Chapter 27
A burst of pain flashed through her, yanking her back to the conscious world. Her eyes flew open, perceived the flash of a hand, then its sting. She winced and bit back a cry, eyes watering, as she lifted her gaze from the ground. Eris stood before her, smug as ever, surrounded by Fay’s former squad. Their glazed eyes stared into nothing, the mark of Eris plain as day on their foreheads. She wrenched her gaze from them, realising they weren’t going to be her salvation, and looked at Eris.
She felt the sting of another slap before she saw it. Tears ran down her cheeks. Biting back a curse, she looked up, wondered why she was still alive. Drawing in a deep breath, she steadied herself, tested her ties on her wrists behind her back. They didn’t even budge. Her feet were the same and, on her knees, she didn’t trust herself to even try to stand without falling flat on her face.
“You’re wondering why Andromeda hasn’t come herself to save you? You have wondered, haven’t you? You’re in Tartarus, so why hasn’t she come to you? The famed threat to the Gods themselves hasn’t even come out of her hole,” sneered Eris.
“Because she’s not really worried about a worm like you,” snapped Fay. “You’re nothing to her. Just an obstacle to come.”
Eris threw her head back and laughed. “Nothing to worry about? I stripped her of her control in Tartarus, forced her back to her hole. She’s nothing.”
“You’re thinking too small Eris. She’s already ten steps ahead,” said Fay.
At least, I hope she is, thought Fay. She schooled her face to perfect calm. Nothing to betray the feintest flicker of hesitation.
Eris snapped her wrists. Nadia strode forward and bent her ear to Eris. With a quick murmur, Eris sent Nadia out of the tent. She tried not to be curious, wonder what trick awaited her. The wait was short. Footsteps…and something – or someone – being dragged resounded beyond the tent, then the curtains parted. Nadia came in, dragging in one hand, Ben, limp and his head rolled to the side. Fay froze in place, her heart locked in her chest.
No, no, no.
Panic surged to the surface, no doubt showing on her face. She couldn’t even look at Eris to see what the smug Goddess was thinking. All she could think about was that Ben was there…and she knew exactly what awaited him. History was repeating itself and Fay was helpless to stop it.
Come on, Andromeda, if you’re there, I need you, begged Fay, reaching down inside to the bond.
There was no reply. Fay never felt more alone than she did at that moment.
With agonising slowness, Eris swept over and wrenched Ben up onto his knees. His eyes flickered open groggily and Fay saw the deep gash above his eye, the purple swelling of his face. It looked like he’d been tortured. She silently begged him to look up, see that he wasn’t alone. His sleepy gaze met Eris, his lips moving, fumbling to speak. She didn’t want to know how badly they’d beaten him.
“It’s not every day you find out there’s a fourth son of Rhea – what a busy little lady she was,” tutted Eris, lifting Ben up until he was on his knees.
He struggled to keep his head up, let alone stay conscious. Fay strained against the bonds again, screaming down the bond for Andromeda. She raged and howled, mustering everything she knew she had. There was no response.
“But Hades hid you, made you his slave…and then you fell in love with Andromeda! A tragedy to be sure and you were ripped apart for it. So, you’d think you’d learnt your lesson but you kept falling in love with her,” she laughed. “Even her. Your taste really hasn’t improved. A shame. You’re actually quite handsome.”
Eris looked at Fay with a taunting smile, knowing Fay was helpless to what was unfolding before her eyes. Had she seen Andromeda watch Amon die, helpless? From the look of her, she did.
“You’re going to regret this,” snarled Fay. “I’ll tear you apart!”
Eris laughed. “With what power? You’re helpless, Fay! Andromeda has abandoned you. That is how useless you are, how utterly disappointing! You have no friends. You isolate yourself and any time you have dared to care has ended in death or betrayal.”
Fay didn’t back down. She wasn’t about to let herself be afraid. Not in front of Eris.
“For someone so useless you’ve focused a lot of effort on me. It’s flattering, really,” said Fay.
Eris snapped her fingers, summoning a dagger to her hands. It glinted in the light of the lantern. She bent over and pressed the dagger to Ben’s throat, smiling cruelly at Fay.
“Hades was a fool to have splintered his soul,” she said, glancing down at Ben. “Was it out of jealousy, perhaps? Not that it matters anymore. You dying here will keep you here. You won’t respawn in the Underworld. You’ll spend whatever existence you have in this hell.”
Fay’s heart slammed harder against her ribs. She had to do something. She shouted down the bond again, screaming out for Andromeda. The bond remained silent. Despair crashed through her, blood roaring in her ears. Yet despite her anguish, she didn’t beg for his life – couldn’t. Eris wouldn’t buckle to her pleas. Feeling helpless, she could only watch as Eris drew out the moment.
She looked at Fay again. “You should’ve known you were never meant for happiness, Fay.”
Then she drove the knife into Ben’s heart and twisted. He gave out a strangled cry, twisting in pain before he slumped forward on the blade. Red blood flowed down Eris’s hand, dripping onto the ground. Each drop resounded like a clap of thunder in Fay’s ears. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, as something inside of her broke.
Then, finally, she slumped forward, her eyes fell to the ground. She had no energy, no will. The fight to understand her purpose suddenly seemed so small, so pathetic. She’d isolated herself, pushed her friends away, made no effort to be kinder to her squad. It had left her alone, broken at the whim of a vengeful Goddess, whose fury at her she didn’t understand. Didn’t even have the energy to want to understand why anymore.
Eris knelt in front of her, lifting up Fay’s chin with her fingers, forcing their eyes to meet. Those immortal eyes glittered with triumph.
“So, I was right. This is how you defeat a threat like yourself.” She yanked her hand away and Fay looked down at the ground. “I’m disappointed. I didn’t think this would be so easy to break you, though.”
She closed her eyes and suddenly she wasn’t there in that tent. She was on a clifftop, standing over a grave. Beside her, Andromeda knelt before it. Her flattened palms stretched out on the sand.
“We’ll make them pay, Andromeda,” said Nebiru, appearing beside Andromeda.
Andromeda’s hands clenched the sand. She got to her feet, fire burning in her eyes. There was nothing broken about her anymore. In that moment, she looked like the Goddess she was destined to become.
“We’ll make them all pay,” she snarled and spun away from the grave. “I’m going to burn their world to the ground.”
Fay opened her eyes. She didn’t have anything left – true – but Andromeda did. At the bottom, there was only the mission and it might just be all about vengeance. Seemed as worthy cause as any at that moment to destroy herself in.
In the corner of her gaze, she imagined Andromeda beside her, looking at her, smiling conspiratorially.
Make her pay, she seemed to say. Make her beg.
Fay tore her gaze away and looked at the ground, feeling the pile of ashes within her kindle. Slowly, at first, and as she dug her fingers into the earth, she realised she felt something. Not the demons that only obeyed Eris but something else. Something she’d seen back at the city. A connection that had been there from the moment she’d become a hellhound, perhaps even before that.
Her connection to the Underworld.
In the darkness of her mind, she saw it – a burst of golden light. Then she felt his presence brush over her. Tartarus.
Make her pay, he said. Make her hurt for hurting my son.
Her eyes flew up, energy exploding through. A star going supernova in her mind. The chains holding her down shattered. She willed herself to the stand.
Her old squad surged at her but she threw up her hands – a wave of energy exploded from within her, blowing everything outwards. The tent was shredded, her squad thrown clear. It surged outwards, destroying everything within its path. Dust burst up around her and for one dizzying moment, she was alone, burning from within.
The dust settled.
Eris stood before her, pale a ghost.
“How?”
Fay smiled and threw her hand forward, hurling a wave of darkness at the Goddess. Eris quickly summoned a shield but the forced shoved her back, her heels digging deep into the earth. Her perfect hair hung messily around her face, framing those furious eyes.
“Your wrong about me,” said Fay.
Eris burst forward, throwing bolts of energy at Fay, whom ducked effortlessly out of the way. In a flash, the Goddess was on her, a sword drawn. Fay snapped her fingers, summoning the Andromedean sword. She brought it up as Eris brought hers down. Metal clanged, sparks flew. A shockwave exploded outwards, demolishing a row of tents.
“Oh, really? Where was I wrong?” Eris said as she swung her sword again.
Fay parried off her blows, just barely. She quickly darted through shadow, appearing behind Eris. The Goddess was too fast though, spinning around, brining her sword up just in time. Fay leant in close, grinning wickedly.
“You didn’t break me.”
“We’ll see about that,” spat Eris.
“Do give it a better try this time,” taunted Fay and ducked to the side as Eris swung.
Eris paused for a moment, staring at Fay.
“You’re not linked with Andromeda right now – how are you doing this?”
Fay held out her other hand, summoning an orb of shadow. “This? I think I’m beginning to realise that all those times Andromeda was giving me strength wasn’t actually her power. She just made me believe it. I’m the one with the power.”
Eris snarled and surged forward, propelled by a wave of black energy. She threw her hands up – a wave of energy came at Fay from either side. There was no time to react. It slammed into her, sending her flying across the camp. Tents blurred beneath her. She hit a wall of rock – felt it before she saw it as she crumpled to the ground.
With a groan, she dragged herself to her feet. Eris flew across the camp, waves of energy rolling off her. She landed with a clap of thunder, the ground trembling beneath her.
“I’m going to destroy you,” she spat.
Fay spat blood onto the earth, smiling bloodily. “Bring it.”
Eris burst forward. Fay held her ground, right to the last second, then ducked to the left, spinning around. She slammed her fist into Eris’s back, propelling a surge of magic through it. The air exploded in a crack of thunder as Fay flew backwards, pain bursting through her mind. She landed – somehow – on her feet and steadied herself. Before her, Eris turned and laughed.
“That tickled.”
Just throwing her energy at Eris wouldn’t work. It’d just burn her out and she knew the Eris had the upper hand. Even with the gates opened to the Underworld, her connection strengthened, there was only so much energy she could summon without burning herself out. Even at that moment she felt herself rapidly approaching her limit.
What would Eris do? Fay wondered.
The low, rumbling laughter of Tartarus rolled through her. What would Fay do?
An idea blossomed in her mind. She took a step forward to Eris, dissolving the sword in her hands and drew all her magic within. Outwardly, she appeared empty of magic. Eris frowned but held her ground, wild magic still swirling around. Fay took another step to her, then another.
“You’re right about one thing, though. Death does follow me. It clings to me like a second skin. It’s my nature and I’m not fighting it anymore. I might not be stronger than you but you know what?”
“What?” Eris sneered.
Fay let a quiet smile stretch across her mouth. “Your army isn’t.”
With a wink, she stepped back into shadow, willing herself to the middle of the camp. Right to the centre of her initial destruction. She dropped down, slamming her hands into the hand and called on her connection. More energy surged through her – yet she yanked on more and more, until her whole body was on fire. Then she hungrily called more and as her body was full, she let go.
And it exploded outwards, destroying everything in its path.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
