He knew which option he preferred. Better she was dead than Hell was unlocked. Besides if she had ended up in the Underworld, she was likely dead, the rivers having stripped her of her Divinity. The Underworld was a cruel place.
There appeared no trace of her in Hell, no disturbances to Limbo or Purgatory. No one had felt her presence. The cold reality was that one of the Goddesses had probably consumed her strength. If only she hadn’t been powerless, it was his fault. She was dead but perhaps that was for the best, her powers had hardly seemed Angelic at all. She might have Fallen. It was probably kinder this way.
Sariel, as it happened, was running through the palace corridors laughing with Cerberus bounding at her heels. His joyful barking mingled with her musical laughter ringing along the hallways. It had been so long since there had been truly genuine laughter heard in Hades’ palace, it was usually bitter and regretful. The dead were noted for their lack of humour, the Lampades were a fairly serious bunch, and the Gods’ joy was long lost. But her innocent laughter was music to their ears, even to the coldest and angriest heart. Even Nemesis found her mouth tugging into a smile.
She watched her run past with Cerberus, all innocence, and joy. What had happened to make her so happy? What in Hades could cause such joy? Or was it that they had all sense of joy leeched out by overwhelming bitterness and resentment to the point they could no longer find joy in the little things like her. They planned to send this girl into Hell. What was she going to do? Laugh the Demons away?
She felt a strange sensation, she wanted to say it was warrior’s honour, but really it was her long dormant conscience. How ironic that it was an Angel that had awakened it. She couldn’t justify sending Sariel into Hell with no prior training, she needed to be able to defend herself. Physically as well as magically, and who better to teach her fighting than herself. Hell was probably the most dangerous place in the world, even more so for an Angel.
She needed training.
What concerned her more than Sariel’s complete lack of worldliness was Thanatos’ growing attachment to her. Gods and Goddesses rarely showed much attachment even to family and lovers. Its rarity for their species made it all the more valuable, to be loved by a God was truly rare. If it happened, it was only ever for lovers, close siblings or between a parent and child. The level of attachment Thanatos was showing for his granddaughter was unheard of. Even Nyx was showing an unnatural level of interest in a great-granddaughter. Admittedly she had no others to be involved with, but it was still troubling. Even near comatose Hypnos was drawn out of his dreams to spend time with her.
She had an uncanny ability to pull the heartstrings. Among the Divine, it was unheard of and deeply troubling.
“You do not trust her sister” she nearly jumped out of her skin, Thanatos was lucky she hadn’t automatically attacked him. How did he never make any noise? She turned around was even more surprised to realise that it was Hypnos and not Thanatos standing next to her. He was always sleeping, feeding on the dreams of mortals, for he was the only one who had any true access to the world even if it was only through dreams.
“No, I do not trust her. Everyone is enchanted by her, it’s not natural. We are Gods, not mortals, we don’t behave like this. Our heartstrings are cold and barely played. Something is different about her to pull us all.”
“Always suspicious Nemesis, and yet even your own heartstrings are being pulled. We have never met a Divine being so pure and innocent, is it any wonder we respond as we never have before. More so she is Samael’s daughter come home, the prodigal child’s child if you may. She is nothing how we expected, we expected her to be another Michael or Gabriel, or be similar to Lilith or Samael but she is truly unique. Such innocence and power are a heady combination for us to handle.”
“I think I like you better when you are sleeping.”
He smirked, “because I can’t prove you wrong.”
“Exactly”
He turned to her again becoming more serious “do you know what she dreams about?”
“She dreams? But Divine don’t dream.”
“By choice not by nature. She was never trained how to block out dreams. Her dreams are so simplistic. She is content, joy soaks through every image, though sorrow also lingers. She is happy here, happier than she has ever been before. She has freedom to live, learn, play and explore. No one is telling her where she can and cannot go. Her thirst for knowledge is not being knocked down, Nyx and Hecate have encouraged her to read the library and will begin training her soon.”
He eyed her up “You are going to train her” it wasn’t a question, he already knew her intentions.
“I cannot send a defenceless girl into Hell.”
He hugged her. Out of the blue, he actually hugged her. She couldn’t remember the last time he or anyone else had hugged her. Had he ever hugged her before? “See even your ice is melting Nemesis. There was a time you would not have hesitated to send defenceless mortals into the same situation.”
“But she is no mortal, she is one of us.”
“It is good to hear you say that. Yes, she is one of us.”
Sarah smiled as a peafowl landed next to her. Despite all efforts to recapture them, they remained roaming Central Park. Both zoos were at a loss to explain their behaviour. The official story in the news was that someone had broken into first the Bronx zoo, then Central Park Zoo. On their escape, they had ditched the birds to evade capture.
Their brilliant ability to avoid recapture was something of a local amusement. The news had a running day count of how long since they had been set free and how many had successfully been caught. So far it had been a week, and they had only captured one. But now they were out on mass to lend their current celebrity status for advancing Hera’s cause.
She stepped forward when the mayor called out her name, smiling at the crowd and camera’s, thanking them when she reached the podium and microphone. Now the real danger began, Hera had left New York to avoid the Angels and infiltrate other cities. In her wake, she had left a magical beacon that had convinced the remaining Daemons that she was not to be messed with. Her power was extraordinary. But the Angels had also come to New York.
Everyone was able to camouflage themselves amongst the Humans, it was one of the benefits of a big city. Plus the amount of magic floating around the city made it easy to avoid magical detection. Well, no war was won without causalities and for the freedom of her kind, she would give her life.
“Welcome all and thank you. On behalf of the New York Historical Society, I would like to thank you all for your time and support. Today is a somewhat prophetic day considering our new guests.” She smiled gesturing at the peafowl.
“Today’s statue is of one of mythology’s least understood characters. She has evolved with the times, starting off from Mother Goddess roots until she was the consort of the most powerful God in antiquity. She was feared, revered and envied. As the Classical Age passed into antiquity, her time waned, but she was not forgotten. In the Renaissance, she enjoyed a revival, and in these days she enjoys much more. For women, she is a symbol of strength, endurance, and suffering. She is worshipped again by many Neopagans as well. But today we are here to celebrate her for her symbology.”
She paused looking around for Angel attack.
“Hera was born from her Titan parents Rhea and Cronus, eaten at birth by her father. She was freed by Zeus the youngest off all their siblings. The Olympians overthrew the Titans, casting them down into Tartarus. What were her thanks? She was raped by her brother and forced into marrying him to avoid the shame. She endured her marriage as a symbol of what was expected of a woman. But she could not avoid the shame. Zeus was a constant cheater, with strings of lovers and children. Hera is famous for hunting them down and killing them, for her cruelty to Leto and Heracles
She is remembered for her part in the Iliad. Her unwavering demand to destroy it, all for the affront Paris made to her and Athena. She evolved as Roman culture expanded throughout Europe
. A symbol of matrons, how a mother and wife should be. All the while her husband’s affairs continued and her dedication in hunting them down. Which brings us I guess to the peafowl.
Io was a Nymph and priestess of Hera, unfortunately belonging to the Gods was no protection from the others. The story of Medusa attests to that. Io was seduced or raped, it is hard to know, but to protect her from Hera he turned her into a heifer. She sent her loyal guardian Argus, the ever watchful, to keep her but he was slain by Hermes. To reward him for his duty she placed his many eyes into the tail of the peacock. It has been one of her symbols ever since.
Enough with the history lesson” She smiled “let us reveal Central Park’s latest addition” she pulled the sheet off the statue revealing it to everyone present.
It was a larger than life casting of Hera. The Maenads had used their very best skills to capture as much of her Divine beauty as they could. They had opted for diluted strength, giving her a more demure look. She stood against a marble pillar, one hand supporting her against it, the other hung behind her back holding peacock feathers. She was dressed in a chiton and wore a simple diadem. Surrounding her were her various loyal servants. Little Carcinus by her feet, several peafowl surrounding her.
Many of the living peafowls called out before fluttering down amongst the bronze statues. One landed on top of the column, looking down at them calling out almost angrily.
“Well we have one seal of approval, let us hope that the Humans like it half as much.”
She walked off the stage after a smattering of applause as the mayor reclaimed the spotlight he loved. A couple of news reporters hurried up to her, her senses told her one of them was a Succubus.
“You have mentioned that this is but one in a line of public ventures for the Historical Society, Women’s Society and your enterprises. Tell us is this a public ploy to gloss over the allegations made against your company?”
That surprised her “what allegations?”
“Your dealings with the devil, your anti-Christian statements.”
She rolled her eyes “Having a higher degree of Jewish people within my companies are not a reflection of anti-Christian views, just those individuals meet my requirements and happen to share the same religion.”
The Succubus spoke pushing aside the annoying man. Such was her force he actually fell over “What is the next public venture, as you have said this is but the start.”
“Our next venture is a hospital, named in the honour of Hera.”
“But why Hera, she wasn’t particularly associated with healing.”
“No she wasn’t, but Hera was the agreed upon Goddess for our public ventures. Some she will fit better than others, some less so.”
“Why the interest in a Greek Goddess? Why not the use of an Angel from your religion?”
Both Sarah and the Succubus turned to the new man in the crowd, he screamed Angel. His power was not even hidden from them. This was it he was here to kill her.
“Not everyone is Jewish, and the use of religion complicates so many issues. The use of an ancient Goddess has no connotations to it.”
She could feel him studying her glamour, please let it hold up, probing her on her apparent Jewish faith.
“Fair enough,” he said after what seemed a hundred years, then he slinked back into the crowd. She tried not to stare at him, to do so would scream Daemon.
“No more questions,” one of her security detail said pushing his way through and clearing a path for her. For a Human, he was surprisingly sensitive to magical influences, and he was utterly efficient.
She felt the warmth returning to her veins as she gulped down her Scotch. That had been close far too close. She was officially under the Angelic radar. But had she passed or not?
Her day had been ruined. The unveiling didn’t hold joy for her and when she found out there had been a court case lodged against her company she barely registered.
To anyone that knew her she was the strangest, she had ever been. She was always so on the ball, meeting every challenge with poise and authority. She had cancelled all her meetings and now sat in home drinking herself blind drunk. It felt as though the Star of David she wore was burning, but it was merely her imagination. She had sent home all her servants, Human, and Daemon. If the Angel came back for her, she did not want them in the crossfire.
He didn’t come back that night, but her fear didn’t go away. Angels were a patient race.
Chapter 14
Sariel sat on the fountain trailing her hands through the black water creating little white whirls in their wake. It was thrilling to do this without being told off, in Heaven she had had to be so dignified all the time. Here she was allowed to be herself.
And she was being trained to use her magic. It was going to be a long path, she was having almost no success with trying to order her magic. She was so ignorant about so much of her power, but then that was Michael and Gabriel’s fault. Hecate and Nyx were giving her lessons here and there, giving her time to practice what she could. She was still struggling to grasp her magic at all without heightened emotions.
Thanatos had also started tutoring her about the nuances of death, Hypnos about sleep. She had thought Michael so wise about death but in reality, he had been nearly as ignorant as she was. She realised now the true understanding of death in Heaven belonged only to Azrael.
She had stood in awe of Michael and Gabriel’s power for so long, in awe of much of the Governing Council and their various abilities. She had never questioned their power. Their decisions and actions certainly but never their magic. They had always seemed so wise about their magic, but now she was beginning to question that with but a few lessons. Michael had not accepted his natural strength, he was an Angel of Death, but it was the least tapped of his abilities when it was his major strength. He was rejecting his own magic, a dangerous thing to do.
They also lacked the refinement that her family used so skilfully. Many of the Angels magic seemed ham-fisted. She had seen so many beautiful displays of magic since being here, and she had felt truly terrifying power wash through her when one of the Primordials touched her. They held truly unfathomable power, the essence of creation itself. She knew the Angels’ strength lay in their solidarity and ability to meld their magic together, but she still wondered how they had succeeded in overthrowing the Gods.
She looked up to see Nemesis striding towards her, her hair whipping behind her, her wings held close against her body. She was wearing a short blood red tunic with a bronze cuirass over the top as well as bronze greaves and bracers.
She came to a stop in front of her “Sariel” she nodded.
She glanced up meeting that hardened gaze “Yes Nemesis?”
Why did she always manage to look so vulnerable, simply sitting on a fountain she managed to look like the most fragile thing in the world? It had to be the child body she hadn’t progressed past. “It is time you learnt to defend yourself Sariel. Magic is not everything, and it can be blocked as you are well aware. Being able to physically defend yourself is essential.” The little twerp just looked at back her mouth hanging open.
“An excellent idea Nemesis. Life is dangerous, the Underworld essentially so” Sariel jumped as Nyx materialised next to her. Nemesis showed no surprise, she was used to the sudden materialisation of her brethren. “Honestly, I’m surprised your brother didn’t train you himself.”
“As am I. He was a gifted fighter.” Nemesis grimaced.
Sariel turned to look at Nemesis funny “Did you train him?”
“No I did not, but I did follow his training with interest, being accepted into the Legions of Athena, Sekhmet and Kali is an incredible achievement. I was considering offering him a place when his time with Aphrodite finished, but then the War broke out.” She paused “if you have half his talent you will be able to defend yourself sufficiently against even most Divine.”
She held out her hand, light blazed as a sword grew from the handle in her hand, the long blade poin
ting back at her. She offered the handle to Sariel “First you will learn the sword. It is among the oldest and most diverse of weapon skills. There are a variety of swords, and you will learn them all. Once satisfied you will progress onto axes, spears, nun-chucks, maces, daggers and the wide variety of bows. When you find a weapon that you like, you will train until it becomes an unconscious extension of yourself.”
Sariel’s eyes widened as she took the handle, her hand dropping suddenly at the unexpected weight of the sword. Nemesis rolled her eyes at her meekness, gliding effortlessly out of the way of the falling sword. Sariel steeled herself, gripping the sword she struggled to stand in what she thought was a suitable position. Nemesis laughed at her, it was the most pitiful and awkward attempt to hold a sword she had ever seen. “This is going to take longer than first anticipated. First, we shall start with holding a sword.”
Sariel fell into her bed exhausted, she couldn’t even be bothered undressing or showering. And she really should clean herself she was covered in dirt and blood. A bath would be better, it would be amazing to soak away all the dirt and ease away the pain in muscles she didn’t know she even had. Nemesis was a sadistic maniac, she had worked her worse than a slave driver. A picky obsessive perfectionist who had made her repeat stances and actions over and over until some minute problem changed and she was finally satisfied.
She had lost her entire day training, and she was still pathetic at sword fighting. Clearly she lacked even a drop of Michael’s talent.
She was Divine, an Angel/Goddess hybrid, wasn’t that supposed to grant legendary abilities. Shouldn’t she have picked this up as soon as she had picked up the sword? Then again she had severely tested her Divine abilities with the amount of healing she had had to do. As far as Nemesis was concerned for the Divine pain was the best deterrent to bad swordsmanship. As it was her muscles ached unbelievably. How was it possible to hurt this much without being lethally injured? Her arms were quivering in exhaustion, she had been worked until she had actually dropped. Silver blood had spurted from her hands and fingers, from her feet and ankles and even along her arms and legs. She had screamed in pain and agony as her muscles had torn themselves apart in the frenzy.
The Angels' Pride Page 16