*Davina*
For a moment, everything was fine and I thought that maybe the curse wasn't going to have any effect on us. But I was wrong. Calix's skin turned pale and he cried out in pain as the curse started to affect him. I saw the black spidery veins creeping up his arms and knew. It was time, but it was too soon.
I held on to him tightly, not wanting him to go. We had just bonded and now he was going be taken from me. I wanted more time with him. I wanted to experience life with him. But now I wondered if I'd ever get that chance. This curse...this curse was going to take that away from me.
"Calix...I'm here," I told him as I bit back my tears, "I'm here."
"Davina...you healed me," he told me.
"I know, and I'm sorry that you have to go through this," I told him as tears started to stream down my cheeks. He reached over and gently wiped my tears.
"Promise me...that you'll stay safe," he told me.
"I promise," I assured him.
"Davina...I love you," he whispered, "Don't you ever forget that."
"I won't," I assured him, "I love you too."
He was silent for a moment and then he spoke again.
"I used to think that...weaving the life threads of others made me invincible," he admitted, "But...I see now that I'm not."
"Calix, you're the strongest person I know," I told him.
"I wonder what it'll be like," he admitted.
I didn't say anything in response. I couldn't. It was too painful to think about.
"Can you do something for me?" he asked.
"Anything," I replied.
"Can you kiss me?" he asked, "I just...I want to feel your lips on mine one last time before the curse takes hold."
I did as he asked and pressed my lips to his. It was a kiss full of longing. He longed to stay with me and I longed to go with him. I tasted the salt of his tears and felt the sadness and grief in the air around us. I pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes.
"Thank you," he whispered.
My heart shattered as he winced in pain again, but this time was different. This time the curse took him away from me and my soul longed to go with him, but I knew that was impossible.
As Calix's glorious dark blue eyes closed and his breathing stopped, I burst into tears again and heart wrenching sobs escaped my lips.
"Oh raindrop," I heard a voice whisper. I looked up and found my Father.
"Father," I choked out. I was surprised to see him. Although Aphrodite had warned us that he'd be appearing, I didn't think that he'd be able to leave the river.
"Hades let me leave the river when Apollo informed him of what was to happen today," he explained.
He knelt down beside me and wrapped his arms around me, holding me as I cried. Trying his best to soothe me as my heart and soul cried out for Calix.
"I'll watch over him Davina," he assured me, "I promise. He will return to you. This is not the end for either of you, my little raindrop. I swear it."
*Avalon*
Ryder and I were laying on the dock when he suddenly turned pale. I saw the black spidery vein on his arms and knew. The curse was here and it was starting to take hold. Ryder shook in my arms and cried out in pain as it crawled through his veins.
"Ryder...baby...it's okay...it'll be okay," I assured him.
"How do you know?" he asked, "No one knows what's waiting on the other side."
I didn't answer and he spoke again.
"I just...I wish it didn't have to be this way," he told me.
"I know," I replied as tears welled up in my eyes, "So do I."
The spidery veins went further up his arms and he winced in pain.
"Promise me something?" he asked.
"Anything," I replied.
"Promise me that you'll never stop loving me even though this curse is separating us," he told me.
"I promise," I vowed, "I love you."
"I love you too," he replied.
He was silent for a minute and then spoke again.
"You know...part of me feels like I deserve this...because of everything I did," he admitted.
"You don't deserve this Ryder," I told him, "No one deserves this."
"I wish I could've use my powers to fix this," he told me, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, this wasn't something you could influence," I replied.
"It's going to get better," he assured me.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked.
"Because I know you...and I know you aren't going to just sit back and take this," he replied, "I know you're going to give Eris a beating. You owe her that much for what she's done."
"You know me so well," I said as I smiled through the tears.
And then the curse took hold and Ryder let out one final breath before his eyes closed and he fell unconscious in my arms. I sobbed into his chest. Then I heard a voice.
"I'm so sorry, little one."
I looked up and saw my Dad standing there. He looked crestfallen and I knew that he was just as upset about this whole thing as I was. He didn't want to lose Ryder either. Losing the Fates was going to be detrimental to us all.
"Daddy," I whispered.
I sat up and he wrapped his arms around me. He held me tightly. I hadn't called him 'Daddy' since I was a little girl, so he knew how much this situation was hurting me. He soothed me as I sobbed into his shoulder.
"It'll be okay," he whispered, "It'll be okay."
I just sat there for a moment, letting my tears soak his shirt. He didn't seem to care, although I doubted that he even noticed. As he held me, I thought about the Goddess that had caused all this. Eris. I truly hated her for what she had down and this was the final nail in her coffin.
"I want her to pay, Daddy," I admitted, "I want Eris to pay for what she did to me...to all of us."
"She will, little one," Dad assured me, "You'll make sure of it."
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