Evolution of a Goddess

by Dee King

  “You ready?” Zack woke me from another night of tossing and turning on a bed made of stone.

  “Yes.” I reply with a half-smile.

  “Good. Sebastian is already waiting for you.”

  “What? He left?” I must have fallen asleep at one point.

  “Yes. He is waiting for you at the start of where you wanted this to take place.” Zack lends me a hand to help me up.

  “Okay, then. Guess it’s do or die day, huh?” I chuckle to myself.

  “Not funny.” Zack tries to hide his smile, but I could see he really was unsure if this was our end.

  We begin our mission to the impossible, making swift moves, guarding everyone that was following us. Not one of us had ever been in a war, let alone a true battle with the gods, and to say we were nervous would be the understatement of the century. You wouldn’t know this by watching us though. I lead with Cato and Zack by my sides, with heads high, Zack with his bow and arrow and Cato with a sword strapped across his back. My only weapon was me and the water. We marched to the ocean on the mount, with my Pegasus flying over our heads. The clouds were turning darker as you could hear one drum being played as our march continued. My new attire was built for a warrior, not a goddess. A black leather corset hugged my rib cage with black leather skin-tight pants, with a black linen skirt draped along my legs down to the ground, with gold specks of dust popping out as I walked. I was prepared for what was to come. It was as if my whole life I had waited for this chance, and today I was going to have it.

  “Mount up!” Zack yells not even looking back to see if they had followed his orders, as he jumps on top of his Pegasus swiftly.

  “Let’s RIDE!” He yells into the air, pointing with his arm and hand towards the direction we were going, shouting as loud as a horn blowing.

  They follow his orders leaving me to walk alone down the path that has been set for me. The clouds were growing darker, making it seem as if it were the middle of the night. Zeus was preparing himself too. There was too much racing through my mind; and to say that I wasn’t nervous would be a lie. I may have all these amazing powers now, but he was the god of gods. There was no way of knowing how this would end. It was time for the game to change though. Nerves begin to fill my thoughts while I walk towards Sebastian who is standing close to the shore. He is surrounded with people and creatures of all kinds. Maybe they were as tired of all this as we were. I could only hope that our fates weren’t destined for failure, because this would end very differently. A part of me wishes I had told Christian and Chloe goodbye. A real goodbye, because if I died today they would never know. Even a small part of me wishes I had said goodbye to Elizabeth, even if my heart had been breaking, she had been my mother and I loved her. Often family isn’t what you call “blood” and I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn or hurt to have seen that she had loved me too. My heart no longer felt like it knew what love was, as I struggled to find the meaning of all this. Me being stuck inside my own head was my worst nightmare come to life. All the tribulations of this life were becoming too much. Somewhere inside of me was a little girl screaming to feel loved by the ones who didn’t want me, but that’s not who I could allow the worlds to see. She had to die to become the monster I was letting in.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When the water protects you from all that surrounds you…

  Sebastian stood as tall as a mountain. Shoulders back, head up, and his face looked like every male model of the world. He was the man of any girls’ dreams. Strong, fierce, loving and just beautiful. Sebastian was dressed to kill, literally, all black clothing with a small pale blue anchor emblem on his shirt. It’s where his heart is. It’s where my heart is. His dark blue eyes were sparkling against the blues of the ocean, with his dark hair growing longer around his face. Standing there, he took my breath away. He was everything I could have hoped for in a love, even if I had never seen it before, I did now. Sebastian was beauty and light and the thought of losing him was too much to bare.

  “I can see it now…” I say as I approach him.

  “See what?” He looks around searching for what he believed was coming.

  “You. I see you for exactly who you are.”

  “Oh yea? And what’s that?” A small smile slips along his lips, as he looks down at me.

  “The god of my dreams.” I smile back at him.

  Taking me in his arms, holding me tightly, together we were going to welcome what was coming for us. It had been a long but short journey and here we were. Together. Forever. We stood in front of everyone, staring at one another, while holding each other in our arms, and for a moment the whole world stood still. He was here with me, I was here with him and nothing else mattered. For just a short time, we were able to be in love, we were able to show our love. We may not be as prepared for our future, but together we were going to do this. That thought gave me comfort as we watched my father and Colin walk towards us. There was an entire army behind the two of them. Letting go of one another, we stood together, hand in hand, as my father drew closer to us. Everyone behind us, standing taller, holding their heads high as we were, and Zack drawing his bow down. We were prepared for this.

  “Stand down.” Colin says to Zack.

  He doesn’t listen, drawing the arrow back into the bow, pointing it at Colin’s body. My father and Colin looked just like one another. Colors of blue paraded around their bodies, blonde hair a mess, and faces chiseled like a true god. Like father like son, they were side by side, together in harmony. But my face couldn’t hide the sadness that was slipping through my eyes. My father raised Colin, he was the child he truly loved, as I stood with my back perfectly straight, I wished that could have been me. Colin was the child he kept, the child he adored, and the son I would never be.

  “Selene, I know my words will change nothing, but we, we are on your side. I stand with you today, not because of what you think, but because you’re my daughter and I love you.” My father’s words stung me.

  “It’s too late…” Are the only words I could muster from my nervous voice.

  “It will never be too late my dear.” My father and Colin get dangerously close to us.

  Stepping back from him my feet touch the water. This is where I felt the most alive, he had never been wrong about that. As my feet sweep slowly over the sand, pushing the water back from me with feet, the water began to glow. I look down as everyone else does, swiping the water one more time, a bright blue glow comes from where I had just been standing. It begins to light all around me. My father stepped back, watching this glorious movement. Leaning down, taking the water that was around me, I swirl my hand in it, making the glow even brighter. It was gorgeous colors of blue. A bright blue that I had never seen before. I do it one more time, but this time making a small circle with my fingers, and the glow formed around me incasing me. Somehow, I was making this happen and the water was protecting me. Everyone stepped back from me, even Sebastian, as they watched the water begin to glow everywhere I walked. It was as if the water was speaking to me, protecting me in some way. The sand under my feet began turning a black, making the glow even brighter. Colin tries to do the same, but nothing happens. He was just as confused as everyone else. Lightning strikes down over our heads and the water begins to rise around me. Quickly, I grab Sebastian’s hand, making the circle now wider, it surrounds both of us. The glow was moving all around the circle, water began rising to our knees, protecting us from whatever was about to come.

  Chapter Fourteen

  What the water gave us…

  There was something magically happen around all of us. We stood in awe of the water and its magic. I don’t think I had been in the water since finding out I was pregnant. If this was any indication of what my life was going to be like, I would fight with everything in me to protect this. To protect them…

  “In all my life… I have never seen anything like this.” My father seems to be at a loss for words.

  “Everyone stand behind them. We need to
prepare ourselves. He’s coming.” Those last two words were terrifying to me.

  “Take your places. He didn’t come alone.” Colin yells out.

  People were scurrying behind me, if they had weapons on them, they were preparing them. Sebastian takes the sword from his back, holding it out in front of him with both hands. The blade is shining like a diamond, then he places it slowly in the water around us. The glow follows the water up the blade touching the handle of the sword. There was nothing about this that seemed remotely normal, but I wasn’t going to complain. We were being protected in a shield of some sort. Sebastian turns his head slightly, looking down at me, and a smile slide across his face. I think he knew that this wasn’t just me or our powers together there was a force stronger than us. Protecting us against the fight for our lives. My father stands to the side of me, water barely reaching his calf muscles, with a golden trident that has risen from the water. Colin is armed with a trident of his own, but the gold is dull. It shines, but nothing like my father’s does. Placing my hand back down in the water, I can feel the sand shift from under my feet. A trident rises high above my head in the brightest of golds that I had ever seen. It was as bright as the sun and warm to the touch. It somehow gave me the courage to stand a little taller, hold my head a little higher, and for a second to be reminded… I was the daughter of the seas. Seeing Zeus in all his glory was a sight for one to behold. He was dressed in many layers of gold, with armor that looked untouchable. Cali and Alex by his side, with Cali holding her bow aimed at me. He had brought his own army with him. A group of misfits just like ours. Some Migades, some servants, and some big friends of his. Bigger than a monster of your nightmares, these were creatures that could have been in a horror flick and it would haunt your day dreams. They only had one eye, which would be that they were the forgotten group of cyclops that only rumors had ever been heard about them. We were missing some very important people though as I look around. Hades, Medusa nor Hera were anywhere to be found. It wasn’t a surprise they would be on the side that suited them, their side. Probably hiding from all of us and going to deny any wrongful doing on their part when the battle was over.

  “Before you begin on what you want to happen here child, maybe you would like to know some of the real truths to your stories… before your golden blood is spread out over my ocean floor.” Zeus was speaking to me and only me.

  “My truth is the only truth. What you speak will only be lies to you and your son.”

  “My son is mine to worry over, he is not your concern any longer. But the truth of all this is… I am not to blame. Your anger is misplaced. Your anger is with your father and his.” He points to Sebastian.

  “You know nothing of my anger or who was in the wrong. You did this to them, to our parents. You forced them to use us as pawns, so they could get what they wanted from you. This has nothing to do with any of us, we are fighting for our own futures. Not theirs.” My hand trembles against the trident, but I hold it steady.

  “Oh, I don’t disagree my child, the problem is that you fell into their trap. You don’t think I didn’t know all that was happening? You didn’t think I knew about the secret times they had you and Sebastian meet just to see if one day you could become the rulers? I knew. I have always known. The problem you face today is whether you will bow down to the one who knows the real you, that heart that has turned to black; or will you keep believing they give a damn about you? And that they are here to save you. They will turn on you the second you turn your back. So this is where we are. You can either bow down and gracefully walk away, leaving here today to never return, or you will die here for the ones you hate.”

  His words sting my heart like a bee. He may not have been lying. This fight was never mine, it was always theirs, but now it fell upon me to carry this burden and to be free of it. No more. There could be no more times of me second guessing who I was. No more of feeling the weight of the worlds on my shoulders. No more of being the forgotten child. Today was going to be the day that the world would change. Whether I lived or died, I wouldn’t die in vain. I had many mistakes along the way, but knowing that today, right now, this was the time that I no longer would be manipulated into doing their bidding… That was all I needed to start this battle.

  Chapter Fifteen

  No one saw that coming… The battle rages within…

  Without a moment too soon, I struck Alex with the tip of my trident, holding him back from charging me. The sound of it burning his flesh as he screamed out was enough for everyone to move fast. My father rushes past me, heading straight towards Zeus. With Zeus’s lightning rod and my father’s trident crashing against one another it was a fight of the gods. Cali draws her arrow back, as I move the trident towards her. The arrow flies by my head, almost grazing my ear. Sebastian sprints out of my circle of water, chasing her down to the ground. He picks her body up and throws her into the ocean water as I run to her, stabbing her with my trident. Blood is now flowing from the wound that I made, and she grabs her chest, letting her bow and arrow float beside her.

  “Stay down if you want to live.” My words sweep through the bitter air that surrounded us.

  Alex swiftly drags her body out of the ocean, making his way back towards Sebastian. Thunder rolling over our heads, as the waves crash harder and harder on the shore lines. Everyone is running towards each other with a cry of freedom. Cato taking a cyclops down to the ground as Ryker backs up Colin taking down two at a time. We were making great strides in this battle. One by one we were eliminating them. I charge at everyone who comes near me, the water rushing them before I could, some were drowning just from the waves alone, others were running away from me. My father’s scream halted me in my steps. As I turned, his body fell onto the ocean floor causing everyone to stop. I rush as fast as I can to him, pushing and hitting everyone in my wake. Zeus is standing over my father, lightning rod in hand, about to pierce my father’s heart when Hera stabs Zeus in the back with a sword made of pure silver. Zeus turns around to see who could have done such a thing, as Hera moves quickly, sliding down onto her knees, swiping him one more time across the back of his heels. Zeus falls to the ground making a crash onto the shore, with his eyes wide open. I go to my father, pulling him up out of the water. He stands slowly, ready to take the next blow that Zeus would be offering. Colin runs to our father, touching him gently with the trident, giving my father new life. His chest puffed out, taking his own trident in hand, he walks to where Zeus is trying to get to his feet. Before my father can attack him, Zeus is standing with Alex by his side. We stand still, quietly. We search each other’s faces, for this would be the time we could kill them. We could be free of all their deceit. As Alex raises his sword to his father’s neck, I raise my trident to my father’s. I had grown tired of them also, a part of me knowing this would be the end. But my heart just couldn’t do it… Without warning Colin runs into my father pushing him out of the way. Colin stands beside me as the trident pushes into his neck. He begins to bleed, but I pull it back quickly. Alex stands there with his father holding him hostage under his bolt of lightning. Zeus unable to move, for if he did it would slice his neck. Alex’s body shifts to stand in front of his father.

  “Why? Why did you do this? Why would you use me? Did you ever even love me?”

  “Love doesn’t conquer the worlds son. Love is just a word that mortals use that they believe will heal them from all their pain, but as you can see, love just makes you stupid. You, Hera, and everyone else believes they are fighting for a cause, some great love. That’s absurd. They are fighting for power. It always has been and always will be about power. You are the child I raised. You know this to be true.”

  “Don’t listen to him Alex! He has filled you with hate your whole life, don’t listen to him, that’s who he is. That’s not who you truly are. You’re better than this.” I plead with him to stop.

  “You should know, Selene. All of this is your fault. Your parents fault. But this fight ends with him and I.�
� Alex raises the rod closer to Zeus’s neck, making Zeus’s eyes drop to see that he was close to death.

  “It doesn’t have to end like this… I was wrong. This is wrong. Just let him have what he wants and we can cut him out of our lives forever…”

  “You’re wrong Selene. They will never stop. He will never stop.” Alex turns to stare back at me, taking his eyes off Zeus.

  Zeus grabs Alex’s lightning rod, then Alex holding it to his neck, drawing blood from him slowly.

  “You can stop this. Stop all this. Just bow down, Selene.” Zeus threatens me.

  “Don’t do it!” We hear a voice say from behind us.

  Hades is here now, standing with Medusa, and anyone and everyone who I have ever known of this kingdom. He has fire wrapped around his hands moving up his arms. It’s like he is on fire, except he is not. Sebastian slides towards me, pulling me back further into the water. The glow begins again, trying to move over our legs, traveling up to our hands. We both have water running over us. We were being more protected by the water than before. Hades walks closer to Zeus as the fire burns brighter and brighter.

  “If only you had known that love is what has made all this happen. Your heart was filled with love at one time, but you let it turn you into the monster who stands before us. Today is your last day that you take anything or anyone away from me again.” Before any more words could be said, Hades lashes out in anger hitting Alex with a fire that began to burn all over his body.