The announcement was made and the party was to begin, the sound of battle drums filled the halls, the burrowed flesh down below moved faster than the eye could see; but I saw it perfectly. Most stripped down to their lingerie and boxers, others just allowed their movements to pull their prey in. It was more of a pre-orgy than anything else,
"Oh this is the best part, come on." Gavriila grabbed my hand and dragged me down the stairs to join the sweaty mess. They made way for us, not once allowing a finger or hair to touch our skin, not without our permission at least. However, Gavriila has taken this whole queen thing to her advantage, grabbing a random vampire from the crowd; she grinds on him right under her father's gaze.
I felt dizzy, my body not exactly taking in the heat well, the music loud and matching the fast pounding of my heart. The room spins under my feet, breathing unsteady as my knees finally gave out.
'What is that, mommy?' The little girl practically screamed with excitement, I watched her point up at the dark screen above her head showing the planets circulating the sun.
'That is Saturn, the second biggest planet in the universe. Do you know the first?' The woman held her close, a familiar smile that made her brown eyes and cheeks burn burgundy.
'Jupiter! That's me.'
'Yup that's you.'
'Mommy? Why did you name me Jupiter?' Her curiosity has never waned, even in this day and age.
Her mother hummed while tapping her chin to stall time. 'I've told you many times before, Jupiter.'
'Can you tell me again? Please.'
'Okay...okay. You were born during witching hour in the middle of the woods near the oldest tree in all of Louisiana. After bringing you into the world, I looked up at the sky and saw a star twinkling near the crescent moon- it was the only one showing itself through the city light. Right then I knew what name I should give you.'
'Mommy, who is that?' The little girl turned around, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as her gaze showed concern towards me. I grew stiff, a sudden surge of fear came over me, not because I was detected in my own memory, but only for the fact the last time I've seen my mother's face the truth uncovered itself.
I went to look away as the woman turned, to only capture another gaze, one with the family trade mark of electric blue eyes, one I've seen head on before watching it lose its last speck of light. Urk strolled past me as if I were just a ghost in the wind, he wore a young meat suit that blended in with the crowd, but still held suspicion. 'It's time, Meadow. Give the child to us.'
Mom turned and gasped in fear, she clutched the little girl close to her chest while stepping backwards into the blinding projector installed in the floorboards. The light defined the haunting stare, lips trembling and chest heaving. 'No, you can not take my daughter.'
Urk persisted, he was the man to never give up. 'You can always come with us, see her grow, teach her everything you learned as a witch. We do not want to break a mother's bond with their child.'
'I'm not going to Hell, neither is Jupiter. Tell that fucking snake to look somewhere else for this prophecy bullshit.'
'Mommy.' The little girl whimpered in fear, her sobs echoed off the walls, the ground tumbled under our feet and the air shifts into a stiff and suffocating atmosphere.
'Shh, honey, calm down.' Even her mother's soft tone wasn't enough to lower the amount of fear the little one held. The room held wind that can knock a ground man off his feet, Urk struggled through the dark magic, from behind I can see his skin stretching with the force. 'Jupiter, honey, you have to stop.'
'Her power grows strong, Meadow, we must take her.'
'No! I want to stay with mommy!' The little girl screams, she finally looks at the stranger, dark brown eyes flicker to electric blue like a broken kitchen light. 'Go away!' Her voice echoed off the walls, the scream powerful as the wind but sharper than a sword.
Urk disappears before the wind could slice the air, such force took up half of the floor and blast through the wall. If he or anyone else were standing in front of them, they would of lost their entire abdomen and head. The wind calmed into nothing but light breeze as the little girl cried in her mother's arms, the anger in such a little body held more power than I ever seen. Fuck, I hold such a power...
Sucking in a deep breath, the world came back to me with dark lighting, humid air, and a hard cold floor that stuck to my skin and caused the back of my head to pound. A face came to my vision, a stranger that struck twice as much fear into my heart, out of instinct I reacted. Fingers balled and knuckles already bruised from the last time I punched someone, I strike fast, flesh to flesh; the feeling of his nose hitting my fist has brought sweet victory. However, the aftermath only worried me, especially after a dream like that; a ray of blue light formed in my fingers, the power left my knuckles with a shoulder breaking kick back.
The stranger before me did not just have a broken nose, but their head was just a pool of blood and brains scattered upon the ceiling and a few unlikely partiers that were close to the blast. I sat up quickly, stumbled back from the mess as my head still pounded and the room still spun. Before I could fall once more, an arm snakes around my waist and a chest bumped into my back, causing me to spin around with the same armed fist that was ready to give the next stranger the taste of brutal death.
The face left me stuck in a state of confusion and relief. "Lucas." I whispered while releasing my fear, the light in my hands disappears immediately as I fall into his arms and cling to the nicely tailored suit jacket. Then, after pressing my cheek to his chest, I realized the electrical sensation between us when we touch never came; which only means I'm still in this twisted and fucked up world, surrounded by demons and traitors, and the man that's holding me in his arms with such care that only made me sick could only be Ilorian.
I wanted to pull away in disgust, but his hold on me has tightened from my slightest twitch in muscle, my feet was off the ground in seconds also. Ilorian coward me through the throng as if I were helpless, but tons of people just witnessed me blow a demon's head off with one punch; I was far from helpless.
"What the hell happened?" Lilith questioned once out of site of their terrified and confused guest. We were in Maxine's room in no time, back pressed against the mattress with a soft drop, my feet was in his hands immediately as he discarded the painful heels and massaged my toes.
I snatched them away, disgust came through me as I crawled back towards the headboard, my body weak and head spinning; I couldn't actually grasp what was going on. "That's impossible." I spoke for the three of us, Ilorian was looking down at me as if I've pleased him with unexpected mystery once again.
"Nothing is impossible, dear." He hissed, his excitement was noticeable, not just by his words and eyes growing wide; but the way his skin morphed and the air grew darker, just like in the basement.
"Ilorian, calm down." Lilith gasped, her eyes wide but not in excitement but in disbelief.
The man did just that, clearing his throat and straightening his spin, the snakeskin turned back into a normal human flesh. "Tell everyone to go home. Party is over."
"Actually, about that." Gavriila entered the room nervously, it would be understandable if the crowd held fear or upset fro the death of an ally, but instead their cheers filled the room as if were a rock concert. "They want Jupiter."
"Huh?" I questioned while on the verge of throwing up dinner.
"Tell them to leave, whoever straggles will be beheaded."
"Oh we already sent that message." I retort, of course, it was ignored. Gavriila was already gone before I could protest even more, the loud cheering turned into fatal grasp before the walls trembled and floors creaked from their fast pace.
"How did you do it?" Lilith asked. She was more concerned than excited, her form stuck in the farthest corner as the look of horror was revealed in her burrowed eyes. "Your magic was supposed to be dormant. You don't even have witch or fallen blood in your system."
"Magic is in the soul, Lilith, not just the body." Ilorian answered in a curt voice while sitting on the edge of the bed next to my bare feet, his eyes never leaving mine. "What was going through your mind when your powers appeared? Perhaps I can get a better understanding on how you use your abilities."
Tucking my feet under me, I eyed the snake closely; once again he proved his own abilities of seeing the future was overrated. "When I discovered my new abilities, they mostly appeared through fear or specifically if I'm being attacked. Now it was more of a memory that triggered it, from when I was a child."
"What do you mean? Describe the experience."
I released a steady breath, my gaze flickered to the lingering demons that was conscious of my every move, their fear amused and frighten me at the same time. "I was practically looking on the outside in, seeing me when I was barely four in my mother's arms. We were in a round room, the technology back then wasn't great but this room was ahead of its time. Planets were circling around us from a projector, I was in my mother's arms; laughing and smiling. She was smiling and laughing too but the girl- little me, she saw someone and the laughter stopped. It was Urk, he was trying to take me from my mom and it didn't go so well for him. I saw first hand of my powers, it was too strong and I was too young to develop such abilities, especially for it to be magic."
Ilorian was breathless by time I was done. "Gavriila, get the book."
"But father-"
"Now!"
The demon was running before Ilorian could turn his head and give her a stone cold glare. Lilith still stayed in her corner, watching us closely, lips formed into a frown as if her husband's behavior was suddenly new. I could not blame her, although they are the bringers of evil and parents of everything that crawls in a dark room, their relationship was the most mundane thing I've seen since I've been in this world.
Gavriila was back in a millisecond, the large book resting upon her hands as she walked steady and fast. Instead of giving it to Ilorian, she set it in front of my feet between us, her palms pink and nearly boiling from the leather. "No one of demon blood shall touch the book." Ilorian voiced while pushing it closer to my direction. "No one but you shall touch it now. It has your blood, it is not yours."
"I do not want it." I pushed it back with my big toe like a scared child. I've mistakenly touch the thing with my bare flesh, just a speck of DNA or lingering power was enough to open the book, the pages did not just turn but flew out of place upon the air. Five of them, floating in mid air above Ilorian and I heads, my mouth flew open in shock as I tried not to look clueless upon dark magic.
Ilorian stood to his feet and grabbed the middle page from the set, he rubbed his chin to hide his menacing smile. "The wind of gods. I knew it."
"Look, the others, I've never seen so many of them combined." Gavriila voiced in fascination while stepping out of her safe zone to stand by her father's side, hands tucked under her arm pits as the same rule of no-demons-touching still applies to the pages. "Touch of glory, seer and speaker of the dead, storm of Zeus, and Aphrodite's desire."
"Can someone elaborate please?"
"You can heal others and yourself, talk to the dead, make catastrophic lightning storms, and make men fall turn into lovesick zombies that does everything you say. Plus, the wind of gods is quite obvious, you can slice a man's flesh and choke them with the own air they breath." Lilith spoke plainly, her amusement with all of the new discoveries were nothing more than fear and caution. "There's one more." Taping her foot upon the floor, a page from the book lingered upon the floor like a dying bird trying to fly its last lap before death finally takes them. However, it was just stuck in between the floor boards and didn't have enough mind to just get itself out.
Ilorian released the page with just a delicate tug and let it float in the middle- replacing the one in his hand. "I now know the explanation behind the fact you can blow a person's head off with one punch. The blue light forming in your hands holds heat and power as a comet hitting the earth, with that strength, all of it combined- you can be a god."
"Your highness, I'm terribly sorry to intrude." A guard stormed in, head bowed, eyes not even tempting to lift from the tip of his combat boots, rifle hanging behind his back, and chest rising and falling rapidly. "There's mundanes upon the premises, the men and I captured them-"
"Then kill them, you know the rules."
"Yes, I understand, but they request an audience with Queen Jupiter."
I held my breath, it couldn't be someone from the camps, it can't be Don or Katherine; they're not idiots. Still, I held my breath when sliding out of bed, not bothering to cover my feet as I make way downstairs where the maids were soaked in blood as they cleaned- the entire house smelt of bleach and rot. Approaching the porch, I've seen the mindless fools that dare to cross the border into a demon infested city, two teenage boys in fact, the most mindless as they could come.
Andrew and an unfamiliar boy that doesn't hold the power of a witch, more or less a lycan that hasn't reached supernatural puberty yet. They were forced on their knees, face practically unrecognizable and clothes ripped as the demons dragged them throuhh the entire city. "You know them." Ilorian stood by my side, his tone chilling and low. "Look at them, fools full of rage, storming into our home, demanding you like some call girl. They do not have respect for who you are, for who you've become." His fingers traced my jaw with the lightest touch that made me shiver and close my eyes, because if I open them, if I see what will happen next; I will fully under his grasp. "Kill them."
I shook my head and shuddered from the request. "No, they're just boys."
"Boys turn into men, Jupiter. Look at them." He grasp my jaw in a firm bone crushing grip. I was forced to open my eyes, to endure their frighten faces, I could smell their fear, hear their hearts pumping faster than a race horse, and taste their blood. "See what they see, the fear, their blood. Just mortals waiting for death to knock at their door any minute. Be their death, save them from misery."
"No." I whimpered, my breathing ragged as my mark burned to attack, but I didn't know what it wanted. Kill them... kill them... the whispers were like the wind floating in my mind, the urge to have blood upon my hands was making me into a monster- into Ilorian. Pushing his hand off my chin, I stumble down a step to create distance between us. "You want your war. You want people to see me as this god, then you must have a messenger. All the legends are spoke through tales, mouth to ear, right?"
Ilorian smirked and nod in agreement. "Lilith."
The woman was already standing upon the threshold with the enchanted box, the lid opened slowly, revealing the blade that glistens under the moonlight and stars. I looked between them both, my own mind having a war on whether to turn off my emotions or go on with full blown anger. I can't do this.... killing in self-defense and vengeance was different, the boys were innocent, young, most likely had no clue on what they were doing out here in the first place. To even travel all the way here by themselves, either the camps are growing closer or they're just foolish.
"Pick, Jupiter, or we torture them both to death and make you watch." It was Lilith who hissed, she was more bloodthirsty than Ilorian and the mark combined.
I grabbed the blade without hesitation, I was tempted to slice their throats and commit a suicide mission right then and there. But hypnosis words came to mind: 'Play your cards right, and wait for your chance...'. In other words, kill or be killed and when Ilorian is weak and vulnerable, slice his throat. Fluttering my eyes closed, I pushed down whatever moral thought that made me cringe, angry, shameful, and guilty. I have to be emotionless, I have to be a monster.
Walking down the steps felt like weights were on ankles, sinking me into the cement until I were submerged and not able to breath. Still, I kept my head high, eyes focused on the demons behind them, pushed away their pleas and took slow breaths to not throw up.
"Jupiter, don't do this." Andrew plead, quite immediately I see his father, the pain it would cost him if I were to take his only son's life, or even commit this act. "This isn't you, this is not the Jupiter I've heard about."
"Kill one already!" Gavriila snarled from Athena's bedroom window.
Andrew shook his head, wheezing out of his nose while rocking on his knees. "You're good, Jupiter, you're a savior. Even though the world is shit, you've tried, and I'm sure as he'll know you've saved your world so many times before."
"Please, don't." Don't talk to me, don't look at me... "You all shouldn't have come, this wouldn't have happened if you didn't listen." I tore my gaze away and walked around them both to only grasp the other boy's hair, without hesitation, without thought; I pressed the blade against his soft flesh and sliced his throat with one whooshing force that puncture the main artery and immediately bleed him to death.
"No!" Andrew screams filled the air, his horrid look turning into pure anger and need for vengeance. At that moment, I wanted to take me down as well, who am I to say I was doing good... who am I to say I weren't like the monsters who stared down at me with proud smiles.