Preface
Preface
Their names were forgotten, erased from existence, becoming just another Native American couple torn from their native land. The woman carried in her womb the gifts given by the gods, in repayment for defending the Mother of Creation. The gifts were to be bestowed on their children and the future generations to come.
As their days grew dark with their struggles to survive along the perilous journey to their new homeland, the gods watched their courage, yet never once did they try to take advantage of the stone the man carried within his chest to lessen their hardships.
Decades later, they were buried side by side on the land they had worked tirelessly on to leave a lasting legacy to their children. The secret had been sworn on and died with them, and the threat to humanity lost for all time. Mankind would never know of how close they had come to extinction, nor of the sacrifices made by the man and woman who died protecting the secret.
Fate was given the duty to watch over their children, carefully monitoring how the gifts were used by the couple’s progeny. As new generations were born, Fate came to Mother in concern that their gifts made other humans fearful of them and were seeking to destroy what could not be understood in the human realm. Mother began watching them herself to see what consequences the gifts had wrought, making adjustments when needed. She might have created Earth, but it was still a work in progress.
From Hades, they had been given the gift to create and manipulate fire and to astral project themselves through the Shadow realm of time. Wisely, Mother had deemed this gift too powerful for one mortal to hold, splitting the gift into two. One to be given the power of light, the other of the shadow realm, capable of walking between Earth and Heaven. Both must be born at the same time, for light must keep darkness from consuming the shadow realm.
When their progeny nearly died out from disease, Mother called on Zephyrus to bestow his gift of wind on a descendent. Fire cannot breathe without air.
Rocque, the Lord of the Forests, had been given the gift of controlling nature. Mother watched those who welded that power closely, as the gift almost rivaled her own power over Earth. Jealous, she decided to finetune that gift, limiting the recipients of that particular power of Earth, only allowing them to wield it within their own domain, and able to shelter and protect those they love within the boundaries of the mountain they called home.
When one unexpected gift came to light, Mother could only shake her head. Her son, Poseidon, had snuck the power of water on the woman, as a reward for protecting the stone. Water can give life or take it away with a fury that could mimic her own when she was angry.
Shaking her head in amusement at some of the progenies’ misdeeds, Mother didn’t let her growing affection for the family sway their punishment when Asclepius’ gift was misused by one of the female descendants, by saving a life meant to be taken. Sadly, Mother had Fate intervene to break the family line in two different directions. The repercussion was severe in which any of the descendants gifted with the healing arts were separated from the main trunk of gifts, which were becoming more powerful each generation.
While she didn’t regret separating the family into two branches, she felt sorrow witnessing the cruel hardships the new branch had to endure. Wanting to prevent such a harsh punishment in the future, she gave them her last gift.
She had taken Astraios’ gifts away as punishment for fighting with Chronos. Mother bestowed his powers which she had carefully hoarded to herself, giving the progenies the ability to read the stars and the skies, allowing them to read the paths laid out for them to follow. It was a huge gift, which would come with severe penalties if they misused it.
To make sure no family member overstepped their boundaries again, she decided there would be a safeguard born into each generation, which would have the ability to harness all the powers gifted to them. They would be her failsafe. They would carry their knowledge and the cost of their powers to the next generation. They would teach and prepare those who would follow in their footsteps. Lessons which would warn them from abusing their gifts. Their powers were gifts and weren’t to be profited from and never, ever to seek to try to usurp Her power again.
Continuing to monitor the family intermittently, despite having given Fate the duty, she watched both branches of the family grow in numbers until one particular soul was born.
A male child with all the gifts.
Mother wasn’t ashamed to admit she grew fond of the mortal, yet despite her fondness, she wasn’t able to change the future laid out before him in the stars. He would never find his soul mate during the lifetime he had been born into. The star- crossed lovers kept missing each other, their love destined for another lifetime.
Used to philandering males, Mother watched in amusement as her favored one didn’t let a lack of a soul mate deter him from finding another way to share the love he was capable of by creating life after life. He even extended his love to an outsider. Loving each child with a pure heart, he taught his children the power of their gifts with a reference she hadn’t felt in eons.
When he begot a female child that had a healing power, she cried just as hard as her father when he read the stars, showing her future. The child would become too powerful to allow to remain in their branch of the family. Not only had she been born with a healing gift bequeathed from a god, also inheriting the healing touch from their native ancestors which only one other could brag about, but like all mothers, she couldn’t leave well enough alone, making the soul stronger by being able to use energy derived from nature to restore her strength.
The soul needed to be switched to the other branch of the family, where they had learned the cost of using their gifts unwisely.
Her affection for the family held her hand at removing the female child until her father was given a chance to beget the child who would one day step into his shoes.
Then, with an aching heart, she called them both to Heaven together. However, they weren’t together long before the female soul was sent back to Earth. Mother made certain this time that the gifted soul would be protected by a fierce warrior and a mother who loved and appreciated the nature around her. Just as important, she would be guided by a family member who would teach her how to use the gift, tempered by the personal costs she would ultimately pay throughout her lifetime.
Mother watched the offspring left on Earth with a careful eye, seeing the same qualities and commitments to those they loved as the ancestors who had fought for her in her greatest time of need.
Finally, her patience and planning were about to come to fruition. The eight brothers had the powers of demigods, the stars were aligned to where she needed them and, crucial to her plans, they had the strength of will and courage to protect the rewards she was about to give them. The culmination of her plan hinged on their ability to convince their rewards to love them.
Love was the only variable out of her control. They would have to earn the love on their own without her help or Valentine’s gift.
Yes, it was frustrating for her … So many variables could go wrong … She had made so many promises. Mankind’s fate was on the line yet again—there was a battle looming on the horizon, and those eight demigods were the only way to bring order back to the mortal, and the immortal realm. She was now at the hardest part of being Mother. All she could do was watch and trust her demigods prove their valance. It would hurt her deeply if they failed, because she was at an impasse. She couldn’t interfere, despite all her immense power, held in the palm of her hand. It all hinged on the most basic of human emotions …
Love.