Chapter 2
As Andromeda exhaled, she felt her whole body relax, whole and settled. The power within her stirred, crackling away quietly, a low burning flame. Hidden. She inhaled again and summoned it, feeling it slowly unfurl across her skin, taking over. Then, as she released that breath, she opened her eyes. Full black eyes stared back. Piercing against the dark olive tone of her skin and the long rivulets that framed her face. She looked no older than she had – the perks of being a Goddess – but she felt older, wiser. Wearier, too. The war had taken a toll, bruised her, left scars that ran so deep she didn’t know where they ended. She didn’t want to follow the cracks down into the darkest parts of herself.
There were places even she didn’t dare to go. Some demons better left alone.
A knock at her door disturbed her wandering mind. She glanced at it in the reflection of her mirror.
“Come in!”
The door opened and her eyes returned to normal, her power retreating inside. Nadia peered inside cautiously, a few strands dangling over her owlish expression. She found Andromeda’s gaze, then stepped inside and bowed.
Andromeda frowned. “Don’t bow. Not you, especially.”
Nadia’s gaze flickered up, searching, forcing down questions that would have to be answered later. Maybe not when Andromeda’s grip on her new throne was so tenuous.
“Remus has taken his squad back to the camp. The generals have moved to the war room. Persephone declared she had matters to attend to and left. She didn’t say where, though. No one asked. General Nebiru asked me to let you know this, said a part of you called me friend once,” she said calmly.
Andromeda flinched internally. Nadia had been her friend, kind in times when Fay didn’t deserve that kindness. Now, it seemed, Nadia no longer saw Fay anymore.
“I’m still Fay,” Andromeda found herself saying. “I’m just…more. What I always was. I’m just whole now.”
Her cheeks flushed. She felt silly for having to explain herself, desperate for needing a friend. Someone to speak to without all the ceremony and fear.
“I know,” said Nadia. “But it’s different now. You’re not my squad mate. You’re…well, this.”
Nadia gestured to the refined opulence of Andromeda’s personal room. The polished white stone floors, the stone walls and polished black ceiling, flecked with white gems. It was a permanent night sky in her own room. Even the bed with its plush bedding matched the other seats about the room, the chest and wardrobes. It was a far cry from the reserved and basic air of their tent in the camp.
Andromeda felt a cold chill encircle her heart. She frowned, felt her spirit harden.
“I thought if anyone might see beyond this,” Andromeda said, gesturing to the room like Nadia had, “that it might be you.”
It was a low blow but Andromeda was tired, raw and bruised from all the fighting. She wanted someone to confide in like Nadia but, given that seemed impossible, she resolved herself to go on anyway. There was work to be done.
Nadia said nothing.
“Very well. Come, we have work to do,” declared Andromeda and stalked out of her room.
In the hallway, Nadia hurried after her. “You have need of me?”
“If you can’t see me for who I am, then you can serve me as I need,” she said coldly.
She didn’t miss the way Nadia’s eyes flickered down, guarded, her mouth set into a thin line.
Andromeda said nothing further until they reached the war room. Inside, her generals were gathered around the table. Nebiru stood closest to the door and turned, bowing with a conspiratorial smile fixed on his mouth. The only show of emotion throughout the generals.
She stopped at the doorway, looking at all of them coolly.
“You want to know why I’m doing all of this? What’s the reason for this war?” She turned away from them. “Follow me for the truth.”
The air was choked with the scent of decay and death. The deeper they descended the worse it became, intensified by the rapidly warming air. Even the torches that guided felt like brands on the skin. Even for Hellhounds, the heat and smell were nearly overpowering. For Andromeda, whose very blood sang with the heat, she felt no issue with it.
At the bottom of the steps they reached a plain black door, polished smooth. Etchings of the god’s true tongue, far beyond the understanding of anyone beside Andromeda and Nebiru, marked the door in swirling patterns. Warnings of what lay within.
There was no handle, so Andromeda stepped forward and pressed her palm against the door. It hummed in response to her touch. Unlike before, when she’d visited as a human, it had taken effort and nearly killed her. Opening the door now was akin to breathing and it opened softly. Andromeda drew in a deep breath of the acrid air, then released.
“What is this place?” Nadia asked quietly.
“Quiet hound-“
“This is where the future is seen through clear eyes,” answered Andromeda, cutting off the bark of the general.
She stepped inside and snapped her fingers. Flames flickered to life around the small circular room, illuminating a small stone table within. Two small stone orbs lay atop it…and as the group drew closer, the orbs began to rise. They stopped their ascent a foot above the table, hovering.
The generals drew closer, drawn like moths to the flame. Andromeda summoned her sword and held it out, barring their way. Blinking in confusion, they looked at her.
“Those are the two remaining eyes of the Stygian Witches – their stolen eyes. They hold an ancient power and provide a clear glimpse into the future. Rather than the damaged one the witches now hold,” explained Andromeda.
Nebiru stopped at Andromeda’s side, studying the eyes curiously. “That is how you’ve planned so carefully? You saw the future.”
Andromeda nodded. “I saw what comes if Zeus remains in power. I cannot say what I saw – words wouldn’t do it enough. You all must see.”
One of the generals, a tall Amazonian woman, stared at the eyes sceptically. “How do we know the visions are true?”
“There are some things beyond even my control. These eyes were from the first three elemental beings, predating the Titans themselves. They are as old as time itself. When the elementals were absorbed once more by the void, their eyes remained…and were later found by the new Titans of this world. The Titans warred over these. Three were destroyed. Two were lost. The last was claimed by Kronos, whom gave it to three immortal witches.”
“And the one eye they share between them,” added Nebiru. “How did Hades never know about this?”
Andromeda set her hand to the stone table, which hummed softly in response. “He knew but he could never activate them. They were silent to his presence.” A bemused smile stretched her lips. “They have minds of their own.”
Nebiru peered at the eyes with a new flourish of curiosity. As the new God of War and Order, his mind must’ve spun with the possibilities of future sight. After all, the only other source, when they freed her anyway, would be Io, the Goddess of Fate and Time. In the void, when it had simply been their family and Chaos brooding over them like a moody father, Io had always been aloof and cool. On the few times Andromeda had pried any words from her they were terse, dismissive. In time, she surrendered to the idea Io and she were never to be close.
She looked to the eyes once more. “I ask all of you to set your hands on the table. Whatever happens, do not let go.”
With a murmur of agreement and hands set on the table, Andromeda unfurled her magic within. It stretched out hungrily towards the eyes and with its talons, sank into the magic of the eyes. Darkness dragged her under, swept her rapidly towards the spiralling wash of colour below.
They stopped sharply, hovering mid-air. The Amazonian woman let out a squawk of alarm. Andromeda held out her arms, stabilizing the restless hounds. Nebiru steadied himself with out, flashing a wink her way. Ignoring him, she looked below as the scene that emerged.
A city on fire. It could’ve been any city but as smoked darkened the sky above, skyscrapers burned like pillars of fire, it didn’t matter. Alarms wailed out desperately, calling for aid that wouldn’t come. Screams choked the air. Andromeda slammed up the walls inside of her as the air of death slammed into her. exhaling Deeply, she readied herself for what was about to unfold. She glanced at the others. The old human side of her whispered that she should probably warn them somehow. She stifled the urge. They needed to see what was going to happen. Their minds had to be open, unguarded, going into this. She only hoped that the vision wouldn’t completely dissolve their minds. If it did…
She shook her head.
A great crack of thunder peeled out across the city. A cobweb of lightning flashed the sky. Dread tightened inside her gut like a knife.
Another burst of lightning – with a single bolt remaining locked in the sky.
“Zeus,” whispered Nadia.
The lightning shrank down, revealing the God of Thunder hovering menacingly above the city. In his resplendent white robes, his hair flowing, he didn’t look like the bringer of destruction. He looked radiant, like a saviour.
Zeus raised his hand. Lightning exploded across the sky in dizzying bursts of white light, as if the sky itself was being ripped open. Screams rose into the sky, pleading. A desperate plea that fell on indifferent ears.
The air exploded again with another bang as another bolt – a shorter, compact one appeared in Zeus’s hand.
“The Thunderbolt,” said one of the generals uneasily. “He’s not going-“
Zeus hurled the bolt.
The world flashed white, devouring all else, and silence reigned for one singular moment. A breath was held by the world. Then the world opened its mouth and let out a thundering roar. The light dimmed, revealing a charred land, vacant of features.
Vacant of everything.
The world grew silent once more.
The dread that had been tightening inside Andromeda’s gut finally snapped. She doubled over with a cry and the world around them spiralled into darkness.
As quickly as the vision had appeared, it was gone and the group stood silently about the table. Shock registered on everyone except for Nebiru, whose dark eyes lingered on the eyes. What he was thinking, Andromeda had no clue. She couldn’t focus for long on him as surge of pain burst behind her eyes. Slamming her eyes shut, she sucked in a sharp breath and waited until the pain eventually dimmed. Then, with a shaky exhale, she opened her eyes. All eyes were on her, searching, reaching for understanding. Something to make them believe that what they saw wasn’t as bad as they must’ve thought. That they were misunderstanding something.
“He just destroyed that city,” whispered Nadia. “Why?”
Andromeda set both hands on the table to steady herself. She didn’t want anyone to see how close she was to collapsing.
“The humans have made him little more than a story. His greatest creation has dismissed him, made him weak. They do not build temples in his name, sacrifice their livestock, pray to him. As such, he’s grown weak, angry in these years. His love for them is no more, for what love have they shown him?” Andromeda looked about the room. “He destroys the whole world, wipes it clean. My guess is he will remake the humans once more, then use the other gods to repair the damage the humans left. Make the world new. He’ll do this by using the power of my family. You ask me why I fight. I fight for my family, I fight for this world, I fight because Zeus betrayed me, I fight for the future.”
Nebiru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, finally tearing his gaze from the eyes. He levelled his ancient eyes at her and she truly saw her brother staring back – hard, fierce, a firestorm of emotion. He’d always been protective of his family, fiercely loyal. The prospect of the abuse of their siblings was an insult too much to bear. He was angry.
“Very well, you have my help.” He glanced to the others. “What is your decision?”
Andromeda remained stonily silent. Anxiety roared like thunder in her chest.
“You have mine,” chimed the generals, one by one.
Then, all eyes fell on Nadia, whose own gaze widened. She looked at Andromeda.
“You’re my master – why wouldn’t I say yes?”
“I want you to agree because you believe it’s right, not because it’s expected. I want people who truly want to avoid what we just saw – I don’t want just any soldiers. I want warriors,” replied Andromeda calmly.
Nadia swallowed hard, acutely aware of the eyes that watched her closely. She’d been just a low-ranking hound before. Now, she was in the midst of a new court, side by side with generals…and a Goddess she once called friend. Andromeda prayed she hadn’t made a wrong decision in drawing Nadia into the fold. The girl was stronger than she knew. Goddess material, if the fates were kind.
She glanced at the eyes, contemplating carefully for a moment. Then her eyes slid back, hard as steel.
“I’ll stand with you – wherever you go.”
In the privacy of her own chambers Andromeda sank into the depths of her bath. Steam swirled across the surface. Rivulets of water clung to the walls, chasing patterns down the polished walls, painted with trees. The open sky above, made blue and bright, lit the bathing room, in bright, air light. It seemed truly divine, peaceful. She almost forgot she was at war. With a groan, she closed her eyes and briefly closed off her connection to the Underworld. For all its dizzying power and her natural connection, it made her mind noisy at times. To just close herself off made her feel human for a moment and she found she rather missed those precious days. Mainly the brief moments she had spent with Abe, lounging by oasis pools, stretched out in the sun. Her mother had gotten so angry when she ran off. It had been why she was so determined to get a read from the oracle and marry her off well. To a high-ranking soldier or politician to be sure. Certainly not someone as low born as Abe.
Yet for all her plans, none of it had mattered in the end.
A chill rushed into the room. With a groan, Andromeda cracked open an eye. Across from her, as equally naked, Tartarus reclined with a Cheshire smile.
“You’re at ease in my land,” she remarked dryly. “Your own little hell not enough today?”
“I’ve killed gods for lesser remarks,” he replied lazily.
She snorted. “I’m older than you remember. I know all about your whims.” A feint whisper of a memory stirred in her mind. “Except, it seems, your dalliances. Really, Tartarus, a hellhound?”
He ran a hand across the surface of the steamy water, causing ripples. “One that has proved resistant to my charms. I thought I could…tempt her but her eye doesn’t approve of this form.”
With a wave of his hand, he changed and a dark-haired woman with a full figure sat before Andromeda. A smouldering gaze met Andromeda with curiosity.
Tartarus shrugged. “How far will you go with this, Andromeda?”
Andromeda stared back, unruffled, betraying nothing. “No war is clean. I’m no child, Tartarus-“
“And yet in so many ways, you are young,” she said dismissively. “You have such a wonderfully dark power but I wonder if you can wield it as well as you claim. You act as if Zeus is weak but we both know he isn’t as weak as everyone might think. You’re not the only one amassing power for this fight that’s coming.”
Andromeda’s jaw tightened fractionally. “Your point?”
“Your playing a very delicate game, Andromeda. Do try to watch your step. I would very much like you to win.”
With a wink, Tartarus was gone.
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