The Shadow Rose

In the beginning, there were the gods. All sorts of gods; Greek, Roman, Hindu, Norse, and the rest. The people lived in order, loyal to the gods they believed so deeply in. They grew their own wheat, milled it, and turned it into bread by hand. They drank from their hands and depended on the nature gods for survival. Simple clothes were worn for the sake of protection, and they were educated on how their little section of the planet worked. Gifts were given to the humans for being so blissfully peaceful. Fire, stomachs that defended them from the bacteria in their water, the ability to evolve. The gods watched the humans with clasped fingers and smiles as they slowly began to grow on their own. Every few centuries, they allowed someone special into the world to pique everyone's interests. Alexander the Great. Muhammad. Mansa Musa. Prince Shotoku. Charlemagne. Genghis Khan. Queen Elizabeth I. Galileo. Isaac Newton. Mozart. Albert Einstein. Beyoncé.

And it was all going very well. People changed. Culture evolved, and not many took heed of the gods anymore. That was of no concern, the gods no longer spent every waking moment watching them either. Technology advanced at great levels, thanks to the collaboration of a few gods during a bout of inspiration. Wholesome, organic food regained popularity, to the urging of Demeter and Ceres. A love and caring for the earth was developed. There were a few issues here and there, a few wars and fights, but human perseverance shone through in the end. All the great heroes came and went. The heroes at the time of the worst destruction were a group of seven: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang. The death and terror happened right in front of their eyes, and the hatred of the world they thought they had fixed broke out. The gods had no control over any of it, not over the dark and powerful forces the humans had inflicted upon themselves. The special people sent by the gods in desperation were shot down, both figuratively and literally.

Finally, culture kickstarted, but it wasn't the same as before. Everything was plastic, synthetic. It hadn't gone the way the gods had hoped. Everyone smiled, but the eye crinkle of a genuine smile was nowhere to be found. The better people existed, but they hid in fear of what awaited. The experimentation began. They asked - begged - for the gods to aid them. Exhausted but determined, they agreed. Four people were designed, and they were watched. Their inevitable meeting would come someday, as they were all chosen for a purpose. Each knew nothing of the other three, not even of their existence. They were petals of different sizes, shapes, colors, ideas, and sorrows, yet they were connected to the same flower, the same stem. All if their emotions and actions were unpredictable, but the risk would be worth it in the end. Mission Shadow Rose, surrounded by the four Petals.

Notes

Note: unedited.