The Ultimate Sacrifice Pt. 04

My intent was to makes this a four part story.Alas, it hasn't worked out that way.To wrap this up would have required a number of short cuts.I have to tell the complete story, no halfway measures.

This episode starts to focus on the conflict between the Olympians and the Annunnaki.However, Josephine and Hector's relationship continues to evolve.If you're looking for hot sex, may I suggest another story.This story contains a huge dose of ancient mythology, philosophy and theology mixed in with some action, forgiveness and redemption.

All characters, but one, are well over the age of 18.The exception to that rule is in a body that's less than three months old, but has the DNA of a 60 year old.

If this is the first time you've come upon it, you might want to read parts one through three first.

If you've hung in with me to this point, thank you.Please feel free to vote and comment.

Thank you for reading and enjoy The Ultimate Sacrifice -- Part 04

How The Ultimate Sacrifice -- 03 Ended

"I know how to kill the Aannunnaki and the being who murdered Ares. I assume you overheard the conversation we were just having concerning my ability to interact with a living being's soul."

Zeus simply nodded.

"I can direct any soul to leave any living being as well. By removing Anu's soul from his current body, I effectively remove the threat."

Zeus asks, "But he will just be reborn and at some point in the future become a threat again. Can you destroy the soul?"

I responded, "The soul is pure energy and cannot be destroyed, but only transferred to a different state. We have established that it is possible for a soul to have a conscious thought and the free will to act on it and also to direct itself to a new fetus of its choosing. I have to assume Ares had both a conscious thought and free will to act on it in order to enter Josephine's fetus at the moment of impregnation. That would make two known cases of conscious thought and free will. We don't know how many others have occurred; however, they appear to be very rare, and thus highly improbable.

Hades added, "If Anu's soul is evil, reborn he could reek havoc on another planet's society. His damage would be limited. If Hector could identify what body Anu's soul enters, we could monitor his or her life and further mitigate any future threat."

Josephine asks, "Could you do the same with his weapon?"

I looked at her, "As long as his weapon has a soul, I should. But if not, we'll figure out another solution."

Aphrodite, "You need a complete orientation to what I did design into your body, before you start sending souls into the afterlife."

"Yes Dr. Frankenstein" I said with a smile.

Josephine asked, "Do you have an idea how to get close enough to the Annunnaki to accomplish this?"

I respond, "Zeus mentioned earlier there is a spy among us. I know who it is and how to use him to get me close to the Annunnaki."

And Now... The Ultimate Sacrifice -- Part 04

Chapter sixteen - Traitor Among Us

"Zeus, if you would please assemble the Olympians in the library, I will bring the spy to you." Zeus nodded and I vanished.

All of the Olympians were anxiously assembled. Zeus paced the floor, nervously waiting for my return. The other Olympians had never seen him like this. How could Anu's spy have eluded them for so long...on the Olympus!? Everyone understood the seriousness of Anu's threat to destroy them. Panic, fear and paranoia engulfed everyone, putting a stranglehold on the room.

I appeared in the center of the room. With me stood Aristaeus. Zeus is first shocked and bewildered. Aristaeus is his grandson, there must be some mistake. But he knows me well enough to know I wouldn't accuse someone without being certain. Then Aristaeus' treachery begins to stir deep within him. His anger slowly boils, rising to the surface. When he spoke only one word left his lips.

"Why?" His eyes began to electrify, threatening to unleash death.

Aristaeus's stood silent, his head hung low, arms crossed in front of him.

Apollo looked horrified. He stood as if he wanted to go to Aristaeus and try to make everyone believe that I was wrong or this was some awful mistake.

Aristaeus remained silent, staring at the ground.

Zeus took a step forward and yelled thunderously, "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!? WHY!!?" His eyes were now bright white.

Apollo turned towards Zeus, "FATHER...PLEASE!"

Zeus turned his head in anger towards Apollo, "DID YOU KNOW!?" Sparks began to fly.

Apollo desperately responded, "NO FATHER, I DID NOT... BUT HE'S MY SON! There must be an explanation."

Zeus thundered, "THEN WHY ISN'T HE ANSWERING THE QUESTION!?"

Apollo turned toward his son, "ARISTAEUS, PLEASE! EXPLAIN HOW THIS IS ALL A MISTAKE!" Apollo's desperation was obvious.

Aristaeus slowly looked up and directed his gaze towards Apollo, "It's true father, I have betrayed the Olympians." He immediately dropped his head to the floor.

Apollo crumbled to his knees. Tears streaming down his face. His head bent forward, supported by his hands covering his shame.

I calmly interjected, "Aristaeus, please answer Zeus' question. The truth will be revealed, lets not make this anymore unpleasant than necessary."

Aristaeus looked into my eyes with anger, jealousy and contempt, "You're an abomination! You'll never be one of us. You're going to die at the hands of Lord Anu!" Venom dripped from his lips.

Apollo looked up aghast at the words his son just spoke, "Lord Anu?" When he looked at Aristaeus, for the first time he saw a stranger. Sadness overcame the ancient god of truth and prophecy.

I was unnerved, "By one of us, you're not referring to Olympians are you?"

Aristaeus just sneered.

I calmly continued, "You mean Annunnaki."

Aristaeus snapped, "YES! The Annunnaki are the true rulers of the universe! Lord Anu will destroy the Olympus and all of you pretenders! He will take the greatest pleasure in bringing your retched body to an end!"

There was a collective gasp throughout the room.

I simply responded, "Thank you for the clarification."

Then I looked at Zeus, his eyes still glowing, waiting to release death, "I'd like to request Aristaeus be escorted to Aphrodite's lab, made comfortable and given a sedative to relax."

Zeus looked very surprised at my request, even shocked. The danger in his eyes abated. He had grown to trust Bob Davis' judgement. Even though I called myself Hector now, he knew Bob was still in there.

Zeus called for some guards (where the hell have they been hiding?) to escort Aristaeus to Aphrodite's laboratory. Aphrodite accompanied them.

Once they were gone, I looked at the group, "It appears Anu's weapon can not only kill an Olympian, but can also control ones mind to do Anu's will."

Apollo looked at me lost and confused, "Are you telling us, Aristaeus is under some sort of spell?"

"His mind is under their control. The neurotoxin that killed Ares apparently has multiple applications. I've asked Aphrodite to conduct a complete examination. I fear if I can't eradicate the neurotoxin from his body and Anu finds out he has been compromised, they will modify its effects and kill him."

Athena, "How do you know all of this?"

I replied, "I can sense and see it's effects on him. Part of the new me, I guess." I shrugged my shoulders.

I turned to Hephaestus, "Hephaestus, has Aristaeus been off the Olympus since I arrived?"

Hephaestus looked at a tablet, "Only Poseidon, Demeter and Hermès have been off the ship since he and Apollo brought you and Josephine here."

"Has he been able to communicate with anyone off the Olympus?"

Hephaestus searched for any communications, originating from the Olympus, whether on an authorized network or any illegal one. He then altered his search to determine if any form of communication had been received, originating outside of the Olympus. Finally he looked at me, "There were several attempts to send messages from an unknown source, but since Zeus ordered a blackout, none were successful."

I thought for a moment, "Good, I don't think Anu knows what's happened to me yet. The neurotoxin also appears to create a link between its victim and their weapon; however, the Olympus' protective shielding inhibits the connection. So we can assume they know about me and that I was brought to the Olympus, but not what has happened since."

Zeus, "So you also know what type of being this weapon is?"

I replied, "Well I know who the weapon is, not sure of what "type of being" she is. She is so ancient, I'm not sure we'll ever know where she's originally came from. Has anyone here ever heard of Lilith?"

Surprisingly, Demeter answered, "I've heard of various Earth legends concerning Lilith. Some think she was Adam's first wife before Eve (Genesis 1:27), leaving the Garden of Eden and refusing to return after having coitus with the archangel Samael. In Sumerian and Akkadian literature she is described as a demon of the night. More recent tales even make her out to be the first vampire."

I replied, "Very good, but she is no demon or vampire. I have no idea if she was Adam's first wife, but I highly doubt it. The fact is, she is a real, living and very dangerous being. Anu used her early on in his conquest of Earth. Lilith helped Anu alter the population's DNA, making the humans more useful for his purposes. Once the humans submitted to his will, Anu and Lilith had a falling out and she left the planet. Maybe that's where the biblical legend originated."

"Had she been at Anu's side during the Olympian/Annunnaki war, Anu would have surely prevailed. They reconciled their differences, to some degree, just before Ares was killed. Now Anu is turning his revenge against Earth and Zeus. Lilith appears to be along for the ride. As long as she stays interested, she'll be a very serious threat to all of us."

Zeus asked, "I'm sorry for being redundant, but how do you know all of this?"

I answered, "Aristaeus' connection to Lilith includes her thoughts and memories. Plus, apparently Aphrodite gave me far more knowledge than I had before. The combination enables me to arrive at conclusions I was previously incapable of drawing. My deductive reasoning appears to be off the charts."

Aphrodite appeared again, "That I can take credit for. Hector has all the knowledge we possess and the ability to effectively harness it."

Apollo asked, "How is Aristaeus?"

Aphrodite answered, "He was very agitated, but he is resting now and will continue to do so until we can neutralize the effects of the neurotoxin."

I interjected, "I have another idea, but it's kinda risky."

Josephine had a worried look on her face.

I continued, "If Aphrodite could implant some different memories into Aristaeus. Those memories would describe the worst case scenario of my transfer, that it failed and I died. We have to operate under the assumption that Lilith knew what y'all were planning, just not it's outcome. If Anu believes the experiment failed, it might give us a temporary edge."

You could tell the squirrels were working overtime in Aphrodite's gorgeous head. "I believe I could arrange that."

Poseidon asked, "And once this false information has been fed to Anu, what's the plan?"

Apollo adds, "And what happens to Aristaeus?"

"I've created a back door connection with Aristaeus. Think of it as computer virus that can attack the effects of the neurotoxin. Timing is the issue. I can't begin to neutralize its effects until we've obtained the information we need. The risky part is if Lilith detects it before I can disable its impact on Aristaeus. I might be able to defend Aristaeus, but I can't be certain. Additionally, with this connection, I will be able to see and hear what Aristaeus sees and hears. My hope is he is privy to Anu's plans. That would be our edge. We could ensure that our defenses are ready for when, where and how the attack will come."

Athena asks, "How have you adopted to your body's capabilities so quickly?"

"Aphrodite apparently out did herself. It's like I've lived in this body my whole life, not just a matter of hours. So far everything I've been able to do has just come naturally. However, I discover new things about myself almost constantly. It's been quite an experience."

Aphrodite quietly says, "Very interesting."

Chapter seventeen -- Preparations

"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected ."
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The group adjourned. Apollo accompanied Aphrodite to where she was treating Aristaeus. Hephaestus with the help of Athena and Hermès went to accelerate the efforts to fortify the Olympus. Hades and Poseidon went to Hades' villa and catch Poseidon up on everything that has occurred. Zeus, Artemis, Demeter, and Josephine retired to Zeus' villa.

I joined Aphrodite and Apollo in the laboratory. Aristaeus was sleeping comfortably and Apollo was sitting next to him. When I first met Apollo his face was young looking and full of joy. Now he looked much older and sadness replaced the joy.

I walked over to Aphrodite. I still had to look up to talked to her. Standing next to her reminded me just how beautiful and sensual she was. Our relationship had evolved to one of a partnership, even friends, but it was still difficult not to see the goddess of love and beauty.

"Before you get started on Aristaeus, would you mind giving a crash course on my new body?"

She looked down and smiled, "I think with the speed things are transpiring, that would be an excellent idea."

She spent the time necessary to describe how she developed the body I currently inhabited. Because of my enhanced intellect, I understood and absorbed the information much faster. Although she didn't know what my potential gifts would be. She did tell me I was composed of a blend of ALL the Olympians' DNA. Therefore, in her opinion, my potential could possibly be limitless. That's kinda frightening, if you think about it. We both agreed I would have to evolve and discover my gifts, over time or as situations dictate.

Finally she said, "I think that covers it, unless you have more questions. I should start working on Aristaeus' memories."

I agreed. Before I left, I looked again at Apollo. He hadn't moved since I arrived. I started to say something to him, but decided to leave him with his son. I thanked Aphrodite for her time and transported myself to Zeus' villa.

I found a room full of tension. Zeus was pacing and looked frustrated. He adjusted his focus to me and asked, "How could I not have seen what happened to Aristaeus? I can't keep making mistakes!"

I scolded him, "Zeus, you need to stop beating yourself up and focus on the problems in front of us. We need your leadership not your self admonishment."

The ladies looked at me like I was out of my fucking mind. No one...NO ONE, talked to Zeus like that. They were all worried at how he would react. It wouldn't be the first time the king of the gods struck out emotionally. That usually ended with deadly consequences.

Zeus' face changed expressions. He visibly calmed down, "Hector is right. If we make it through this fight, there will be plenty of time for self reflection."

You could have knocked Artemis over with a feather.

"I need to get physically close to Lilith, without her perceiving me as a threat." I returned to the problem at hand.

Demeter asked what everyone was thinking, "Do you have any idea how you could accomplish that trick?"

"I need to be dead and Aristaeus needs to be able to steal my body and deliver it to Lilith." I added matter of factly.

Josephine blurted, "That's a horrible idea!"

I turned to her, looked deep into her eyes and held both of her hands, "My love, I have no intentions of losing you. You're going to have to trust me."

She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed me, "I'll try, but I still don't like it."

Addressing the group again, "I seem to possess many of the gifts y'all have. One is Hades' gift of occupying the space between the living and the light. While in that state, my body will appear dead, since technically my soul will be in limbo. I'll talk with Hades and test out this theory and try to determine how long I can stay in that state." I was making this shit up as I go. Not the best way to develop an operational plan.

Josephine wasn't happy but wasn't going to argue, at this point.

Zeus asked, "If you're successful, how do we get you and Aristaeus back?"

I responded, "I'm still working on an exit strategy."

Truthfully, I was working on a lot of things, including the new me. It was mind blowing that I could just think of something and it became a reality. My extremely heightened senses also seemed to be guiding me in various directions. For example, the first time Josephine and I were alone, after my rebirth, I could sense something about her that wasn't there before. As I concentrated on that feeling, I heard a voice which turned out to be Ares speaking on behalf of her soul. I found I could communicate with her soul. Ares was able to teach me how to eliminate the Annunnaki threat by removing their souls from their physical form. He told me I had to quit thinking about their "physical bodies" and concentrate on their "spiritual bodies."

Later I started hearing the thoughts of everyone on the Olympus. I wasn't trying to invade anyone's privacy, I was just getting bombarded by them. One of the many voices came from Aristaeus. I learned, in short order, how to focus on specific thoughts and block the rest. My newly acquired talents allowed me to investigate Aristaeus deeper and that's how I discovered Lilith's control over him. He had been frustrated at not being able to get a message to Lilith. His frustration is what led me to his deception.

My interactions with Ares and Aristaeus also confirmed one important issue for me. The Olympians have been totally honest with me in regards to their motive, intent and the threat that faces them. I never really questioned it, but since I had not met Anu or any other Annunnaki, I was only getting one side of the story. If anything, they underestimated the threat caused by Lilith. She had to be dealt with first. I was going to need some serious help.

I transported myself to Hades' villa. He and Poseidon were sitting, deep in discussion. "I'm sorry to intrude. I need Hades assistance with a theory, but if this is a bad time..."

Poseidon responded, "No, it's quite alright Hector. We are both at your disposal."

I proceeded to explain my plan, so far, to the two ancient gods.

Hades explained that he could reside in the space between the light and the living for a limited amount of time. After awhile, he would begin to feel confused and weakened. Even the light drew him in. He always feared if he stayed there too long, he would be lost forever. The time frame, he described, wasn't sufficient for what I was planning. Now the question was, did this limitation also apply to me?

Poseidon inquired that if my deception worked, would I be able to also defend Aristaeus while I was in the "soul state."