Cursed

Chapter Twenty: Isla 2

Meanwhile in Olympus.

The buildings are still overcrowded with peacocks and geese, standing guard for anyone who opposes Hera.

Athena wakes up, groaning as her owl stands on her chest, looking down at her with worried eyes. "Sofia? What's happening?"

With a reassuring hoot, Sofia took flight, her wings beating silently through the still air. Athena followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she took in the scene: the peacocks and geese frozen in mid-flight, their vibrant plumage a stark contrast to the monochromatic world around them. Cracks, like jagged veins of darkness, snaked across the marble floor, emitting a faint glow that seemed to leech the color from the air.

"Oh, you're awake." Always looking tired, Hades nods at his niece before going back to studying the shadow tendrils that was suppose to drag him to the crack when everything stopped. He reached out a hand, gently brushing one of the shadows. It unfreezes and recoils as if it had been burned, writhing and twisting in an attempt to get away from his touch.

"What is this?" Athena asks, her voice laced with curiosity more than fear.

"I don't know," Hades replies, his voice grim. "But it's not good."

Athena stands up, taking in more of the scene; Poseidon and Zeus, frozen with wide grins, using the feathered creatures as things to hit each other like they're little children on a pillow fight. Aphrodite's signature grace is momentarily compromised as she's trying to dodge shadow tentacles and birds, her body in an awkward position and frozen in the middle of doing so. Apollo and Hermes on the corner on their usual mischievousness, doodling on Artemis' frozen state and finally Hera, sitting on the throne meant for Zeus, she isn't frozen in time as the others but Athena thinks she isn't different from it.

"I think I need to sleep on my pretty maid's thighs after this." Hermes says, drawing generous lines under Artemis' eyes with charcoal so that she looks like an adorable racoon.

Apollo raises an eyebrow, drawing constellation of hearts on his sister's muscular bicep, "Who?"

"You know, Hebe's mortal friend, the one who calls Hestia 'mama'," Hermes explains, a hint of longing in his voice.

"Brother, I didn't know you had stellar taste in women." Apollo teases, his laughter echoing through the stillness.

"It was easy falling for her," Hermes admits, his gaze softening as he remembered you with your quiet charm and hidden strength.

"I call her Ἀστέρι μου."

"Cool," Hermes replies, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I think I'll come up with a very unique nickname for her... unless she likes it when I say her name."

"I think I'd like to join you on her thighs."

Hades narrows his eyes, finger on his chin as he tries to figure out what the shadows are. The ones who live on his realm, the ones who speaks to the shadows don't summon something like this. These ones have runes engraved on each tips.

"Where are Ares and Demeter?" Athena asks, her gaze shifting from Hades to the double doors that stands before them. She tries to push them open, but they refuse to budge.

Hades simply replies, "Outside."

Back at Gaia's island.

"These aren't the ones," Persephone murmured, her voice soft and ethereal as she gently places the flower back to where she got them.

You poke a rose-like flower, causing it to let out fumes so sweet that you think of a mother's embrace. You look around for Dionysus, wanting to show him the flowers, but he's not with you. You barely catch a glimpse of him leaving. Catching up with him, you ask, "Dio, where are you to?"

"I think it wants wine." He answers, pointing to the container of wine in his hand.

"Who?" You ask, following but making sure you memorize where you're going. Your mind would probably jumble them up, but you have to try.

"That one."

You follow where he's pointing to see something, long, hard, black and scaly causing you to freeze in fear as you meet its red glowing eyes. "Is that an anaconda?"

"Anacon what?"

"A large snake?" You hold Dionysus' arm, intending to pull him away and run if possible.

"Well, yes and also a friendly one." The god of reverie holds out an alcoholic fruit, you're done questioning where these things come from so you're just focusing on the snake that's maybe 100ft and wide enough to swallow you both. "Here, Snakey, have a taste." Soon enough, the snake slowly slithers out of its cover before it nudges on the fruit in the god's hand.
"Don't be shy."

"I don't think the big snake eats fruit," you whisper, freezing again when the snake's gaze lands on you. Just when you think it would eat you both with just how it opens its mouth, sure enough it devours the fruit instead.

"Aw, you like that? Here, have some more."

It eats another and another then another until you think it ate 50 before it starts looking drunk.

"Can't handle the alcohol? Don't worry, I was like that when I was born. Well, we have to leave now, Mr. snake."

You follow him as he starts walking back to where Hebe and Persephone are but every time you take a step, you notice the snake following you. "Dio, the snake," you whisper, grabbing his arm again.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Snake. Sorry, I can't give you more; alcoholism is bad; you'll turn into an alcoholic."
 
The snake hisses as if it's talking to him; that's probably what's happening.
 
"No, sorry, I don't want you to turn into an alcoholic."
 
You can actually feel the snake getting angry, ready to strike, so you slowly back away, pulling Dionysus with you. "I think we should go."

Another hissing, and before you know it, an adrenaline rush takes over, and you carry Dionysus in your arms without second thought and begin sprinting as the snake follows, fortunately too drunk to go faster or slither in a straight line.
 
"Calm down, Mr. Snake." Dionysus splashes the wine on the creature, hoping to calm him down, but it only gets angrier when it doesn't catch the liquid before the earth drinks it.
 
You're so focused on running that you don't notice the two goddesses screaming, only stopping for you to cross. You end up on the path, bumping into some Nymphs and Satyrs. "Excuse me! Pardon me, my lords and ladies!" You yell.

The snake completely destroys them, Hymenaios is only saved by his wings. "Thank you!" He yells after you before flying down to save Hermaphrodite and Anteros from their sandy fate.

The three in turn made a smart choice and attacked the queen bee instead, flying on the large tree where the hive lives.

You somehow ended up walking past the plants trying to eat the goddesses and again, they couldn't escape the snake's scaly underbelly.

"No! Plant babies!" Persephone yells, running to the fallen plants despite them trying to kill them both earlier.
 
You see a cliff and get an idea to get rid of your pursuer. "Dio! Throw some of your fruits on that cliff!"
 
Dionysus pulls out all types of alcoholic fruits from his cloth, throwing them at the cliff, and the snake, too drunk for logic and too determined to drink alcohol, follows the fruit without a second thought. It lands on some earth guards, who crumble under its weight.
 
You finally slow down, taking a deep breath and looking down on where the snake fell, making sure it's alright; after all, it just wanted alcohol. Sure enough, the fall only knocked it out.
 
"I think you just turned a snake into an alcoholic."

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∆ Sorry for the delay, my dears, lots of things happening and I naturally procrastinate