Before the Dawn

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Laila?" my mother -the spirit of my mother, I remind myself firmly- asks softly.

I look up, gaze landing on the ethereal forms of my human family. A choked sob bursts from my lips as I look at them. This is my fault. Their deaths are all my fault, and not just theirs. The humans that died when I first arrived at the Academy. Nyx and Erebus. Wade.

"Don't cry," my daddy says softly, using his thumb to wipe a tear from my eye. "My little girl should never cry."

"I'm so sorry," I sob, searching the eyes of my mom, dad and little Dawn for any sign of accusation but finding nothing but love.

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," my mom smiles, brushing a wet piece of hair from my face. She pulls me in for a tight, loving embrace and we're soon joined by Dawn and my dad. The hug lightens some of the ache in my heart. Then, too soon, my family begins to fade away. "We love you so, so much, baby girl," mom breathes as she fades away.

"No!" I protest, trying to grab their fading figures, but I'm too late. They're gone.

That's when the weight of what's just happened -what Theo just made happen- begins to really sink in.

The shaking begins in my fingers and spreads to the rest of my body and I don't know whether it's because of the cold rain soaking me to the bone or the horrible, all-consuming heartache that's building in my chest.

In my delirious sorrow, I lose control of my powers. Shadowy death creeps out of me, killing anything and everything in its path. Dad's prinstinely cut grass and mom's prized flower garden wilt and die. A bird that'd been hopping around in the yard drops dead.

My heart shatters; explodes, leaving me writhing on the wet, muddy ground. I scream and cry out, making nearly inhuman sounds that only a fallen goddess could make. Earth shattering sorrow and grief leak from my pores, mixing with the cold, unforgiving rain.

From the explosion of my heart, an old flame rises. The spark I'd felt earlier was only a tiny taste of the flame I now posses. The fire engulfs me, waking up a part of me that had been asleep for eighteen long years. Then the memories begin.

Millions of forgotten memories rise to the surface, each one vying for my attention. My life as a maiden goddess. My days with Bel. My undying, soul consuming love for Arawn. It all comes back to me. The memories fill me up with the love and pain of eternity, reminding me of who I am.

A gasp falls from my parted lips.

I collapse onto the damp earth as Laila Rose, a girl who's lost everything.

I rise onto shaking legs as Thanatos, a goddess with nothing left to lose.

Sirens sound in the distance; humans coming to help. They're too late, death has already been reaped here tonight.

I dry my eyes with the back of my pale hand. There's no use in crying over something I can't do anything about. What's done is done. My family will be happy in the Underworld. Now I have to stop more people from dying. 

I look down at my mud covered dress and frown. With a wave of my hand, the red dress and the mud are gone, replaced by a long, white gown. My soft curls, no longer affected by the rain, cascade across my bare shoulders.

The sirens reach what's left of my home. Mortals race to put out the monstrous flames that claimed my family. An officer, a middle aged man with laugh lines etched into the ebony skin around his caring, fatherly eyes, jogs up to me and asks if I'm injured. I shake my head.

"You're one of those gods everyone's been talking about." He doesn't phrase it like a question.

"Yes."

He nods, expecting that. "What's you name?"

"Thanatos."

"Ah," he nods, as if recognizing me. "The Greek goddess of death. Is that why you're here?"

I'm shocked until I remember that humans know about the gods again. I eye the officer, wary of confiding in a stranger. I don't know what it is, maybe the fatherly look in his eyes, but I decide to trust him.

"No," I say finally. "These people were my mortal family. They were murdered by a rival god. My allies and I  have been trying to defeat him but we've failed and now people I care about are dead. I don't know what to do anymore."

I don't know why I added on that last part. I mean, what could a mortal possibly do to help me? But he surprises me.

The officer smiles slightly, and pats my shoulder. "Then maybe it's time for you to take matters into your own hands," he suggests, then walks away.

I frown, watching the officer get into his car. Take matters into your own hands. Maybe I can end this by myself. No one else needs to get hurt. I sigh and rub my temples. I'm too emotionally fried to deal with this right now. I need to rest.

I look up into the woods behind the smoldering remains of my house and spot a familiar pair of green eyes. I sigh. Looks like I'm not getting that rest, I inwardly moan as I walk into the trees.