We wouldn’t be in this situation if Erebus had just left well enough alone. He didn’t have to find me, but he did. Every fucking time. He had almost ruined my plan in the very beginning by getting in my way, and once again, he had done the same. Call it luck or chance, but I knew on some basic level it was more, and I hated it. It felt like we were drawn to each other like moths to a fucking flame. Even now. It’s like I could not get rid of him.
I tried to dissipate from the room several times, but still to no avail. I thought with those damned magical cuffs he would be weakened, at least enough so I could leave, but no. The power it took for him to keep his cool was impressive to say the least. Not only was he getting a brow beating upstairs, but he was able to hold me in this form.
I kicked, screamed, and slammed myself on these bars for what felt like hours. I cursed him, and yelled his name to the point I was nearly hoarse. It wasn’t until I stopped shouting, and mentally thought about all the ways I could give pay back, that something clicked. It was like a part of me connected to him, and I could hear almost perfectly what was being said to him. Nyx continued to grill him, and I sighed.
Erebrus, are you going to answer the question?
I had barely mentioned his name, and he spoke to Nyx like it was words from her mouth.. It was impossible but it happened. Oh, this was going to be fun.
Something was different. I could speak to him through my thoughts, which I had never done before. I blamed it on my powers running too deep into his subconscious when I locked him away, but hey, maybe I could use that to my advantage after all.
The sound of footsteps told me that what I heard was correct. Nyx had sent her loyal pet downstairs while she “questioned” Erebus. I almost felt bad for Erebus as I listened in and heard exactly how she spoke to him…well, almost.
“Oh boy, here comes Grumpy. Looks like it’s my turn.”
I heard Erebus speak my name, but soon I was too focused on the glaring figure who entered the room.
I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms. “Oh, Dinlas, so lovely to see you….you know, again.”
His nostrils flared, and I knew his memories must be back. “Nice to see you behind bars, Ate, where you belong. Don’t get too comfortable, though. Tarturaus has a room with no view for you. I’m going to make sure Hades puts you in a cage, in a hole, behind a door, with a lock, but no key. Good luck finding your way out of that.”
Funny he would mention Tartarus when that’s what Erebus and Nyx were currently talking about.
“Dinlas has a key,” I whispered to Erebus once more.
I chuckled at Dinlas’ threat as I pushed myself off the wall, walking to the front of my current cage. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
His brow quirked at me. “It should. I’ve been there, grew up there, and let me tell you, for your crimes against this family, you’ll be lucky to ever see daylight again.”
I smiled to myself, even though a part of me knew I had to get out before what he said was true. If Hades got here before I escaped, I was fucked.
“Erebus, release me of your shadows, and I can help you,” I whispered again in between thoughts.
I literally saw Hades send someone to Tartarus without moving so much as a finger. I still listened to Erebus’ current situation, adding comments when Nyx lied, as Dinlas continued to glare at me.
I heard my name upstairs as Nyx asked Erebus what his intentions were with me. Pfft. How could I resist that?
“Yes, what is your plan with me?”
To Dinlas, I looked bored and uninterested, when in reality I was trying to work Erebus enough to slip just a little in order for me to escape. He eventually tuned my remarks out, so that left me with Plan B: piss Dinlas off.
I needed to hurry. “Release me, Erebus.”
“So,” I purred, leaning against the railings as I slipped my arms through, “What’s it like when Primodials fuck?”
Din’s face scrunched with emotion for a second before he scoffed, “Nyx and I get along fine. Shouldn’t you already know about Primordials, though? You and Erebrus looked really comfortable when we found you.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about you and her, or me and him. I’m talking about them,” I jerked my head up at the last sentence, towards the interrogation room where Erebus was yelling loudly.
“Ate,” Dinlas spoke, meeting my eyes, his anger present, “let’s not pretend you’re going to work me up over something that doesnt bother me one fucking bit.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Oh, it doesn’t? Because you what? Because you’re screwing her now? They were together for how long? You really think those feelings just go away?”
He waved his hand at me and turned away. He was clearly annoyed by the questions.
I stepped back, raising my hands in mock defense. “Hey, I’m just saying…thousands of years or so…maybe they just needed a temporary break, you know. That’s where you fit in, a little something different, until they get back together, of course. Are you sure you should have left them alone up there?”
“Do you ever shut up? Unless, by chance, you’re going to tell me where Chronos and Kronos are right now.”
My skin tingled as I heard Nyx’s next words through Erebus’ mind. Zeus was seriously injured from what she said. I needed to get out of here now. If Kronos got to him before me, I’d tear him from limb to limb. I also needed Erebus on my side for my plan to work, so I whispered the only thing I could think of.
“Lies.”
I walked around my cell like a caged tiger. My determination to escape escalated. My nails tapped around the bars as I paced, and a devilish thought crossed my mind.
“Can’t you hear them? It’s getting awfully loud up there. Can’t be just arguing over little old me. Maybe old feelings are starting to surface. Maybe she is a little upset that Erebus seems to be moving on, too. Or maybe she’s getting him wound up because she likes it rough?”
Dinlas hit the bars hard at my last statement, and the cage itself shook from where he hit, all the way to the ceiling. I followed the vibrations as the metal rattled. Several parts of the plaster cracked from the sheer force of him, and I knew I hit a nerve.
A slow, evil smile crept over my face as I leaned against the bars close to him. My form shimmered as my complexion grew dark once more. Silver hair replaced my jet black as I took the persona of Nyx.
“Come on now, Dinlas. Look at me. Why would I lower myself to a minor god when I could have real power?”
“Fuck you, Ate. You’re not her,” he hissed through the bars. “You don’t even make a decent copy. I saw right through you before. No, you’re nothing but a piss-poor little witch with a boatload of daddy issues.”
“Am I?” I mimicked his movements as I turned around the room twisting the rope that held my robe together. “Then maybe this is more her.”
I turned around, facing him as I leaned my head back. One hand scrunched into my hair as the other ran from the side of my cheek, to my neck and down the front of me.
“Uhh, Erebus.” I moaned, as Nyx’s voice left my throat. “Please don’t leave me again. I’ve missed you so much.” I let out another exaggerated moan as I continued. “Please, I need it. I’m so…unsatisfied.”
My voice changed back into my own on the last part as I raised my head to the room. My form returned to my own as I felt the tension spike in the air. His face contorted, and I knew I hit an insecurity. He was still jealous of Nyx and Erebus’ time together. He was pissed, and looked like he was going to shoot me then and there. He briefly glanced up at the sounds of the argument upstairs, then back at me.
“This isn’t over, Ate. Don’t think you’ve won.”
With that he teleported away, leaving me alone once again.
The laugh that escaped from me and echoed through my cell was pure malice. I knew once again. I won.
###
DINLAS
I teleported to the top of the staircase just to get away from her as fast as possible.
Gods, she was infuriating. I’m sure everyone was glad to forget her for all those years.
I shook my head and headed back to where I could still hear Nyx and Erebus arguing. Well, he was talking loudly, I couldn’t hear Nyx. I sighed. I really didn’t want to get back into the middle of that. I am several millennia old. Being referred to suddenly as a ‘boy-toy’ and the like was not only weird, but rather insulting as well. I stood down the hall, out of sight. Nyx could probably tell I was close by, but I’m guessing she didn’t want me in there either, considering how agitated I seemed to make Erebus before. I stood for several minutes and listened as he continued to make his case. At times though, it was hard to tell if he was arguing he was innocent of setting Titans free, or if he was still pleading his case about the divorce. That was when I first heard the little voice in my head.
They argue like they’re still in love.
Followed almost immediately by it saying, I hope he doesn’t turn violent.
The voice was right. He was acting erratic. What if he did turn violent? I moved quickly down the hall to the room in question.
I swung the door open and the two of them were standing about three feet apart. Nyx was eyeing him impassively as he pled his case of innocence. Neither really seemed to notice me as I entered. Without warning, Erebus suddenly lunged toward Nyx with his hands up. His actions were sudden, and his eyes were wild. He grabbed her near the neck. She flailed, trying to fend off his attack. There was no time to act as Erebus forced himself on her, grabbed her, and shook her violently. I looked on in horror, paralyzed by the scene for a moment, as I watched him attack my Nyx. Then the little voice spoke again in my head.
Shoot him. Your pistols can injure primordials.
My M1911 appeared in my hand, almost by magic, and I pointed it at Erebus. My hand-eye coordination was impeccable, I did not miss when I shot. I pointed the pistol at his head, but Nyx moved and blocked my sight. A slight adjustment, and I pointed to his exposed shoulder and fired two shots.
Primordials have gold in their blood. It gives the blood a glittering luminescent quality that is actually quite spectacular when it sprays out in a fine mist. A liquid glitter, if you will, that has a starry quality as light reflects off of it.
Erebus fell backward from Nyx and clutched at his shoulder. “Dinlas? What the fuck? What are you doing?”
Nyx flinched at the sound then whirled on me as well. “Amata? What are you thinking? You could have killed someone.”
I crossed the room in an instant and pressed the barrel to Erebus’ forehead.
“I shot you exactly where I wanted to. I don’t miss,” I said through clenched teeth.
Erebus pushed back against me, despite the gun pressed on his forehead and shoved me back.
“Are you insane?” he yelled as he lifted his hand a bit to examine the two wounds. “I just reached out and grabbed her shoulders to make my point.”
“He’s lying, he attacked Nyx,” the voice in my head said again. It sounded familiar, but in my rage I couldn’t identify it.
“You’re lying,” I grated again through my gritted teeth.
“Dinlas,” said Nyx as she tried to step between us. I didn’t want to hear it. This had gone far enough, and it was going to end right now.
“Where are they? Where are the Titans?” I yelled.
Erebus stepped back another step and looked again at his wounds.
“Amata!” Nyx grabbed my arm. “He wasn’t attacking me, he just put his hands on my shoulders. He does it all the time when he wants to prove a point.”
I cut my eyes at her. “Oh, all the time?”
The voice in my head spoke again, “She’s lying, too. They’ve always been lovers, you’re just a plaything.”
I shook my head and looked at Nyx as I cleared the cobwebs. “What? What do you mean?”
“He just touched me. He wasn’t attacking me. If he had, I could certainly defend myself. What is wrong, amata?”
I rubbed my forehead and whispered, “But the voice, the voice said…”
Erebus gave me a peculiar look. He was bleeding quite a bit. He whispered, “A voice? What voice?”
Then he let out a soft groan as he slid down into a chair. He had golden blood down the front of his shirt, and he seemed to be struggling mentally. I glanced at Nyx, and she at me. Concern was all over her face. I holstered my weapon and crossed the room to Erebus.
“Let me see it,” I said. “I can heal you.”
Erebus only groaned again in response.
“Ate, it’s Ate, I can’t hold her any longer.” Nyx and I looked at each other as he slumped back in the chair semi-conscious.
From the basement came a maniacal cackle.
