* * *
Elpis sat at the head of the marble table on Mount Olympus, her face red from yelling. “How dare you hide the truth from me? I demand to know everything you know about my parents!”
Osiris, Egyptian god of the Dead, stood up.
Elpis silently stared daggers at him. He gulped nervously. A satisfying signal to Elpis that he feared her. The idea that she might be able to defeat the almighty Lords of the Underworld crept into her mind.
Osiris walked over to the sacred well and gathered water to spill onto the table. He placed a finger in the water, revealing a blurry image of a couple working in their garden.
“These are your parents,” Osiris said, daring to lock eyes with Elpis.
“Osiris!” shouted Zeus from the other end of the table as lightning flickered between his fingertips. “How dare you reveal this information?”
“After all that I have done for you and all you have done to me, you still wish to hide my parents, Zeus?” Elpis screamed as she pointed a finger at the king of the Greek pantheon.
Hades stood to confront Zeus, his younger brother. Before Hades spoke, a cloud of white smoke poured out of Elpis’ finger and wrapped around Zeus’ throat. Ares roared in laughter. Hera jumped up to defend her husband and threw a ball of green light at Elpis.
Hades caught the ball before it struck Elpis. “An energy ball, Hera? I would have thought Queen of Olympus could do better than that.”
Elpis, still choking Zeus, pointed her other finger at Hera, forcing her back into her chair, immobilized.
Elpis turned back to Osiris with eyes of fury. “What are their names? Where can I find them?”
“Their names are Týreneas and Arelia,” said Anath.
“They live on the island of Delos,” added Apollo, “the birthplace of Artemis and myself. Our mother, Leto, protects them.”
Elpis stood violently, knocking over her chair as she released Zeus and Hera. “Braight Nathair!” she shouted.
A giant snake of fire erupted in the middle of the table. The intensity of the flames evaporated the watery image of Elpis’ parents. Elpis’ eagle soared above her head and let out a screech as it embraced its patron’s anger.
The snake hissed and spit fire at the gods. Many gods vanished from the room while others drew their weapons to slay the fire serpent. The violet silk between the columns caught on fire, creating a ring of flames around the room.
Elpis watched the room go up in blaze with a triumphant smile as the eagle perched itself on her shoulder. She snapped her fingers and disappeared from Olympus.
Below on the island of Delos, Elpis cautiously approached a small two-story clay house nestled by the seashore. She held her stomach as her nerves made her nauseous. She shielded herself with an invisibility cloak that Hades gave her for defeating Ares in a sparring match when she was twelve. She came to a gate where her father worked in the garden and her mother played with an infant boy.
Elpis’ hand shook from her internal war of jealousy and grief as she watched her family move about happily without her. She walked through the open gate in the courtyard and up to her father. Still invisible, she gently placed a hand on the side of his face.
Tyreneas paused, unable to feel her hand. A knot twisted in his stomach: a familiar knot that tortured him every time he remembered the loss of his baby girl.
When Elpis touched her father’s face, images of the night Anath and Ares took her away played in her head. Her empathy powers felt every emotion her parents did as she replayed their mourning.
Elpis let go and backed away crying, hurt at her robbed childhood. As each tear fell on the ground, a black rose grew in its place.
Tyreneas called to Arelia as they watched in shock as rows of black roses sprung from the dirt. Elpis, overwhelmed by grief, fell on all fours.
Her cloak slid off revealing her shaking body to her parents. Tyreneas jumped back at the shock of tears turning into black roses. He placed his body in between his family and the intruder.
Being demigods, Arelia and Tyreneas could sense divine power from Elpis. However, they never felt such a vast amount of power in any god they met before.
Despite how much power Tyreneas sensed, he was not afraid to yell at her. “I will not have any more dealings with gods! Why must you torture us?”
Arelia placed a hand on Tyreneas’ shoulder, “Calm down, Tyreneas, look at the poor girl. Does she look like she means us harm?”
Elpis turned to her parents, blood-shot eyes stinging as she blinked away tears. Her stomach sank and her lips trembled from the fear in her father’s eyes. Arelia walked over and wiped Elpis’ wet cheek with the hem of her dress. She helped Elpis up and sweetly smiled.
Elpis looked at her mother and saw a peaceful kindness. A peace she was desperate for after the past eleven years of her life, dealing with nothing but death and destruction.
Elpis spun around, ashamed of who she was, and ran to the gate. Before she could escape, Arelia called out to her, “At least tell us your name.”
Elpis stopped and looked over her shoulder. “My name is Elpis, Queen of All.”
At the sound of her name, Arelia and Tyreneas recalled the night Anath took their daughter. They both ran after her, but it was too late…Elpis had vanished.
Before she left, a single tear splashed against the dry dirt and a rose bush full of black roses burst into bloom.
The Phoinix: Age of Demigods Page 12