The Tree of Hope: Chapter Five

The fifth chapter of the first installment of The Legacies Saga

 CHAPTER FIVE 

UNTITLED

Natasha Hutchins shut the door of Bunker 10.

Now to get back to James like I promised, she thought.

Natasha looked around and grabbed one of the boards. Wheels were faster than running, she knew, and since Natasha couldn't afford the kind with engines, or shadow travel like Hades kids, or get along with anything horse-related, a simple skateboard was the fastest she could go. She would've had to run if not for the fact that the Hidden City had recently made all non-motorized vehicles for the "use of any and all individuals who may need them."

When she arrived, she dropped the board in front of the building. Vehicles weren't allowed inside the Main House.

Natasha opened Julia's office door just as she heard Julia say...

~+~

"So how much do you know about Greek mythology?" Julia asked as the door opened.

Marrell's eyes lit up in response to Julia's question, then turned to see the person who opened the door - Natasha.

"So this anomaly's going to know everything?" Natasha asked.

James and Julia each gave a single nod. "So, what's your answer?" James asked.

"A lot," Marrell admitted. "The inake believed in numerous beings greater than humans, known as "the gods". Twelve of them were the Olympians-"

"Fourteen, actually," Natasha said. "The old Americans always made mistakes between twelve and fourteen for some reason-"

"No," Julia said sharply. "Hades was never officially an Olympian, while Hestia abdicated the throne for Dionysus. There were never more than twelve at any given time. Plus, two of Heracles' Twelve Labors didn't count, hence he had to do two more. Therefore, he only did twelve."

"And there were monsters," Marrell continued. "Hydras with regenerative heads, cyclopes with a single eye... satyrs with goat bodies."

Julia smiled. "Good, you understand quite a bit. Now here's the tough part: It's all true." Before Marrell could object to the sheer ludicrosity, Julia held up a finger. "Hear me out. The gods came to the nation of America in the 1850s, where they continued to live, argue, and have... intimate relations with mortals." Marrell's face notably reddened as she understood the euphemism.

"But that was in the past," James said. "We Upperworlders are legacies. Our ancestors were born of the unions between gods and mortals. None of us actually are immediate children of the gods anymore."

"Why not?" Marrell asked.

"Because the gods are gone," Julia said concisely.

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