The Return

Chapter 4: Sleeping Guardians

by Richan

The small band traveled through the castle on the planet Mercury. Reaching the outermost door, they needed to decide where they would go next. Mercury suggested Mars, but the rest were a little wary of his fiery temper. Looking at Mithra, Minerva asked him where they should go. A little shocked that she would ask him, he just stared.

"Well," she said. "You did say that we come here first."

The others looked at him expectantly. Sweating slightly under the pressure, Mithra thought.

"I say we should go to Venus next. She will be able to talk to the others."

Mercury laughed. "Sweeten them up, maybe?"

Minerva smiled. "More like he wants to hit on her."

Everybody except Mithra laughed, who turned a dark red, confirming Minerva's idea.

Traveling through space, Juno was worried that this would take awhile. Even at the speeds they could travel, it would still take several hundred years to wake all of the sleeping guardians. Sighing, she wished that there was a way to go faster.

Vesta looked over at Juno and saw the worried expression on her face. "What's wrong, Juno?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Nothing, really." She looked at Vesta's face and realized that she couldn't stop there. "I just was thinking that this will take a long time to wake everybody up."

Nodding, Vesta agreed. "We should talk on Venus."

Finally arriving on Venus, they walked towards the golden castle that stood on the top of a large hill. As they went past the gates, they failed to notice the stone lions that guarded it turned their heads to watch them.

******

The Earth was in a state of despair. What humans had survived Beryl's attack on the planet huddled together in small groups. Isolated, they struggled to stay alive on what plants they could find. If they were lucky, they would find an animal they could kill for meat.

One man, though, wandered the Earth, going from group to group. Surviving as best he could, he taught the groups ways to adapt. He taught them to plant the seeds of the plants they found, to replenish their food supply, and to breed animals for food and clothing. The man was knowledgeable about the fruits of the earth, but none of the groups were able to learn his name. Refusing all manner of thanks and gifts when he left, he always sought out another group in need of his help.

******

Standing as the gates to the castle on Venus, the group looked up at the building. Mercury snickered. "Only Venus would have such a large castle for herself and Eros."

The others smiled, except Minerva. Turning to look behind them, she froze. Ceres noticed this and looked as well. Frozen as well, they watched in horror as two huge stone lions approached them. They could hear the others enter to castle and the door shutting. Unable to speak, Minerva and Ceres looked on with wide eyes. One of the lions stopped before Minerva and delicately sniffed the hem of her robe. Purring, it started to rub against her legs, knocking her down under it weight. Finally able to move, she laid her hand on its head. "Ceres, I believe we have nothing to worry about." Looking over at her companion, she saw that the other lion was on top of Ceres, enthusiastically licking her face.

Minerva laughed and hugged the lion in front of her, poking herself on the stone mane. "Itai," she said. Gazing into the face of the lion before her she smiled. The lion sat down, trying to nuzzle against her.

"Itai," Ceres yelled. Pulling her attention away, Minerva looked across the path and saw that the lion in front of Ceres had laid down on her. Standing up, she went over and gently pushed the lion off and held out her hand to help Ceres up.

Dusting herself off, Ceres looked at the two lions. "You know, these guys remind me of the twins."

Minerva nodded. "They do." She glanced back at the castle. "We should probably catch up to the others, don't you think?"

Ceres agreed, but before they could take a step, they were stopped by the lions. Walking in front of Ceres and Minerva, they sat down in front of the gate. "What...?"

As they sat there, the lions began to slowly crack and split open, leaving two very naked men behind. Minerva and Ceres looked at each other. "It was the twins," Minerva exclaimed.

Speechless, Ceres could only stare.

"And I think they need clothes," Minerva laughed. She started to blush as the men stood. Covering their eyes, she and Ceres turned away.

"Uh, Romulus, where did our clothes go," one of the men asked.

"Don't ask me, Remus," the other said. "I just woke up." Noticing Ceres and Minerva facing the other way, their faces as red as beets, he pointed them out to his brother. "I believe we have guests."

Romulus smiled. "With such lovely ladies, I believe we will need some clothes, brother." So saying, clothes formed around the two of them.

"Ah ladies," Remus said. "I believe you are looking for the goddess of love?"

"Are you decent," Minerva asked.

Silence.

"They can't hear you nod your head, Remus. Yes we are," came the reply.

Turning around, Ceres sighed. "Great guards Venus has, boys."

Minerva laughed. "I see you held up against the great invaders. That desperate for female companionship, are you?"

Remus and Romulus pinkened. Putting his hand behind his head, Remus smiled slightly. "Maybe."

Ceres and Minerva looked at each other and burst out laughing. Stifling her giggles, Minerva asked them why they still guarded the gate.

"Venus isn't inside the castle," Romulus said. "The castle is really a trap."

"What?" Ceres cried. "You mean that the others walked in on it? Couldn't you have stopped them?"

Shaking his head, Remus spoke. "Only by looking back at us was enough to break the spell that enchants the castle. I am impressed, Minerva, by the strength of your mind, and yours as well, Ceres."

"I only looked back because I saw Minerva do so," Ceres said sheepishly.

"Anyways," Romulus began. "The castle where Venus lies is beyond the mountain far to the east. There she sleeps, along with Eros. I must warn you, however, that Anteros guards the castle. It was he who built this castle."

"Sounds like something he would do," Minerva said. "How did you guys get stuck in those lions, anyway?"

"Let's just say it involved a few too many tequila shots," Remus said.

"And let's not go any further," Romulus added.

"Oooookay." Minerva looked over at Ceres. "The best way to get everybody out of this fake castle is to probably face down Anteros, and since we are there, we might as well wake Venus.

Ceres agreed, while the twins nodded their heads enthusiastically. "I guess we should leave now," she said. Thanking the brothers, they headed off to face Anteros.

******

Eros paced the floor of his mother's bedchamber. He could feel something terrible had happened on the Earth that his mother loved so much. 'That I love so much,' he added silently. Glancing at his mother who stood by the window, he sighed. Going over to her, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think that they can win against him," he asked.

Venus nodded slightly. "A woman's heart is much stronger than the strongest of desires. I do not worry so much for them as I do their companions."

"You wish that you could help them, don't you," Eros added.

"Yes," she said. "This is really my fight against my youngest son, and I do not like the fact that he will not fight me."

Looking out the window, Venus saw Ceres and Minerva approach the castle. She could almost feel Anteros' defenses rise up against them. "I fear that this fight will not be fair," she said.

Eros looked out the window as well, nodding.

******

Minerva looked at the castle and nodded. "This is a castle that I can really picture Venus living in." Before the two goddesses stood a castle, not much bigger than a large house really. Only the turrets at the four corners signaled what it actually was.

Ceres looked up at the roof, the flags at the turrets catching her eye. "Look at the flags, Minerva. They're black."

"Anteros," Minerva muttered.

There was a spray of black before them, revealing a young man with black hair and eyes, with black wings on his back. "Did somebody call my name?"

"It wasn't so much calling as swearing," Minerva said under her breath.

Cocking his head, Anteros said, "What was that? I don't believe they heard you on OLYMPUS?" He shouted the last word, sarcasm dripping from it.

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the planet this morning," Ceres asked mockingly.

Anteros took a step back. He had thought that these two goddess would be a snap to trap like the others inside the false castle. 'Wait a minute, what am I thinking? I can beat these broads anytime I like. After all, I just have to make them desire something else,' he thought. Bringing up his bow, he shot two arrows at Minerva and Ceres, laughing when they hit.

As the arrow hit her chest, Minerva saw the surface of Venus go topsy-turvy. Trying to right herself, she looked over at Ceres--and was lost.

Ceres felt herself sway under the force of the arrow. She turned to look at Minerva, and couldn't believe that she had been with the most beautiful creature that she had ever seen.

Anteros laughed. "I believe that these arrows will do the trick," he said to the air. "I have yet to see anybody, mortal or god, who could leave the throes of lust." Laughing some more, he headed back into the castle to stand before his mother and brother.

"Were you so foolish as to believe that they could help you?"

Venus looked at him with a sad look in her eyes. Grabbing Eros' hand, she turned back to the window, praying to Olympus that they would be able to overcome this spell.

******

Minerva fell to the ground, unable to stand at the sight before her. She had never seen Ceres look so...desirable. Closing her eyes, she began to crawl over to her when something clicked in her brain. Stopping, she tried to think what it was they had to do, but the image of Ceres superimposed the thought. She started towards her again, looking into gorgeous blue eyes.

Ceres couldn't believe the vision coming towards her. The burnt sienna hair framed the blue-green eyes that were so enticing. Kneeling, she held out her hands and grabbed for Minerva.

As the two women touched, a memory raced through their minds, momentarily blocking the desire coursing through them. Minerva shook her head and closed her eyes again, regaining a slight amount of control. She could feel Ceres wrap her arms around her, but somehow it didn't feel right. Opening her eyes, she found Ceres inches away from her face. Minerva put her hands on Ceres' cheeks, holding her there.

"Ceres," she began breathlessly. "This is a trick."

Ceres closed her eyes, shaking her head. This desire could be no trick. It felt so real. "Ceres, wake up!" She felt a hand slap her face, and opened her eyes to look into Minerva's. Seeing the fear there, she took a deep breath, struggling to regain some semblance of herself.

Minerva saw that Ceres was back in control. She leaned her forehead against hers for a couple of seconds before pulling back. "That..." she paused, overthrowing a passing remnant of desire. "That was not fun..."

Ceres tried to laugh, but it came out more like a growl. "Anteros...he...what..." She couldn't speak, she was so angry at the god of antilove.

Minerva stood up, a scowl on her face. It was time to go to war. Willing her armor to appear, she held a long sword in her right and a shield in her left. On her head was a great plumed hat. She wore chest armor and leg guards. Ceres looked at her. 'I'm glad it's not me she's mad at.'

Marching up to the castle, she slammed open the doors. Striding down the hallway, her armor clinking softly, she searched out Anteros.

"Come here, wimp boy," she yelled. "I have a score to settle with you."

******

At the window, Venus laughed. Eros looked at her. "How did you know they would be able to fight it off?"

"Minerva had always preferred to get work done before pleasure. She may get caught up in something, but if there is something that must be done it comes first." She shrugged her shoulders and turned to face her son. "She figures that if she gets the work done as soon as she can, there'll be more time for pleasure."

Laughing, Eros shook his head. "My, the friends you have, mother."

"Stop calling me that, you silly boy. I am not old enough to be anybody's mother," Venus said, winking at him.

"Flirt," was all he said in reply.

******

Anteros sat at the desk he had appropriated from his brother. He could feel a shaking in the house, and he turned to see the windows bulging. The door whipped open, and he saw Minerva standing in the doorway, rage in her eyes.

"M-Minerva," he started.

"Anteros." His name hit him with great force, knocking him backwards into his chair. "How dare you mock me with that arrow. You took the love of friendship and turned it into something disgusting." She held out her sword, touching Anteros' throat with the point.

Ceres ran into the room, breathless. She had been trying to catch up to Minerva for a couple of minutes. "Minerva," she whispered.

Minerva turned her head towards Ceres. "Let me do it."

Shaking her head, Ceres walked over to take the sword from Minerva's hand. "It is not for us to do. This is for Jupiter to decide. Anteros has it coming. From all of his work that I have seen through the galaxy, he will get his punishment when Jupiter awakes."

Sighing, Minerva looked at Anteros cowering under the desk. "Not even one little scratch?"

"No."

"Party pooper."

******

Venus stood outside the real castle with others who were rescued from the one Anteros had built. She looked at Eros. "Are you sure you will not join us," she asked.

Eros shook his head. "I will look over those left on Earth, and try to help them get through this until all of the guardians have awoke." He looked over at Minerva, who was still pouting about not getting to hurt Anteros. Walking over to her, he whispered in her ear. "I'm sure that someday, your love will be able to grow naturally, instead of being forced."

Pulling back, Minerva stared at him in shock. Eros winked at her, waved goodbye to the growing band of warriors, and walked into the castle.

Ceres leaned over to Minerva. "What did he say?"

Minerva was still looking at the door that Eros had walked through. "I..." she began. "Oh, never mind."

******

The old man sat under a tree. 'I wonder where it could be,' he thought. His eyes searched the barren land, looking for life. Beyond a few green sprouts, there was nothing. Sighing, he closed his eyes, wishing there was someway he could fix this without what he was searching for. Nodding off, he found himself walking through the land of dreams. He was surrounded by lush gardens, filled with roses and daffodils. White buildings dotted the landscape, and he thought them similar to those erected so long ago. Wandering down a path, he soon came upon a small altar, at which two young maidens were praying.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned and saw a young man with white hair and a horn growing out of his forehead.

"Welcome," the young man said. "I am Elios, and this is Elysion."

"Elysion," the old man sighed. "I had almost forgotten this place existed."

Elios led the man away from the altar over to a bench. "Please, I need to tell you something, but you will not be able to stay here for long."

Nodding, the old man sat and turned to his companion.

"I know of what you seek, but it is no longer here. It resides within the one that protects this planet. You must find him and awaken what you seek."

The old man frowned. "How...? I must find it within this planet's protector. Why is it not here?"

"When Elysion was cleansed, its power came from several people. Elysion itself realized that all it needed was the power of people's dreams, and not the precious stone that had protected it before. Even in this time of grief on this planet, people still have beautiful dreams, and that is what sustains it."

Elysion flickered and Elios rose. "There is not much time left, but I must ask you to also seek the one who controls fire and metal. If you can find that person, the circle will be complete."

Waking up, the old man found it was dark outside. 'The one who controls fire and metal. Could it be...?'

******

Venus had declared that they might as well head for Jupiter if they were going to go any further. Mercury had a fit, since he didn't want to face the god that ruled Olympus. (It might have been related to that unfortunate incident at the beginning of humanity he had pulled a fast one on Jupiter.) Mithra and Janus had been arguing, and had missed everything so far. They had been trying to see who knew the most things about the ThreeLights, while Demeter held her head in her hands, trying to hold off the headache that threatened at their fight.

Ceres, Vesta, and Minerva sat off to one side.

Sighing, Minerva put her chin in her hand and elbow on her knee. "I wish they would shut up."

Vesta agreed. "Their giving me more of a headache than Minako ever did."

Ceres laughed. "No, I think it was the fan club that topped her."

Vesta burst out in laughter, while Minerva continued watching the others. She had no clue what was going on, and she wasn't going to try to figure it out. All she wanted was a vacation, preferably one involving a roller coaster and corn dogs.

Venus finally won over Mercury, defeating him in an arm wrestling contest. "Ok, troops, it's Jupiter."

******

Inside the great castle on Jupiter, there stands one guard. Now this guard had been there for thousands of years, and he was bored[1]. As he stood there, wondering why nothing ever happened, there was a loud bang and a cry of "itai!"

There was another loud bang and another cry. "That's gotta hurt."

The guard could tell that a woman had just spoken. A woman? Woo hoo! Jupiter had heard his wished even in his 'sleep!'

Rushing outside, he stopped and stared at the motley collection of gods and goddesses hanging out of trees and sprawled around the garden.

"Geez, Venus," yelled one. "Couldn't you have picked a softer place to land? Maybe like a bed?"

The guard walked up to the nearest woman, who happened to be Vesta. "Jupiter be praised," he cried, and hugged her.

Big mistake.

Vesta started to glow and the guard stepped back. "Um, miss? I'm...I'm terribly sorry..."

"SORRY?!"

"Uh oh," the guard said as he tried to run back into the palace. There was a brilliant flash of light, and the others saw that Vesta had turned the guard into a small pig.

Minerva laughed. "I guess he really is a pig." She eeped and hid behind Ceres as Vesta turned and glared at her.

The group walked towards the door, nobody noticing that Juno was slowing down with each step. 'I don't wanna be here. I don't wanna be here,' she thought over and over.

Janus noticed her lagging, and waited for her to catch up to him. "Hey," he said. "What's the matter?"

Juno sighed. How could she tell him that she didn't want to see Jupiter? Before he had gone to sleep, they had parted, but not on the best of terms. Through the mortal lives that she had lived, she had seen more of what he had been trying to protect. She didn't want to tell him that he was actually right, since a woman is always right, ne?

"Hello, anybody in there?"

Juno let out a small giggle at this. Looking over at Janus, she saw him smiling at her. "I don't know what to expect when Jupiter wakes up."

"Ah," Janus said. "I understand. But think of this, Jupiter has always been one to protect what others have sought to destroy. How many times have others tried to destroy humanity? He sees himself as a leader of both the gods and mortals, and besides..." He dropped down to a whisper. "He'd run out of pretty ladies to chase." This made Juno laugh and feel a little better. Janus grabbed her hand. "Let's say we catch up to the others, shall we?"

******

They found the group standing in a large foyer that covered in plants.

"I can see why Makoto always liked plants," Mithra said, laughing. Demeter looked at him for a second before recalling her interest in the gardening club. She smiled at him. "Mithra, you were on Earth?" she asked.

He nodded. "I never met you in person, but I always heard stories about you from Usagi and her friends. I am also known as Motoki." He sighed. "I wonder how they are doing."

"We'll make it alright," Demeter told him. "Usagi was always there for us in the battle against Galaxia, and we will be there for her in her time of need."

Vesta came over to them. "Come on, we're going in," she said. "Let's get moving!"

Demeter laughed. "Watch out, you are starting to act like Aino-san on her bad days."

Gasping, Vesta clutched her hand to her throat. "I do not."

"Yes you are, and that's final," Venus said coming up to the group. "Come on!"

Now Demeter saw where the ditziness came from.

They entered a long hallway covered in more plants. There were windows along it, but they knew there were rooms, though the doors were hidden. Deciding to split up to make it quicker, they quickly searched for Jupiter.

Juno went down the hallway. Somehow, she knew that he would be at the end. Janus saw her take off, and decided to follow her.

At the end of the hallway were doors similar to the ones that had guarded Mercury. These doors, however, had no lock on them. This was deceptive, for if one did not have permission, they would be punished for trying to enter. Just because a door is unlocked does not mean that it is open to everybody[2].

Juno paused at the doors, thinking back about the arguments she had had with Jupiter. Shaking off those thoughts, she took a deep breath and put her hands on the door. She didn't try to open them, but put her palms on the surface. "Jupiter," she whispered. "Please forgive my faults."

Janus came up to the door as well, standing beside her. He held out his hand as well, hoping that he wouldn't be sent who knows where. Realizing that he still stood next to Juno, he also offered up a prayer. "Jupiter, king of the gods and mortals, alike, please help us in our time of need. Please forgive Juno, for she has learned the value of life." He stopped and continued the prayer silently. 'Please, I would like her to stay in mine.'

The doors started to shake and the slowly opened in. Walking through, Juno and Janus went over to the huge bed. Seeing nothing there, they looked around the room.

Juno gasped, for Jupiter was sitting in a chair, reading a book.

Putting a leaf to mark his place, Jupiter set down the book and rose. "My dear Juno...and Janus! What a surprise!" His face was wreathed in a smile and he didn't look like the same god who had destroyed countless civilizations because of their greed. This couldn't be the same man who had sent his own father to Tartarus.

Jupiter laughed at the puzzlement on their faces. "I have learned the art of relaxing," he said. "And also the art of laughing. I have learned some things while I have been here, Juno. I believe that we were both wrong about humans."

Janus nodded. He liked the way this was going. As the god of beginnings, he liked fresh starts.

Jupiter walked over to the window. "I saw my poor guard. I don't think he'll try that again." He laughed once more before walking back to Juno and Janus. "Well, I'm all set." With that, he went out and stopped in the hallway. The others had gathered at the end, not finding anything. Venus looked up and saw Jupiter. "What...?"

The others looked up and were in shock. Jupiter--smiling?

Jupiter slapped his hands together and rubbed them for a couple of seconds. "Well, who's next?"

******

A.N. Yes, I know this was a little lame, and short, but sometimes what you think is the hardest thing in the world to do is sometimes the easiest. (Although waking me up in the morning is another thing altogether. ^_^)

[1] In other words, so bored he had counted every single hair on his body--twice.

[2] In Les Miserables, the Monsignor Bienevenue left his door wide open for all to enter.

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