by Jessica Cage
“Delilah? You are okay.” Iris quickly softened. Her skin and voice returned to normal and a small smile lifted the corners of her lips.
“Yes, I am. You need to calm down.” She looked over to Asa who was struggling to get back to her feet. “These are our friends, why would you hurt them?”
“I thought you were in danger, I heard you scream. You needed help and they wouldn’t let me go to you.” Iris explained her actions to Delilah. "Please don't be mad."
“I’m fine. You see me here, now. I'm okay.” Delilah raised her hands above her head and turned in a slow circle. "Not a scratch on me."
“You are,” Iris’ feet touched the ground again.
“Yes.” Delilah looked to Tethys, Rhea, and Phoebe. Each nodded to her confirming that they were okay.
“I’m sorry,” Iris sobbed, and the colors radiated around her again this time in muted shades of blue.
“It’s okay, don’t worry, just calm down please.” Delilah held her arms out to her.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Rhea warned but Delilah shot her a look that told her to keep her opinions to herself.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Delilah spoke and Iris stepped into her arms. The others grimaced expecting the contact to burn her as it did everyone else, but she suffered no pain. Within moments, the last of Iris’ rage subsided, and her skin brightened and returned to a lightshow of rainbows that blinded them all before her soul quieted.
“Are you okay? Oh no, your neck is burned.” Tethys moved to Asa who was barely keeping herself on her feet and held her hand over the mark across her neck. When she pulled her hand away the scar from the burn was gone.
“Yes, thank you.” Asa said, "I'm okay, just a little shaken up."
"As we all are," Tethys pulled her into a hug. "You'll be okay, daughter."
"What's next? What did the gorgons decide?" Phoebe asked Delilah. "Do we have their support?"
Delilah wasn't able to supply a response because at the edge of the space where they stood, a current of electricity struck the ground. The air around them began to crackle with energy. They ducked for cover as the trees shifted and warped as another bolt of light ripped through the trees with an explosion that knocked each of the women to the ground.
“What the hell was that?” Iris was the first to her feet. “There’s something there.” She pointed to the burned space on the ground.
They approach the singed surface and in the center of the fallen trees and blackened earth was a small body. It was a female and her clothes and hair had been burned by the bolt of light that brought her there.
“Do you think she is alive?” Asa asked.
“I don’t know.” Delilah crept closer to the woman's body. "She isn't moving."
“Where do you think she came from?” Iris asked as she kicked away some of the debris and tried to get a better look.
“Dressed like that? Not from here.” Asa winced after she commented on the draped fabric that was secured only by a braided belt around her waist. She lifted her hand to her throat and frowned.
“Casi?” Delilah spoke the name as she tiptoed forward, recognizing the woman who had cared for her for most of her life. Carefully, she rolled her over to reveal the aged face she last saw before she crossed realms.
“You know her?” Iris asked.
“She is from my home.” Delilah looked back over her shoulder at the women who watched her with wide eyes. When the small cough came from the unconscious woman she turned her attention back to her. She lifted the woman into her arms. “We need to get her somewhere safe. She’s alive, I need to find out why she came here.”
“I vote we go home, as in we get the hell out of the jungle.” Iris raised her hand.
“I agree, civility would be nice.” Phoebe noted. "Or whatever that stands for in this time."
"This is where you live." Phoebe said with judgement as they filed into Iris’ apartment. "It’s so small."
"What more do you need? It has the essentials." Iris wanted to laugh because most people had the opposite reaction. For the posh area of town she’d managed to snag her home in, her apartment was considered to be massive. If she took the goddess to some of the other apartments around the city, the woman would likely have a heart attack.
"I suppose a life of simplicity is best, the alternative results in greed and destruction," Rhea commented. “Superficial possessions have a way of rotting the soul.”
"Exactly!" Iris enthusiastically agreed as if she wouldn't trade her modest apartment for a mansion in the suburbs any day!
"We should get her comfortable, clean her up a bit, hopefully she'll wake soon." Delilah carried the frail woman across the threshold. Casi remained in the comatose like state for the entire trip back to Iris’ home.
"I can't believe she hasn't yet, do you think she is okay?" Asa peered over the edge of the sofa where Delilah laid the unconscious woman.
"Crossing realms is a taxing thing, and to do it in such a violent way, I'm not surprised she is still out of it. The good thing is that she is breathing, and her heart is strong. We just have to be patient." Delilah confirmed that Casi was still in good standing.
“We can at least clean her up,” Iris appeared with a towel. “We can move her to the bedroom where it will be more comfortable for her.”
“I’ll help.” Asa offered and with the aid of Delilah they carried the woman into Iris’ bedroom. Once she was in the bed, Delilah rejoined the others in the front room, but Asa remained in the bedroom with Iris.
They took to the task of removing the charred clothing and cleaning as much of the woman’s flesh as they could.
"Are you okay?" Iris kept her eyes on Asa. There’d been a level of tension between the two of the women since she lashed out and choked her in the jungle. They’d yet to address what happened. Having a plane full of prying eyes and listening ears didn’t allow for much opportunity for an intimate conversation.
"Why?” Asa asked as she lifted the woman easily to remove the garments from beneath her. Iris handed her a dress which replaced the clothing they removed.
"You've barely spoken since we left the jungle. I don’t know what it is, but I can tell that something isn’t right. I really am sorry for hurting you back there."
"It’s fine. I'm okay, just a little off. I should be back to normal in no time." Asa abandoned her task and headed for the door.
"I'm sorry," Iris called to her and Asa paused for a moment, lifted her hand to her throat but didn't turn to face her. Her shoulders squared and without further discussion she left the room.
"What was that about?" Delilah asked as she entered the bedroom.
"She won’t admit it, but I think she is angry because I turned on her. I don't blame her." Iris wiped the last of the smudges from the woman’s face.
"She will forgive you, in time." Delilah offered reassurance as she peered over Casi’s body. They’d replaced her clothing with a floral dress which was loose on the woman. With her skin clean, Delilah could see the aging happening. Casi wouldn’t last much longer on Earth. Whatever magic that was keeping her preserved was wearing off.
"How can you be sure?" Iris paused, "Have you forgiven me?"
Delilah looked up from Casi. “What do I have to forgive you for?”
"For all of this,” Iris waved her hands around the room as if all of her transgressions were laid out for them to see. “Forgive me for being someone I didn't know I was and for turning on our friends."
"That is nothing I have to forgive you for, Iris." Delilah stepped closer to her.
"I feel like shit, we had this good thing going and I can’t get it out of my head that somehow, I ruined it." Iris admitted her fears as she stared into Delilah’s warm gaze. “No one out there trusts me now and they have every reason not to. Look at how I acted. I hurt Asa.”
"Perhaps your conscious is getting the best of you but I do not think you ruined anything. We’re all still here, together and we're strong.” Delilah lifted her fin
ger to touch Iris’ cheek. After the brief contact she dropped her hand to her side. “Everyone is experiencing something new here. The titans have just been awakened after spending centuries in a mental hell. Asa is now finding out that her mother isn’t who she thought it was. I’m also uncovering some truths about my heritage that I find unsettling at best. This is a challenge for us all, but its nearly over."
"It is,” Iris agreed.
"What will you do, when your job is done?" Delilah looked to the bed again.
"My job?” Iris’ voice lifted an octave as she questioned her.
"Helping me," Delilah glanced back to her for a moment and then found something more engaging outside of the window. “Soon this will be over. You won’t be obligated to help me anymore.”
"Oh,” Iris sat on the edge of the bed.
"Did I say something wrong?" Delilah questioned the frowned expression on Iris’ face.
"It's just, I don’t see this as a job. It’s not just something to check off my task list. I never thought of this that way. I want to be here, with you, helping you. I hadn't really considered what happens when that necessity ends." She sighed. “I assumed that we were on the same page about what happens next, but I guess with things changing we aren’t anymore.”
"Perhaps we should discuss it.” Delilah joined her sitting on the edge of the bed, sure not to disturb the woman who lay just a foot away. “Should we survive this, what would you like to happen?"
"I want us to stay together,” Iris admitted easily. “I'm not exactly sure how that works, or what that arrangement looks like, but that is what I want. We can figure out the logistics later."
"Good." Delilah whispered as she leaned closer to her and pushed the hair out of her face. "By the way, I like your hair longer.” She slowly leaned across the short distance that separated them. The two sat like that, taking in the scent of each other’s breath for a moment.
Iris looked from Delilah’s lips and caught the glint of green that lit behind the soft brown of her eyes. A small sigh escaped her just as Delilah eliminated the remaining air between them. For the first time, they kissed and as their lips entangled, Iris’ skin lit up with the color of love.
It was two days until Casi woke. Two days of dealing with restless titans and gorgons who were flown in on a separate jet. Two days of near silence from Asa and incessant chatter from Tethys. Reports came in from all over about a world that was erupting into madness. More and more supernatural beings came into the light as the humans dug their foot in on their claim of the earth. War was imminent.
“I think she’s waking,” Phoebe called out down the hall to the other women.
They’d been taking shifts watching Casi. Each woman spent four hours watching over the patient and making sure that she didn’t perish. With each passing hour, signs of age crept into the bed and curled up with the dying woman.
"Casi," Delilah spoke softly a she entered the room.
"I did it, I found you." The old eyes of a woman who barely looked like herself found Delilah.
"Yes, you did.” She sat next to the bed. The others slowly filing into the room behind her. “What are you doing here? Why would you risk coming?”
“You have to do something, Delilah. It may already be too late, how long have I been here?" She tried to sit up but was too weak to do so. Delilah helped by propping two pillows behind her back.
"Two days, and what do you mean? Too late for what?" Delilah asked as she fluffed another pillow for her head to rest on.
"To save our home!" Casi cried. "After you left, the place started to crumble. But we managed to sustain, until...” she trailed off.
"Until what?" Iris asked softly.
"Athena." Casi found the face of the goddess and frowned.
"What?" Delilah bristled at the name of her enemy.
"She came there, and she brought the harpies with her. They have taken over Fidi."
"They couldn't have Oikos, and now they have an alternative," Asa offered. “That is what Ares was trying to do. He was trying to claim Oikos for himself.”
"Doesn't sound like it is at all stable though,” Iris nodded. “When the source magic was removed from Oikos, it died.”
“Lehela was the source for Oikos, right?” Asa asked and Iris nodded.
“Yeah, something like that. Oikos was built from the magic of the original coven, but Lehela was the strongest,” Iris spoke.
“What’s the source magic for Fidi?” Rhea asked as she stepped forward.
“I am,” Delilah looked back at the other women. “I felt it, when I left. Fidi had been pulling magic from me for my entire life. Now it is at risk because of me.”
"It is and our people are suffering, even more now that Athena is there. We were able to sustain without you, but she is draining our magic. I don't know how much longer we can survive it."
"Draining your magic for what?" Tethys questioned. “What the hell is she up to?”
"She is trying to wake the titan. She keeps talking about fates and wanting to be able to control them." Her eyes met the guilt-ridden ones of Delilah, "I barely made it out of there alive."
"I'm sorry, for leaving, for risking your lives." Delilah apologized to the woman who helped raise her.
"It's not your fault. We should have prepared you; we should have educated you so much more than we did. It is because of our own fear that this is happening," Casi looke at Delilah with sorrow in her eyes. “If only we had done more for you.”
"So, Athena wants the fates, but we have them." Rhea smirked. “I’d like to be there to see her face when she figures it out.”
"Yes, we do." Phoebe still held on to the chest which housed the souls of the fates.
"I say we take this fight to Athena before she wakes and figures out how to get them. If Themis wakes and Athena can convince her to call them to her, it will be too late." Tethys warned them.
“I thought we were good as long as they were in that chest.” Iris pointed to the container Phoebe held.
“As long as they aren’t tied to a physical form, Themis has claim over them. The only way to be able to insure that she can’t call them to her is to unleash them.” Phoebe looked down at the chest. “That would be a bad idea though. If we do that, we could lose them forever.”
“Can’t we just pick where they go?”
“No, unfortunately, we cannot. They must choose their own path,” Phoebe spoke softly.
“Well, looks like we need to solve this little Athena problem before that sister of yours wakes up.” Stheno boasted and squirmed. She was having a difficult time adjusting to wearing pants. Iris was able to call in a favor from an old friend, a witch who created charms for the gorgons to wear which gave them legs instead of their slithering lower half. The magic couldn’t fix the effect of their sight on others but the stylish sunglasses they wore kept everyone around them safe. “I’d also like to get this done so I can be done with this bipedal existence.”
"Agreed, we need to take the fight to her." Delilah stood.
"What about Casi?" Iris asked.
"She will stay here, until we can be sure that Fidi is safe for her return.” Delilah lifted the delicate woman’s hand into her own. “She should be okay for a while longer, but we will need to work fast.”
"You want to just leave her here?" Tethys waved a hand over her and moved more of the healing powers into the woman’s body. It was the only thing keeping death at bay. She hadn’t told Delilah, but the odds were that Casi wouldn’t survive long enough for them to return her to her home. Even if she did, there was no reversing the age that had taken over her body. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Someone needs to watch after her. She will need to eat and be cared for.”
"I have someone who can keep an eye on her." Asa smiled and eagerly headed for the door. As she left the group she called over her shoulder, “I’ll be right back.”
Asa stood outside the door for a while before she worked up the nerve to knock. After three light taps
she waited. She could hear him on the inside shuffling around as he made it to the door. She took a deep breath as the knob turned and when the door swung open it was less than a second before he pulled her into his arms.
“Asa, you’re here.” Carter kissed her deeply before carrying her completely across the threshold and closing the door behind her.
“Carter, it's so good to see you again.” She hugged him tightly. “I’ve missed you.”
"I've missed you too." He kissed her again and struggled to pull away from her lips.
"Coffee, why is it that you always have coffee brewing?" She grinned.
"Because you never know when a beautiful caffeine addict may come knocking on your door." He chuckled and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.
"Oh, so you're just plotting for women to come here?" Asa smirked and raised a brow.
"Not women, no." He winked. "One woman, and it appears my trap worked because here you are."
Asa pulled herself away from Carter's embrace and moved further into the apartment. "It's nice being here. This feels right."
"Are you okay?" Carter tilted his head as he watched her move around the furniture, touching various surfaces with her fingertips. "What's going on?"
"I'm fine," Asa abandoned her path around his front room and headed for the kitchen where the smell of coffee lured her.
"Tell me the truth," Carter followed her.
"Carter, its nothing. I’m just tired from the trip. It’s been a long journey getting back here and it’s not even over yet." She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and began to fill it with the Columbian brew.
"Yeah, you're tired, what else, Asa." Carter refused to let up. “I know there is something else going on.”
"Carter," Asa started but turned to meet his hurt expression and stopped.
"I can tell that you're lying. Since when can you not trust me?" Carter’s question hung out in the air between them.
"I do trust you," Asa sighed. “I’m sorry.”
"So tell me, what is it?" He sat on the bar stool on the opposite side of the counter.