back to the fire.

She had already failed the first test in his mind.

"I need a favor." Athena finally commented. Her gray eyes never left either of them. If she did, then she knew that neither twin would help her.

"You and nearly every other god." Zale had no readable tone in his voice. "What makes you think that our answer to your request will be different in any other way?"

This was the tricky part.

If one of them detected even a hint of deception, which they could if she did lie, both would stop talking to her altogether. After all, both Zale and Lucius always did value the truth.

"Because your morals will make you do what is right." To many that would appear corny, but to both of them it meant that she was serious.

"Speak, and we will listen." She had at least passed their second test as Lucius spoke up, wiping away the oil from his hands and lips.

The last test will determine what they would do.

"A daughter of mine will be in trouble soon." Athena admitted.

"How do you know?" Zale and Lucius were now curious.

Athena was born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis, which was a form of reproduction that did not require a partner. Similar to how she was created from her father's head, Athena's children are also produced in a similar manner, born from the goddess's thoughts.

This was how she retained her virginity, yet was still able to produce offspring.

"A mother's intuition." The woman reluctantly answered.

There were other reasons, too. Listing them, however, would not help her cause. Athena knew very well that they didn't care about her daughter's teenage problems.

"Why ask me to help to help?" Zale's words rang throughout the quiet clearing. "If I remember correctly, you told me never to mess with your children again, right?"

Lucius remained silent, remembering the bad blood between his twin and Athena. Of course Zale would not forget the argument they had back then.

His brother never forgets, and Lucius didn't either.

This time Athena did not answer immediately. The goddess truly needed their help. She did tell Zale to leave her daughters alone in the past, but that was a time long ago and this was now.

If she said that however, Zale and Lucius would most likely just travel in the opposite direction of her daughter. They had no good feelings towards her.

"Both of you have the highest probability of saving her." Athena knew that it was not what Zale wanted to hear, but that was the fact.

"That's it, huh? That is all you have to say?" Zale's eyes were now completely focused on her, a silent rage burning inside them. "You completely contradicted yourself and still expect me to save your daughter?"

The pain from what happened back then still stabs at Zale's heart. Flashes of a blonde little girl with bright gray eyes filled his mind, with both of them laughing and giggling as he picked her up.

She had failed the third test. "Goodbye, Lady Athena."

He looked back to the fire, playing with a silver ring on his finger which depicted detailed etchings, suggesting that it was made from a master craftsman. Athena knew that she had failed to convince them.

If Zale said no, his younger twin wouldn't agree to help either. Both brothers were steadfast in their loyalty to one another.

"She is your family." That had no effect on the twins. A brief silence ensued.

"I would be willing to pay." Again, another moment of silence passed the trio.

Money meant nothing to them now, and they never lacked it from the jobs they did.

"I would owe you a favor." That was big coming from a powerful goddess.

However, neither brother was interested, though, since there was nothing that could move their hearts in the present day and age.

Aside from dying, yet their curses prevented them from doing so. Finally, Athena had enough.

There were only two ways to get one of them to listen now. One way was one of the cruelest methods that she could possibly imagine to force them to act. The other option, however, she could never do.

An Olympian would never beg. No matter what.

"She looks like Alice." The woman's gray eyes flickered.

Athena had just crossed a line. It hurt her to use her deceased daughter's name in such a way, but it was necessary. She knew that she would come to regret this, but it would save Elise.

That was definitely more important than her relationship with the twins right now.

The look Zale gave her was unspeakable. Athena had seen that look before.

The look that could cause men to weep, could force monsters to shake in fear, and it could even make a god to do a double take and reflect on their actions.

He just witheringly stared at her for several minutes, eyes burning with a silent fury that seemed like a bottomless pit. Lucius continued to stay silent as he knew he had no right to interfere in Zale's sufferings, because his brother agonized over Alice much more as a father.

From just a baby, then watching the bright little girl grow up. Zale loved his adoptive daughter exponentially more than Lucius ever did. He couldnt help it, though, as Lucius found himself unable to develop close familial ties to others as much as he tried to.

In the end, all mortals would all perish regardless through the sands of time. This slowly numbed his heart as the centuries passed until he could feel nothing. As for their "blood" family in the gods, Lucius despised the majority and at most he could only respect a select few.

Especially after what they did to him and Zale.

Finally, Zale stood up from the ground while Lucius carefully put out the fire. He immediately knew what his older twin had decided just by his movements alone.

The only light that remained was the stars and the moon in the sky. The darkness surrounding them only reminded of the past, of death, and their cursed lives.

There were only three words said next. These were the last words Zale would say to Athena that night as Lucius packed up their belongings from the small camp.

"Where is she?"