The Bane of Olympus, Prologue Part II

Elysium rang with the laughter and song that gave evidence to the eternal bliss that its inhabitants experianced.

Melinoe, goddess of ghosts, materialized outside of a Victorian Mansion. Her bicolored body stood out in this realm of contentment so much that it was very hard for her to remain unseen. She could manage it, of course. After all, she was the future Queen of Olympus.

She stalked between the manors and estates that dotted the green landscape. Kronos, Gaea, Porphyrion, and finally Prometheus had all tried to overthrow the gods through various means. They had all failed. Now it was her turn, and she would not fail. None of her predecessors had been amongst the Olympians, learning how they thought. Melinoe knew how the gods operated, and she would use it against them.

Melinoe was spotted by a couple cooking on a grill. She froze, afraid of what they would do.

The couple grinned, and to her, and invited her to join them.

Of course, she thought. ''None of these peace-addled 'fools are going to bother 'me. They don't suspect a thing.''

She ignored the couple, and continued on her way. She had to stay focused. She was on a time limit.

Behind the backs of the other gods, Melinoe had opened up a new exitway from the Underworld, and had pursuaded her mother to go up to the world above. Queen Persephone had seized the opportuniy to escape, taking a number of souls with her. Now, with Thanatos and Lord Hades busy tracking them down, she was free to do as she pleased.

Melinoe moved to the very heart of Elysium, where it's source of power was located. A single diamond, about the size of a coconut, stood on a pedistal, emitting a warm pink glow. She seized the diamond, yanking it from its perch. The diamond let out a wail, which it was programmed to do if it was ever stolen.

She summoned a rod of Stygian Iron. The rod was about three feet long, and sharpened on one end. Melinoe took the rod and stuck it into the center of the diamond. The diamond immediately stopped wailing, slowly emitting a sinister purple glow.

Melinoe transported herself to the edge of Tarturus, where raging voices roared and shrieked in a language that Melinoe, who was of a younger generation of Olympians, could not understand. Wraiths scattered at the sight of the goddess that held them prisoner in Asphodel. Melinoe ignored them. The whole reason the wraiths were in Asphodel was that they were unimportant.

Melinoe raised her new weapon, channeling her power into the diamond. Four spectral forms arose from the chasm, their spirits pulsing with malice. They circled her, hissing at her in their ancient language.

She smiled coyly at the spectres.

"Lord Kronos," she whispered to them. "Hyperion, Iapetus, Oceanus, I have come to free you. Follow me, and I shall give you all that you desire."

The spirit of the Titans' forms hummed with malevalent glee. Melinoe raised her staff, and the five of them vanished in a cloud of shadows.