[greek swim]

The voice of the King, father of the Olympians deposed, boomed through the golden halls of the palace atop the great Mount.

"I do not know how long we may have to capture them, or if their powers and immortality are to return to them. Your task is to get to them before that happens. Find them, capture them, use whatever means necessary -- just see to it that they do not have the opportunity to rise up against us," he said.

The four before him nodded -- Hypnos, Ker, Moros, and Thanatus -- each ready to perform their task, each ready to do what had to be done.

"Now go," he said, before turning, looking out over Greece. The four bowed, turning to leave.

"And Daimones," he added, as they reached the entrance to the palace, "do not fail me."

She appeared in their dreams, or in visions before their eyes, glowing and golden, light coming from her, in all her Titan-Goddess glory, a stark contrast to the black chiton she was wearing. The midnight hour had just struck, ushering in the new year.

"My time is short, I fear, and I've yet to tell you the most important piece of this puzzle. You must all band together, as I have said before; put your differences aside for the greater good, for your greater good. I know you have fought on opposite sides, have competing goals, but this is greater than all of you. Before I took you all, before I put my plan into motion, Cronus was planning to turn aga--"

"Who are you talking to, wife?" the voice of Cronus interrupted her, powerful and almost booming.

The Titan Queen said nothing, looking up at him defiantly, as the entire scene continued to play itself out before them all, in their dreams.

"You have betrayed me not once, but twice!" he bellowed, looking at her harshly, his strong hands grabbing her arms. "Where have you sent them? Where are they? Where have you put the gods and goddesses that were imprisoned in Tartarus, and where are those with whom we fought to take control of Olympus?" he asked.

She gave no answer, only narrowing her blue eyes at him. Overhead, the moon's light faded.

He laughed after a moment, a cold laugh as he let go of her and pulled out a black journal, waving it in front of her.

"And what is this, Rhea?" he asked.

The Titan Goddess swallowed, silent, her eyes opening just slightly wider for a fraction of a moment, her heart racing. Still, she gave no answer. The light from above continued to dwindle,diminishing.

"Hyperion! Coeus! Crius! Iapetus!" he called his brothers forth, and in an instant, the four Titans of the pillars, his brothers, appeared, as though they'd been ready to come at his signal. The earth started to shake, even as the full moon became obscured, the earth coming between it and the light of the sun, turning a reddish color in the night, as if bathed in blood. Finally, she spoke again.

"They needed to know, they need to know what you were going to do, how you were going to betr--"

"That is enough! Hyperion and Crius, please see to her," he instructed, as he interrupted her, once more. "Coeus and Iapetus, come with me. Together we will get to the bottom of this..."

"You were going to betray them anyway!"

She had waited patiently for this opportunity, had waited since her last entry. The Titans had been searching for the missing for days now, for Ares, and Eris, and Deimos, and Phobos, for all those who had been rewarded for their role in the downfall of the once-mighty Zeus.

She knew it was only a matter of time before they went to the depths of Tartarus and discovered their captives missing. Her time was quickly running out, and she knew it as she pulled the journal out and started to write.

They have started looking for the missing now, looking for you, and I fear for the time when they will find out what has truly transpired. I cannot tell you straight out, as I have said before, part of this is that you must figure it out for yourselves for it to all come together completely. Recall who you are. Not your names, not your mortal names, anyways. Think of who you are, inside, what your identity truly is. Put all of your experiences, dreams, and feelings together.

You are going to start to have more vivid dreams in rapid succession, and you may find that you have visions, or flashbacks, even when you are not sleeping. Feelings of familiarity will become more intense. This is part of it, part of what is supposed to make you understand what has happened. Once you gain the understanding, you will start to see things, and realize things, and be able to do things you never thought possible. The time is coming, and I need you to be ready

I can answer a question from each of you, if you will take the time to write it down.

Ῥέα

She closed the journal and quickly put it away, placing the next phase of her plan in motion. The visions and dreams would become more vivid, would be triggered more readily, particularly when they were in close proximity with one another, or when they had deja vu sorts of moments. They would start to recall more, and feel things with greater familiarity. Initial effects on certain things, echoes of their past, would become more tangibly manifested, though certainly not controllable¹.

The ground shook, violently, with the rolling sound of thunder in the distance and lightning lighting up the skies. All of Greece shook, as Cronus and his Titans searched, suspecting something.

It was dark out, almost night where the Titaness dwelt and candlelight flooded the room she was in. There was a journal in front of her, set open on a desk. It was blank, white pages not written on. And this was no ordinary journal; through it, she had a link to those who had been affected by a plan she had put forth so many years ago. It had been the first time she had gotten a chance to do anything about what had been done to those who had stood with her now-deposed son, when he had been the king of the heavens. And now, she had a chance to communicate with them. She had a chance to try to set things right.

She reached for her fountain pen and began to write in it.

Most of the journals had been distributed. They were all nearly identical: black leather binding, white pages, and a nameplate at the front, with the name of the Greek god or goddess displayed in Greek simply, and smaller, below it, the name of their mortal selves. She had likewise made it so that they would find comfort in the journals and ease into using them.

Her words now spread across the page. And not just her page. All of the journals would open to find that writing in them, along with the writings of the others, as soon as they started. It would be their window into greater things, and she would be there to guide them as best as she could.

And so read her entry, sealed so that none could comment on it, but bold in its opening:

This journal is a gift to you and while it may seem plain at first, you will soon discover that there is more to it than meets the eye. Just as there is more to you--

We all have dreams. Some of them seem more real than others. Some you just have a feeling might be more than just dreams. Some seem like they actually happened, like they are actually a part of you. Some of them keep coming back, repeating themselves, and others happen only once, but you're able to remember them for a long while afterward.

Sometimes, there are feelings of familiarity with things and places you know you've never been to, been around, or experienced.

Where do they come from? Why are they there? And why, most of all, is it that you are having them?

I have seen history repeat itself and twist and turn as time has passed. Your dreams are very much real.

They are not figments of your imagination. These dreams and feelings are not just random. The feelings of familiarity are not something that is just in your head.

And you are not alone. Why not take the time to read through this journal and write in it and find out? You may find that there are others out there, just like you, with the dreams and the feelings, and more.

You have all been given these journals to communicate with one another. There is significance in your dreams, if you search hard enough. But only by searching and discovering for yourselves will you be able to find the truth of things.

Look within yourselves, talk to one another, search your feelings. Everything is there, just beneath the surface, and some is right in front of you, if you look closely enough. It will soon come back, but only if you look for it, and only if you really, truly want it. Our future is in your hands.

I cannot write anymore tonight. Things are dangerous here and I fear for what might happen to you all if this should be discovered. I do not know how much longer I will be able to be in contact with all of you. My purpose is merely to bring you all closer together, and I hope -- for all of our sakes -- that this will work. You can choose to believe me, or choose to be cynical, but eventually you will come to realize my words are true.

The truth is all right in front of you; you need only look for it. If the possibilities seem overwhelming, you are on the right track. Is it really so difficult to imagine? Think of names and places, experiences and how they all fit together. Think of the hints on your own journals.

I will write again in time.

Ῥέα

She signed the bottom of her note and put her journal away quickly as she heard commotion coming from nearby.