by Jessica Cage
“Will she?” Iris asked. "Will Rhea help her?"
“I highly doubt it, but that isn’t the point is it? It's the faith, not the result, that gets humans through. If they have faith that things will get better it makes it easier to face the battle. That faith feeds us just as much as it does them. She isn’t the only one here. There are others, look at how their eyes gaze at the Lion’s head. This woman must be telling them to pray to Rhea.” Tethys spoke with a slight touch of envy to her tone.
“All of them pray to her,” Iris considered the last time she prayed and couldn't think of it. She hadn't ever had faith in a higher power, not after her lessons from Lehela. She, like most of the people from her home, despised the idea of gods lording power over them. Prayer was never a habit for any of them. She had faith, in herself, in her abilities to overcome, but never in a god or higher being.
“She should be quite strong when she awakens.” Tethys stepped away from the group and moved towards the back of the establishment.
“Good we’ll need the strength.” Delilah began her own scouting.
“How do we get her out, if she is here?” Iris asked.
“I don't see any pillars like the one we found Tethys in.” Asa answered her question and frowned when the woman bristled at the sound of her voice. "Is there a problem Iris?"
"No, not at all," she told the obvious lie.
“I think this place was built on top of it.” Delilah knelt to touch the floor, once again oblivious to their tense interaction. “Feel that, through your feet, the pulsing. It is strongest beneath us.”
“Unless one of you have a demolition kit in your back pocket, I don't know how you expect us to get her out of the ground.” Iris spoke as she picked up a menu of the nearby counter and started to peruse the items listed. She looked over her shoulder at the staff who avoided them and frowned. "What's a girl gotta do to get a little service around here?"
As if her words were the catalyst needed to set things in motion, the moment they passed her lips, the ground began to quake and a massive crack spread through the floor of the restaurant. The sound of the footfalls of the patrons as they rushed to flee the building was thunderous and echoed by their screams. They all wanted out and feared the building would come down on their heads. Delilah was unconcerned with the panic around her. She narrowed in on the crack that had appeared and followed the length of it out the door and to its origin. Standing at the base of the fracture was a man who didn't belong there.
As the people ran out of the building they caught one glimpse of him and ran in any direction other than where he stood. Without explanation or understanding, Delilah was flooded by a growing anger. It overpowered her and flooded the bond to Iris who had to grab the counter beside her to steady herself from falling. The man smiled a sickly grin and waved at the woman who was already calling her serpent children to her.
“Who the hell is that?” Iris asked as she narrowed her gaze on the man outside of the door.
“Well, I’ll be,” Tethys said in shock. “It's Chrysaor.”
“As in,” Iris started.
“Delilah's brother,” Asa finished.
“What did you just say?” Delilah turned her angered glare on Asa who flinched. "He's my what?" She looked back to the man who she then realized shared a slight resemblance to her.
“Your mother, had a son," Asa clarified. "He was born after her death. The story says he and one other climbed from her carcass."
"Who was the other?"
"Pegasus," she answered.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Iris asked the questions that danced through Delilah's mind. "This doesn't make any sense. Is he here to avenge Medusa as well? Lehela didn't mention him."
“In the name of Athena I have come to retrieve the titan, Rhea!” he called out and held out the golden sword which he pulled from the sheath at his hip.
“Oh, great!” Asa huffed at the man who was once married to the woman she thought was her mother. “Looks like the goddess is definitely on to us.”
“You’re telling me this man is my brother?” Delilah looked disgusted by the display he put on.
“He is,” Iris started but before she could go into any further explanation of her twisted family tree, Delilah walked out of the door towards the man who wielded his sword like it was a trophy more than a weapon.
“Who are you?” She called out despite what was just told to her. She wanted to hear it from his lips.
“I am Chrysaor, son of Poseidon!” He boasted proudly, forgetting to mention the other half of his parentage.
“Son of Poseidon, and who else?” She called out angered at his dismissal of her mother's contribution to his life.
“Son of Poseidon!” He called out again.
“There is another! You will not disrespect her with your dismissal! Say her name! Say the name of the woman you betray by working hand in hand with the one responsible for her death! Say it!” Delila yelled out and the air around them tensed with her fury.
"What is it to you if I say her name or not?" Chrysaor narrowed his gaze and spit at his opposer. "Who are you?"
"I am Delilah, daughter of the woman you betray. Daughter of the woman who was blamed and cursed for the sins of another. The woman who was punished for crimes committed against her! I am daughter of the woman who deserves better from the son she brought into this world as a final act of her life!" Delilah screamed and the world shook beneath her. She held her arms out, and her hair stood on end, breaking free of the bun that she had it in. Thick strands turned into long bodies and snakes grew from her head in imitation of her mother. The heads hissed in a choir of anger. Around her feet the ground erupted with serpents, all of whom hissed and turned their eyes on the man who had pissed off their mistress. "I am the daughter of Medusa!" She cried out and with that, the snakes shot towards the shocked Chrysaor.
Despite his gawking at the woman who resembled the mother he had only seen depicted in paintings, he reacted quickly and jumped to defend himself against the attack. His golden sword proved to be more than just a trophy as it sliced through the bodies of the snakes leaving their halved bodies littering the ground around his feet.
“Oh shit,” Iris said as she watched the display. She wanted to run to Delilah’s aid, but knew there was nothing she could plausibly do that would help her win the fight.
Delilah held no hesitation as she charged forward refusing to lose anymore of her slithering allies. The staff appeared in her hand and her battle cry rang out as it slammed into the sword that Chrysaor used to protect himself. Repeatedly they charged one another striking and counter striking. Tethys watched with enjoyment as the siblings battled it out. The beachside restaurant had been deserted by human life which left the demi-gods with nothing to distract them from their fight.
“We need to do something!” Iris cried out.
“You’re right,” Asa spoke as she awed at the glory of Delilah’s fight. She went toe to toe with her brother and never missed a beat. As difficult as it was, she pulled her eyes from the fight. “The ground, it's open now, we need to find Rhea. She can help end this!”
“Right, okay,” Iris followed the length of the fracture to the back of the restaurant. It ended just below a massive picture of a pride of lions. She peered down into the opening, “I think there’s something down there!”
Asa ran to her side. “You’re right, there is.”
“How the hell are we supposed to get to her?” Iris looked over her shoulder again at the fight that was happening outside the door. They needed to work fast.
Standing just beyond the threshold, Tethys continued to observe Delilah and Chrysaor. She couldn’t help the sense of pride that swelled up within her. These were her descendants, in some sort, and they were magnificent. She was content with watching the fight play out. It was a fair one and it would end however fit. That was until Delilah looked to have the upper hand. She’d knocked her brothers sword out from his hand and was going in for the fina
l blow. At that moment, the loud sounds of thunder rang out from above.
Though the titan wanted to let them work it out one on one, Athena had other plans. The hybrid bodies of harpies swarmed through a newly formed opening. The shrill voices of the half-bird half-human intruders cried out and nose-dived from the sky to come to Chrysaor's aid.
Refusing to let Athena cheat, Tethys abandoned her neutral position on the sideline and decided to give assistance to Delilah. She called Asa to her side and handed her a small stone, “You will need this to wake Rhea. Hurry.”
Asa took the stone and rushed back to Iris who was still trying to figure out how to reach the sleeping titan.
With her newly acquired command of the ocean, Tethys created a shield that blocked the harpies’ path to the two down below. She pummeled the winged beings with water bombs that shot from the ocean and knocked them from the sky. She blinded them with thick clouds of mist that interfered with their flight paths. And when they still came forward she lifted from the ground, carried by a cyclone of salt water, to take the fight to them.
By the time Asa made it back to Iris she had figured out how to reach Rhea.
"There is a back panel!" she called with excitement. "The wall opens up!"
"Why would that be there?" Asa asked and they both caught each other’s eye and answered her question in unison, "Lehela."
"Of course she would have used her influence here. It makes sense," Iris said. "Can you help me open it?"
They pushed together against the small opening at the side of the painting of the pride. As they forced the wall to move it released a loud hiss. The panel slid backwards to reveal a small stairwell that led into the darkness below.
"You're going to have to go alone," Asa handed her the stone and turned to the opening where the harpies looked to be getting past Tethys. "I'll stand guard here just in case."
With the small stone held tightly in her hand, Iris took a deep breath for courage as she climbed down the narrow path to the hollow space below. It was a tight fit, but she managed to maneuver her body so that she was able to fit. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and used the like to illuminate the space. Just a foot ahead of her was a slab of wall with the face of a lion etched into the stone. Missing from the majestic face was one piece the lion’s left eye.
She lifted the stone to it, perfect fit. As a result from the battle waging up above, the ground began to rumble again, and Iris nearly dropped the stone. Afraid that she would lose the piece, she quickly popped it into the empty space. Just as it had with Tethys’ tomb, the addition of the stone completed the image and the pillar cracked. Only where the ocean goddess emitted steam, her fiery sister emitted a hot gas that knocked Iris unconscious.
The wall above the chamber crumbled destroying the painting that hung on it. Unlike her sister, and thanks to the prayers of the woman and her patrons, Rhea was strong when she was set free. She stretched her limbs as she set foot on the broken ground and frowned at Asa.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"I," Asa started but Rhea's attention was quickly taken away from her and to the battle outside. Recognizing the sound of her sister's battle cry, she smiled with an eager grin and ran for the exit to join the fight. Just as she did, two harpies flew into the building and as if she hadn't been unconscious for centuries, the titan reached out wrapping her hands around their throats and crushed them. She laughed maniacally as she bound forward out of the door.
"Iris!" Asa called for the unconscious woman, daring to take her eyes from the scene outside the door. She peered down into the opening that was filled with debris and tried to find Iris. It was the soft flicker of light from her cell phone that told Asa that she was there. "Are you okay?" she called out, but no response was returned. "Fuck!"
Asa considered climbing down to help Iris up but the shriek of a harpy entering the crumbling restaurant meant that the woman below would have to wait. The winged woman screamed at Asa and charged.
"Alright, let’s do this!" Asa cried out as she shifted from woman to beast. As her body stretched and large wings expanded, the harpy's eyes bulged from her head. She tried to stop her trajectory but couldn’t and flew right into the gaping jaws of the sphinx. Asa roared, the lioness happy to be free again and she ran out into the battle. The harpy filled her with such an intoxicating magic, she wanted more.
Hundreds of the birds had flown to Chrysaor's side but they weren’t as effective as Athena might have hoped. With Tethys using the water from below, Rhea savagely ripping through them, and Asa devouring anything that crossed her path, the Harpies realized they were in a losing battle. Their shrieks of attack turned to the calls of retreat.
Chrysaor had managed to get his sword back and had re-engaged in hand to hand with his sister. He swung the golden blade above his head and at that moment the large mouth of a python wrapped around his leg and another around the outstretched arm He cried out as he dropped his weapon. Another bite came down on his neck. Delilah closed in on him, ready to take him out, but she would have to wait for another chance. Ear piercing shrieks, a symphony of disruptive sounds rang out. Delilah fell back, covering her ears and four of the winged women swooped down, quickly grabbed hold of her brother and took to the sky. Delilah picked up the sword they'd left behind and launched it into the air. It tore through the wing of one of the birds just as they vanished into the sky.
The screams of Athena's pets was replaced by that of Delilah as she fell to her knees in frustration. She cried out the pain and anger that filled her soul. In the moment she had Chrysaor on his knees, she felt closer to her purpose than she had for a long time and yet her moment was wasted. She punched the ground and then softened when the small body of a snake slid to her and wrapped around her wrist. She lifted the baby to her face and felt it’s sorrow. Around them were the bodies of the fallen, serpents who'd given their lives for her. She stood; she would not tarnish their sacrifice with self-pity.
She turned to see Tethys who'd return to the ground and was hugging who she assumed was Rhea. She caught just a glimpse of the sphinx as the wings folded into Asa's back and left her nude for just a moment. As her body became clothed again, she darted into the building calling out Iris' name. Panic ripped through Delilah's chest and she took off after her.
"I can't reach her!" Asa called out as she stretched her arm down into the opening. The stairs had crumbled along with the wall.
As Delilah reached her side, she peered over the edge of the opening and quickly found sight of Iris who was still unconscious.
"Back up," Delilah instructed Asa who did as she was told. Delilah allowed her limbs to stretch, the same way they had when it was Asa whose life was on the line. She had to move the debris away from her before she could get a good hold. She moved cautiously but quickly and just as she pulled her free of the hole, the wall in front of them collapsed and sealed the opening shut.
Iris was wrapped into the once again human arms of Delilah as she sat on the floor with her.
“I’m sorry, you have to be okay.” Delilah whispered into her ear. "Please be okay."
Drops of water touched the dust covered face of Iris, provided by Tethys who hung her hands over her. As the thin painting of grey was erased, Iris coughed, and Tethys removed her hands. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled as she took in the face of Delilah.
“Did we win?” Standing over her body, Rhea, Asa, Tethys and Delilah who still held her, laughed.
“Yes,” Delilah pulled the woman closer to her. “We won.”
“Do you think we could take a standard mode of transportation this time?” Iris asked as she snagged food from the kitchen which had oddly sustained the battle with minimal damage. The staff had abandoned the place with good reason, but the food tasted just as good. She turned off the oven and stoves as a courtesy understanding their desire to flee without concern of a fire hazard. Who in their right mind would hang around after an earthquake, monsters pouring from the sky and a woman with the ab
ility to not only command but transform into snakes? “I mean, a plane is an option. I would just love to not be soaking wet or hanging on for dear life to the back of a dragon for the next eight hours.”
“A plane? What is that?” Rhea asked as she watched in fascination as Iris devoured another plate of piri piri chicken, jollof rice, and bowl of the fish soup that the establishment was named after. She’d been given the quick introduction of the women who surrounded her and had agreed to help them. Jumping immediately into a battle and taking down the harpies excited her. With the promise of more action to come, Rhea couldn't wait to move on with their journey.
“You’ll love it! They have food, drinks, and warm blankets! One good thing about working undercover is getting all the perks though I'm not sure how much longer it will be this way considering Oikos is no longer there to provide funding. The place was full of resources that we used to pay for what we needed here.” Iris took out her phone from her backpack and was happy that it was waterproof unlike all the other contents which were still damp.
She made a short call speaking softly into the phone as she whispered the confirmations needed to secure a ride for them. They wouldn’t be able to go through a standard airline. Not with two half nude sea goddesses, a temperamental snake queen, and the battle hungry new addition, neither of whom had a passport. Yeah good luck explaining any of that to TSA or the authorities. They would call when Delilah lost what was apparently a very short temper. After speaking on the phone for a few minutes she put the device away. “We have a few hours before our ride gets here. Plenty of time to rest up and fill our bellies.” With the hungry smile on her face she went back to relieving her plate of its contents.
“Great, that will give us plenty of time to figure out where we are headed to next.” Delilah looked frustrated; her hands remained tight fists that hung at her sides.
“Well let's see,” Iris wiped her mouth and retrieved the map that held the locations of the titans. “There are two left to find now. Phoebe and Themis. Who do you think we should go after next? Moon goddess or the titan who created the three fates, who I’ve always been quite fascinated with by the way.”