Chapter 26
Fay drifted in and out consciousness, helplessly floating between the darkness and the hazy blur of wherever she was. Her mind throbbed painfully, making it hard to focus, to stay in one clear place. As she drifted for the millionth time back to the real world, she became dimly aware of someone looming over. A tall, shadowy presence. Power radiating off them, wild bursts stabbing at Fay’s mind, like thousands of tiny needles. She tried to block them but her feeble attempt did nothing.
Had they drugged her? Bound her somehow?
She didn’t like the stranger, how they hurt her, so as she felt the darkness beckon, she latched onto it. Sank the talons of her mind deep and clawed her way further into the darkness, as far away from the real world as she might manage. Finally, in the cold darkness, she felt no more pain and let herself relax. She slowly lifted her iron grasp from the darkness when something yanked on her, pulling her down. Not the real world. Somewhere else…
As her mind started to settle the world burst into colour around her, taking shape. The edge of a cliff, the roaring ocean wildly thrashing beneath her. She jumped back with a fright, only to trip, her foot catching something. She landed hard and as she rolled over, she realised it was stone steps. Lifting her gaze, she realised the steps led into a temple. Polished pillars held up the overhang above her. With a deep breath she pushed herself to her feet and slowly ascended the steps to the temple’s entrance.
Inside, just one room. A destroyed statue lay in a rocky pile in one corner. In the middle of the room, a woman that Fay knew instance. She wore a long black dress, her onyx black hair loose down her back.
Andromeda.
Her soft voice, like the tender whisper of death, a chilling lullaby, sang softly. It filled the room, a cold power stirring in the room. It thickened within the air, stealing all the warmth from the room. Ice spun out tiny webs in the corner of the room, racing down the walls, spiralling outwards, painting the walls white. Clouds of white swirled around Andromeda, spinning upwards, pooling at the ceiling.
She spun around sharply, throwing her hand upwards. Fay ducked away instinctively, throwing her own hands up. Yet she looked up Andromeda’s focus was on the tiny, flickering portal before her. It was barely bigger than her hand and spluttered out a few seconds. Crushing disappointment clouded her face as her shoulders slumped. A face that held none of the fiery determination Fay knew so well.
With a deep breath, seemingly resigned, she rubbed the back of her neck, massaging it for a moment. As her hand fell, she turned and headed out of the temple. Fay followed her outside where a horse stood patiently for her.
Next to it, stroking the neck tenderly, was Persephone.
The Goddess looked striking in a long red dress, cinched at her curvy waist with a golden band. A crown of golden thorns encircled her head, matching the golden leaves woven into the halo of onyx curls framing her face. She looked up from the horse as Andromeda approached, whom seemed surprised at the appearance of the Goddess.
“To what do I owe the honour?” She asked with warmth in her voice.
Persephone stepped away from the horse and clasped her hands together. “I wanted to inform you I hid Amon from Hades. He’s safe.”
Relief flooded Andromeda’s face. “He is well?”
The Goddess hesitated, drawing a frown on Andromeda’s face. “It is complicated. To keep him from Hades gaze I had to release him to the wild expanse of the Underworld. Let him wander freely instead of joining the river. It keeps his soul safe but…”
“But?”
“It will take a toll on his mind,” she admitted. “I believed it better than Hades finding him and-“
“Destroying his soul,” finished Andromeda. She sighed and looked away for a moment, troubled. When she looked back, she appeared resigned, if not a little uneasy. “Thank you for saving him but how did you hide him? Hades killed him with his sword.”
“Oh, not the real one – one of his other swords. His true sword has been quite…unreliable of late,” said Persephone with a pointed look, the edge of her mouth twitching. “And once I knew of him leaving to…do what he did, I stood by in awaiting the soul. Either yours or his. I suspected the latter.”
“Does Hades suspect you?”
Persephone rolled her eyes. “He has little interest in me anymore and scarcely remembers I even exist! No, I imagine I’m quite safe and as for our meeting now, I have my ways to avoid watchful eyes.”
Her eyes flickered briefly skywards, taunting Zeus. It made her loyalty to Andromeda understandable. What loyalty did she owe to the other Gods anyway, whom so abandoned her to the whims of Hades? It made Fay wonder, however, what Andromeda promised the Goddess. The risk of exposure was enormous and what might happen to her. Still, it seemed Persephone accepted the risk…and even seemed to like Andromeda. Admire her with respect.
“You must teach me those ways,” said Andromeda. “It would be quite a useful skill.”
Persephone laughed. “Yes, but in time you will not need it. Regardless, you did summon me.”
“I did not expect you so soon,” replied Andromeda with a smile. “Though I find myself glad to see a friend. I feel in need of one right now.”
The Goddess put a finger to her lips in a hush, winking conspiratorially. The smile that lit up her face was infectious, leaving Fay smiling quietly too. Glad that, in the face of her grief, in what appeared to be her approaching demise, she had a friend. That she wasn’t completely alone.
“Now, I do suspect you called me here for a reason, rather than to simply chat,” prompted Persephone. “Loathe as I am to admit it, my time on earth is short and dwindling quickly.”
“And I am glad you came to me in such time. You recall our previous conversation pertaining to the missing piece of me?”
“Yes, and you said you have little indication of the location. Have you found it?”
Andromeda nodded. “The Underworld, though specifically where I know not. I learnt from a demigod, a son of Eris, that it was she whom held it for some time and gifted it to Hades.”
“Truly? I knew not of any souls within his keep,” mused Persephone. “It seems he can keep secrets from me after all. Very well, I shall hunt for it and once I find it?”
“Find a body for it and release it. The third fragment should in time seek me out, as I did to the first fragment. I would do it myself but I will be unable to move about freely. In this mission, this most precious and vital mission, to which all hinges upon, I place my faith and trust in you,” said Andromeda.
The true gravity of the request settled upon Persephone, whom inclined her head in acknowledgement. She accepted it and gave no indication of deception. She reached out and took Andromeda’s hand, enfolding it in hers. Fire burned in Persephone’s eyes.
“I will find the missing piece and by my word, you will be whole. Then, once you have claimed your true place, we will bring Olympus to their knees,” vowed Persephone. “Then, it will be Zeus, begging.”
The vision transitioned seamlessly into another. This time, to the top of a hill, where Cerberus lays beneath a blossoming tree. His arms are folded behind his head as he stared up at the sky, the shade dancing patterns on his face. After a beat, Fay realises Andromeda is there too, in that semi-transparent form of hers. Her body is stretched out beside him, matching his long, lean form. Rather than on her back, looking up, she was on her side, watching Cerberus. Curiosity lit those ancient eyes, wonder treading there as it swept up and down his body. Returning to his face, he twisted over, met her gaze and smiled.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked.
She reached out, her ghostly hand brushing his cheek. “How I wish this was real.”
“It is,” he replied. “And soon, we’ll find a way to bring you here.”
She stared at him for a moment, a frown deepening her dark brow. “Are you not afraid I am tricking you? I am a Goddess after all. I am not like you. Whatever you are.”
“I am but a humble servant of a God,” he replied with a wry smile. “As for fear? Perhaps I do not mind if this is all a game and I am a pawn. I find myself willing, even then.”
She looked away from him, as if his piercing gaze was too much and the distance hills were more interesting.
“You’re bold.”
“As are you,” he reminded her. “I will find a way. You must trust me on that.”
“Zeus-“
“Is not an answer. He will betray you.”
Her eyes snapped to his. “Were you not speaking with him recently on helping him rapidly defeat this war with Kronos? Despite your supposed mission from Hades to help him claim the throne.”
He paled beneath her flash of fury, then rallied and sat up properly. As if that might steel him. He drew in a deep, measured breath, then exhaled.
“That is different.”
“How so?” She ventured, her tone biting. “Why is you may speak with him but I cannot?”
He got to his feet. “I do not wish for Hades to claim these lands and Poseidon has little love of land. I imagine he will claim the seas. If Hades were to claim land and the heavens it would be chaos.” He turned to her, found Andromeda standing too, looking unconvinced. “I am not so powerful, nor important, to warrant being betrayed by Zeus. I have nothing he wants…and he likes me where I am, in his brother’s shadow. You, however, have power – even through this thin connection I can feel it. You could bring them all to their knees.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you believe he would betray me out of fear of what I am?”
Without fearing her unwelcoming eyes, he reached and held a hand to her cheek, as if he might feel it. His hand fell away. Worry clouded his eyes.
“I fear he would use you, then destroy you.”
Fay reappeared at the edge of a garden, looking onto a villa. A party was in full swing in the main court yard. Lanterns were lit overhead, casting a buttery glow across the myriad of finely dressed guests. Women swept around in fine dresses, their arms and hands draped with gold and jewels, their hair coiled high. Men paraded about in military finery, polished insignias, gleaming swords that have likely never seen battle. Beside her, Andromeda watched on, eyes guarded, a mouth set in a thin line. The full moon light cast across her face.
She turned away suddenly and started back down a hill. A horse stood there, waiting patiently, a saddle laden with bags. She brushed a hand over its neck, stroking softly.
“Not long now, old friend,” she murmured and swung up into the saddle.
She looked ahead to the city in the distance, a golden, glittery glow by the coast. Sombre. With a sigh, she reeled the horse in the opposite direction and was about to set off when the sound of a horse approaching stopped her. She turned again to the source. A dark horse galloped on her, the rider cloaked in shadows. About to dismiss him, she went to continue on, the rider called out.
“Andromeda!”
Andromeda twisted back, shock plastering her face. The rider stopped and, in the moonlight, their face became clear. Nebiru. In his military finery, he looked like a true soldier.
“Brother,” she murmured.
He tilted his head to the side, a smile tugging at his mouth. “You stood there all that time and deemed not to come in and greet me. Have I fallen so far in your grace you would not do so?”
She seemed at a loss for words. After a beat, she got down from her horse, as did Nebiru. They embraced awkwardly. When Andromeda stepped back, she found her voice.
“You seemed engaged and I did not wish to bother you,” she said quietly.
He snorted. “Like that would be the case! It has been years since you-“
“Ran away? The Gods were after me, brother. I could not stay…and once I learned the gravity of my fate, I could not return. Everything became rather complicated.”
He nodded, accepting. “Yes, I spoke to Abraham. He grieved your parting and worried for you – still worries, I imagine.”
“It was for the best…and I met someone else.”
“Oh?”
“Hades murdered him.”
The smile fell. “Andromeda…”
“It doesn’t matter. I will finish my mission,” she said resolutely. “I simply came here to…say goodbye. In spirit, anyway…until you came here.”
A frown knitted his heavy brow. “You speak as though-“
“It doesn’t matter. I am glad to see you-“
“Andromeda, you don’t understand. This mission of yours-“
“I cannot tell you. Please, do not beg.”
He was in front of her suddenly, his hand on her upper arm. A strange look came into his face, as though another person lurked within. Andromeda looked up, frowning at his face. She blinked, her eyes bleeding to black. With a gasp, she jumped back.
“You!”
Nebiru stepped back with a coy smile. “Hello sister.”
“How are you here? Is this some kind of trick by Zeus?”
“That fool did not capture me,” he said with a sly smile. “When our family went through, Io sent a warning back through the bond. Then, when I came through, I threw all my energy at Zeus. Surprised, I broke his hold and slipped away.”
“And you have avoided him this whole time? But how did you take this form. You were born into this family!”
“A visit to an oracle – whom I believe was being sent visions by our dearest sister, Io – directed me to a pregnant woman in a wealthy family. The babe was dying within her. So, I played the part of a healer and transferred my soul to the babe. I was reborn, mortal unfortunately, and regained my memories a few years back. Right around the time you ran off,” he said ruefully.
Andromeda seemed to process it all. Then, without warning, she hugged him again, tears glittering her eyes. She held him as though he might vanish in her embrace. He returned the hug, then stepped back.
“Come, we have much to discuss.”
“Yes…and I have an idea for you. A role you might be able to play, should you be willing.”
He smiled. “To get our family back from that traitor? I would burn Olympus to the ground and tear this world apart.”
Andromeda. “Good, since we may have to do just that – and more.”
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