Percy Jackson : The Odyssey of a Primordial.

Chapter 24: Harbinger of Chaos



I do as I please, Oh Eternal Lord of Creation. You may claim the powers of Creation, but you alone don't possess them. He and I also possess them just the same. The Power of Nothingness allows me to create existence where there was none, to manipulate space-time, matter, energy, and spiritual forces to alter them as I want, to raze them back to nothingness, or to reconstitute them from the abyss. I can also perform all of your so-called miracles too. The only real difference between you, Azathoth, and I is the aesthetic approach we take.

-Khaos to God at the beginning of Creation, just before entering "Her" eternal slumber.

Hypnos looked up at the Fates. "Hello," he greeted them quite warmly. "My dear cousins." "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You are jubilant," the Maiden noted, raising her brow.

"Oh, sister-self," the Mother laughed softly, "he's a lovebird now."

"Love," the Crone said wisely. "tends to make people blind and foolish."

"Thank you for your concern," chuckled Hypnos. "But I assure you, I am neither."

"Oh?" the Crone asked, her old grey eyes twinkling. "Are you certain of that, Somnus?" Inwardly, Hypnos frowned. "Anyway," he ventured, "why are you here?"

"We could pose the same question to you," the Maiden quipped.

"Okay," Hypnos said, staring at them dryly. "Let's stop going around in circles, shall we?"

"So impatient," the Maiden sharply commented.

"So reckless," the Crone kindly added.

"Sister-selfs, leave the poor boy alone." the Mother rushed to defend Hypnos, waving her hand at her sisters dismissively. Then she turned and looked at him with tenderness. "Have you forgotten who you are, Hypnos?" she continued, answering her question. "You are the fateless, bringing chaos wherever you tread," she waved her hands around and indicating the brilliant civilization of Egypt. "Your chaotic existence isn't helping this land, which depends so heavily on the delicate balance of Order and Chaos."

"You are titling the scales, dear."

Hypnos' face darkened-he'd had it with the Fates. "Have you also forgotten something, cousins?" he asked, his tone dangerous. "Let me help you remember; my existence is bound to bring change to the cosmos," he said with finality. "It's inevitable."

"And we acknowledged that," the Crone said, her head tilted in mock concern. "The real question is, have you?"

"Yes," Hypnos said firmly, understanding that his existence would bring about change, some for the better and some for the worse. And he would to acknowledge it all, regardless.

"Oh, love. Is that so?" the Mother replied gently, pulling a brown thread from nowhere, and Hypnos immediately tensed, since he could tell what it was merely by the familiar aura flowing from it—the brown thread was Hera's fate. But, before his mind could go crazy in worry, he noticed something else about the brown thread-it seemed old and dull, as if Hera's fate were fading-and he was stunned.

"Yes," the Mother nodded, reading his expression. "You are indeed right-the fate of Hera is weakening since the last banquet on Olympus..."

"It's me," Hypnos acknowledged, a wave of relief washing over him. "I am eroding Hera's fate."

"You are such an intriguing existence," the Maiden said, her eyes glistening. "weakening fate with naught but love." she proceeded with a subtle smile. "Oh, it's a shame Uncle Eros is no longer with us; he would have loved to know everything about....you."

Hypnos suppressed a shudder at her subtle words. "I think we both know there was more to this situation than love," he retorted sharply.

"Indeed," the Maiden said readily, but her smile had turned completely teasing, with a sparkle in her golden eyes.

This bitch...

It took a lot to stop him from just cursing her and concentrate on the elephant in the room. "Anyway," grumbled Hypnos. "Why are you revealing this to me...?"

"We're just trying to make a point, dear." the Mother gently put back the fate of Hera, much to the relief of Hypnos. "You must understand who you truly are," she paused and looked him in the eyes, along with her sisters.

"You are the Harbinger of Chaos." The Fates spoke as one, chilling and creeping, resounding and reverberating throughout the empty hallway where they stood until it felt like they were speaking through thousands of voices among shadows and between the strands that made up the tapestry of reality.

Hypnos merely blinked at their theatrics, though the gears in his head were already turning to reconsider the importance of their prior remarks that he brings chaos wherever he treads. He now felt there were many hidden truths in their remarks, most of which he probably wouldn't like if unearthed.

The heavy presence of the Fates soon faded, and the Mother went on, her grave expression softening into warmth. "In creation, Chaos is frowned upon."

"Yes, as hypocritical as that may seem, it is indeed the truth. After all, Chaos is the absolute antithesis of Creation, the polar opposite of Cosmos." the Mother paused, pointing to

Hypnos.

"And you, Hypnos, stir Chaos itself with just your existence, weakening the Order of Creation. We may have acknowledged you, but the creators of Order will not be as understanding as us."

"Heaven..." Hypnos said heavily.

"Yes," the Maiden nodded. "Heaven abhors Chaos more than anything in creation. They are currently unaware of the singularity of your existence since your mother has kept your secret hidden, but as we both know, this is only temporary," she continued subtly. "Your secret will eventually come to light, and then the delicate balance between the Primordials and the Heaven will be broken."

The gears of his mind clicked as the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place, revealing a chilling truth. "You want to be a rebel..." Hypnos stared wide-eyed at the Fates in a whole new light. "And you expect me to-"

"As we said," the Crone grudgingly interrupted. "We were never your adversaries."

"You may be fate-less," the Maiden added. "However, Hypnos, you still have a perilous path ahead of you."

"But don't worry, dear," the Mother soothed. "You've got plenty of time to prepare for the inevitable."

Hypnos began to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Inevitable, uh.." he smiled wryly. "And here I thought I was free..."

"Even we aren't completely free, Somnus," the Crone grumbled. "In the end, freedom is nothing more than an illusion."

"No," Hypnos insisted, his silver eyes gleaming with limitless power. "No, it is not."

"We can agree to disagree," said the Mother. "Nevertheless, it will have no effect on what is about to happen. Since the beginning of creation, it has been set in stone. And your chaotic existence is going to be the spark that detonates it all."

For a few moments, Hypnos was deafeningly quiet. "Thank you," he eventually muttered; some of him couldn't believe he was saying that to the Fates. "for informing me of this."

"Always remember this, dear: to destroy Heaven, Chaos must once again rise," the Mother

finally said in an ineluctable tone.

The Fates then disappeared as abruptly as they had appeared.

In silence, Hypnos gazed at their fading silhouettes. 'Chaos...Freedom...' he reflected, his

heart heavy.

He shook his head away from the dark and depressing thoughts-there was no point in

worrying about it, no matter how miserable he felt-after all, he thought he was free, but the truth slapped the ridiculous delusions away from him, as if to say, "How can it be that simple,

you fool?"

And he couldn't bring himself to trust the Fates. He was certain that they had their own agendas and had most likely kept a lot of information from him.

And if this was truly as unavoidable as the Fates claimed, he wanted it to happen his way, with

his choices and will and no one else's....

Hypnos sighed deeply as he sipped the nectar. He turned and went back to his room, his blissful mood that had lingered for the last twelve months completely destroyed.

The moon cast an argent glow on Hypnos as he entered their room and sat on the bed near the

sleeping Hera, gently tracing her cheek.

Hera blinked open her drowsy eyes. "Where did you go?" she intoned, rubbing her eyes.

"You know.." Hypnos spoke quietly, tilting his head towards the balcony.

Hera sat up next to him, the drowsiness leaving her immediately. "Did something happen..?"

she asked, clearly feeling the heaviness of his tone.

Hypnos was silent, gazing up at the stars, causing Hera to sigh and pull him back to their bed. "A good night's sleep will solve whatever is bothering you."

With a suppressed smile, Hypnos turned to face her. "Hey," he chuckled, as the heaviness in his eyes began to fade away. "That is my quote. You can't use it against me." Hera rolled her eyes in exasperation and opened her hands to him, inviting him into their

warm bed. But Hypnos snorted and grabbed her into his arms instead. Hera simply pouted while allowing him to snuggle her into his embrace.

"We are leaving tomorrow." Hypnos whispered into her ears. "The deadline is quickly

approaching."

Hera merely hummed.

Hypnos sighed at her thoughtfulness-he was so lucky to have her-and drew her nearer to

him, closing his eyes with her.

And together they drifted to sleep under the serene light of the moon.

Next morning.

Hypnos and Hera walked along the colossal corridor led by none other than their valued

chaperon, Osiris, towards a gargantuan golden door.

"It's been a pleasure," Osiris said as he rested his hands on the door.

"Likewise," Hera said quietly.

"We couldn't be more thankful for your service, Osiris." Hypnos added. Osiris simply nodded and pushed open the door. And they entered the throne room of the Egyptian gods, which was situated between the material world and the spiritual world. The magnificent structure rose around them, with soaring stone columns, fiery braziers, and a

golden dome, and divine beings swayed all around them, changing shape from human to animal to pure energy. A tall and bald old man sat on a throne in the centre of the room, with glowing golden skin, golden eyes, and a kind smile with all of his teeth. He was dressed in Egyptian royal robes with a golden halo above his head like the famed sun disc. Under all those divine eyes, Hypnos and Hera awoke, hand in hand, towards the old man, Ra,

on the throne. They somewhat shared a surprise in their hearts at the reception for their

departure.

"It's time, Lord Ra." Hypnos spoke as he finally stood before the Primordial of the Sun with his beloved, while Osiris bowed to Ra and strode to the side, joining his siblings. "Indeed, Son of Night," Ra smiled, "your pantheon is about to face a defining trial." his golden gaze shifted to Hera. "I wish you victory, child."

Hera bowed her head, accepting the blessings of Ra. "Egypt," she said, her gaze rising to the Gods and Civilisation that surrounded them. "was everything we had hoped for and more." She exchanged glances with Hypnos and smiled as she continued. "These two months were unforgettable for us. And for that, we are ever grateful, Lord Ra,"

"That's wonderful to hear." Ra laughed heartily. "You will always be welcome in Egypt," he

decreed, before turning to face the gods. "Now, what do you say about throwing a parting banquet for our guests?"

The Egyptian Gods swayed in agreement, and so the banquet began with fervour and zeal. Under the ethereal music, Hypnos and Hera were swarmed by enthusiastic gods. Nothing could ever deny how marvellous their stay in Egypt was, even down to the last

moments of the banquet.

"We should come back here," Hera finally said as they stood on the edge of the

Mediterranean. She gazed out at the vast Nile.

"Totally," Hypnos agreed silently. "Nevertheless, I doubt we'll have time...."

Hera suddenly turned to him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"What do you mean?" Hypnos raised an eyebrow.

"Don't pull that on me, Hypnos." Hera stared at him. "Something happened last night, I can

tell."

"Yes," Hypnos acknowledged after a bout of silence. "But I don't wish to talk about it for...

now, Hera."

"I understand," Hera held his hand firmly. "Just remember, don't coop it all up in your heart.

It won't help you in any way."

"I am always here, Hypnos, if you want to talk."

"I know," Hypnos kissed her under the last rays of sun, and they faded into night, leaving the

brilliant land of Egypt behind.

Alpha Centauri, the Milky Way.

It was the nearest star system to Earth, located 5 light years away. It was a three-star system

with three planets. It was devoid of life since the presence of three stars eliminated all possibilities for the natural birth of organic life.

And in-between the three stars that hoisted the Alpha Centauri, a colossal swirl of nebula clouds seethed with surging cosmic plasma. An occasional flash of lightning within it seemed to light up everything, followed by ruinous thunder that shook the very fabric of space. Hypnos floated above the colourful abyss-it was none other than a cosmic storm created by his student-as he oversaw the training of Zeus.

Suddenly, he turned and looked at the direction of the solar system, and then he called at the

abyss. "Zeus!"

Zeus emerged from the cosmic storm, holding a bolt of cosmic lightning in his hand. "Fight me, teacher," he uttered eagerly.

Hypnos merely said, "It's time," and immediately a storm of graveness swept the blue eyes

of Zeus.

The Dreaming.

Hypnos sat on his throne in the heart of his realm, penning down the very last of the laws and

regulations for his realm. He abruptly felt a tinge in his perception, so he paused his creation and summoned Hecate and Mnesmosyne to the throne room.

"My lord.." Hecate broke the momentary silence between them. "Is it finally..?"

"Yes," Hypnos replied quietly.

The Main Hall, Mount Olympus.

Hypnos sat at the head of the table, looking at Metis and Prometheus, his assistants. "It's

time," he declared solemnly.

"Convene the council."

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