Chapter 9
Fay was running towards the pits, fallen in with the rest of the squad as they sprinted through the chaos, Remus at the front. Diana was with him, hurling waves of energy, slamming people out of the way. A path carved through the chaos.
Screams filled the air, blood curdling, cold – choked abruptly in random moments. There were war cries, too, bellowed through the madness – no all the hounds were running away. Select squads were in formation around the perimeter of The Pits, most armed, those who weren’t were shifted. They held the ground, swords and teeth barred, keeping containment as the injured staggered out – or were carried by their kin.
Your kin, a lone voice whispered to Wren.
She ignored it, focused on the thick stench of blood – and the screams which had faded off, those alive within dwindling by the second. It filled her, sharpened her senses, the demon coming alive. A roar of delight in her ear.
Remus raised a hand, stopped the squad and motioned for them to stand. Then he scanned the squads on the perimeter, searching for someone. As started to turn back to the squad, seemingly dissatisfied, Tahlia emerged from within, striding over to the squad, eyes blazing.
“Remus!” Tahlia’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
With an audible groan he turned. “Tahlia. What’s happening?”
“Your demon! That’s what! What the hell is it? The hounds aren’t respawning and I just received word from the Tartarus Gate that it’s been working – souls going in,” she snarled. “Since when does a demon have that ability?”
Remus barely blinked an eyelid to what she said, his face carefully schooled, controlled. Slowly, he glanced beyond her to The Pits, eyeing it carefully.
“Is it just one?”
“Your demon, a minotaur, plus some other low-level ones. We have them contained for now but that’s partly because after slaughtering everyone inside they haven’t pushed out. If they do, we can’t stop them,” she said hurriedly.
“Anyone sent word to Hades? Thanatos? Persephone, even?”
“Hades is on a brief visit to Olympus. Thanatos is topside and Persephone is visiting her mother. We’re on our own for now,” said Tahlia grimly.
You can control demons, Fay. Even now you sense them, feel them drawn to you, whispered another voice, feint – a whisper against a raging storm.
Andromeda.
Now you voice up? Fay thought archly.
They are waiting for you. Go to them, master them, show these hounds what you can do, said Andromeda, like she was some sort of life coach offering much needed advice.
Why now? Fay replied, quiet even in her own mind, uneasy.
Things have changed… Andromeda’s voice faded away and Fay knew she was gone.
Fay stepped up to Remus, about to ask to go in – that she could stop this. A hand clamped around her upper arm. Glancing back Nadia looked at her, searching, warning. From doing what? Helping? Holding her gaze she yanked her arm free and pinned her with a threatening look. The same look she hoped she’d given Hades, the one that made his smile, the one that scared him. Nadia stepped back, startled, her mouth a thin line. The message was received.
With a sigh she turned to Remus but he was facing the squad.
“Right, we’re going to help contain this. Mei, Mariko, I want you both scope out the perimeter properly – if there is any way for them to escape I want you to find it, now. The rest with me as we get ready, then go on – got it?”
The squad dispersed on the order. Fay hurried after Remus, ignoring the pleading looks of Nadia in the corner of her eye.
“Remus!”
He glanced down at her. “We don’t need your senses right now. We know there is demons now. Your gift won’t help us now.”
“But-“
“Not now, Fay!” He snapped, eyes flashing dangerously.
The threat of Tartarus disturbed him, left a stirring of fear amongst all the hellhounds – except for Fay. She was destined to visit Tartarus at some point, to meet with Andromeda. It felt like only a matter of time now.
“Fine. I’ll end this myself!” She snapped and sprinted off – straight past the hellhounds.
Remus turned too late, screamed her name. Nadia did too. Others shouted at her to get back, that she’d die – she ignored them all. If Remus didn’t want to listen to her, fine but she was going to stop this before her squad went in and got themselves hurt or killed. Not when she could stop it before it began.
As she barrelled into The Pits, the cage in ruins on the ground, along with the demon cages – and the blood that stained the sand a dark crimson, filling the air with the metallic stench. Before she became a hellhound such a sight probably would’ve made her throw up – or pass out. Now, it scarcely bothered her at all – and it should’ve, really should’ve. The lack of bodies was eerie.
Before her the low-level demons stopped, lulled by her presence. Even the Minotaur stilled, shifting slowly on its hooves, eyeing her warily. Fay ignored them, pinned her gaze on the demon child that stared back, a smug smile stretched on her mouth.
“This ends now, demon,” said Fay.
“Does it?” The girl replied with a wicked grin.
Fay called within her that same power she’d commanded the hellhound from the forest, whoever they’d been. At first, nothing happened; then, slowly, it started to trickle through her limbs. A strange awareness settled in her mind. Standing before the demons, the Command on her tongue, felt right – like it was where she was meant to be. Not as a hellhound, kneeling before a God who she loathed.
“Demons, leave this place, return the pits you came from!” She bellowed, letting the Command come to her tone, embody it.
The tremulous rush of the power thrummed in the arena. The demons, at first, did nothing; the demon child had a hold on them. Then one stumbled forward, then another and another. Within minutes the others followed, staggering straight out the way she’d run. She heard the confused shouts of the demons and the orders that filled the air.
Only the Minotaur remained with the demon girl. More effort would be needed for them, especially with the girl having her talons in the Minotaur.
“Such power,” crooned the girl. “Don’t you wonder where it comes from?”
“I’d like to think I’m pretty spectacular on my own – don’t agree?” Fay retorted with a forced smile.
“I did this for you. I was Commanded, you know? Had to get you in a place where you’d be forced to act, to show your little gift with demons,” said the girl. “I didn’t want to but oh well. Orders are orders and all that.”
“Whose orders?”
“The same whose powers you share!” She snapped childishly, irritated. “God, haven’t you figured it out yet? She’s shown you enough. I mean, hell-“ She paused, her irritation broken by an irrational giggle. “Look, time is running out. She doesn’t want to rush you, risk scaring you off and have you lost her everything – still, she’s not cruel but she’s running out of time.” She stopped again, glanced behind Fay, frowning. “I’ve run out of time. I can’t hold off their snooping much longer.”
She staggered. A distant pop resounded around them, and suddenly a myriad of sounds came in.
“Just tell me what I am!”
The girl only smiled, tiredly before blinking away. Fay opened her mouth, confused, when the Minotaur jolted, as if broken from a reverie and roared – a thunderous, agonised sound. Then it was running at her, full speed. She barely had time to react, rolling quickly to the side, drawing her sword by instinct.
The squad rushed in – and the minotaur went straight for them. Fay dropped the sword, raised her hand.
“Stop!” She screamed, hurling every inch of energy she had into.
The minotaur stopped.
A deadly silence fell over The Pits as all eyes fell on her, the Hellhound that had Commanded a Minotaur to obey her. Fay felt her castle of cards start to tumble down around her, though she couldn’t say what it was about to expose.
A monster, maybe. A monster unlike any they’d ever seen before.
The tent was too quiet as Fay sat there, not chained but not strictly free to leave either. Remus had sat her down, told her in no uncertain terms that she was to remain there and that there would be trouble if she left. So, she stayed, if only because she really needed to get to Tartarus and had to play her cards right to ensure it. Still, she’d kept the extent of her demon ability, which was unheard of for a Hellhound, hidden and that was bound to have consequences. The only question was what those would be.
In an effort not to be bored she turned her mind inward, strained over every word the demon girl said. From what she said the orders came from Andromeda, that it had been her machinations to force Fay’s hand -to what end, though? With the hounds she had access to Tartarus…unless Andromeda wanted her sent there as a prisoner. If so, why the fixation on Fay? What fact bound them so close? To the girl it was Andromeda who was responsible for Fay’s unusual talents, which sounded fair. Andromeda had shared her body more than once and it was hard to pin exactly when the powers had begun to develop. As soon as she’d turned, maybe?
Even if it was Andromeda who gave her the powers the question of why still puzzled Fay. She was planning something, had been since she was human and it was a plan that was still unfolding, thousands of years after she died. It felt more than just fulfilling a prophecy, bigger than something so simple. So, what? How did Fay figure into the grand scheme? She felt angry, used, tired of being a slave; to Abe, to Hades, to Andromeda, to her very nature. She felt bound and just wanted to break free, lash out, to do something.
She heard the distant patter of feet and lifted her gaze as the curtain parted, admitting Nebiru. He was dressed in his usual dark attire, his hair combed back, eyes grim. He sat down on the single chair before her, stretching out a little before he spoke.
“It didn’t take you long to cause trouble, did it?” He asked dryly.
“Am I being sent to Tartarus?” She cut in.
Why waste time? Get to the point, she felt. He blinked in response to her question, then frowned. It wasn’t what he expected to her to say; though, what he anticipated, she didn’t know.
“Do you want to go to Tartarus?” He asked carefully.
“Not for an extended holiday, no,” she said. “Who would?”
Nebiru pressed his lips together, like he was trying to figure Fay out. It made her feel like she was in another vision, watching him interact with Andromeda. With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck, weariness etching his face. A strangely unguarded movement that surprised Fay.
“How is it even as a bound Hellhound that you’re still a thorn in Hades side?” He asked rhetorically. “The ability of yours isn’t something that needed to be hid – so, why do it?”
“Maybe I don’t want to be a slave any more than I have to be,” she said sharply.
His eyes widened for a section; then, he leant forward, as if trying to see something in her eyes that he hadn’t seen before. “The bond is meant to temper such rebellious thoughts. It was to be expected with Abe, as he wasn’t your real master but Hades? You should be-“
“An adoring slave?” She held up a hand, stopping him from replying. “I didn’t want to give him any more power over me than he already had. Hell, do you think I wouldn’t jump at the chance to cut this bloody bond if I had the chance? I can’t even pretend or lie that I wouldn’t. You know me.”
Really, he didn’t, aside from their few conversations and brief interactions. Still, in them, there was a feeling, at least on her side, that they were familiar with each other. That she had to remind herself.
“Look, I’ve smoothed over this with the squad, so you’re welcome back with them to continue preparing for the mission selection,” announced Nebiru. “Someone with your talents would be extremely helpful in Tartarus.”
“Is that why you put me in Remus’s squad? You want him to have the best chance? Or was the choice random?” Fay asked, pinning him with a searching look.
“Would it matter either way?” Nebiru threw back at her.
He was bating her, which she refused to rise to. Crossing her arms, she looked away. It all felt too organised her being placed in Remus’s squad. It confused her, given she swore that he wasn’t being manipulated by Andromeda – or was he?
“I suppose not,” she sniffed. “Why’d you come here for me, though?”
“Hades wanted me to find out if you had any other talents he wasn’t aware of – he’d assumed, of course, that the demon incident at Lake Elysium had been by the other hound or by the witch. In truth, he didn’t see it being you. Naturally, now he wants to know about any other unusual traits.”
Slowly, Fay lifted her gaze to his, stony. “Is that a Command?”
“You know it isn’t unless he says it himself,” he reminded her with a frown.
“I mean, will he come here himself to Command me if I say nothing?” She asked with a steely glare, defiant.
“That depends.”
“On?”
“How truthful you’re being,” he said with a smile but, as she went to argue, he stood. “I think we’re done, don’t you?”
Fay stood. “Goodbye, Nebiru.”
Before she returned to the squad she shadowed to the edge of the camp that butted the river Styx. By the bank she felt the thrum of its power, ancient, stirring. She closed her eyes, letting the calm settle through her, steady the rattling of her thoughts. After several minutes she opened her eyes and lay down, stretching out, staring up at the darkening sky. She still found it strange to think of what was above her as the sky, to not see it as some sort of grand illusion – which is what it was. The Underworld was not a physical place located under the actual ground; rather, it was like Olympus, a kind of dimension unto itself, constructed from an ancient power. A place that was connected to Tartarus, both a place and an ancient being.
Closing her eyes again she felt the old call of a vision, drawing her under.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
