A fan fic by Caleyndar.
Rating PG.

Notes: This chapter takes place straight after Endymion finds
out that his Father sill lives. It also introduces the four 
generals; Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite.
	Once again, thanks to those who have e-mailed me. If 
you have any questions concerning the story, or the elements
contained within it, please e-mail me. I'll be happy to 
answer them for you.
	Please note, my e-mail address has changed to:

	caleyndar@tac.com.au

	Also, I apoligise for not answering some e-mails as I
had problems sending replies (Princess Serena <yhkim@idirect.com>).
If I didn't answer any others, I'm sorry, as you probably sent 
them to my old e-mail address, and I no longer use it.
	One other thing. If you wish to talk to me through ICQ,
my number is 26786123, or you can search for me by my handle, 
which is "Caleyndar", or by my current e-mail address.

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me; only the
few I make up. The story, however, is mine.


The Name Endymion...

Part Two: A Deeper Truth...

Chapter Five...

	With those two words, my mind was knocked back to 
reality. All other thoughts left me, and I felt as if I had 
been pushed off a cliff and had just landed, smashing into 
the rocky ground.
	Wasn't he dead? My mind was screaming at me. He died! 
	I stared at Armand, unbelieving. 
	"My Father," I finally whispered. "You said he was 
dead."
	Armand made no reply. 
	"Why did you lie?" I demanded. "Why couldn't you have 
said from the beginning my Father was still alive? Why let me 
think all along that my Father was dead?"
	Silence.
	"Answer me, damn it!" I shouted at him. 
	"Because he wanted me to. Now be silent, Endymion. 
Throw all your accusing questions at him," Armand said in a 
deathly tone.
	"And what about what Lestat said? About you wanting 
me to kill Serenity," I asked.
	"It's the truth. Do you want to know why? Because 
when Queen Selenity destroyed your kingdom, she killed my 
maker and my child. Marius, who gave me my immortal form and 
rescued me from a life of suffering and loved me. And Daniel, 
the only vampire I ever created. I loved them both, and she 
killed them. Do you understand now why I want her daughter 
dead?" Armand asked. "I want her to feel the pain I suffer 
every waking moment!" 
	I narrowed my eyes and did not answer.
	We walked at a swift pace to Armand's throne room. 
	A pain clutched me heart. I was going to meet my 
Father. What would I say to him? God, I wanted to see him; 
my Father. But I felt angered. Anger for him at leaving me 
on Earth, for knowing that I was alive but never coming to 
me. 
	The doors opened to Armand's throne room. As I 
entered, I let my armour and flowing cape cover me. The 
symbol appeared on my head; the black earth and the silver 
moon surrounding it. 
	Five figures stood in the near centre of the huge 
room. A tall, well built man in his early forties stood 
dressed in similar clothing as I, and when Armand and I 
entered, his eyes locked immediately onto mine. They were a 
deep blue, much like mine had been.
	He smiled at me. A thin lipped smile that did not 
reach his eyes. I knew that he was my father. Something just 
told me it was so. King Ares of the once powerful Earth 
Kingdom, now no doubt the secret leader of the Dark Earth 
Kingdom. 
	Armand and I stopped when we were a few paces away 
from the God of War. I bowed to him in a manner that did not 
give him any respect.
	"It is nice to finally meet you, Father. It seems a 
miracle that you're suddenly alive," I said, returning the 
cool smile. Hate was boiling inside of me. How I wanted to 
lash out at this man. 
	"Understand something, Endymion," Ares said coldly. 
"I ordered Armand not to tell you of my existence because I 
am believed to be dead, and I can not risk loosing that 
advantage. And realise that the enemy remains the same; the 
Moon Kingdom who destroyed our kingdom, and the Black Moon 
Kingdom which is allianced with them. Never forget those who 
caused the destruction of your home," he continued, getting 
straight to the point.
	"And what about me?" I demanded. "You abandoned me 
on a back water world for fifteen years. Fifteen years! It 
may have been nice, but do you know the pain I've gone 
through?"
	"Your Mother left you on that planet so you would 
not be hurt nor trained to fight against us. She was only 
trying to protect you then. But know this, my son. She would 
not tell me where she had sent you so that I could retrieve 
you, and she would not! Hate her for that, not me!" Ares 
said. 
	"Are you saying my Mother is still alive?" I asked, 
shocked once more.
	"Yes. But like myself, she is believed to be dead. 
She rules what remains of the Earth Kingdom now. And she 
remains neutral. She does not care what others have done to 
us. Destroyed all that we had, and she does nothing!" Ares 
exclaimed in an angered but low voice.
	I fell silent. What could I have said? Did I hate my 
Mother now? God, I was confused! 
	"And what do you want of me now?" I asked, tried of 
this conversation.
	"I want you to become my son again. Love me if you 
want, and hate me if you wish, but you are still my flesh 
and blood," Ares said. "And I want you to fight with me. To 
destroy our enemies as they so thoughtlessly wiped out our 
people and homes."
	"You want me to kill Serenity," I stated. 
	"Yes," Ares said. A short answer, and straight to 
the point.
	"It'll be my pleasure," I replied with a evil smile. 
My black eyes gleamed with hate. Her kingdom may not have 
killed my parents, but it was still responsible for 
destroying my kingdom and sentencing me to a life which was 
now filled with anger and pain. 
	He smiled. Cruelly, as if he approved of what I said 
but did not. 
	God, how I hated this man! What did it matter who he 
was? He was no one;  not my Father, not my creator. Just some 
war lord who wanted me to kill someone. And did I want that? 
Of course I did. I wanted her dead. And if that meant helping 
Ares, then so be it. 
	I returned his cold smiled, and bowed again, 
mockingly. He could take my actions any way he liked. I may 
be his son in flesh and blood, but by God, or who ever ruled 
up there, he was not a father. My Father was back on Earth 
somewhere.
	"So what now?" I asked, standing up, a sneer on my 
face. 
	"I want you to meet your personal guards; your 
generals," Ares replied, stepping back and gesturing to the 
four figures that stood behind him. 
	I let my eyes take in their profiles. They were 
young, perhaps the same age as I, maybe a little older. I 
couldn't tell, not the way they stood, the way they were 
dressed. All four of them stood to attention, eyes staring 
straight ahead, their uniforms immaculate. 
	"Kunzite is the high general, the leader," Ares 
continued, gesturing to the young man standing closest to 
him. Long straight silver hair fell to the small of his back, 
and his eyes were a silver grey. Both of this features 
contrasted greatly with his dark skin.
	The general bowed to me, looking me straight in the 
eye. No emotion clouded his face, just a neutral expression 
that was almost unsettling.
	"Second in command is Jadeite," Ares's voice said.
	The next general in the line bowed to me. A soft 
smile played on his lips, and his blue eyes were twinkling 
with mischief as they looked at me. His blonde hair was cut 
short, but was long enough to make him look smart, almost 
cunning.
	"Nephrite is the third general, and Zoisite the 
fourth," Ares finished.
	The two generals bowed as their names were said.
	Nephrite gave me a small grim smile as he stood back 
up. His green eyes locked onto mine for a moment, looking out 
from under his mane of long wavy brown hair.
	Zoisite, the youngest looking of the four, and the 
smallest in physical build, only stared into my dark eyes, 
not smiling. His eyes were a pale green, and his long curly 
hair was strawberry blonde and tied back loosely with a 
ribbon.
	"They have been trained for their positions since 
the day they were born. They are the best in the entire Dark 
Earth Kingdom, and they will serve you well. The Loyalty 
Ceremony will be held tomorrow without delay," Ares said and 
turned and vanished without another word. The four generals 
followed their king, silent, never making a sound nor 
speaking a word.
	Armand and I were alone again, standing in the 
immense room. He walked swiftly past me and sat down in his 
throne with a sigh. "Unfortunately for you, Endymion, your 
Father is a man that will never take no for an answer. And 
learn quickly that he is not one to be crossed. I am sorry I 
did not tell you from the beginning that your Father and 
Mother were still alive. I used that lie to make you feel 
hatred for Serenity and her mother. And I shouldn't have. 
Lestat was right. It seems he always is."
	"It doesn't matter now," I answered, walking up to 
him. "What's done is done, and I still hate her. Revenge 
will be delt out to her and her loved ones. And Armand, 
despite the fact that Ares is my Father, and that his blood 
runs through me, I dislike him very much. He's no father, 
just a blood thirsty monster. And to tell the truth, I do 
not care if I cross him."
	"He is the God of War, Endymion. He created you, he 
can kill you. Don't ever anger him or cross him. Behave has 
he wishes; as an obedient son. Your time will come. 
Everything he has will one day belong to you. Why risk all 
that because of a foolish emotion?" Armand asked.
	"Because all I have left is emotion. Pure hatred. 
See my eyes? My symbol? Black, Armand. Black for hate. Hate 
for Serenity, her kingdom, and now my parents for sentencing 
me to a life filled with nothing but hate," I answered, 
glaring at him.
	"Hate is a powerful thing. Don't waste it. Do as I 
ask. Do what Ares wants of you," Armand replied softly. 
"Sometimes I wish I was never Born to Darkness, that I had 
never been given the Dark Gift. At least I would be dead, 
and I wouldn't have to suffer this. I've lived to long."
	Both of us fell silent then. The throne room seemed 
too desolate suddenly, so frighteningly large and empty. The 
dragon columns seemed to push down apon us, and stare at us 
with their jewel eyes. The painting on the ceiling did the 
same. They almost moved.
	"What is this Loyalty Ceremony Ares spoke of?" I 
asked finally, breaking the still silence.
	Armand gave off a small laugh. "Something you will 
not like, my dear friend."
	"And what is that suppose to mean?" I asked, suddenly 
fearing the answer.
	"Perhaps you should ask Louis. He is the scholar more 
than Lestat or I ever was. He would be able to explain it 
better," Armand said, and quickly took his exit.
	"Great," I muttered, and teleported to Nick's rooms.
	Nick was in his study, writing about something or 
other. I watched him for a little while, observing his tidy 
little study, listening to the music he had playing. Nothing
I knew, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't unlike the music 
David and Luke had liked so much, the heavy metal and techo.
	I entered the small room and looked over his 
shoulder, reading what he wrote. It seemed to be a diary he 
kept. Nick noticed me and gave a start, obviously having 
only just seen me.
	"Don't do that!" he exclaimed, slamming his book 
shut at the same time.
	"Sorry," I said, a little sheepishly. "This has been 
a long day," I sighed, half sitting and half leaning on his 
desk. "You know how I thought my parents are dead?" I asked. 
"Well, it seems they are alive. I just met my Father, and he 
is apparently divorced. He's the leader of the Dark Earth 
Kingdom, and my Mother is the leader of the Earth Kingdom. 
I'm just glad they aren't at war."
	"That would have been a shock," Nick replied, calm 
now. 
	"It's not all. I just met my four body guards, and 
tomorrow, I have something called a Loyalty Ceremony, and 
Armand said I wasn't going to like it," I continued.
	"It can't be that bad. You've probably been through 
a lot worse. By the way, Darien, your symbol is still 
showing," Nick said, standing up and walking into the 
kitchen. "You want a drink or something to eat?" he asked as 
he started making himself something.
	I made the symbol disappear and replied that I would 
have to be leaving to speak with Louis. After all, I did not 
want to go into this ceremony tomorrow blind.
	The library was silent as usual when I entered. The 
walls filled with volumes of leather bound books seemed to 
close in on me. From were I stood, they seemed to stretch 
forever towards the heavens. I was standing in a canyon of 
books.
	"A pile of dust," a voice said from the shadows.
	I turned, seeking out the source.
	"That was what Lestat called them. When I first met 
him, and when we came here. A pile of dust," Louis continued, 
stepping out into the light. He gave a gentle laugh before 
speaking again. "Armand said you wanted to talk to me."
	I did not reply at first. This was the first time he 
and I had been alone together. He was tall, and from him 
emitted a strong presence. His bright green eyes seemed to 
see right through my skin and flesh, and into my dark soul. 
Like Lestat, he was dressed in elegant cloths. The white 
silk shirt he wore was the same colour as his skin.
	"Yes," I heard the word pass my lips. "Armand told 
me you could enlighten me about this Loyalty Ceremony 
tomorrow."
	"Ah," Louis said. He moved slowly with the grace of 
a dancer to the tables in the middle of the room. "If you 
were a vampire, you may even enjoy it. I know Lestat would. 
But a mortal? They would think it sickening." Louis paused, 
looking up at me, eyes probing. He pulled a chair out and 
sat down, careful not to crease his dress coat.
	I followed suit, sitting down across from him. "So 
what is it?" 
	"A curse," Louis replied simply.
	I frowned, not understanding.
	"Perhaps to you, but also to those it binds to you," 
Louis explained. "I take it you've met your generals, your 
body guards? The ceremony tomorrow will devote their loyalty 
to you. It is more of a magical spell than anything else. 
The exchange of blood connects your spirit to theirs so that 
they will be able to sense your feelings; danger, fear. It 
also makes them loyal to you and only you; they will never 
be able to betray or hurt you."
	"And what is this exchange of blood?" I asked, not 
liking the sound of that.
	"They will cut themselves, and you will drink a 
small amount of their blood," Louis replied slowly, watching 
my reaction carefully. 
	"I have to drink blood?" I asked, more than a little 
horrified.
	"As I said before, you will not enjoy it. But it 
must be done. Better than to have them betray you in the 
future, even if they do not wish it," Louis answered. "And 
the amount of blood is not much. Just a few droplets at the 
most. Just a taste."
	I stood up, my mouth dry. "Well, I guess I have no 
choice. And it'll be over be this time tomorrow." I tried to 
smile, but the thought of having to drink blood left me too 
shocked. I thanked Louis for his time and teleported back to 
my rooms, wondering why in Hell I even had to do this. If 
Ares wanted me to have body guards, then alright, I'll have 
body guards, but was this ceremony really necessary? I was 
not looking forward to tomorrow.
	It was already late. After eating dinner and 
showering, I wanted nothing but to sleep. Everything else 
could wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow and tomorrow and 
tomorrow.
	"Endymion, get up," a voice snapped in my ear.
	My eyes slipped open, staring up into dark blue ones. 
One name came to me. Ares. Sleep washed off me as if I never 
closed my eyes. He moved back, watching my ever move with 
calm, cold eyes. How could this emotionless man have ever 
loved my Mother enough to conceive me? I glared back at him, 
my own eyes narrow, a bitter expression on my face. 
	I got up, succumbing to his command. With a flash of 
blue and silver light, I was clothed in the silver armour and 
black uniform, the red and black cape flowing like black 
cascading water down my back. My hair was neat, the symbol 
bright apon my forehead. The black earth and silver moon. 
	Why the moon and earth together? If we were at war, 
then why were the two symbols interlocked together, forever 
staring back at me from my forehead? Words came back to me; 
'we share the same soul' and 'the Earth and Moon, locked 
together forever'. I shook the strange thought out of my 
head, and returned my focus to Ares, who stood there, 
watching me stare mindlessly at myself in the full length 
mirror in my room.
	"Alright, let's go," I said coldly to him.
	Together we teleported to a place I had never been 
before. Whether we were still on Armand's space station or 
not, I could not tell, but I doubted it. Cold stone walls 
surrounded me, and enormous doors with a carving of the earth 
was centred on them. Two blazing torches marked the entrance 
in the other wise lightless hallway. Darkness flooded the 
corridor behind me, and all that was in front of me was 
these two doors. 
	Ares stood beside me, dressed in his own armour. 
"When the doors open, go in," he said, eyes locked onto the 
doors. With that, he vanished. 
	I felt uneasy. This place was foreign to me, and I 
was venerable. I had never been within the Dark Earth 
Kingdom, and I already did not like it. From where I stood, 
all I saw of it was darkness. I closed my eyes, awaiting for 
the doors to open.
	The hall was warm, well lit. People walked down it, 
smiling, laughing. Candles apon the walls lit the corridor 
at every turn. There was the sound of people singing 
somewhere. And the distinct feeling of happiness, 
contentment, emitted from this place.
	I opened my eyes. So this place had once been great. 
And now it was reduced to this. Another reason to hate you, 
Serenity, and your kingdom which ordered the destruction of 
mine.
	The doors opened. It was pitch black inside. My eyes 
slowly adjusted to the darkness, and I could see faint 
outlines everywhere. Cautiously I passed through the doorway. 
Twin rows of candles suddenly came to life, lighting the path 
I must take. Their light showed only the path; I could still 
see nothing beyond them. They flickered wildly as if a cold 
breeze inhabited this mysterious room.
	Suddenly, the twin rows of candles died, leaving me 
in a smothering darkness. I swallowed uncomfortably, not 
knowing what was to happen next, or what I should do. It was 
so silent, so still. And I merely stood in the middle of it 
all, waiting for my fate. 
	A faint melody could be heard, so soft, but was 
slowly growing in magnitude. It was a haunting tune, almost 
ghostly. Two rings of light appeared. They were the flames 
on candles, becoming brighter all the time, but never enough 
to light the room enough for me to see. With the flames, the 
melody changed. As the tiny fires grew stronger, so did the 
tune.
	Then the flames began to move.
	So shocked was I at this that I almost gasped aloud, 
and something told me I must be silent, I must not make a 
sound. Brighter the flames burned, until it lit the outlines 
of those who held it.
	Two circles of dancers held them in their hands, and 
swaying ever so perfectly to the music they were. It all 
suddenly seemed so magical, so beautiful. The two rings of 
light dancing in time with the music. Almost as if you could 
see the music right before your eyes. 
	And then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they had 
gone, dancing away from me in their magical way until their 
light was no more. The haunting tune had also died away, but 
was violently replaced by another melody which brought the 
entire room to light. The torches mounted on the stone wall 
surrounding the room burst to life, illuminating the colossal 
stone room, blinding me with it's intensity. 
	Then all was silent.

End of Part Two, Chapter Five.

