DARK VENGEANCE
CHAPTER 6
BY ARTHUR
The ground under Perisone's feet seemed to glide beneath him as he strode along towards the rising sun, all other thoughts seemed distant as he watched the once far off hills close rapidly, as he walked something started to feel familiar, the terrain, the faint smell of old burnt wood and the far off song of a morning bird, all were becoming somehow familiar, it was as though he had lived through these sounds before.
The longer he strode along, the more familiar the surroundings became until, finally he saw a pile of burnt timbers and cracked stones of a large house, it must have been once a large dwelling by the amount of rubble that lay around, standing in front of the large piles of detritus was a tall thin man, for some reason, Perisone found he looked familiar as so much had on this strange first morning of his reawakening.
At the faint sound of Perisone's foot steps, the tall man turned around and looked at the small figure approaching him, suddenly the tall man got a look of shock, then surprise on his face, with faltering steps he began to walk towards Perisone, when he was only a few steps away he spoke with a voice that shook with emotion.
"JJ, where have you been, you've been missing for more than a year, Zeus is beside himself with worry?"
Perisone looked at the tall man with little understanding of whom he was but, deep down inside he felt as though he should know this `JJ' but for the life of him he could not connect it with anyone he might know.
"Who is `JJ' my name is Perisone, the hand of Justice and Truth of He who Creates, where am I and who are you?"
"You are JJ, it's me, Phin, don't you recognise me, where have you been all this time?"
"I told you, my name is Perisone, I can see you have another name, ah yes, Hermes, messenger of the Gods, well Messenger, you can go to your Gods and take this message with you, Tell them that He who Creates is finished with their petty bickering and infighting to take over this world in their own name, all is to cease immediately or I, Perisone will take vengeance in His name, go Messenger, tell them what I have said, there is little time left for them to make recompense."
"JJ, what has got into you, there is no one above the Gods, what are you saying?"
"You are the Messenger, go now and carry my message, there will not be another one except for the son of Zeus, that message you will carry yourself to his realm in Hades, tell him to release the innocent he holds in bondage or his very being will be forfeit and he will never rise again, go now."
Perisone turned his back on the vaguely familiar man and set his direction towards a far off town that he somehow knew existed in his long forgotten memory, as he walked away, Phin could only look at what had once been a young teen that he thought he knew well only to realise that this person was the same one but not the same one, for the first time in his existence Hermes felt fear deep in his soul.
Was there someone higher than the very Gods, if there was then he had never heard of him and, as far as he knew, nor had the Gods, perhaps JJ had lost his mind after the battle last year, that could be the only reason, Phin turned away from watching the departing figure, perhaps he should do as asked, just in case, Phin changed and took on his persona of Hermes, with a light leap he was in the air and heading towards the far off clouds that hid Olympus from mortal eyes.
Perisone walked on in the ground eating stride that devoured the distance with ease, his young muscles seemed to revel in the exercise after being in limbo for so long, after his meeting with the tall man, his mind began to work on the strange things that he had been told, the name `JJ' was somehow familiar but he could not place it in his memories, as well there was the thought of an innocent held captive by the son of Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, Perisone had no doubts he would have to go there before much longer.
From their golden thrones, far above on Olympus, Zeus and Hera had watched the appearance of the long lost boy they had named Perisone, where he had been was still a mystery as well as why he had now shown up, in his own nepharious way, Zeus had used the boy for his own ends, the long running battle between him and his son Loki, had gone on for eons and the boy had been just one of many he had used against the desires of Loki over the millennia, to see the boy appear once again when he thought he had been lost gave him a sudden feeling of disquiet, it was then he saw Hermes flying towards his throne, this could not be good.
Zeus looked at Hera as she sat beside him and watched the approaching Hermes, both had a bad feeling, it was as though the boy had appeared as a bad omen, they could also feel that the boy was no longer under their control but, if not theirs, then who's, had it been Loki they would have seen the differences but the boy just looked as though he feared neither of the two realms, so who was he aligned with?
Perisone covered the distance to the nearby town with ease, it was as though his feet could walk above the ground itself and he glided along on a cushion of air, the town was also familiar to him but he could not think of why or how he knew so much about it, there was one imperative that he knew of, it was to do with the innocent held in Hades, for some reason he had an overriding need to free the person from the clutches of the son of Zeus.
Perisone strode into the large town, again it felt familiar to him as he saw the paved streets and, shock of shocks, moving wagons, it was then that his long dormant memories returned to him, with a shake of his head, the memories came flooding back until he nearly passed out in the street, steadying himself on a shop front, he saw his life before limbo.
`Yes' he was JJ, had all of this been a dream once again or had he really seen another figure who was even more powerful than the Gods, the answer came with little effort, the Gods that he had worked for before limbo were only out for themselves and their own desires of ruling both the mortal and immortal realms, that had been what their little war had really been about, and that was now why JJ/Perisone was returned to the land of the living in the form of an immortal, now even the Gods would tremble when they recognised his benefactor.
JJ/Perisone, lifted himself from the support of the shop front and turned towards the centre of town and the mall, he now knew all he had a need of, first he would go and see that his old friend at the coin shop was still ok and then on to the games arcade in the mall, it felt good to be able to recognise normality, he well knew there would not be much time before more trouble followed him.
Zeus sat along with Hera as Hermes passed on the message, slowly the deep furrows in Zeus's brow deepened, his eyes flamed with anger as he heard the words of the young teen, with a crackling of power, Zeus rose and looked below for signs of the boy, he had given immortality to the ingrate and he could take it away, even the last blood of Socrates that flowed in the boys veins was not going to make him safe.
Lifting his right hand, Zeus sent a powerful bolt of lightening towards the dark haired figure far below, when it struck it would crush the boy and then he and Hera could start all over again, they would find another sooner or later, it was a pity to waste such a one as the boy but needs came before mercy.
Far below the lofty heights of Olympus, Perisone felt the approaching lightening, he smiled to himself that Zeus had got his message, it was almost time to go up and settle with him before tracking down Loki and freeing the innocent, as he thought of the innocent, the image of a young teen came into his head and the name `Marco', now it was Perisone's turn to furrow his brow as he realised who and what Marco meant to him.
Zeus watched as one of his most powerful blasts of lightening struck the small figure, everything in the town centre stopped as the bolt struck home, suddenly there was a flare of bright blue fire as the young teen at the centre of the strike was lit up, everyone, including Zeus, expected to see nothing but a hole in the ground, much to their surprise, when the flare had dimmed, they could see standing unharmed in the centre of the blue flare, a dark haired young teen, the look on the teens face boded no good for someone.
Perisone felt the strike as though he had a small itch between his shoulder blades, he looked up and easily saw the bearded and furious face of Zeus looking down from Olympus, but this time he also saw a trace of fear on the Gods face as Zeus saw that his mightiest of bolts had had little effect on the boy below, Perisone slowly shook his head in a `No' gesture then called to his realm for his weapons and armour.
As the Gods watched the boy below them, their looks changed to fear as they saw him call for his weapons and armour, it was the first sight of his magnificent wings that caught their attention, what had once been large white and black tipped wings were now a shining pair of iridescent blue wings almost twice the size of the originals, all his weapons now shone with a light so pure they almost looked to be transparent but with a blue tinge in the same shade as the mighty wings, the iridescence rippled like small wavelets of water and reflected the light of the sun as the boy moved to take flight.
The massive wings swooped downward and Perisone was high in the air, quickly he made height and Zeus saw that he was rapidly approaching Olympus with little effort, this was a time to show his full power and so Zeus called up one thousand Wraiths and sent them towards the figure that was closing rapidly with his private domain, Hera sent out the call for the Sirens in the hope their voices would besot the boy and send him insane as the Sirens were famous for.
Looking around, Zeus saw that Hermes had disappeared and could not be seen anywhere 'typical of the damn messenger, always running away when needed' Zeus watched as the Wraiths closed in on the solitary figure, their numbers blackened the sky as they went into their change and became the growling animals that lay beneath their skin, Zeus almost felt sorry for the boy as he watched his terrible army close in on the flying figure.
Perisone saw the Wraiths make their change, he suddenly stopped high in the air and floated with ease as he pulled power from the very depths of the cosmos, his blue iridescent glow grew stronger as he drew his newly powered sword of Damocles, pulling the blue glowing shield closer, he set himself to await the Wraiths, he even had time to feel sorry for them as they were nothing more than the tools of Zeus and those who wanted power.
The top of Olympus started to become filled with demi Gods and all manner of creatures that were bound to Zeus and Hera as below them the battle approached its beginning, the Wraiths encircled the single figure as it hung suspended by its mighty wings, the boys size looked totally out of place amidst the large savage beasts that were once Wraiths.
Perisone floated with his sword and shield at the ready, he had little fear of these beasts only pity that he would have to put them down before continuing on his journey to Olympus and the final solution of Zeus and the Gods, instead of waiting any longer as the Wraiths continued to form, Perisone dived at them and, with one wide swing of his sword, sent one hundred to Hades, it was as though a blue burst of violent power had leapt from the end of the sword of Damocles and cut through the enraged beasts like a sharp tool through a soft cheese, the rest paused at the sight of the sudden slaughter of their fellow Wraiths.
Perisone did not stop or think about the sudden slaughter, he moved on and began to cut swathes through the mass even as they tried to work out what had happened more of them were falling prey to the slicing sword and the glowing power of the small teen figure, in the end in was no contest at all, at the sight of the slaughter, even the Sirens had silenced their enchanting song spells, they had made little difference in any case, their songs were spelled for men who wanted women, Perisone was not one of those.
As the last Wraith fell to the shining blade, Perisone lifted his wings and rose at speed for Olympus, those watching the slaughter did not even have time to flee as the small figure landed on the white marble stones at the foot of Zeus and Hera's thrones, even as they saw he was only a young teen, the demi Gods began to shake with fear, who could be behind such power, everyone knew that Zeus was the base of all power in this realm of the Gods but this boy stood as though he was above even the mightiest of them.
"I am Perisone, hand of Truth and Justice of He who Creates, you have searched for power that is not yours, you were the creation of mortal men and grew in power only by their devotion to you, that power has corrupted you as it corrupts others of the mortal world, He who Creates has decided that your time is over, you will be banished to the dark realms for all eternity, those who would stand against me will be sent to live their lives as mortals and all that entails, those who do not oppose me will be sent to the realms, the decision is yours."
The first move was made by the ever short tempered Zeus, as he sent bolts of lightening at the small figure, others joined in with their own powers and attacked the solitary figure, only Hermes stood aside and watched, he had just arrived back from delivering the message to Loki and wanted no part in the foolishness of the other Gods, they were all so filled with their own importance, they failed to see that the boy was far too strong for any of them, their own pride made them blind to the obvious.
Perisone stood his ground as all manner of Gods and Godlings attacked him, even with the aide of their many minions they were soon to find they were outclassed by the small teen that glowed with ethereal fire, every stroke of his glowing sword sent more of them to the mortal world below where they were reborn instantly as small mortal children with no memory of their once great lives.
As the battle turned in the favour of the single figure, others tried to run to the highest plains but only found themselves in a place of blackness with their many good and bad deeds for company, over time they would find those memories were no comfort at all in the blackness of limbo when it came to reliving them for all eternity.
Perisone struck left and right as more of the one time rulers of mortals tried to fight for their very existence, slowly the numbers lessened until only Zeus and Hera stood alone, the fear in both Gods was now a palpable thing in the air as Perisone turned his full attention on them, replacing his sword on his belt, Perisone looked at the last two Gods.
"I see that you have stood back once again while your minions did all the fighting for you, your sentence is that you both will be sent to the mortal world as the lowest of the low and, each time your life expires, you will be once again reborn in the same form, for all eternity you will be the lowest of the low and know deep inside that you were once mighty but lost it to greed and power."
Before either could say a word to the teen, there was a sharp crack in the air and they disappeared, at the same time, deep in the sewers of a big city on the mortal world, two cockroaches appeared, one had a long yellow strip down its back much like a lightening bolt, the other was smaller and seemed to be dependant on the larger male, in the small brown heads they both saw images of a strange place and knew they would never be more than they were now, the minds of Zeus and Hera cried out for pity as others of the cockroach community began to gather around them in the perpetual search for food and taking little notice of the larger than life cockroaches that were looking at them in puzzlement.
Perisone looked at Hermes, for some strange reason he held no animosity towards the messenger, it was as though he had been a friend and deserved some leniency, Perisone called him to his side.
"Hermes, you took no part in the fighting and you did as asked with no thought of deceit, you well know that I have to destroy this one time place of the Gods, what would you desire that would reward you for your efforts?"
"I would ask what my options were Perisone?"
"He who Creates has said Olympus must be destroyed as shall Hades, I can only offer you eternity in limbo or a life as a mortal man but, as you have always done the right thing by me, even before I became the hand of He who Creates, I would let you return to what you had before, although you will now age, it will be at a slower rate than other mortals so that you will have time to do good work before you are called for rebirth."
"Then I shall take mortality, there is much I can still do down there, I thank you for your mercy and justice."
Perisone waved his hand and Hermes disappeared, with another wave of his hand, Perisone began the destruction of Olympus, it would now forever be only a memory in the fables and stories of mortal men, his next task was down in the very depths of Hades, although he knew the outcome would be the same, he did not think that Loki would be quite so easy as Zeus, the Lord of the underworld was renowned for his trickery and Zeus had become lazy with is self importance and power, Loki was not so lazy, he had had to fight for every soul and had been at war with Zeus for his whole life, no, Loki would be a different type of challenge for Perisone.
Perisone opened his eyes and looked through the realms, unlike the Gods of men, Perisone was able to see all of the realms, some were filled with terrors as yet unknown to man, others were nothing but waste lands of bygone ages, it had been the opinion of Mans Gods that their realms were the only ones, however, now that he was under the hand of He who Creates, Perisone could see for the first time the real scope and number of the realms.
Looking deeply, Perisone searched for Hades, it was not as hard as he had at first thought, had he not had the eyes that were now his too use, Perisone could have found Hades just by the loud crying of lost souls where they spent their eternities lost in the evils they had performed in their mortal lives on Earth.
Perisone set his course for the very gates that were guarded by Charon the Boatman, it was not Perisone's intention to pay the coin for entry, far from it, he had full intentions of not only sinking Charon and the Boat but of drying up the Styx itself, by the time he left Hades it would resemble the now dry and arid place once called Olympus.
Perisone stood on the banks of the Styx, it looked as though it flowed with the blood of innocents, its consistency looked like molten metal as it flowed past the landing he stood on, from the far off depths of the heavy mist came the distinct sound of a boat and a single oar working through the thick water, Charon was on his way.
A short time later and the shadowy shape of a small boat appeared through the mist, at the stern stood a large figure clothed in black flowing robes, its face hidden in the depths of the dark cowl over its head, a skeletal hand showed from one sleeve as it gripped the rudder and guided the boat towards the landing place of dead souls.
Once the boat was beside the landing, another skeletal hand came out with the one time palm upwards as though asking for something, it was time to pay the ferryman but, Perisone was not here to pay, he was here to take payment, drawing his sword and opening his large wings, he got ready to fight the un-fightable, Charon was already dead so could not be killed again but, he could be banished to a place where he would forever be nothing more than a thought in the final darkness.
Charon felt his questing hand pushed aside by the shimmering iridescent shield of the youth, he felt no fear for nothing could kill the dead and his soul had long gone into the depths of limbo and so, it was with a shock that he felt the power of the small figure as the bright shining sword flashed though his robes and took the last of his form from him, as he drifted off into the nothingness, Charon wondered why he had so easily been beaten by no more than a youth, he would have all eternity to think about it in the blackness.
Perisone flew over the Styx and then hovered over the entrance to Hades, for the first time he was undecided as to which part he would go, finally he settled on the worst of the worst and directed his flight towards Tartarus, the section of Hades reserved for the worst of all souls, the Titans, his entry would only be gained by the defeat of Cerebus, the three headed guard dog of the lower realm, he was sure this is where Loki would be hiding as it was the best guarded of all the realms of Hades, it was also where Loki could call on the power of the Titans to aide his cause and try to win over Perisone.
Perisone landed at the huge black gates of Tartarus, ahead of him stood the formidable form of Cerebus, its three heads waving back and forth as it inspected the diminutive form of Perisone, its fangs dripped poisonous drool as it looked over the young teen with the large shimmering wings and pure weapons.
Cerebus let out a loud rumbling growl as he watched the small figure as though he could not believe what he saw, each head turning this way and that as it looked over the small morsel, behind Cerebus the black walls and gates towered over even his large bulk, from behind came the distinct smell of sulphur and the flashing of gigantic flames filled the dark sky as other howls of torment echoed outward to reach the young ears of Perisone.
Cerebus took a few paces forward as Perisone took his sword in one hand and readied his shield in the other, placing his feet wide for balance, he waited for the huge dog to attack, as Cerebus drew closer, Perisone called upon the powers of light and dark, suddenly, in the heart of Hades, every soul felt the boiling hot air around them cool down as the very power of this place of tortured souls was taken in by the boy in the shimmering armour.
Cerebus hesitated as he also felt the power being drained from his very core, without further thought, Cerebus charged the small figure to rend its flesh from its bones and poison its small soul for ever, it was part of what he did, no one with a soul could enter this part of Hades unless he first drew the last of a living souls life force.
Perisone watched the three heads as the wove back and forth as they tried to take advantage of his position, the fight was short and final, as each head came close to Perisone he would strike with his sword of power, he was sure that Damocles did not envision his weapon being used in this way.
First the right head fell to the cold stone, next the left and, as Cerebus growled and screamed while trying to use his remaining head to dissect the ever moving figure or, at the very least, to spray his poison over the living flesh and reduce it to a pool of blood at the gates, with a last mighty leap into the air with his enchanted wings, Perisone severed the last head from the thick shoulders of Cerebus and then alighted back on the cold stones at the closed gate, as he did so, from far above him on the high walls came a high pitched laughter.
Perisone looked up and saw the laughing face of Loki as he sheathed his sword back on his golden belt, looking up at the distorted figure above him, Perisone asked.
"And what would amuse the likes of you, do you not know that this is also your fate, He who Creates has called your realms an abomination and they are to be made as Olympus, there is no place for lost souls any more as he will see that no more are lost to the likes of you and your minions."
"My, my, such big words from a little boy, tell me Perisone, do you still miss being mortal or are you taken in by your new found powers, perhaps you no longer have need of the young boy I hold?"
"Your time has come Loki, release the innocent and your end will be swift and without prejudice,"
"Without prejudice, well my young Perisone, I am nothing if not prejudice, the innocent, as you call him, will not be that for long, if you try to enter my realm I will see that the boy is subject to every depravity I can think of, and I can think of many, now why don't you go back to this master of yours and tell him, thanks, but no thanks, Hades is mine and will always be mine."
"I will not argue with you Loki, release the innocent or I will take your realm apart, touch the boy and your pain will never end, Hades will be no more, it is what He who Creates has decided and he will not be pushed aside by the likes of you and your desire to be more than you can be, your time is up Loki, release the boy back to his mortal world."
"Why should I, this is turning out to be so much fun, would you like to meet some friends of mine, perhaps I can even bring the boy up here to watch you being torn limb from limb, now that would be very satisfying, he can then go and be corrupted with a new view of life, I think a thousand years lying under my loins will make him very pliable."
As though his thought was a command, Perisone saw the boy he now knew as Marco, suddenly appear beside Loki, he was being held in chains by the Titan, Chronus, sometimes called the king of the Titans who was deposed by Zeus himself, but this Chronus was not the same Titan that had inhabited Olympus, this Chronus was now twisted by the games and power of Loki.
Chronus held Marcos up by the chains around his wrists, the pain on Marcos's face was evident as his small feet swung above the parapet, the fury in Perisone grew quickly as he saw this disregard for the boys innocence, his wings opened and, within a breath, he was up on the parapet and standing in front of Loki and Chronus, his sword flashing with the very power of Creation.
Chronus screamed as his hand was severed from his arm by the flashing sword of the youngster before him, as Perisone watched the innocent fall from the grasp of Chronus, he reached out and touched the slim figure on the head, Chronus was surprised to see the boy he had held in his hands disappear into nothingness, even as his hand regrew, he felt it was too late.
Perisone swept the glowing sword backwards and watched as the headless torso of Chronus fell then turned to dust on the parapet, of Loki there was no sign but his nefarious work was far from done, as he cowered in the darkest reaches of Hades and for the first time in his long existence, felt the growing fear fill his very last vestages of a one time soul, Loki knew the end for Hades was near as was his own.
With all of his remaining and vast power, loki called on all his minions to form an attack on the solitary figure, as he sent the command so it was obeyed, the dark sky began to move in the form of rolling clouds made up of demons and gargoyles, the sky of Hades was filled with screaming hordes with poisonous fangs, long black talons, needle sharp teeth and the heavy beating of leathery wings.
From the ground swelled up the Hounds of hades, it seemed the very ground was a rolling wave of terror as the hounds moved towards the small glowing figure standing alone on the parapet of the walls at the gates of Hades, cries, growls and screams filled the air as the black masses charged towards the glowing figure.
Perisone stood alone and unafraid, he had the power of He who Creates and this was his destiny, opening his large wings and gripping his sword and sheild closer, perisone began to call on all the power available to him as the hordes descended on his position, holding his sheild above his head, he formed a dome of blue power over himself just as the hordes crashed against it.
In the far off darkness, Loki watched in awe as his thousands crashed into the glowing dome, he also watched as they turned to dust on making contact with the rippling power, the sword in the boys hand slashed out and began to decimate the ground hordes with an ease that sent even more fear into the black heart of Loki.
There was little Loki could do except watch the decimation and wonder at his own power, with all his remaining need for revenge, Loki even sent in the last of the mighty Titans only to watch them fall like so much chaff, as he watched the slaughter of the mightiest of beings, Loki had only one last weapon too use and, even he, the most powerful of all evil, hesitated in releasing his final solution.
Loki had little qualms about destruction but, when even his final soltution put his own soul in danger, as small and unused as it was, then he had to think wisely, not a strong point of his but, as he saw his forces swept aside with ease, he decided to make one last stand, even at the cost of his own soul.
Loki buried his burning hands into the hard hot rock of Hades and called on his last line of minions, calling them was easy, controlling them was something even he had a hard time doing, from the darkest places of Hades they came in the form of a thick mist of black and grey that swirled and pulsed in many forms, some animal and some human, these were the Soul Eaters, any being with even the faintest of souls would fall to their cold breath as they sucked the very soul out of the host body.
Loki watched in fear as the Soul Eaters closed in on the glowing figure that now stood alone surrounded by rows of dead ash and detritus of battle, the blue dome was still intact over the boy as the Soul Eaters closed in on the powerful glowing signs of a fresh soul, not only was it fresh but it held power they had never felt before, the boy was like a beacon as they rushed towards him, their swirling cloud of past souls bubbled with anticipation at feeding on such a strong will.
Loki watched as the Soul Eaters formed around the glowing dome, it soon became invisible under the dark cloud, Loki's only hope was that he was able to control the Eaters once they were done with Perisone, that was the one reason he was at first afraid to call them into the battle as he himself could fall to their greedy need.
Perisone felt the weight of the Soul Eaters, slightly, inch by inch, the Eaters pushed at his dome of power and it had an effect, the dome began to slowly shrink under the tormented power of the Soul Eaters, Perisone slashed left and right through the dome but the soul cloud only reformed and continued its pressure on the outer layers.
Loki watched and then began to smile as he saw the dome slowly shrinking under the massed power of the Soul Eaters, with hope in his black soul, Loki prayed that the boys soul would satiate the Eaters and he himself would live to once again rule over all that he surveyed, his dreams were soon to be dashed as he watched the small figure begin to glow with a renewed burst of power.
Perisone also felt the new surge of power, he felt his very core beginning to fill too overflowing, Loki watched as the glow of power grew even brighter, the Eaters were now frantic to break through the barrier as the brightness increased more and more until all that could be seen of Perisone was like the very power of a star, suddenly all fell silent as the bright glow expanded and, with a final pulsing glow, exploded sending massive ripples through the very realms themselves.
Like a stone thrown in a pond, the ripples moved outward through the very realms themselves, of hades there was nothing left but a barren waste land of burnt and dusty ground, the Soul Eaters had disappeared into the nothingness of limbo along with what remaind of Loki, in the mortal world of Earth, those who practiced a way of life of greedy, averice, corruption and fear, felt the might of the ripples.
Great financial institutions fell, their bases of operation collapsing in on themselves and left only great holes in the ground where they had once stood in all their glory, churches, large and small disintergrated as did mighty cathedrals, mosques, temples and, even the mighty all powerful Vatican, collapsed in on themselves, everything that was once held in high esteem but underneathh was as corrupt as any mean government, found themselves no more than a pile of rubble surrounded by death, only those with a pure heart were left to watch the results of the deformity of mortal greed and the eternal search for power.
As the very fabric of governments fell, chaos began to reign but, for the first time in all its long history, the mortal world lifted its head and took a long look, it was time for those who were of good nature and sound principles to step forwad and return the mortal world to a place of goodness.
There were many bloody and gory battles between those who still wanted the old ways of greed and power but, now there were those who could see the way forward was to stand against those who would return them all to virtual slavery under their need for power, those who wanted a new start now stood shoulder to shoulder and would not bow under the pressure of the few who had survived the cleansing, in time there would be a new world for them to inhabit but for now there was a battle to be fought.
Perisone had felt the sharp burst of power unleashed, his own perspective was of a warmth that overcame him and then nothing, now he felt warm and strangely loved as he felt a soft hand rubbing gently on his chest, the fresh smell of flowers filled the air around him as he slowly opened his eyes, as he did so, it hit him that he was now JJ, Perisone was another self but for now he was JJ.
JJ opened his eyes from what felt like a long sleep, propped up on one elbow and looking down at him was Marco, a wide smile spread over his face as he ran his fingers over one of JJ's nipples, the warmth of their skin felt good in the fresh morning air, from outside came the calls of birds and the light rustle of a soft spring breeze, the smell of wild flowers also filled the air with their scent, JJ smiled back at Marco and raised his head to look around the strange room where he had awoken.
The overalll sense of peace pervaded the room and the space outside, as he ran his hands over the naked body of Marco, JJ felt the influence of He who Creates fill his mind and everything was made clear for him.
"Perisone, this is your own paradise, whatever you wish will be granted, it is your own private place where you and the one you love can be together in peace and harmony, however there will come a time when I will have to once again call on you to right the wrongs of others, at these times you will always have this place to come back to as both you and your beloved will never age and will have more than a lifetime together, it is your reward for being my hand of Truth and Justice."
The voice in his head faded away and he was then taken into another realm of ecstacy by the roving hands of Marco and the very air sang of his valour as the two boys lay together and began to enjoy their own paradise.
END.
Artcart65@vodafone.co.nz