Centaurs

“Chiron.” I repeat.

He bows his head.

“Chiron.” One of the others says, “What do we do with ‘em?”

Chiron goes to Dionysus, “Dionysus, I cannot say I’m pleased to see you, but if you are out, then something important must be happening.”

Dionysus’ mouth gapes open, “Well you can go f**k yourself.”

Chiron ignores him and goes over to Solution, where confusion crosses his face. “Are you…Aphrodite?”

“Surely I can see your confusion.” I say, “But that is a mortal friend of mine named Solution.”

Still lying on the ground, Solution glares up at him.

“Does she mean much to you, Aether?” Chiron asks me, using his sword to lift up her head by the chin.

“Yes.” I reply without hesitation. “A lot.”

Chiron cuts through Solution’s bindings in one clean movement as he had done mine. He apologizes as he helps her stand, and then says to me, “Then you should keep a careful eye on her. My brethren have a tendency to attempt horrid acts against mortal girls. Especially ones as beautiful as this.”

“I warn you now, Chiron.” I say, “Should that happen, I will slaughter the offensive centaur without pause or mercy.”

“I’ll slaughter him myself.” Solution says as she sheaths her weapons.

“Noted.” Chiron says, suddenly he bellows out, “Centaurs! Should any of you lay an offensive hand on this human girl, you will suffer the wrath of both Aether and myself!”

“Of you?” I ask him.

Nodding, he replies “I do not approve of the savagery of my people. I never have.” Chiron spreads his hands, “Nevertheless, they are my kin, so I do what I can to keep them civilized.”

“I can respect that.” I say, and he nods.

“Hey! What about me?” Dionysus yells.

“Quiet.” Chiron says.

“Will you at least take out the arrow?” Dionysus pleas.

Chiron shakes his head, but then waves his hand and one of the centaurs rips the arrow out of Dionysus’ chest.

“Ow!” He yells, “Would it kill you to be more gentle?”

Chiron kicks Dionysus in the head. “Silence!”

I raise my hand, “Chiron, please. I dislike him as well but we need him to get to where we are going.”

“Very well.” Chiron says, sighing, “Must I untie him?”

Solution and I share a look and come to an unspoken agreement.

“No.” I say, “But make him as comfortable as you can.” Dionysus fixes me with a look of irritation. I smile at him and turn to face Chiron again.

“The hour grows late, new friends,” he says, “I would be honored if you would come to our camp to rest for the night.”

“Chiron.” The other centaur says. “Are you so sure? We’ve only just met them, and now you’re trusting them with…”

“Yes, Nessus, I am.” Chiron interrupts. “We have them outnumbered should they become a threat.”

“One of them is Dionysus.” Nessus retorts.

“I am not concerned.” He turns back to me, and his expression repeats the question.

“I would consider it an honor.” I say. Chiron offers me his hand and when I take it he lifts me onto his back. I hold out my hand to Solution, and pull her up behind me.

Solution wraps her arms around my waist, and I hold onto Chiron’s shoulders. One of the other centaurs puts Dionysus on his back, though he is still tied up. Chiron begins running and eventually the forest starts blurring past, and in what feels like seconds we stop atop a small hill. From our place on Chiron’s back we look down at an enormous clearing. In the center blazes a bonfire with flames of many colors. Around it I can see many centaurs, at least two dozen, dancing, drinking, and generally making fools of themselves.

“I should warn you more clearly.” Chiron says as he lowers himself, “My people are party folk. You may not actually be able to sleep tonight.”

I laugh, “We will make do, Chiron.”

Solution and I jump off of Chiron and at his side we make our way down the hill. On the edge of the clearing, just at the bottom of the hill, is a group of tents big enough to fit several centaurs, and so a full party of humans.

“This shall be your home as long as you are here. I hope you find it as comfortable as Olympus.”

“Thank you Chiron.” I say. “I am much obliged.”

“We eat in half an hour.” Chiron says, “Be ready in that time.”

Solution and I go into the tent and I set the bag down towards the side. Within is a space roughly the size of my room in the Fox-Hole. In it two large bunks are laid next to each other, the size of a centaur.

“Centaurs use beds?” Solution inquires.

“So it would seem.” I reply.

She shrugs before throwing her bag onto one of the bunks. She undoes the straps of the scabbards on her sides and gently places them within the bag. She falls upon the bed and rolls onto her side.

“I am surprised that you did not speak more.” I say to Solution, taking a seat on the bunk opposite her.

“I can tell when my word won’t be respected, or even heeded. No matter what I say they won’t like it.”

“I apologize.” I say.

She rolls over and smiles, “Hey, you made a new friend. I wasn’t about to get in the way of that.” Her smile grows smaller, “So…I’m important to you?”

I undo my own strap and set it beside me. “Yes.” I answer. “You have become very dear to me.”

She does not respond, instead looking into my eyes. I start to lean forward slowly, when suddenly a voice booms from the door.

“Hey, Aether!” I turn and see Dionysus. For once I am happy to see him. Trying to kiss Solution now would have been foolish. “Thanks a lot for helping me out.”

“I did a lot for you.” I say.

“No you didn’t!” Dionysus yells.

“Fine. I apologize. But they might have treated you worse had I not spoken up. They untied you, yes? I told them to keep you comfortable.”

Dionysus glares at me for a few moments, but then his gaze weakens, and his head falls forward. “Fine,” he looks around the tent, “So, who gets the floor?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“There are only two beds in here. Unless you two plan on sharing one…do you?”

“Enough!” Solution says, standing, “I’ll go sleep elsewhere.”

“Not a good idea.” I say, pulling her back down onto the bed.

“Why not?” she asks.

“You heard what Chiron said.” I tell her, “One of these centaurs might try to…do something to you. I refuse to take that chance.”

“He’s right.” Dionysus says, all anger evaporated. “Except for Chiron, no centaur has ever been kind to humans. They rape women, kill men and children. Frankly, they’re terrible creatures.”

“I’m starting to get a sense of why they don’t like you.” Solution says, “But I appreciate your concern. I’ll sleep here, one of you take the floor.”

“Know what?” Dionysus says, “Terrible as they are, they do throw great parties.” A casket appears in his hand, from which he takes a ridiculous gulp.

He turns away from us and says over his shoulder, “You probably won’t see much of me tonight.” He goes out of the tent and starts yelling some nonsense I do not hear correctly.

I look back at Solution, and we share a laugh.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

“Strike harder!” Darren yells.

Ana tries again, but her strength fails her. She drops the sword in her hands, and then crumples to the dirt beside it.

Darren growls and grabs her by the hair. “Weakling.” He throws her down and sheaths his hook swords. “You’ve hardly made any progress.”

“That’s because you haven’t given me time to rest.” She replies.

“You can sleep when you’re dead.” He tells her. She looks into his green eyes, trying to find any semblance of the kind ones she had known Darren to have. She finds nothing at first, but as she continues to stare she sees a spark of pain, followed by the sad look he would sometimes get before. He meets her eyes, and they become passive.

“Can you stand?” He asks. Ana can only shake her head. Darren sighs and puts one of his hands behind his head. “Jeez. Go and see Zayin. Maybe he’ll have something for you to do.”

Ana smiles and struggles to her feet. Hardly able to stand, she gratefully limps the short distance to the forge. Darren watches as she goes, trying to decide why he had shown her mercy for the first time since returning from his father. “Atropos must have gotten in my head.” He decides.

He looks down at his chest, observing the life string as it dances across him. He tries again to touch it, but the thing is nothing more than an evanescent hallucination. He shuts his eyes tightly and concentrates on his center, but the blackness within his mind makes it difficult.

“I want to have that peace again.” He involuntarily says aloud, placing his hand over his heart, from which the string emerges.

Ana sits down slowly as Jack hands her water. She takes it but then looks up at him with her eyes narrowed, “This isn’t the stuff from the cooling pit, is it?”

“Do you seriously think we’d try to poison you with that crap?” He replies. She shakes her head and gulps down the contents of the glass, feeling delight from the cool and refreshing drink.

“What’s he doing?” She asks after returning the quickly emptied glass to Jack. They look over at Zayin, who sits on the concrete floor with Aether’s staff lying across his lap. His eyes are closed, and his hands each rest on a knee, holding the staff in place.

“I’m not sure.” Jack answers, sitting on the floor beside Ana’s chair. “Before he sat down he said something about unlocking the secrets.”

“What secrets?”

“Dunno. He wouldn’t elaborate.”

She looks over at Maranda, huddled over Luke’s unconscious body. “How are they?”

Jack follows her eyes, and shrugs, “Luke’s always been really stubborn. Apparently it was harder for Zayin to cleanse him than it was with Bubble. As for her, she’s just worried about him.”

Ana stands, fighting her sore limbs, and then moves the chair so she can sit at Jack’s level. She remembers her time spent with Maranda. There isn’t much to recall, other than being taught by the then ten year old how to throw a punch, Ana had avoided her. Despite everything, Maranda still idolized Ana, though Ana could never figure out why. She crawls over to the two; sitting across from Maranda at Luke’s other side.

“Think he’ll be okay?” She asks.

“I hope so.” Maranda answers. She looks up at Ana, “What’s happening?

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since that white-hair guy got here, everything’s gotten really bad. He was so weird and scary.” Ana takes offense at her insulting Aether, but remains silent. “Now they’re talking about gods and monsters, and leaving the Fox-Hole. Why is this happening? Why would Aether do this?”

“It isn’t his fault.” Ana says, “Aether’s only ever thought about helping us. He’s strong and compassionate, sweet, smart…” Ana trails off and looks up at the ceiling. Maranda looks at her for a moment, and giggles.

“I get it.” She says. “You like him!”

Ana looks down at the girl before her, and notes her smiling face. “Yeah,” she admits, “But he likes Solution.”

“The girl who’s really pretty but really scary?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” She looks down. She had learned everything she knew by watching that girl, “Does Aether know about you?”

Ana flashes back to the dream Aether had interrupted, and her cheeks burn bright red.

Maranda is about to say something, when suddenly a fire erupts within the room. The girls look over at Zayin, who is now engulfed in a raging inferno burning with a golden light. His eyes burst open with the light shining within them. He jumps to his feet and grasps Aether’s staff in his hand. He walks over to Luke, and places one end of the staff against his chest. Luke splutters as if choking, and then his eyes fly open, immediately fixing on Maranda. He sits up quickly and embraces the girl.

“I saw things.” He says, “While I was out. Light and dark fighting in an epic war. It was chaos and storm and rage. Light won, but it was terrifying.”

“Light shall win.” Zayin says, the glow in his eyes fading away. A smile is bright on his face, and he sheaths the staff on his back. He kneels before Luke and offers his hand, “You’ve been freed. Welcome to the Light Brigade.”

“Light…Brigade?” Luke repeats.

Zayin laughs, “Just a joke.” Luke slowly smiles as well and takes the blacksmith’s rough hand. He helps Luke to his feet and clasps his other hand on the taller man’s shoulder. “We’ll need to save more if you’d care to help.”

Luke looks around the small group. “We’re fighting Darren, aren’t we?”

Zayin nods, “And in doing so, Erebus as well.”

Luke’s brown eyes meet Zayin’s golden ones, “Count me in.”

 

ɂɂɂ

 

I lie on the bunk, with my hands behind my head. The holster with my staff lies next to me, the buckle just underneath my back. From outside I can hear the sounds of reveling. Dionysus yells something about boredom, and the centaurs all laugh.

I look over at Solution, who sits up with a book in her hands. She is pouring over the pages, the entire world apparently having vanished as soon as she started.

“Where again did you get that?” I ask.

She does not answer for a few minutes, so I repeat my question after tapping her knee with my foot. She looks up at me, startled as if she has forgotten where she is.

“I found it in your room on Olympus.” She says, “There was a bookshelf filled with the works of humanity.”

“And that one is…?”

She looks down, “Hesiod’s Theogony.”

“What does he tell?”

She looks me in the eye, but does not answer, instead returning to her reading. I raise my eyebrow, but do not push the subject.

“My friends.” Chiron calls. I look up and see him entering the tent, a disapproving smile on his face. “Dionysus is getting my kin drunk. You may wish to close this tent tonight.”

“Would you like for us to join them?” I ask.

“Not particularly, but many of them are curious about you, so you should explain to them what has happened.”

A crashing noise befalls the tent, followed by a wash of purple-red liquid on its outside. Laughter erupts from the centaurs, and Chiron lowers his head.

“I need to keep an eye on them.”

 “I apologize for him.” I say to Chiron.

He spreads his arms, “What can I do? This is the nature of my brethren, I cannot ask them to ignore their instinct.”

“Do you not feel the same as they do?” I ask.

“I am not of their blood. We share the same shape, but not the same parentage.”

“What do you mean?”

“His father is the titan Kronos.” Solution interrupts.

“I thought you were reading.” I say to her. She does not answer, but a smirk plays on her lips.

Chiron sighs, “Yes, my parents were Kronos and the nymph Philyra. I will not go into the details for…obvious reasons.”

“I cannot say I am even curious.” I say. With what I do know of the gods, the story is most likely unpleasant.

“Good.” He says, “Now if you wouldn’t mind coming with me?”

Solution closes her book and puts it in her bag, she then stands and stretches. I follow suit, tying the leather straps across my body, just in case.

We follow Chiron outside the tent to the camp’s central bonfire, where Dionysus greets us with a foolish grin on his face.

“Hey guys.” He says, leaning back and forth as if unable to keep his balance, “What did I tell ya’, these guys know how to party!”

I shake my head and take a seat on a log next to where Chiron stands. Solution sits next to me, glaring at a centaur who stares at her wistfully.

Chiron claps his hands to gain the attention of the assembled, and then lowers himself to the ground. I find the way he sits amusing for some reason.

“Everyone.” He calls “Shut up and keep still. This is Aether, former god of light.”

“Hello.” I say, raising my hand to wave at them.

Chiron turns to me, “You have amnesia, we ask that you tell us your story, starting at what you first remember.”

I nod and clasp my hands together. From my falling from the tower up to leaving Olympus, I tell them all I can recall, leaving out only my feelings on the events. When I get to Ana’s dream, I decide to skip it, for I do not want Solution to hear that detail. She helps me tell the story, explaining certain things from her vantage point. The centaurs make surprisingly good listeners, only interrupting to ask questions.

“So, what are you, exactly?” Nessus asks after I finish.

“I am unsure.” I say, “I feel human, but that is not the case. But I am not a god or monster, either. I cannot consider myself a demigod. So really I just do not know.”

“He’s…unique.” Solution says, scooting closer to me. “So Chiron. One of the stories I read claimed that you were killed by Heracles.”

An odd question I expect Chiron to get angry about, but instead he laughs. “As with most of the ancient stories, that one is a bit exaggerated. It is true that during a fight with some of my brethren, Heracles wound up injuring me. I endured many nights of pain. However, as an immortal, I cannot die. And time heals even the greatest wounds.”

“Were you mad at Heracles?” Solution asks.

Chiron sighs, “Had it been another mortal, I would have cursed him for the rest of his days. Heracles, however, is a different matter. I taught the boy at one point, so I care for him greatly. And he suffered so much during his life; he deserves no ill will from anybody.”

“I see.” Solution says.

“Now then.” Chiron says, “About him.” He gestures to Dionysus who is making wine appear out of thin air. The centaurs all cheer and turn away from the fire, beginning drunken songs along with the god.

“What’s the deal?” Solution says, “I thought they hated him.”

Chiron huffs, “He is giving them all the wine they want. They could love nobody more. Drunken fools, the lot of them.”

As the evening falls into night we continue to talk and share ideas with Chiron and Nessus. Learning about the life of the immortal teacher. When we grow hungry we hand the horn of plenty to Chiron, who uses it to feed the group.

“And then Zeus struck Asclepius down.” Chiron concludes another sad story, “Yet another of my students slain.”

We bow our heads for a moment out of respect for the dead.

“Have any of your students lived happy lives?” Solution asks. I whirl on her, but Chiron answers before I can say anything.

“In fact there were a few. Aristaeus, for example.”

Solution nods, and then her eyes start to flutter. She falls onto my shoulder, and then asleep. Chiron smiles, “Young love, there is nothing more sweet nor more bitter.”

“Bitter?” I repeat.

Chiron smiles a weary smile, “The hour has grown very late, we need rest for our coming trek.”

“What do you mean by our?” I ask.

Chiron laughs, “Dear boy, do you honestly think that after all we have discussed, that I will let you go without counsel? No, no, I am going to take you to your ship, and join you on your quest.”

I smile broadly, “Thank you, Chiron. I am honored and thrilled.”

“Good, now get to bed. And worry not. The wine god will be put in a different tent, so you will be spared his drunken stupor.”

I nudge Solution, who looks up at me, still sleepy. “Wha…?” she mumbles.

“We must go to the tent now, Solution.” I say to her, she mumbles in agreement and stands. I still find myself amazed by her ability to be cute. I feel it increases my already high opinion of her.

“Remember to cherish all you have, Aether.” Chiron says to me, “And sleep well.”

“You also.” I say.

Chiron assures us that the tent shall be magically soundproofed to ensure peaceful sleep. As I close the tent’s entrance, Solution crawls into her bunk, “Good night, Aether” she says, “sweet dreams.”

“You as well, Solution.” I crawl into my own bunk and find myself asleep before I know it.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

Darren lies on his bed, trying unsuccessfully to sleep. He closes his eyes but the image of his life thread choking him snaps them back open. He sits up in bed with a frustrated growl tearing out of his throat.

Deciding to take a walk, he makes his way to the Great Hall, and immediately picks up a pistol from the weapons stockpile. As he aims at a target, voices distract him from the direction of the forge.

He moves one of the shelves the weapons hang upon, and slips into a secret passage behind it. Crawling up the narrow tunnel, he stops at its end, where below him lays the forge. Within the room is a group of six people. Zayin, Ana, Jack, Luke, Maranda, and…Todd? What are they doing here?

Zayin stands before Todd, Aether’s staff in his hand pointed at Todd’s chest. Zayin’s eyes glow with a golden light, shocking Darren. As he watches, Todd’s eyes become black, and then fill with white lines. He clutches his head and falls to the floor, where he convulses on the ground before ceasing all movement. Darren wonders if they have killed him, but he can see Todd’s chest moving, proving that he is breathing. Darren breathes a sigh of relief, but then anger comes into him. What the hell are they doing?

Maranda covers Todd with a blanket, which he clutches in his sleep as though in pain.

“Think it’ll work with him?” Maranda asks.

Zayin nods, “He was really close to Darren, but he’s always had an open mind. He’ll be fine.”

“Our little brigade is growing.” Ana says.

Zayin smiles and crosses his arms. “A couple more and we’ll have enough.”

Enough for what? Darren wonders.

“What if Darren finds out?” Luke asks, “We know what they did to Shin, they’ll do worse to us.”

Darren nods. “Damn straight I will.” He mutters.

“I’m not worried.” Zayin says, “I can’t explain why, but I just have a feeling that everything will work out.”

The members of the group share uncertain glances.

“I trust him.” Jack says. “Zayin’s never done anything without being absolutely sure about it.”

“What about Shin?” Ana asks. “Are we gonna take him with us?”

Zayin frowns, “I won’t leave him behind, but with his condition…I’m not sure what to do.”

Ana pats his head, though he stands roughly two feet above her. “It’ll be okay.”

Zayin sheathes the staff and looks down at Todd, hoping that his plan will succeed.

Meanwhile Darren pushes the shelf back into its place and all but sprints to the Bakery.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

I awake to the sound of Solution screaming. I jump up and see her in her bunk, clutching her sheets and convulsing. Oh, she must be having a nightmare.

“Solution,” I say, shaking her, “Solution, wake up!”

She jolts awake and punches me in the face as she does so. I fall to the ground, clutching my nose. She hit me harder than Ana did!

“What? What’s going on?” She looks down at me, “Why are you on the floor?”

“I believe you broke my nose.” I say.

“Oh, sorry.” She replies. “I was having a nightmare.”

I get back into my bed and my nose heals in seconds as it had before. “Would you care to tell me about it?” I ask her.

Solution sits up, “Yeah. We were in a cave, a volcanic tube. Suddenly, Erebus was there with us. He stabbed you and threw you into water. The water turned black as you sank. Erebus vanished then, the water returned to normal, and you resurfaced. We picked you up and dragged you to shore, but you were dead in my arms.”

She shudders violently. “It was horrible.” I look up at her and see tears welling in her eyes. I lean forward and grab her hands.

“I promise you,” I tell her, “I am not going to die.”

She smiles, “Yeah, it was just a dream.”

“Certainly. Now you have another dream where you beat the hell out of Erebus as only you can.”

Solution leans forward and hugs me. “Thank you, Aether. I finally feel what Darren was feeling. The war, the horror of the world, it’s all about to end.” She turns back and lies down. In seconds she is sleeping and I can tell from the look on her face that the dream is pleasant.

I lay back down on my bunk, and am soon sleeping peacefully as well.

 

ɂɂɂ

 

“You are not going to believe this s**t.” Darren says to Barth, who yawns from his chair before the hearth. The stuffed snake heads hang above his head, but Darren ignores them.

“Thrill me.” He says, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“We both know you weren’t sleeping.” Darren says.

“Yes I was.” Barth responds, “We may not dream, but we do sleep.”

Darren runs his hand through his hair. “It’s Zayin.” He says.

“What about him?”

“He’s the one we felt the other day. When we felt Aether’s power flare up, that was Zayin.”

“How could Zay…” Barth stops, and then leans forward as the sleep is knocked out of him, “Aether’s staff.”

“Yes,” Darren confirms, “Zayin had it. There was something else. His eyes were glowing gold.”

“Gold?” Barth repeats, “Oh.”

“What?” Darren asks.

Barth’s appearance changes, becoming the true form of Erebus. “Zayin ingested some of my blood. He has my godly power inside him.”

“He’s the son of Hephaestus. Doesn’t he already have godly power?”

“It isn’t the same.” Erebus says, “That he got from his father through the shared blood between parent and child, diluted by the blood of a mortal woman. But he ingested ichor directly from me. Fortunate that he only had a small amount, or he would have been destroyed.”

“Is ichor so powerful?”

“Mine is.” Erebus answers, “If he drank half of the ichor within a god’s body, he’d have the power he does now. Drinking little more than a drop of my blood did this to him.”

“Why is your blood so different?”

“You know why.”

“Whatever.” Darren says, “The point is, they’re going to betray us.”

Erebus puts his hands behind his head, and leans back in his chair. “Desert, sure. But they are too fearful to try anything against us.”

“So we let them go?”

“What use is there in killing them?”

“For starters…”

Erebus stands suddenly, “Nothing. If they leave this place, they will die out there. We cannot keep them here, because they have become cured of my power, and so will not follow. In fact, the longer they stay here, the sooner we lose people en masse.”

“If they’re going to die anyway,” Darren says ,”Why not cut out the middle man and just kill them ourselves?”

“You will remain silent.” Erebus commands, he goes to the edge of the room, where a shadow dyes everything black. “You would do well to remember your place. I have a plan, if you get in my way, I will let Death take you.”

“I’m not your pawn. I’m your general. I’ll lead these people at your command, but I have a right to know your reasoning.”

Erebus holds out his hand, and Darren is overcome with pain as his skin briefly turns black. He falls to the floor, and Erebus smirks. “You have only the right to stay alive and do as I say, nothing more.”

As Erebus vanishes, Atropos appears. “You have not left.”

Darren turns to her, “I have not found a way to leave them.” The goddess scoffs, and despite her age manages to jump to a sitting position on the table where Erebus had been. Darren continues, “I won’t just abandon them. Not again.”

“They were fine without you.” She says.

“The reason they were is because they had the hope of my return. If I leave again, that will be lost, and anarchy will ensue.”

“Leave them to Erebus.” Darren does answer, instead directing his gaze out the window. “You don’t trust him.”

It is not a question, and Darren sighs, “I can feel his power within me, influencing my thoughts. But my own original thoughts are fighting him. He’s my father, but he’s cruel and full of nihilism.”

“You don’t agree that he should rule the world?”

“I don’t agree that he should rule anything.”

“Correct!” Atropos says, a smile forming across her wrinkled lips. She jumps down from the table and as she does her appearance changes from that of someone in her eighties to a woman no older than thirty. Her white hair turns black, her wrinkly skin tightens and becomes smooth, and her face changes shape, becoming longer and thinner. Her hair grows out longer and sits as a curly mess on her head. She gains height, where before she stood just below Darren, she is now just taller than him. Instead of pupils Darren swears he can see symbols burning purple within her eyes. An hourglass with a cross running through its center.

Wings with black feathers grow from her back, and in her hand appears a sword shaped like the branch of a tree, with nubs along its length. Her clothes remain the same, though Darren finds them filled out much better now.

“You’ve done well to cure yourself.” She says, her voice the pleasing tone of a younger woman’s.

Darren closes his eyes, and when he does he sees the blackness disappear, giving way to clarity he has not known in some time. “Who are you really?” He asks.

“We had Atropos talk to you first because we figured you’d believe her better about your death, since she causes that.” She says, “I am Nemesis.”

“Nemesis?” Darren repeats.

She comes closer to him. Her sword vanishes as she raises her hands to Darren’s shoulders. She rests on them, walking around the young leader as she does. “Darren, child of Erebus and Athena. Your destiny is really interesting.”

“What are you?”

“Revenge. Retribution. Vendetta.” She answers. “Some call me Karma but more than that I am justice.”

“What do you want with me?”

“We’ve decided something for you. But to do it you’ll need more power.”

“What, Ambrosia?”

“Yes. But in order to get to her you’ll have to become stronger in mind and body.”

“How do I do that?”

She stops in front of him, uncomfortably close to his face. “You are the child of darkness. You have power over the shadow, more than even Hades could command.”

“What do you recommend?”

She touches his cheek with one finger, tracing the scars carved into his face. “You’ll have to continue as you have. Make these people believe you are cruel, the corrupted son of their greatest enemy. Eventually, they’ll want you gone. When that happens, you’ll have become a force of darkness to rival your father.”

“How do I gain more power?”

She gets still closer, and whispers in his ear. When she finishes, his eyes widen. He looks at her, a question on his scarred face. She nods, assuring him of what must happen.

He nods, already feeling regret for what he is about to do.

 

Author's Note

As per the norm, I just ask that you review and let me know what you think.