Chapter Text
Your Reality is a reflection of your Strongest Beliefs.
― Anonymous
Darkness consumed me again. I presumed I was in the womb of my mother. Aphrodite was it?
I don't consider her as my mother that's for sure; afterall this was merely a business transaction. I likened it to the target specific jobs I had undertaken before, where I had to play the innocent civilian Donna. Only here I would be doing double duty both as a bodyguard and an infiltrator or undercover agent whatever one may call it.
I faded in and out of consciousness. There was a constant thrum of something otherworldly surrounding around me, in me but I wasn't able to pinpoint it. Sometimes I heard a soft soothing hum, once in awhile though I felt cocooned in the large warmth of another presence. A husky female voice crooned and I felt the pressure along the walls of my current abode, a gentle palm imprint. I kicked in response. It really was a pleasant feeling engulfing me with the closest thing to comfort I could feel.
A beautiful female voice chimed later, "I do not know if you can hear me my love, but you are to be my daughter now regardless of everything."
If I had a brow, it would have creased in suspicion. I knew this voice and I knew I couldn't trust it, so I didn't. I did not make any move and whoever she was, sighed disappointed.
The very next day though a strong male voice could be heard, "You will have to face hard times, my brave granddaughter but I have full faith in you."
And I felt a dark presence wash over me, contrary to what I thought it was very comfortable, like the darkness when you snuggle inside your suffocating duvet on a cold day or melted rich dark chocolate with a bitter tang.
I kicked in response much to the being's delight, because even if I couldn't hold a coherent thought I knew that was no ordinary person.
Fast forward and I was born. Let's not recall the traumatic memory of my birth. It is bad enough that my past life ended after childbirth, no need to hammer the nail deeper.
A child cannot see after birth everything is blurry, if anybody tells you anything else then consider them idiots.
Turns out I feel things too intensely. I spent most of my first year of birth unresponsive, sleeping away so much that my new Mother continuously prayed for my well being to her immortal father and her ex-lover.
I was thankful that I couldn't remember nor process much otherwise my silent mourning would have turned graver and in tears.
As it were I was knocked out of my mournful depression the day I turned two. More precisely the night. Demigod Dreams are a thing, huh? Go figure. I thought, rolling my eyes.
And there they were.
The landscape of my dream wasn't in my control, I knew for sure.
It had the eerie feeling of death, like when I had succumbed.
It was some sort of underground palace, I was sure of that.
And looking at two of my so called benefactors I got whose Palace it was. The palace was in lustrous dark shades, multiple shades of black, grey and silver making it majestic and added mystery. But that wasn't it, there were a lot of various colours of ornamental decorations especially in gold with red and blue gems.
And there he sat, the Death God whose legacy I was. He had dark eyes and a well groomed moustache and beard dark as coal and he wore rich blue garments with a lot of gold, a heavy Mukut and jewellery all of them inlaid with precious gems.
He was sitting on a low couch which was shaped as that of a lotus with a buffalo's headrest which was supporting a huge golden mace and a rod bracketing either side.
In front of him on a relatively less ornamental couch clearly made for a guest sat my other benefactor. He looked faded away, on that note he was a platinum blonde but with the dark hue that seemed to gather around him I had mistaken it for a darker gold. He was wearing a simple gold plated shoulder armour and his lower body was wrapped in a dark cloth which looked like a skirt.
Surprisingly in my dreams my coherency levels were of that of an adult even though my body remained of a toddler.
So I could make out the surroundings and finally put a name to the other two Gods.
I have been thinking about their identities whenever I could muster enough control of my mind. The Indian God wasn't hard, as I grew up with the religion and my parents were quite religious and encouraged reading myths and told me and my brother many stories. The death aura made it easier.
As for the Norse one, I had read the entirety of the books Rick Riordan wrote and I was always fascinated with various mythological figures.
And when he said about Apollo being his counterpart it wasn't that hard to figure out, especially the Norse Gods who resided in Hel were those who had died as I had assumed from his hint.
I wanted to look around but I refrained from doing so, placing my entire attention on the dusky Indian deity who was also my grandfather in this life. He turned his full force of attention towards me and so did his guest.
His dark eyes glinted in something similar to amusement as I approached them both, the other almost faded deity holding a pleasantly welcoming expression.
"Have you figured out who we are then, young one?" Apollo's Norse counterpart asked politely.
I nodded and looked first in my Grandfather's eyes, "What would you prefer me to address you as? Yamraja? Yamadevta? Dharmaraja?"
His eyes gleamed as I turned towards the other deity, "Lord Balder?"
Balder looked surprised but impressed as Yamraj broke out into laughter which caused Balder to look at me in wonderment.
"All of them are my names, you got them right but I'd rather you call me Grandfather." Yamraj said.
I nodded warily and took a seat on the low couch that appeared all of a sudden.
Grandfather tilted his head, "So what do you deduce from this place?"
I looked around carefully.
I could see the floors and walls made of intricate marble inlay with fluted columns that depicted various images that I didn't concentrate on not wishing to test the patience of the deities in front of me but filed them away for future reference.
I glanced at the jalis segregating our sitting area, the intricate design of the lattice screen was gorgeous but I couldn't make out anything but darkness through them. They were arched in the form of chhatris.
It wasn't that hard to recognise the setting of a jharokha. Now the formal setting made me wonder that this wasn't just some normal traditional balcony.
I took a deep breath and turned towards Yamraj's inquisitive eyes, "I think it's a jharokha from your haveli. I also think you use it to overlook your durbar."
Yamraj's eyes widened in clear surprise and I felt smug at taking him off guard.
He cleared his throat, "Indeed. Clearly you know your roots very well."
A polite cough interrupted us as we turned towards the third member of our trio.
He was looking curiously at us, "I am sorry but I didn't catch those terms."
Yamraj sighed stroking his well groomed beard, "Well can not expect you to, don't worry Balder. The little lady was spot on that this is a traditional balcony- jharokha in my mansion-haveli from where I overlook my court-durbar."
Balder's mouth opened in astonishment and he looked at me appraisingly, "Were you a royal in your past life little lady?"
I raised both of my eyebrows, "No, but I loved to travel in my home country and abroad so I do know a lot about culture and mythology. But that is not why I am here, am I my Lords?"
I pushed back the memories of my birth family and then those of my husbands that were trying to come to the forefront of my mind.
Yamraj's gaze sharpened as he scrutinised me, gesturing at my frame, "No that is why you are called upon."
I put on a mask of polite confusion.
Yamraj's face tightened and he motioned me to glance at the nearby ornamental mirror that was inlaid within the walls.
I looked and saw a gorgeous baby. She had lavender eyes and wavy red hair. Her skin was dusky and she would have fit the posters of every baby modelling agency. Her eyes, hair and skin tone fluttered as she moved, appearing a darker shade of their original colour as if to enhance herself according to the ambience.
But the eyes told all. Her eyes spoke of suppressed grief, they looked dead.
I looked back as my body's grandfather spoke, "I realise we have placed a huge burden on you. I also realise you haven't gotten the time to mourn in your adult mindset, but I think you have done enough lamenting otherwise all will be for naught."
His voice was stern but his eyes were solemn as he continued, "The way you are going about you will destroy yourself in a few years. Along with my beloved daughter who makes up your other half of DNA. She has been driving herself spare defending you from agents of Order. She has been praying day and night to both the Greek and Indian Pantheons you realise that? If not for yourself think of her."
I looked back at him emotionlessly, "She isn't aware of my circumstances?"
He replied back in a negative and I felt a frisson of guilt.
"What or who were the agents of Order?" I asked, my mind running miles a minute.
He stroked his moustache, "There aren't named ones if that's what you think. The being Order has been influencing more monsters than usual to attack you and my child. It hasn't attracted attention as of yet but soon it will because you are first and foremost the daughter of an Olympian Goddess whose children for the record shouldn't have a strong presence."
He ended it with a scoff.
I asked in amusement, "You don't believe that do you?"
"Think Aphrodite weak? Of course not! Besides you are my legacy, that's equivalent to being Hades' in your pantheon." He replied annoyed.
I felt worried now, "Didn't you say that as soon as I discovered all of your identities my scent would get stronger."
That caused him to pause, "Well yes. I and Aphrodite will do our best to aid you, the rest of the slack would be pulled by your demigod mother so you better start your training soon. And get proficient soon. The only other way is if you encounter a deity from the Greek pantheon by chance as soon as possible but I doubt you have that good of a luck." He finished sarcastically.
Yamraj and I shared a similar sense of humour it looked like.
It brought a smile on my face and as I glanced in the mirror I could see two amazing dimples appear on the beautiful body of the toddler. That smile and surprised look made her seem more like the toddler she was instead of an old dead woman reincarnated with her memories.
I also needed to stop referring to myself in the third person, I thought with a sigh.
I looked up at Balder, "If you don't mind me asking, how come you are here? Especially when I last read your tale you were supposed to be in…" I trailed off just in time remembering that one shouldn't use the names as Balder tensed. Apparently it was a homing beacon here.
Balder let out a sigh of relief, his alarmed expression vanishing as he sat straight up and stared at me.
Yamraj queried inquisitive, "How do you know that one must not use the names?"
I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, "I read Harry Potter, I remembered Voldemort's name being taboo, figured it would be the same here."
Yamraj suddenly had a twinkle in his eye as he murmured an "Ah, I see."
And I mentally heaved a sigh of relief. Seriously for such a hardass he was such a Potterhead. When I had read about Gods having quirks I never imagined them to be so… weird.
Balder chuckled, "Well as I am mostly in that place so a God of Death could certainly contact me, especially one I have made a pact with. I cannot influence mortal lives but despite it taking energy I certainly can contact Death Gods especially if you know about Valhalla and the Demigods of Norse, most of their adventures begin after their deaths, you see."
Yamraj deadpanned, "Also higher primordial beings have approved it. Namely the one who might be a troublemaker with a T or C as it were."
"Ah…" I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation, chaotic indeed.
Balder smiled softly at me and Yamraj put a hand on my head as I looked at them bewildered.
"I hope you take our words into account, my dear. And don't forget you are merely a child despite living a life once, your opponents will be immortals who have lived millennias. It's a hard task we have provided you with but I am sure you will be successful, not just any soul can get chosen; especially from that dimension where everything pertaining to magic and supernatural has faded. One needs to be someone special." Yamraj said in his stern tone and I could see why he was also the God of Justice, Dharmaraja indeed.
And for the first time I slept peacefully with no previous memories persisting at the back of my mind.
The next day when I came to I let my anxious demigod mother carry me scrutinising her. She was small and curvy with dark hair and darker eyes with skin a beautiful caramel tone the same colour which I inherited.
I couldn't make out any of her features in mine but only time will tell I suppose.
I scrunched up my face into a big smile as she took me out in the sun and she had tears in her eyes.
I felt horribly guilty but the feelings in the back of mind didn't just go away. It was a painstaking reminder that I should have been the one to do all of this to my kids rather than being taken care of.
I learned to accept it slowly and by the time I turned three I called out, "Maa."
She legitimately jumped a foot in the air and brought out a huge golden mace out of nowhere and I stared at her with big lavender eyes. It was as tall as her five feet two inch frame.
How could that tiny person carry such a huge ass weapon?
I know I should have cried like a normal baby but one look at her sheepish expression I burst out laughing. And she started blubbering all over me when she realised I had called her mother in Hindi.
"Thank goodness I was so worried." She whispered, voice thick and I hugged her back.
I didn't get the chance to be a mother that doesn't mean I should deprive another. I behaved for her since then, well as much as a demigod and a legacy could anyway.
I called her Maa as opposed to Mama which I had in my first life. They were both different people and had different places in my life.
My Maa was named Mayra Malhotra. She was a fierce tiny woman who wielded her father's Mace like a spatula and was pants at handling an actual one.
Her name's meaning was apt, she was beloved indeed. By my Grandfather and also my immortal Greek mother Aphrodite who had apparently left her a huge furnished bungalow and an unlimited bank account as a gift.
Also there was an Uncle in my life he was named Aryan Mehta. He wore rimmed glasses, had sharp brown eyes and messy hair of the same colour. He was fair and was a complete pretty boy. He was also the demigod son of Goddess Lakshmi, Hindu Goddess of Luck and Good fortune. But apparently he wasn't conceived in the normal way from what I get as my mother loved to tease him, stripping him off his shirt to check on his belly button. To which he flushed entirely.
It was apparent that he was head over heels for my mother.
I turned three and it was him and me alone in our house. Which to be honest had become his too, with one of our guest rooms being reserved entirely for him.
Maa was off to India with some assignment which was dual in nature, from the Gods as well as her company in which she worked. It was a law firm which made sense with her being the daughter of Dharmaraja and I really wanted to ask Aphrodite their love story.
Aryan had me in his lap as we went over Hindu mythology.
He looked pretty astonished at my grasping but then again despite being dyslexic the words did make sense.
I closed the book with a snap and turned in his lap looking at him scrutinising.
"What?" He asked, lips quirked in amusement and honestly I would have screamed at the unfairness of his beauty if I didn't know I was going to be a bigger bombshell, perks to Aphrodite.
"How did you meet Maa?" I implored and it caught him off guard.
But he answered, "Well we first met in a quest. We didn't get along very well then, I doubted her fighting prowess." He admitted wryly and chuckled at my offended gasp.
"How did you and Maa even become friends?" I asked flabbergasted.
"Well I grew up. And she knocked me off my ass many times and brought my cockiness down. I was arrogant due to my luck and looks. And I paid the price but she saved me." He laughed.
I nodded accepting that, "Do you love Maa?"
He stilled then sighed, "I do. It seems you have your other mother in you after all."
I didn't react well aware that I wasn't supposed to know about Aphrodite.
He looked at me in the eye, "You know your Maa was so worried about you. You didn't respond much till a year after your birth and your mother was afraid to sleep, checking to see if you were still breathing."
I felt the rush of guilt but I didn't respond and he didn't expect me to either but he continued speaking, "You also spoke pretty late but you are a very intelligent baby."
After that night I got a lot closer to my Uncle.
He started frequenting more and it was obvious my mother was fond of him.
One day when my mother was lulling me to sleep I startled her, "Maa it's fine if you and Uncle marry you know that?"
She looked at me stunned and started stammering. She took a deep breath and then she looked at me, dark eyes fond, "I love him, I admit. But for a long time he was nothing but a dear friend. I never saw him that way."
I implored, "But now?"
She chuckled, "Well after seeing the way he takes care of you I want to give him a chance, but I do not look forward to anything serious so I will be taking it slow, after all he is my best friend I do not want to hurt him."
Her admittance surprised me. Not the words but the fact she told me.
After that I saw them get closer but they still had a long way to go.
I asked my mother about my other parent but she just said that she had been a lovely lover, but she never expected anything more.
She never admitted to her Godly status but she always spoke of Aphrodite fondly without an ounce of bitterness.
Surprisingly enough Aphrodite hadn't even visited me once. On the other hand I shouldn't have been surprised, after all the Greek Gods loved their children like favoured pets. Giving them treats when they performed tricks, I thought sardonically.
I was too hard on them perhaps; after all Gods were not like mortals but I didn't hold any affection for them. They were to blame for my existence here, even if Aphrodite did it for her kids, which is the only thing I could approve of. Still I would prefer to be not beholden to her anymore than I was. Surprisingly enough I didn't mind being under the care of my Grandfather who had visited me a few times in Demigod dreams telling me tales of Hindu mythology. While I had read them once upon a time it was different, listening to it from someone who had lived them.
While I knew my mother earned very well, her mansion and a lot of luxuries were given by Aphrodite. She seemed to be the type of materialistic lover who wouldn't take no for an answer be it receiving or giving.
So I decided it was time I got back on my own two feet.
I had been a strong independent woman once. I was going to make sure I was one sooner than later.
As of now, I did not have anything to show, no degree nor any way to become financially independent.
But I did have something. My features. I was always pretty but never as stunning as I was now.
Besides it was my own body not Aphrodite's. I was as much Mayra's daughter and Yamraj's Granddaughter as much as Aphrodite's daughter.
Wherever I went, heads turned, many people asked whether I was a child model cooing all the while and thus gave me the idea to become one.
And so began my stint in modelling.
I was nearly five now. I had been modelling since an year and hilariously enough I was in many cover shoots.
The first year my Maa was constantly anxious, adding that to a fretting Uncle made a huge headache.
They dropped me everywhere worried, always worried and watching. Can't blame them with all the monsters running around.
I found that I was surprisingly empathetic. I could pick up on emotions very quickly, adjusting myself according to others behaviour. At first I didn't think much about it considering I was pretty good at it before too, I had reading body language down to an art form but now?
I could feel them. I also seemed to have a milder form of charmspeak or maybe just dangerous charisma considering from what I recall when I had read those books it was more like instant Imperius Curse.
It didn't make sense honestly. My powers because I was pretty sure that's what they were. Only time will tell.
I also could speak French fluently which was bewildering considering I never spoke that language before.
That incident involved a squealing female photographer and my mother being anxious so I never spoke of it. It seemed that while my mother had no issue informing me about her and my Uncle or even the fact that I was the Granddaughter of Yamraj she didn't want to point to the fact that I was a Greek demigod. She was trying to protect me I realised but I didn't have the heart to tell her it was futile.
I had overhead her and my Uncle discussing how the Greek monsters were very much in tune with my scent and they had decided not informing me would dull it, considering demigod scents of those are aware are even more potent. I had no idea how it differed especially since I was already aware about one pantheon according to them. Well I knew even my Patron, which they did not so the joke is on them.
Curse Order and his influence over the monsters for making Maa even more paranoid. Well cannot blame her as she had to excuse herself just now to take care of them.
I was in a waiting room with a few model kids and their parents who were hovering around them.
I was dressed in a silk lavender gown that made my eyes look even more vibrant. It dragged across the floor in waves if I got up. My hair was styled in a messy bun, few red strands escaping artfully. Thankfully they had just put on some tinted red balm on my lips to make them pop and a dab of shimmer on my eyes.
I sat in the corner of the room on a small loveseat lost in my own head when I felt someone sit beside me.
I tilted my head to the side to find an adorable boy looking at me with his bright eyes. He would surely grow up to be a looker with that sunny blond hair, bronze skin, perfectly symmetrical features and those eyes which looked a bright blue with flecks of gold. He was dressed in a suit with a silk lavender tie matching mine.
My eyes narrowed slightly, that eyes weren't like normal mortals. Another demigod maybe?
He raised an eyebrow, that action was cute, I admit I was reluctantly charmed. He seemed to understand it and flashed me a pearly white grin. It was blinding like the sun.
Now I was downright alarmed.
I remembered only one God having the ability to smile like that, who looked the way the boy did, but I couldn't say anything so I just stared at him.
He pouted and was that a dimple on one of his cheeks? That's not playing fair so I did the same. I widened my eyes and pasted a shy hesitant smile on my face, one that made my dimples pop.
He looked stunned before he chuckled, "You are cute, little Anarchy."
Now it was my time to be shocked, "I apologise whatever do you mean, calling me by that nickname?"
He smiled and it was a mysterious one, one that made him seem like the millennia old being he was, "Your name is Anaya right? That means without any superior. Anarchy is derived from the Greek word αναρχια meaning 'without archons' is a word that has more than one meaning. ... For instance, when there is no leader, or when nobody has power over everyone. The rejection of hierarchy."
The alarm bells were ringing harder and faster, blaring louder in my head as I replied mildly, "It also has a lot of different meanings, it also means bad luck or misfortune you realise?"
He was grinning at me, "Ah but Anarchy can be either good or bad, are you sure you are fixed on determining its meaning is a bad one?"
I was flabbergasted, was this a warning? Did the God of Prophecy see something about me?
I didn't let that expression show though as I scoffed acting as if I was talking to another child, "How do you know so much about my name? Stalker much? Besides being all wordy with me won't impress me."
He was chuckling now as he quipped back, "Only to those who capture my interest. Besides you understood each and every word I said." His eyes were knowing and my thoughts screamed how could I forget that he was also the God of knowledge?
I didn't let anything show, rebuffing him gently, "I really am sorry but I do not understand the point you are trying to make."
He had a fond look on his face as if my stubborn insistence of being unable to understand him was making him like me all the more.
He leaned and I beat down that instinct to flinch as he poked me on one of my dimples, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, your name after all also means 'God answers'."
I looked at his gently smiling face and mustered my courage and poked him right back on the singular dimple he had and answered, "Then I will await those answers."
He looked completely stunned at my gesture.
He glanced at me unreadably and for a moment I wondered whether he was thinking of smiting me for my insolence but then he threw his head back and laughed wholeheartedly. It was a beautiful sound filling me with warmth.
"I really look forward to our future encounters." He said with a wide grin before disappearing altogether.
His entrance and exit were so inconspicuous that if I hadn't had the foreknowledge I wouldn't even have considered that the child beside me was the God Apollo.