by S. E. Babin
Harpies with a knack for interior design? I had officially seen everything. Perhaps the most disturbing thing of all – if anything could be more deserving than the caged meals hanging above me – was the table toward the end of the room set for eight. Wickedly sharp knives took a place of honor among the silverware. I had a weird movie scene play in my head of a harpy tying a napkin around its neck and the butler coming in to announce the first course was Caucasian. I snorted and shook my head, but my eyes kept drifting toward that dinner table. What else could it be for when all their meals were hanging above my head?
“Psst, Abby.”
Embarrassingly, I almost jumped out of my skin, since I didn’t recognize the voice trying to get my attention. I looked around hoping I had misheard and it was Artie who had come to save the day.
“Up here.” The whisper was frantic. I looked up against my better judgment, hoping against all hope someone up there had survived. The quiet inside of this freakshow room was deafening so the odds weren’t good. One cage directly above my head begin to sway gently from side to side and a bloody hand reached out from between the bars. I gulped, said a quick prayer to anyone who was listening, and said, “Yes?”
So I wasn’t terribly articulate when scared witless. Sue me.
“You have about five minutes before the harpies get back from hunting.”
Ah. Like anyone hanging twenty feet in the air and bleeding to death would bring good tidings. “Umm, thanks. I met the main harpy outside. Seems like I’m safe from being their afternoon snack,” I said, confusion evident in my tone. “Who are you?” My eyes kept darting around the cages, hoping to catch more signs of life, but the macabre stillness in the room pervaded even our hushed conversation.
The cage did a sickening lurch to the left as the woman moved forward to push her face toward the bars. My heart stopped as I took in the heart-shaped face and tangled blonde hair. “Eurydice,” I whispered.
Holy. Crap. This had become more convoluted than even I had expected. I began to suspect this might be a trap and wondered if either the Fates had set me up or if Eris was that much of a cruel, evil genius.
“I’d say the second one would be the correct choice. The Fates might be powerful, but they aren’t evil. More gray.”
I turned toward that voice and felt whatever hope I had come into the nest with slither right out of my toes and die a horrible death in the earth beneath me. I swallowed and mustered as much bravery as I could. “Eris.”
18
Chapter Eighteen
The creature in front of me bowed deeply. When she stood up a mocking smile graced her cold beauty. “At your service, my dear. Well not really. Here nonetheless. It’s been years, darling. You haven’t aged an iota.”
I had nothing on the Goddess of Chaos. I might be the Goddess of Love and Beauty, but Eris had beauty in spades and then some. Where I was hope, she was bloodshed. I was the light and she was the darkness. She strolled toward me – a graceful sinuous glide – the smile never slipping from her blood red lips. Ruby colored hair swirled in waves down to her waist and caressed a face worthy of the most elite magazine covers. She was Maleficent in the flesh, only I was in a much bigger world of hurt than Sleeping Beauty had ever been because there was no Prince Charming to rescue me. At that point all I could wish for was to become a Disney princess so I could sleep through the worst and wake up when it was all over.
Trying to be brave I squared my shoulders and cleared my throat. “So.” That came out as a squeak so I tried again. “So, there is no sword?” I asked.
She chuckled and moved ever closer to me. I began to back up in increments, hoping to stall her progress. I wanted anything in the world but for her to touch me.
Her smile widened. “Your terror becomes you, Aphrodite.” She licked her lips in an erotic gesture,. “It’s delightful.”
My stomach tightened and plunged straight down to my toes.
“There is a sword,” she said. “But I never had it.”
I felt my brow wrinkle and thought back to the Fates’ assurance Eris was in possession of the sword.
“Even the Fates can be tricked. Their visions are open to interpretation. Don’t forget who I am. Suggestion and ruses are one of my many specialties. I’m afraid not even the Fates are immune from my charms.”
Well, that was a new one. Those women encouraged me to walk right into a viper’s nest and I had gone blindly. Keto was right. I was an idiot.
Keto. “Did you do something to my friend?” I asked, hoping against all hope Keto was under the influence of something other than his own thoughts.
She laughed wickedly, a sound that reverberated through the harpies’ apparent dining area and sent a chill down to my toes. “The only thing I did to your dear friend was bring his niggling doubts about your intellect and penchant for trouble into the forefront of his mind. I may have exacerbated his thought process a little bit, Abby, but rest assured I placed no original thoughts against you into that pretty little head of his.”
There went my theory right out the door. But I pushed thoughts of Keto and the future out of my head while I considered how I was going to get out of my current predicament.
Laughter rang out through the den. “Think all you want to, dear. But don’t expect to walk out of here alive.”
Another mind reader. Where was I when that gift was being doled out? Instead I managed to get good looks and the ability to force people into love. Not so handy when you were face to face with a psychotic and power hungry goddess. I knew I should have taken that Krav Maga class when I had the chance.
Eris’ eyes widened and I cursed myself for thinking that. Way to poke the bear, Abby. First rule when you’re about to be slaughtered – don’t call a psycho a psycho. Try the kinder, gentler method. Whatever that was I didn’t know.
“Psychotic?” A creepy chuckle burst forth from Eris and she moved so quickly my eyes couldn’t follow her. A strong, lean hand wrapped itself around my throat and I found myself staring into black, fathomless eyes. She grinned, a macabre sight on such a beautiful face. “I like the word queen better. How does that roll off the tongue, Abby? Queen.”
All I could manage was an urk because my air supply was quickly being cut off. Her hand tightened once and she released me. I fell to my knees, gasping and choking for air.
She reached for me again, instead opting to wrap a hand around my hair and pull me to my feet. “Say it, Aphrodite. Queen. Let it roll off your tongue.”
I would say no such thing to her. Hera was bad enough and hated me for her own reasons, but while she was Queen I was somewhat assured I would be able to live for at least another day. No telling what would happen if Eris ruled over Olympus. I knew I could kiss earth goodbye; she had no use for humans.
I gritted my teeth against the pain in my scalp. I was a goddess. I would get out of this. I looked up into Eurydice’s terrified eyes and my bravery faltered. All she was guilty of was loving a man. I had done far worse in my lifetime than she.
“Say it.” Eris screamed and lifted me off the floor. I raised defiant eyes to hers and grinned.
“No.” I said. And meant it with every fiber of my being. She screeched in outrage and flung me across the room. I landed with a crack against the harpies’ table. I had at least one, maybe two ribs broken. I grasped the side of the table, trying in vain to stand up, but all I could do was lean against one of the legs and try to catch my breath. I sent a small line of magic down my breast bone into my ribcage and felt instant relief as my ribs began to knit back together.
“Ah,” said Eris as she again strolled toward me. I glared at her and wished she knew the rules of game playing. When someone was injured a good sportsman walked away. “Your magic is back. I wondered when you would discover who was responsible. Although it seems it took you an extra long time to figure it out. Guess you weren’t there when Zeus passed out brains, either.”
Bitch. I spat out blood – a moment’s concern flickered through my mind
as I wondered about internal bleeding – and forced myself to stand up and face her.
I felt a soft weight on my shoulder and felt a nudge on my cheek. Keto. Even though we were fighting I had never been happier to see that feathered man in my entire life.
“Why, Eris?” I asked her. ‘Why do this when you already have everything you need?”
A perplexed look crossed her face. “You have no idea what I have or don’t have. We are gods, Aphrodite. We never have enough. You’ve spent too many years among your precious mortals and it’s softened your outlook on life. My father banished me to earth and I never stopped trying to find my way back. His biggest mistake was failing to ensure I stayed there. Once I found my way back to Olympus, my powers grew exponentially. Gaining the apples was only one more feather in my cap.”
My eyes flicked around as I tried to uncover where she had hidden the apples, but Eris knew immediately what I was looking for.
“You won’t find them here. I may have control over the harpies for now, but I’m not stupid enough to hide them here.” She turned away from me and lifted her face to the ceiling where all the cages were. With a flick of her wrist, one of the cages began to slowly lower toward the floor.
A self-satisfied smirk lingered on her face and my stomach plummeted. I did not want to see who was in that cage. My eyes strayed to Eurydice. Her mouth thinned and she bowed her head. Rage flickered in my veins as my gaze turned back to the cage.
“When you play with mortals, little one, they get hurt. His fear and rage were delightful, Abby. And his love for you – fiery. I haven’t tasted a morsel like him in ages.”
My entire body shook and tears filled my eyes as I looked inside the cage. Marshall lay there, beaten and bloody. I knew him, just like my own heartbeat, but his body was in such an unrecognizable state I didn’t know if he were alive or dead. I did this to him. Getting involved with mortals always ended in heartbreak. I knew this, had always known this, but once again I had let my heart tread where my common sense feared to go.
An eerie calm settled over my body as I tore my eyes away from Marshall.
“I will kill you for this.”
Eris broke into bubbly laughter, as if such a thought would never occur to her. “Now, Abby, you know the rules of gods and mortals. Such fragile playthings. I don’t know what you see in them, anyway. They’re so breakable.”
A pout settled on her bloody lips. “I expected so much more from him. He lasted only a few minutes.” She lifted a delicate foot encased in a stiletto heel and nudged Marshall’s lifeless body. When he made no movement, she sulked.
“Such a pity.”
Fury made its home in every cell of my body. Seeing Marshall in that state made something primal rise in me and I felt magic suffuse itself in my skin. Eris’ eyes widened slightly, but I didn’t give her time to react.
I raised one of my hands and let all the grief and rage I had inside pour out of my body. An arc of lightning shot from the palm of my hand and struck Eris in the chest. She flew into the wall with a sickening crunch and slid down in a motionless pile.
And yet, the lightning kept pouring from my hand into her body and I realized I didn’t care. I wanted her to suffer like she had made Marshall suffer. Like she had made everyone suffer. I no longer cared about Zeus or the damned apples or even Olympus, anymore. I wanted the gods to stop being such power-hungry, thieving bastards.
“Enough.”
I heard the words, but they didn’t register. Keto’s claws dug into the side of my neck and his beak tore at my hair trying to get me to release the magic I held. I could feel the tears pouring down my face, the heavy magic use weakening my body, but still I poured out everything I had.
“Enough, Aphrodite. You’ll kill her.” The sharp crack of the voice startled me and I turned toward it. Zeus stood there, a look of pity on his face. And I felt my anger grow.
“You,” I seethed. “You did this. Does it look like I care if I kill her?” And still the magic poured from me. Eris’ body began to smoke and black viscous fog poured out from her. I brought the fog toward me, the gold of my light mixed with the ebony of hers, drank it down, and felt my body struggling to cleanse the dirty magic and purify Eris’ power so it could become my own.
I felt alive. So alive. And I knew at that point that I could take Zeus down if I wanted. I could rule Olympus, the world if I wanted. I didn’t care about Hephaestus because it now seemed like an empty threat after what I had faced. What did it matter? Everything I cared about died anyway.
“Stop.” A whispered word in a voice I never thought I would hear again. A beseeching hand reached out from the golden bars of the cage.
“Marshall?” I whispered, but still I didn’t let go.
Zeus took a step toward me and I saw something etched on his face I thought never to see. Fear.
And I was the cause.
A triumphant smile lit my face. “This woman is your daughter.” I screamed, not caring if the harpies heard me, unconcerned with my future and how this might affect my relationship with Zeus. “This horrible, awful, evil woman is from your loins and you still feel pity for her? You still care whether she lives or dies?”
Zeus reached for me, a pleading look in his eyes. “None of us are beyond help, Abby.”
More tears rolled down my face and golden light blinded me and still I stood there, sucking every bit of magic I could from her. She would never hurt anyone again. “We are gods, Zeus. We are all beyond help.”
“No, Abby. That’s where you are wrong. Look at you. Look at the life you have made away from Olympus. Look at the man you are killing someone for.”
I stared at Marshall, still with his hand out toward me, gray eyes watchful and wary.
“You have shown me things I long thought the gods were incapable of – compassion, love, hope, and I hope now you’ll show mercy.” He stood there, powerful in his own right, the King of the Gods asking me to show lenience against someone who would have destroyed him. I looked away, no longer wanting to see the pity or the longing for his daughter in his eyes.
I shut my eyes, willing this all to go away, wishing I could wake up in my bed none the wiser. When I opened them, I turned away and saw Artie standing in the doorway of the den, tears in her eyes and a hand over her mouth. The look of horror in her eyes was my undoing. I released the magic with a gasp and fell to my knees. Sobs racked my body and I couldn’t stop them. The horror of the last few weeks caught up to me in that moment, and I laid my head on the smooth concrete of the floor and succumbed to the grasp of magic.
As my eyes fluttered shut and my body attempted to repair the damage, I felt strong arms lift me up. Concerned yellow eyes followed me into sleep.
19
Chapter Nineteen
I came to cradled in Keto’s arms. Zeus and Artie stood with their heads bowed in deep discussion and Eris still lay slumped against the wall. I wondered if she were dead and a trickle of fear slid down my spine as I realized I didn’t care if I had taken her life.
I looked up at Keto, unsure of what to say. Our relationship had gone through some bumps, but never like this. Lying there in his arms with his gaze on my face I felt like we were at a precipice, one that could tip the scales of our relationship. I stayed silent, fear of the unknown keeping me quiet.
I was exhausted, physically and mentally, and I groaned when I realized we still hadn’t found the apples. My eyes searched the room and found the door to Marshall’s cage open and the man gone. More tears filled my eyes.
Keto brushed a tanned hand across my hair. “Shh, Abby. Don’t cry. All will be well.”
A wobbly smile made it on to my face. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”
“Yes, I know. One of the worst.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, comforted by Keto’s presence.
A cool hand touched my forehead and I opened my eyes to see Artie standing over me, a hesitant smile on her face.
“Stay still, Abs. You put you
rself through quite an ordeal and have serious injuries.”
I frowned because I couldn’t feel anything at all. The skin around her eyes tightened and a grim look told me all I needed to know.
“Oh,” I whispered.
“Oh is right, kiddo. This might hurt a little bit, but trust me when I say we need to do this right now and not wait until we get home.”
The cool electric green of Artie’s magic poured through my body. Pain coursed through me as her healing magic took control of the areas where Eris’ magic had overwhelmed my own and poisoned it. She bit her lip in concentration and trailed her fingers down my collarbone and ribcage, searching for any areas she had missed.
Keto squeezed gently until Artie had finished and set me in one of the dining room chairs. Super creepy to be sitting where the harpies munched on human playthings, but I wasn’t sure I could stand up straight right now.
Zeus strode over to me and knelt to eye level. I was terrified, unsure of where we stood now that I had almost murdered his daughter.
He placed a comforting hand on my knee and one hand on my cheek. “It must be difficult to be the Goddess of Love,” he finally said.
At my arched brow he continued. “To see the possibilities for everyone else. To never be able to go anywhere without seeing someone’s history and the potential for them. But to also know humans have free will and even the best matches can sometimes go unrequited because of stubbornness or bitterness.”
He was right. It was difficult to see everyone’s love lives except for my own.
“But you,” he continued, “It must be hardest of all for you. To know the beauty of love, but never to have it realized for your own life. Such a lot for an immortal is one I’m afraid I couldn’t bear. And I’m sorry it has been given to you.”
His understanding soothed my wounded soul. Over the millennia it was easier to bear, but it was still a difficult burden to deal with day to day. My own love life was a series of screwed up encounters, the most recent one probably the worst because a human had fallen prey to Eris.