day three
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THE chill in the air is a testament to what awaits. The day begins with a snow storm, a gentle warning. Zeus awaits Persephone's daughter's choice, so does his brother. The snow melts in the forest afar, Hades is burning a path for his servants, Reus is not far behind. The world rests on the edge of chaos; unaware and unbothered.
Around the barriers, the world is changing.
Art and Aethera await her mother's orders. It is critical to maintain the force field which means their supporters have to remain hidden for longer, away from the battlefield. Every second feels like torture in the middle of the dreaded await.
Aethera breathes in the air, trying to calm her nerves for the hundredth time since morning. For the first time, Art's touch hasn't given much solace. Melinoe stands behind her daughter, determined to step in front of her when the time arrives. She passes a silent prayer to Nyx, begging her to help her granddaughter once again. Her best hope rests on a primordial Goddess.
Art passes Roy a small smile, the genuineness of it is questionable in the eye of the storm that brews behind him. Art's eyes flicker to Aethera before completely shifting to the snow capped forest in front of me. Regret fills in faster than expected as he holds her close. In the past one month he had fallen in love, an act that had seemed foreign to him for years. In that same month he had almost lost his love in a new life. He had changed, he had travelled countries, he had gone back to London and never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that London would leave him with bitter memories.
A few steps away from him stood a person who had been nothing but a myth for most of his life. Never mentioned, never talked of. His great grandfather had met him yesterday, in flesh. He had barely got to hug him again before he stood in front of the house, ready to go to war with Gods of unimaginable power.
The sky is angry, but so is the God of the Underworld.
"Reus is here," Melinoe is the first one to break the spell of silence that had been cast on all twenty of her supporters who stood around the house. "Rubyn and Clarissa will hit the northern border with Varun and Karolina soon," she informs those around her. Soon, Jace and five others leave to guard the borders.
"Will you be able to do it?" Art asked Aethera soon after.
"Hopefully," she muttered, knowing well enough that her powers were untrained. She had never used them for an actual combat until a few days back. This was all happening too fast for her. Clearly, a small doubt was cast over her abilities but the plan still relied on her. She couldn't step back, not now. Not when she knew the years of struggle and battles that had ensured her survival.
"Melinoe!" Reus had arrived sooner than expected. "Sister! We don't need a force field between us!" he yelled from afar, standing merely a step away from the barrier.
"It's okay," Melinoe kissed her daughter's forehead as she stepped in front of her. The porch had fallen silent in waiting.
Aethera knew that for the first time it was her powers that they had chosen to rely on. The barrier would soon come down. The fire in her palms was their only protection; only element strong enough to keep everyone except Hades and Zeus away.
Days ago she had seen it for the first time and until yesterday, increasing it had caused her headaches. She had barely been able to extend the fire till the edge of the basement where she trained relentlessly with her mother and her ghost army. But this was different.
This wasn't training. This was about protecting everyone who stood on the porch - her mother, Art, Roy, fifteen of her mother's supporters and Jace who stood guard in the corner. This was about standing her ground against those who were centuries older and had spent eons practicing their powers. In that moment of doubt, she remembered what Art had told her in the early hours of that morning.
"It's impossible to imagine sometime..." he whispered as the clock struck five and both of them realised that sleep was not an option.
"What is? Because lately, my whole life seems impossible," Aethera had chuckled, throwing her head back against the plushed pillows.
"A few months ago, I was dreading the fact that I would have to leave the Academy next year. Like, that was my greatest worry. I...I was scared of going back to London, to that life," he had said, completely lost in thought as Aethera tried to search for him in the eyes that were shimmering in their brilliant hues of blue and green in the dark room.
When Art talked of his past, there was a mysterious glow that was triggered in his eyes. Somedays, it mystified her, but some days when it plunged him into deep thoughts, Aethera wondered if he was the same person she had first noticed from her window, walking unwillingly into the halls of the Academy. She wondered more often than before these days, how had she missed this person when he lived a stone throw away for three years?
"My greatest worry was to be back home and to witness another battle between my parents. It would be like clockwork...mom would fight and leave the house to visit her parents and dad would...he would drink until another glass would fall on the rug. And the mornings would be more dreadful at his office. Weeks would end in brunches and dinners in arguments."
"I never thought about it...my life after the Academy would end," Aethera muttered. "I didn't have plans but yes, I did want to skip town, settle far away."
"Do you like this better?" Art had asked her. "Not the situation we are in, obviously. But if it wasn't this way, would you like this life better?"
"Yes," she smiled. "And that's not a yes I would have said few days ago. But, Art...when the flame flows through me, everything makes sense. For the first time since I can remember, something feels as natural as breathing. I didn't ask for this but this...feels right," the flame was dancing on her fingers yet again as she nestled in his chest.
Art knew in that moment that he would never get used to how mesmerizing she truly was. The shimmer in her fire, the glistening eyes, the untamed hair that were spread across his shoulders and finally, her hands resting on his.
"It's our rightful destiny, isn't it?" he had said. "I couldn't imagine being here too, Aethera but...this war is not just for us. I will stand by you for years to come but this battle is more crucial than you and me."
"My mother doesn't talk about him but I know she isn't the only one who lost her loved one in the course of this war."
"We're doing this for ourselves but also for your father, Aethera. And...I have spent the last few days being angry at my own father but his obsession is not entirely his fault. I don't know if I forgive him yet but I know this that more like him cannot exist. I need to end this...for him and Roy."
To remember why they were here was certainly the only push her powers had needed. Except Aethera, no one doubted her. Her lineage would never allow her to fail, her powers would never allow her to give in. It wasn't in her blood to forfeit. The blood of Aether and Melinoe burned in her. Light and darkness met in her chest as her palms drew the line of fire around the perimeter, seconds before Melinoe withdrew her force field completely.
Zeus and Hades knew nothing of their own blood's wrath and somewhere nearby, Nyx was proud of what she had shielded all these years.
"Reus, if you must come, come in peace," Melinoe warned the man who appeared in the absence of the invisible barrier.
Deprived of a dark robe, Reus resembled a man of mere twenty five years. He had been battle hardened but nothing except a few burn marks remained on his porcelain body. His dark hair fell on a boyish face but his dark red eyes had lost their youth in the last war.
Zagreus, the God in him had been known as the great hunter and a God associated with everything good - a rarity in the Underworld. He was the God of rebirth, once a captivating young deity in the Court of Hades but the war had ravaged his soul. Pegged against his own father, Zeus, Reus had chosen to side with his Master, Hades, all because his sister had been loyal to the God for centuries.
But now, he stood a few feet away from her, wondering why she had committed the ultimate act of treachery against their Master.
It wasn't until his dark eyes fell on the girl who seemed to be controlling the fire that he understood.
"Is this her?" he asked, taking a step towards the fire. "Sister!" he demanded when Melinoe chose to ignore him.
"She's mine," Melinoe replied, a voice so soft that it almost escaped Reus's ears.
Reus knew what she meant. Without the scar that stretched over half of his sister's face, Aethera resembled her mother in many ways. Their eyes struck him first and then the flowing hair. Physically, they even looked the same age but the girl...she was hers.
"Reus, Aethera will let you in but you must listen, brother. We don't have much time. I know Hades awaits her...mother has warned us already. But I cannot fight my own brother in this war. Please," she begged, her eyes pleading with the man she had raised on her own as her parents undertook the works of the Underworld.
She had never wanted her brother to be a part of this war but he was the only connection that stood between her and Hades. If she could save Reus, she would have saved a part of her family in the midst of this bloodied war.
"Why?" he asked, a tear escaping him as he walked closer to the fire. "This is a death sentence, Melinoe! Why are you doing this to yourself?" he demanded.
"He leaves me no choice. He must end this war now. My daughter will not fight for Zeus or Rubyn, but she will also not fight for him," Melinoe was firm in her resolve on the face of it, but seeing her brother beg her was breaking her heart. She had spent eons loving him and to tell him that she was on the verge of a war that depended on his Master was definitely a death sentence.
"Then if you must do this..." Reus composed himself. He had made his decision. "I will follow you till the end of this battle."
It had always been about his sister, never the Master who had trapped their mother in Underworld.
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REUS was as mesmerized by his niece's abilities as all those around him who saw the ring of fire burn. A part of him still failed to understand why he had chosen to cross the circle, but when his sister had called to him, the first memory that struck him was the years of yearning and searching after the last war.
He had been terrified for his sister's fate. He had lost her, he was sure of it. But now, she stood safely across him. In danger, but alive.
The choice was clear for Reus. He would follow his sister into the depths of Tartarus.
But that didn't mean he completely supported her cause.
"He will not listen," Reus whispered to his sister.
"He will," Melinoe was quick to reply. "He must. He has caused enough pain, so has our father."
Reus cringed at their treacherous father's mention. Zeus had been anything but kind to his children during the last war. Melinoe's scar was a testament to his wrath; his bolt had pierced her eyes, burning the flesh around it.
He then remembered meeting Aethera's father on the battlefield, ages ago. They hadn't fought each other, but Aether was a formidable warrior with a fire that resembled the one in Aethera's palms. He wondered if Rubyn's powers were similar to that of Aethera's. They were of the same blood after all.
But then he noticed the specks of black, shimmering at the core. For once, he shared the trust his sister had on her daughter. She was an amalgamation of pure power. Her fire burned like her father's, but hinted the traces of Nyx. Her eyes were brighter than her mother's but he wouldn't be surprised if his sister's ghost army fought on Aethera's commands.
She was truly the weapon either side had needed.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar face.
Clarissa appeared from the forest, eyeing Reus and Art.
"She sides with Hades!" Clarissa declared to the ten Athanatoi that followed her, Rubyn standing first.
"Don't be hasty, love," Reus smirked, gesturing his sister to let him take the lead. He didn't expect anyone else to understand the tension between him and the beautiful blonde on the other side of Aethera's circle.
"What the fuck does this mean, Art?" Clarissa had chosen to ignore him.
"Clarissa, calm down," Art tried to reason with her as he noticed her eyes twitch. She was beginning to fight for control over her powers.
"Melinoe! She doesn't belong to you," Rubyn warned.
"Don't tell me where my daughter belongs, Rubyn," Melinoe replied, her voice menacing. "Because she'll tell you exactly where she doesn't belong."
"Stop this nonsense. You've manipulated my brother, you've manipulated Aethera into thinking they're on the right side. How could they be? Reus will run to Hades, the first chance he gets!" Clarissa yelled.
"That one night really seems to have done a number on you, Clarissa darling," Reus was now dancing on her nerves. "It's not your fault, rookie. I was also new to this life some eons ago -"
"Shut up, you low lying excuse of a God!" Clarissa warned him, stepping dangerously close to the fire. "You know nothing except using someone to your advantage. Wars aren't won by treachery but you wouldn't mind running to your evil -"
"I wouldn't take another step if I was you," a small voice, standing at the back of the porch warned her. Heads turned to face Aethera who had been left behind by everyone.
Except Art, everyone had taken a step back.
"Don't you get tired of it all?" she asked, her face deprived of any emotions. Fear was non-existent in a pale face that now focused on Clarissa and Rubyn, ignoring her surroundings. "You knew who I was since the day we met, didn't you, Rubyn?" she asked the aged man who was left speechless.
"You chose to ignore your own blood, or was it because you waited for the right time to unleash me?" her voice wasn't her own anymore. The softness had left a while back, replaced by a throaty growl that compelled her own mother to step away from her as she stook small steps towards the circle of fire she had created. "My inability...my helplessness...was your leash around me."
"No-"
"Don't deny the truth," a gruesome smile spread across her face. "You're as pathetic as every other man of greed."
Art had no idea who stood in front of him because she looked nothing like the woman who had just kissed him to calm him down. The woman standing ahead was cold, pale and petrifying. He wanted to bring his Aethera back, but she was long gone.
With hair as dark as the sky forming above them, something told Art that it wasn't Zeus controlling the storm anymore. Everyone awaited in fear as the dreary clouds, thick as boulders formed above the forest and the house. At the same time, the snow around Aethera's feet began to melt. Everyone knew that it wasn't the Gods at work anymore. The storm, the heat burning the land, the fire around them, all of it was solely Aethera's doing.
Her eyes were visible only to Rubyn, Clarissa and the guards around them. Jace was the first from their side to notice them.
"Everyone, step back!" he screamed, running to drag Art away who stood his ground despite various attempts.
In her line of sight, Clarissa fell back first, scrambling into the forest as everyone else followed her but when she turned, her dread had turned into reality.
In the middle of the once snow-filled field, stood Aethera with menacing eyes which had turned pitch black, no hint of life left in them. There was no trace of the clueless girl who had arrived at her doorstep, barely a month ago. She stood on the almost-burnt ground in the aftermath of a thunderbolt that had wrecked the land, the forest and the snow around; her hands burning a fire so bright that it almost blinded anyone who tried to look straight at it.
A few yards ahead of Aethera was the lifeless body of Rubyn.
A Goddess had lost control.
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ART had seen the entire scene unfold. Every millisecond of it. Every inch of his soul and mind asked him to step back from what was unfolding a few steps away from him but the peculiar urge...the persistent, unknown itch within him was back.
It was stronger now and while he had no idea how to control it, something told him that there was nothing to fear about the woman who had just killed Rubyn without a second thought.
No one in the vicinity had understood what had happened to Aethera in mere seconds but the only one standing beside her had been the one who promised he would - Art.
"This doesn't have to end this way, Art," Aethera's head whipped towards her right where Varun emerged from the hidden foliage. But she knew he had been there the whole time. She had heard Karolina beg him to stay back seconds ago.
"This ends only one way," Art warned him, drawing his bow, ready to strike Varun if he unleashed his powers towards him or Aethera.
"Rubyn did nothing wrong, Aethera," Varun ignored Art, eyeing Aethera who had soon zoned into him. He had her complete attention, just like he wanted. "Hades has lost control...over his numbers. This doesn't have to be a war at all. Zeus and Poseidon, my father will support you, I assure you this; they will not let Aether's blood die in the battlefield against Hades," Varun had her exactly where he wanted her.
Varun knew the mention of her father would have her give him her complete attention. He had fought enough to know how Gods angered faster, lost control more and let go of their focus. Knowing how much she could hear also helped him sneak Karolina away from him. This had been their classic strategy during the last war, but the newbies weren't aware of it.
This little moment was all Varun had. He had known Art for a shorter time than he would have liked but he knew the dependence that came with such a bond. He knew exactly how it could end too.
However, what followed in mere seconds after Varun's thoughts made him question whatever he had known.
"Art!" Jace yelled, throwing himself over Art's body as Karolina shot her poison arrow from hiding.
Aethera had still not flinched and it was now Varun and his wife's turn to gulp in fear.
When Jace opened his eyes, expecting the arrow to burn his shoulders first and then his physical body to diminish from Karolina's infamous spelled poison, he realised that the arrow had neither touched him or Art. His relief lasted barely a second.
For what Jace saw in front of him was the face of another lost soul. Around him, was a shield of its own, specks of green thunderbolts striking the land around it. Art had enveloped himself, Jace and Aethera in a new-found power.
"Leave," he said, to no one in particular as Jace witnessed his second miracle. Art's eyes were emerald orbs and despite the brightness of the morning, they were glowing brighter than they had at night.
Jace stumbled towards the porch, joining the others as a small opening appeared in Art's dome.
"What the fuck is happening to them?" he whisper-yelled when he reached Melinoe's side. "Have they lost control?" he asked to anyone who was willing to answer.
"No," Roy replied. "They have lost patience with the Gods."
"HADES! ZEUS!" Jace's soul, or whatever a ker had in place of one shook when he heard Aethera and Art yell for the mighty in sync. The scene was unimaginable. It was unknown, rare, terrifying and everything else that he couldn't even imagine during the first and only war he had fought ages ago.
Aethera's gruesome black fire, Art's enchanting emerald dome, both were angered and the small thunderbolts only increased in size.
This is what Jace had been warned of.
Ages ago, he had seen Varun and Karolina fight in the war and had thought nothing could match the powers they possessed in each other's presence. But now he knew, they were only a taste of what Art and Aethera were capable of.
For the first time, Jace prayed for the humans.
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