Eden
"Again."
Kiana sighs deeply, looking exhausted. "I don't want to spar with you anymore, Eden." She mumbles as she rubs her left thigh. "You're mean when we're training."
I roll my eyes, annoyed with all the whining I've received from the women I'm supposed to be training. I was excited to train them at first, and helping the nymphs with their nature magic has actually been extremely enjoyable.
But training them with swords and other weapons has been awful. There are only a handful of females that are eager to get into the physical aspect of battle. But only the nymphs and forest elves can use magic, the demon women and mortals such as Kiana and Lilly will be forced to fight on the battle grounds with us, despite their lack of magic.
They need to be prepared if they want to fight, which both of them have insisted on after hearing everything that's happened.
The look of shock on Lilly's face when I told her I was Jericho's mate would have been laugh worthy if I wasn't so depressed with his absence.
"I'm not mean, I'm being realistic. The enemy isn't going to take it easy on you, so I'm not either, you need to be prepared. Now, again." I ready my wooden sword, ready to practice with her again.
She hasn't gotten good enough with the wooden swords to advance to real ones, and I'm starting to think Kiana might not be up for this like she thinks she is. I know she wants to help, but I fear for her safety. The woman was amazing with her magic abilities, but now those have been stripped away from her.
She won't talk to me about it, but I know it's hurting her deep down, knowing her magic is gone. She'll begin aging as any human would, her immortality gone along with the light witch magic.
She lunges at me and we begin our practice match yet again. Our wooden swords smack together loudly in the large training room within the Reapers palace walls.
"Focus!" I swing for her left leg and she manages to dodge it swiftly, before bringing her sword up and knocking me on my head.
"There! Now can we be done?" Kiana asks, laughing at the fact she knocked me in the head finally. To say it's deserved is an understatement as I look at her bruised legs and arms.
"We can be done for the day I guess. Send in Lydia next." Lydia is the fiercest fighter I have for now, and I always look forward to a good practice with her.
"Lydia took the day off, you really hurt her yesterday, Eden. Whether you want to believe it or not you've been very harsh with all of us. And if I'm being honest, you're taking your frustrations out on everyone." Kiana tells me blatantly. That's one thing I've always loved about her, she always was one to call me out even when I didn't want to hear it.
I take a deep inhale, trying to steady myself. I don't want to acknowledge what she's said, even though she's right. I've been training from sun up till sundown, taking breaks to bother the seer's who have come to help in battle.
Hades forbid me from bothering them any longer, saying I'm distracting them with my endless demands to search other realms for Jericho.
We've tried so many different things and have come up empty handed, repeatedly. I've spent many nights letting my mind drive me insane with thoughts of where he could be and what could be happening to him.
Some nights my mind goes as far as to wonder if my mate is alive, but I don't dare dwell on those thoughts, surely they will drown me within the sorrows that lie there.
I don't think I could ever let go of the small bit of hope I hold that he's alive somewhere, waiting for me.
"Then I guess I'll call it a night. I'm going to retire to my bedroom for the evening. I'll see you bright and early in the morning?" I say it as a question, but Kiana has no choice but to be here bright and early for another day of ass whooping.
She rolls her eyes and smiles at me. "I know you're not going to your room."
My heart skips a beat at her words. Surely no one has seen me sneaking into Damien's room late at night, I've always been extra vigilant when doing so.
"What do you mean?" I ask, pretending to be clueless as to what she could be talking about.
"I know you're going to go see that bitch who's been helping you search for Jericho." She states plainly.
I don't dare let out a sigh of relief at her words. "Yeah yeah, you know I'm not giving up and I'll use whatever resources I can get a hold of, no matter how slimy."
"Just be careful, she's a fucking traitor. I'll see you later, Eden!" Kiana waves bye as she turns to leave.
As soon as she's left the room I begin picking up the training equipment, putting it all back where it needs to be before leaving.
Afterwards I make my way straight to the portal room, not even bothering to rinse off before I head out. I'll bathe before I go to bed tonight, right now there's more important things to do.
I walk through the portal, entering Hades home. Though this isn't his room. No. This bedroom doesn't belong to the dark god.
I look around the room before my eyes land on her. She's already spiritually gone. Her eyes glazed over, her mind and soul searching the realms in a way others cannot. The way only a true seer can.
And what better seer to seek out other than the strongest one the underworld has to offer.
"Melinoe?"
Hades daughter.
Hades may have forbidden me from asking the other seer's, but Melinoe was more than happy to help me despite her father's orders. The excitement she displayed was truly a sight to see when I came to her for help in finding Jericho.
Melinoe's eyes become clear again before focusing.
"Eden! My dear! I was wondering when you'd arrive. A bit late today I see." She's always so bubbly, it's hard to believe this crazy bitch really possessed my body at one point.
Though Hades had explained that upon finding her and returning her soul to her body he found a rune of manipulation placed at the nape of her neck, barely visible through her long thick hair.
It was a rune Ozul had placed on her, no one knows how long he had been controlling Melinoe, not even Melinoe herself. She claims to have no memory of the rune being placed on her. It would be hard to say I didn't believe her.
Who willingly lets someone place a manipulation rune upon them? It seems unlikely.
She cried and begged for forgiveness, even got down on the ground as tears streamed down her face. Always so dramatic.
But still I don't trust Melinoe at all. And though I appreciate her being friendly, she is not my fucking friend. She is a tool I'm using to find my mate. To find Jericho. And that's as far as it goes with me and her.
"Yeah, sorry. I got held up training with Kiana. Have you had any luck?"
"Nothing yet, I've searched many realms, Eden.. But know that I'll search them all till we find Jericho. We won't give up."
"Is there even anything I could do to help?"
"I've actually been looking into it, and I may have a theory, but I'm still working on it. My father's library is vast and full of knowledge, it's hard to find exactly the information I seek. But I'm getting there."
"What's your theory?"
"I don't know if I should share it just yet, cause if it doesn't work I'm worried it will just leave you disappointed again."
Again.
When we first began my hopes were very high, but day after day I come to Melinoe, and she has no answers for me.
"Very well, then I have to get going. I actually need to speak with your father before I leave, is he here?"
She scrunches up her face, seeming displeased that I'm already leaving. But this is how it always goes, if she has no news for me then I have no reason to be around her any longer. It may have been dark manipulation magic that made her do it, but part of me remains bitter and unforgiving for what she put me through.
"Yeah, he's here somewhere." She mumbles.
"Alright, I'll catch you later then!" I shout as I walk out her door and down the hall in search of Hades.
I've been here so many times since arriving back in the underworld, I almost know this place as well as the Reapers palace.
I already know where he'll be this late in the day. His study, sometimes I catch Persephone lounging in there with him.
Once I walked in on them and learned to always fucking knock when coming to visit. Hades laughed as Persephone screamed in embarrassment at my intrusion.
Always. Knock.
I arrive outside his study and knock loudly, waiting for an answer as to whether I may enter or not.
"Come in!" Hades voice shouts from behind the large doors.
I open them slowly and step inside his dimly lit study, he's laying on the lounge chair with his head resting in Persephone's lap. Upon seeing it's me annoyance appears on his face.
"What now?"
"No warm welcome?"
"Not when you won't stop fucking bothering me, witch."
"I just.. I just wanted to check if-"
"Yes, I can still sense his soul. He's not dead yet. Now go away." Hades says, cutting me off knowing already what it is I've come to ask.
Hades can sense all souls, and can sense when they pass to the spirit realm. As of now, Jericho's soul has not left the world of the living according to Hades.
I've asked him multiple times if he could tell me where Jericho's soul may be, but every time I ask he tells me the same thing.
If he knew he'd have brought him back by now just to shut me the hell up.
"I'll take my leave then, I'm sorry to bother you." I say as I turn to leave.
"Eden, dear." Melinoe definitely got her mannerisms from her mother.
I turn and face Persephone. "Yes?"
"Tomorrow morning after breakfast I'd like you to accompany me with a few tasks I have, if you wouldn't mind." Her voice is whimsical, and her eyes seem to dance with the dark magic that hums within her.
"Of course not, I'll be here." I assure her.
She smiles and nods, and I take that as my signal to leave.
Walking back through Melinoe's now empty room I make my way through the portal and back into the Reapers palace, breathing a sigh of relief as I do.
I hate having to go there. But I've been going every day to pester Melinoe, not that she minds at all. I think her helping me as much as she has is her way of trying to make amends.
I walk to me and Jericho's room, I close the bedroom doors and strip down to nothing. Gathering my dirty clothes I toss them in the basket the maids come and get every other day for cleaning.
I make my way to our bathroom, turning on the massive tub with hot water. Once it's full I submerg my body, letting the hot water relax my aches and pains from the day away.
I wash my body in chamomile soap, enjoying the relaxing smell as I clean the filth away.
The first time I bathed in here was with Jericho as he gently washed my body, telling me loving a reassuring things. We made love here, blissfully unaware we would soon be torn away from each other.
My tears fall silently down my face as I sit in the silence, letting it bathe me in ways this water can't.
It hurts so bad.. it feels as though my soul has been torn in two.. Many people have commented on how tired I look, or the weight I've lost. But I don't care. What am I to tell them? I've lost the will to do anything other than train to kill Aries and search endlessly for my mate.
It's all that consumes my mind every waking moment. There is no rest for me, not when the nightmares keep me awake night after night. Always the same.
The never ending darkness and Jericho calling out my name. Like my mind is telling me he's out there somewhere and I need to find him.
Some nights his voice is quieter than others, those nights are the hardest for me.
I stay in the water until it becomes too cold to be comfortable any longer. I step out as the water drains away, wrapping a towel around myself I make my way back into my room to find something to wear to bed.
I settle for a t-shirt and some thigh length sleep shorts, my usual here as of lately.
I look out the large windows willing myself to stay here for tonight instead of seeking out Damien.
I lay in me and Jericho's bed in the darkness, waiting for my nightmares to take hold of me again.
After waking up from nightmares twice I tear the blankets off of me before I make my way out of the room and down the hall to his room.
I stand outside of the door, not brave enough to knock, so I simply stand outside of his room like an idiot.
Slow and quietly the door opens on its own, Damien waiting for me on the other side.
"You know I can hear you, right? I can hear your footsteps approaching in the hallway. You've been standing outside my door for a solid three minutes. Do you want to come in, or not?" He asks, seemingly annoyed.
Embarrassment heats my face as I realize how odd I seem just standing out here without knocking.
"I couldn't decide if I wanted to come here tonight.."
"Well?"
I look up at Damien before waking past him and into his room, flopping down on the bed without a word.
There rarely are words spoken between us, and when we do speak we usually bicker at one another. I avoid him during the day, staying as far away from the Reaper as possible.
He quietly makes his way to the bed, laying down in it with his back turned towards me. Refusing any physical contact. I'm grateful for the distance he's put between us lately, refusing to let this go any further than me seeking out his company and comfort at night just by being near.
I know he feels guilty for this as well.
I lay awake, staring at the ceiling of Damiens room as I hear him begin snoring softly, wondering what the fuck is wrong with me.
I shouldn't be here.
He repositions in his sleep, drapping a heavy arm over my waist. My heart stills before I move his arm off of me. Though no matter how we fall asleep, I always manage to wake up wrapped up in his arms. Damien says nothing about it, and neither do I.
But I know this can't keep happening. I can't keep doing this. It's not right.. I'm an awful selfish person. I deserve whatever fate Jericho is currently suffering.
I turn away from Damien to cry silently into a pillow, hoping to not wake the sleeping man. Though I should know better.
"Always fucking crying." He groans sleepily as he reaches out, scooping me up within his arms.
His voice takes on a tone I've grown used to, it's the one he uses on me often, some kind of magic that always knocks me out when I have trouble sleeping and he's had enough of my crying.
"Sleep, little witch."
2,718 words.