The Colosseum

The halls echoed with his footsteps as he made his way down the dark hallway. The stone walls glowed and pulsed ruby with every step he took. As he neared the end of the corridor, he approached a large white marble door. Carved into the marble were pictures of a beautiful woman bathed in bright white light, she stood before a kneeling crowd. There was a man standing behind her cloaked in darkness and shadows. The man pauses running his hands over the carvings.

"Oh, how we have fallen sister."

He pushes the marble door open. The room within seemed to glow with honeyed light. The light was coming from a canopy bed in the corner of the room. The man slowly made his way towards the bed. He peers through the sheer satin curtains. Laying still amongst the pillows was a woman. She was otherworldly. Her skin was a beautiful sun-kissed tan, lips that were redder than any rose in creation. Her hair was the color of freshly turned earth. It lay in ringlets framing her heart shaped face, which was constantly shifted to form hundreds of faces. each one more beautiful and innocent than the last. The man gazed down on her with a look of adoration, before his face shifted to a look of great sadness.

"Look at what you made me do sister. It was never my intention to harm you, of all people. I only wanted to reclaim what was stolen from us. This world and its people have turned their backs on their creators.'

He turns walking towards the only window in the room, gazing out through the bars at the people passing below. His face pulled into a nasty snarl.

"These creatures we created. They are selfish, ignorant and murderous people. They are beautiful. But they have wronged us sister. And I will make this right.''

He turned towards the far corner of the room where a glass ball floated a few feet off the ground. It glowed the same honey color as the woman. He stalks towards it, throwing back his hood to reveal the same sun-kissed skin and dark hair as the woman. His face constantly shifting, but each face, more terrifying than the one before. As he approached the glass ball, the inside turned a dark blood red. Smoke circled the ball as it fell to the floor shattering. When the smoke clears a woman made of glass stands before him. When she speaks it sounds like wind blowing through chimes.

"I know of what you seek Aklous, and it will be the end of you."

Aklous snarls baring his teeth at the entity.

"Just show me what I seek! Show me the hero!"

"As you wish"

The glass figure stretches out her hands and an image appears in front of her. The image is of a girl. She was beautiful with long fair hair and big baby doll eyes. She was curled up on a wooden porch swing with her nose buried in a rather thick book. You could hear cars speeding past in the background. Aklous stared at the face of the one person that was destined to end him. He starts to chuckle which quickly escalated into a booming laugh. The glass entity turned, tilting her head in confusion. Aklous sighs and wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. When he looks back at the entity, all traces of humor gone from his face.

"That is quite funny. Now, show me what I seek"

"I am."

Aklous looks at her as red completely swallows his corneas. His anger flaring as hundreds of garbled voices echo throughout the room. The glass entity is unfazed by his anger, she stares up at him as he stalks towards her.

"You mean to tell me. That my sister, chose a child. To stop me."

"She is not just A child. She is a rare oddity. She is the heir to the throne of Greece and a daughter of light. Her power greatly outmatches yours. Should you meet her on the battlefield. You. Will. Lose."

Aklous roared as black tendrils lash out of his back shattering the glass figure and destroying the room. He stood amongst the rubble trying to catch his breath. He snaps his gaze back to the only thing that was left unharmed; the bed where his sister slept. He could feel his anger rising the longer he stared at his sister’s sleeping form.

"That was foolish of you sister! That. That child! Will fall. Just as you did."

He turns with a swish of his cloak and retreats from the room. He could hear the room rearranging itself as he stomps angrily towards the exit and into the blazing sun. He gazed at the bazaar full of people who were unaware of his presence or the danger it brought. He sneers and snaps his fingers. An orb appears, bobbing in the air in front of him. A deep, accented voice calls out from the orb.

“You rang sir?”

"Shut up and listen. I have a job for you Vasquez. I want you to locate a demigod for me. She is a powerful one. Her name is andromeda willow. I want her found. Now. Do not disappoint me or I’ll be wearing you as a new fur coat."

The man disappeared from the orb and the girl reappears. He glowers at her. His lips pulling up into a nasty smile.

"Take care my dear andromeda. I’m coming for you."