by Dee King
“Iris…” His word was barely above a whisper, as pain moved through his body.
“Go look for her!” I scream at Alex and Zack.
Pulling Cato out of the water, laying him softly onto the shore, waiting for him to catch his breath. Turning slightly, seeing Zack carrying two more bodies over his shoulders, then Alex carrying two more. Bringing them to me, placing their bodies swiftly in the water as I run my hands over each one. They were all healing faster than we had thought they would. Each one, gagging from the water in their lungs as I place them beside Cato. There were now more than we thought were alive. Bodies lined up beside each other, each one coming to some sort of life, some faster than others, but nothing prepared me for what I was watching. Each one saying my name, quietly, as their bodies all started sparkling like diamonds in the rough. Each person was thanking me, as the water had saved them all. It was a glorious moment, until I saw Sebastian with someone in his arms, not over his shoulders. I knew who it was before he reached me. Alex crying out, cursing his father, they had found Cali.
Chapter Four
When the gods decide war is among you, they don’t care who their next victim is…
Zack holds Alex back with all his might as he falls to his knees, while Sebastian lays Cali’s body in the water. She was barely breathing, and this time, I didn’t think there would be any way to save her. Placing my hands on her pale, soft face, I let the water try to heal her. Nothing was happening. Alex is screaming at me to save her. The pain in his eyes was unbearable. I lean over her lifeless body, trying to breath into her lungs. This goes on for what seems like a very long time, till Sebastian grabs my hand.
“She’s gone, Selene. You have to stop.” He whispers.
“I can’t… I can’t stop, she could come back.” Not listening to him, I keep pumping and trying to breath for her.
“Selene. Stop. She’s gone.” Sebastian starts pulling her body from the water, laying her peacefully on the shore.
“CALI!” Alex rushes to her body, Zack releasing him, wrapping her in his arms, holding her tightly, saying her name repeatedly.
We all sit there watching Alex as he mourns over Cali’s mortal body. Sebastian stands to his feet and begins running back to where the dead bodies were lying, still searching, as Zack and now Cato follow swiftly behind him. I knew who they were looking for… Iris. We already knew Colin hadn’t been here, so there was only one more of us we needed to find. Sebastian starts calling out her name, as Cato and Zack start bringing bodies back two by two to the shore line. Others started to stand, trying to help the three of them bring more back. I sat there with Alex, watching him come undone at the seams. He was crying uncontrollably at this point as he held Cali’s lifeless body in his arms. He had loved her far more than I had ever known. A piece of me was mourning with him, but my priority right now was to help whomever I could. As I try to help, everyone stands, coming around from near death; they all start thanking me again. This was becoming awkward. I was never comfortable with being the goddess they saw before them, and now they were thanking me for doing nothing but helping them, like anyone would or should. Some ran to Alex’s side, placing hands on Cali, hands on Alex as he wept over Cali, and then I saw her. Iris walking among them. She was standing tall, beautiful as ever, even covered in blood, holding Cato’s hand as she stepped closer to all of us. The four of them walked towards us. Watching each of them, was like watching a dramatic scene out of a movie. Sand kicking up around them, they walked in step with one another. They were the last ones to walk away from this massacre. This was all we had left. Only one of us was missing, Colin, he was nowhere to be found. Standing in front of me, the ones I loved were alive. There was something kind of beautiful as I watched them come towards all of us. I didn’t feel like I came close to comparing to who they were. They had been gods and goddesses their whole lives, and here I was a scared angry woman; who only wanted revenge. How did I even compare to their stature? Everyone wanted me to be savior carrying their burdens on my shoulders, but I was no hero, I was no goddess. I was just a lonely, cold-hearted being, that didn’t want to let love in. Love didn’t dwell in my heart anymore....
Standing from the sand, I knew in my heart, that this was who I was. Not a goddess, not a hero, just a daughter of two people who had their own agenda... Cold, no longer seeing myself as a goddess, but that of a scorned woman. An orphan of love. An orphan of life. This would make or break me. This was no longer their fight, this was mine. What would happen next wasn’t going to be what anyone wanted, but this fight was with me and them. It had always been my fight; they just didn’t know. You see, when you love someone, their battles become yours, but this wasn’t their battle. This was mine. This was my fault. I was to blame for the deaths, I was to blame for all the heartache. It was time for me to set them free. It was time for me to find out exactly who I was going to become and if this heart could ever see the light through the darkness it so badly now searched for. My secrets were becoming a part of who I was and hoping that one day the ones I loved would see that I did this for them. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it was time for all of us to have a future again. That night as we got everyone settled in the mansion, listening to their stories of what happened and who was to blame; it became very clear that the path I was about to choose was the best. Unsure of how many powers I had, it had to be worth it to try. As night fell, and everyone slept in peace, I tip toed through the house. Leaving only a note for Sebastian beside him in the bed, this was now the time for me to take back our lives. There was a golden coin left on our bedside table, which I took, patting my pants where the coin was, it was time. Making my way down to the beach with only the moon to light my path, this was where I said goodbye. Whatever was to come, was on me not them, and whatever happened was my fault and I was going to take their pain away. Taking the gold coin out of my pocket, rubbing it in my palms, then tossing it in the air, high above my head, landing back in my hand. It was now or never. As I toss it one more time, I see Alex standing on the top of the balcony watching me. I didn’t have a choice anymore. They started this war, they started this rage within me; and it was time for this goddess to take back her life. Letting the coin drop back into my hand, with a devilish smile that swept across my face, I was coming for everything they said I couldn’t have.
Alex’s word of “NOOO…” rings loud and clear in my head, but before he can stop me, I’m gone…
Chapter Five
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade or in my case, when life hands you a grenade, you send it back to where it came from…
The Mount was dark, not a soul was in sight as I reached the gates of Alexandria. No one to be seen, not even the small fairies that lie in the gardens. It was like a ghost town. It was only missing the creepy ambiance of street lights that kept flickering as I pushed the door open to the gates of this hell Zeus had made. There was a small rock that I kept kicking towards my mansion, that he had built for me. With this little rock, I was going to destroy his dreams how he had destroyed mine. Leaning over, I picked up the rock, looking at this little piece of this forbidden heaven, it seemed so small compared to what it was about to do. The significance of this one rock was like my life. Cold, hard, and when rubbed just right, it would spark a flame.
This flame that was inside of me was not dying any time soon. A noise startles me, as my pulse begins to race, slowly turning my body to where the noise had come from. Colin stood in front of me. Wearing all white, dressed for a funeral, and his words hit me like a ton of bricks.
“You shouldn’t be here, you caused this… and now we have to pick up after you, like we have always done.”
There were no words that I could say back, because he knew I knew that in this moment I blamed myself. What could I say that would ever make him love me, or I love him? He was just another person I had let down at this point, just one more person I had hurt in the wake of my mistakes. Colin was everything I hated about myself and everything I had
wished I had been. Taking the rock in my hand, staring at him, I let my fears fall to the wayside, and rubbed the rock with a fury that I didn’t know I had. Placing the rock in both of my hands, watching sparks fly off, I turn my back to him. Feeling his hand trying to grab at me, but a force kept him away. He steps back, yelling obscenities at me, but I was too hot to be touched as he tried to reach for me. The fire began in my hands, as I blew on the rock, it ignited into huge flames. Whipping my head around, watching and letting the fire claim whatever was in its path, Alexandria was on fire. The flames begin to develop a mind of their own. Hitting this house, hitting this piece of grass, fires were ablaze everywhere, consuming whatever was in its path. It was as mad as I was. I could no longer see Colin; the fires were engulfed with me. Walking out of Alexandria, watching pieces of it fall off in to the heavens, turning around one last time to watch Zeus’s hell turn into flames, it was a release of pain. Throwing my hair over my shoulder, smiling as my feet crossed over the threshold of Alexandria. There was nothing left of this place. Standing in all my glory, hair flying around my face, my hands wrapped in a golden light. This was where the fight would begin, and this was where it would end. Making my way to the streets of Mount Olympus walking with my head held high. There was no one I wasn’t going to make pay for all the lies, the secrets, the deaths, this was happening. There were footsteps behind me. I kept walking with my head held high and mad as hell, more and
more were beginning to follow. My mind was set on one place, then one more… My father’s house was the first place, his hold on me was over. The fear, the pain, the heart ache was leaving my body as I turned into my goddess form. My clothes changing as I walk the streets of gold, making my way to my father’s home. Wearing a black and gold dress that looked like a warrior princess, these were going to be my colors, the dress flowed along the ground as I walked to the door. No white, no blue, just black and gold colors for my truth to be shown to all. Black like my heart and gold like the goddess I was becoming. There was no racing heart, no sadness, no tears, just me. This was who I was going to be, ready or not. They made this grenade, and they were going to see what it could do when it went off. My father steps out of his home, with my true, blood-mother, Hera, Colin, and Hades. They now stand before me. This was the time that I had waited for. It was me against them. If I died right here, right now, I knew that my love would avenge me. That wasn’t an option, I had to be the last one standing.
“You are so damn stupid…” Colin’s words get muted as Hera walks towards me.
“Daughter.”
“Hera.”
“You’re not as ready as you think you are, my dear, for what is to come.” She walks to me in such a way it’s almost to be admired if I wasn’t so angry, as she waves her finger to me as if to tell me no, no.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. You believe that this kid you left behind was never going to become all that she did, but here I stand, before you, ready for whatever may come.”
Colin comes to stand by Hera. Without a word spoken, I see that he believes I will back down. Everything he has done has been to protect them, from me. It’s to be admired, but he picked the wrong side.
“Selene, it was never supposed to be like this...”
“It wasn’t? Yeah, pretty sure you didn’t see any of this coming. You don’t know me; you don’t know anything about me. You can be whomever you want to be to them, filling their heads with lies, but you have no clue as to what I’m capable of. You are like your husband, led by greed and power. You don’t get to claim that you know me or anything about me. I didn’t even know you were my mother, let’s not pretend that you give a damn. For me, you’re just one more person on a long list of people who will now pay for the pain you have caused so many.”
Without warning my hands become warm, very warm, and I push her. She flies back into my father. Colin tries to come after me, but I threw him harder than I had her, and he lands on Hades hitting the ground hard. It sounded like thunder crashing. My father was next. He moved quickly to avoid the path of my hands, then grabbed me from behind tackling me down to the ground. Only one thing he didn’t expect was that with this secret I held tightly; I had more power than I had ever lead on. My body flew up from the ground, now, I stood over him with my foot now on his chest.
“I told you, you didn’t know me…”
He was trying to move my foot, then he let go. He lay there completely still. Hera screamed out for my father, and I blocked her with one hand. She kept trying to push past me to get to my father who lay on the ground.
“Selene, this is what I wanted.” My father speaks as a single tear rolls down his face.
“What did you want? You sure as hell didn’t want me, nor did she, so what do you want?” Not removing my foot from his chest, watching Hera still try to move past me, his eyes search mine.
“I wanted… I wanted the world for you.” Tears fall down his face, but I stand like a statue.
“Save your tears for someone you truly love.” Removing my foot from his chest, I back away, letting Hera go to him, making my way to Colin.
“You’re next! You better be prepared when I come back, because the hate you have for me, I can see. The jealousy that runs through your veins is unbecoming. Quite frankly, I thought you were going to be the one to save me from myself, but… you are just like them…” Walking away from all of them, as my hair and dress flowed all around me. This was just the beginning of what was to come.... One way or another, someone was going to pay, and this time it wouldn’t be me.
Chapter Six
When your heart is as cold as ice…
Standing at the edge of my father’s home; in front of the ones who had gathered to see what was happening, I turn sharply on my heels, revealing myself to them. No one would even look up at me. The black gown with the gold embroidery parts of my body clung tightly, dragging across the ground as I began to walk towards them. They were splitting apart, making a way for me to get down the street, bowing to me as I walked by each of them slowly. Whispers were flying all around me, but that didn’t bother me anymore. Nothing was going to stand in my way any longer. Holding my head high, walking towards where Alexandria used to be, you could still smell the fires burning. Stopping on the golden street, taking the last coin I had from a pocket in the gown, I throw it up in the air, catching it with one hand. Turning to face them one last time, letting words flow from my mouth as if they were water, reminding them they are either with us or against us. To be prepared that a war was coming. Flipping the coin one more time, I bid them goodbye, and am gone before hearing anyone answer. Leaving dust flying from where I stood on the mount, now standing on the sandy beach in front of Sebastian’s mansion. This was harder than going there, facing Sebastian was going to be hard and I didn’t want to hurt him. Sebastian ran down the balcony stairs towards me, with the others following behind.
“One question? Why?” He stops suddenly in front of me.
“Because this is my fight, not yours.” Trying to make my way past him.
“No, Selene, we are a team. This is our fight! You did this because you think that no one loves you, but you’re wrong. I love you. It’s always been us against them, and you go behind my back and do this. I don’t even know if I know who you are anymore?” Pulling me back by the arm to stand and face him.
“You’re right. We don’t know each other. No one knew me, but believe me, they all do now.” I jerk my arm away from him, making my way back to the balcony steps.
Leaving him standing there dumbfounded at the words I just said, made me almost cry. His face was breaking my heart. He knew me better than anyone at this point, but I had made him feel as if he didn’t. This wasn’t what I wanted, being mean to the ones I did love, but my mind and heart weren’t getting along. The heart wanted to run into his arms, have him hold me, tell me everything was going to be okay, but my mind told me to show no weakness.