The gift I had sent worked flawlessly. The statue of Zeus sat in the middle of the Olympus Administration building, gifted with a mysterious letter from an adoring mortal. They would be none the wiser. Gods, you see, are very arrogant creatures. What would we have to fear, given the immortality we possess? The trick, you ask? I had rigged the statue. I had swept my ruin through it, leaving my essence trail behind. It had paid off perfectly. I could now see and hear through the eyes and ears of the statue.
Just being able to hear the gossip from the passersby the last couple of weeks told me more than I needed to know. I knew who was mad at whom, who someone favored, parties that had been held, and even current relationship statuses. That last little part was helpful to me in more ways than one. I knew for a fact that Nyx had the keys to Tartarus. Hades had given them to her before my trip out of Olympus. My plan was to trick her, with who I thought was her current lover, Erebus.
Turned out the situation was not what I had thought at all. Not only were Nyx and Erebus not together, but she was currently with the God of Hate, Dinlas. I guess locking the God of Darkness in the dream realm served me no purpose. Well, good thing I have learned to always have a Plan B.
……..
I arrived in Greece after doing more research on Dinlas. I learned where he worked, what time he went in, and how often he saw Nyx. I didn’t need a surprise visit from her, regardless of who I had with me. Besides, I had discovered that Dinlas and I had something in common. Maybe if I could coerce him to my side, I would have another God with me. And if not, then I would just need to get him out of my way.
The warehouse seemed quiet, but given it was nighttime, I wasn’t surprised. The fewer people here, the less I needed to use my delusion to warp the minds that would be in my way. Shrugging, I let loose my body, turning into black, smoke-like mist as I flew towards the building. Showtime.
I zoomed under the door and into the hallway, as the few people inside carried on their conversations, none the wiser. I zipped between the mortals, without them so much as jumping. They shivered as if the temperature dropped when I passed. To them, it felt like a chill in the air, and not a vengeful goddess on a warpath.
I came up to the area in front of Dinlas’ office, a receptionist sat at a desk, typing away. I materialized in front of her, my body forming from the black cloud into myself. She gasped as her eyes met mine, and opened her mouth to scream.
My eyes flashed amber, as hers dulled under my gaze
I shook my finger in front of her. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You wouldn’t want to ruin my surprise, now would you?”
She shook her head slowly, her eyes still dull.
“Good, girl. Now, why don’t you take a nap?”
As soon as the words left my lips, she blinked twice and yawned. She put her head down on the table and fell asleep. A soft smile formed on my lips as I turned my head towards the door, the God of Hate behind it. I didn’t dematerialize this time. Oh no, I had a much better, more fun plan.
Shaking my head side to side, my jet-black hair took on a silver hue and grew a few inches. My normal olive complexion now held a much darker, smooth tone, and my height soon matched that of the Goddess Nyx. I wore a double-breasted long-sleeved blazer, that more closely resembled a dress than a suit, with the hem reaching mid-thigh. It was black as night, with gold buttons lining the front, and matching pumps. Men are visual creatures, God or mortal, it did not matter, and I needed the god distracted if I were to steal the keys he possessed.
I didn’t bother knocking, but instead walked right in. Dinlas sat at his desk, his head whipping up at lightning speed at my entrance. He wore a charcoal grey suit with a white button-down shirt. The lightest of facial hair touched his jaw, in a well-groomed five-o-clock shadow, and his eyes were as black as coal as they searched mine briefly. I closed the door behind me, leaning against it, as dual sets of eyes lit up next to his feet. Wolves. How could I have forgotten about them?
I walked over and with a flick of my hand, too fast to see, I waved delusion into their cerebrums, edging the beasts to sleep. As soon as they rose, they slowly fell. Dinlas looked from them and back to me, an emotion I couldn’t read passing momentarily across his face.
“Nyx. What a surprise,” he spoke as he rose to his feet and walked towards me.
I smiled back, my hand running down the front of my blazer. “Is it not a good one?”
His eyes followed my movements before meeting mine. “I didn’t say that.”
I slowly grinned as he came to me. “Want to see what else I have for you?”
He stopped a few inches from me, raising a single brow. “I’m listening.”
I didn’t say another word as I pulled him to me. My lips crashed against his and he followed my lead, his mouth slanting and meeting every movement I made. Good. I needed him distracted and I needed those damn keys. I moved my hands from the nape of his neck to his shoulder and down. If he was dumb, and I was hoping he was, he would keep them on him. Before I could form my next thought, a hand grabbed me by my throat in a painfully tight grip.
“Do you think I am stupid?” he hissed as he slowly pushed me back, our faces only inches apart.
“Kind of hoping you would be.”
I grabbed him by the wrist and twisted. He let out a brief hiss and I used my free hand to hit him square in the chest, sending him sailing into the far wall hard enough to slam through it.
I knew it did not hurt him by the bullets that suddenly shot through me. Guns. So primitive. I dissipated, flying into the air vent above as he emerged from the hole his body made as he went through the wall. I watched as he surveyed the room, looking for me. He stopped briefly to check on the wolves, shaking them, trying to wake them, but to no avail.
He tucked the twin pistols into his pants, under the back of his shirt. He continued to search the room as he pulled out a phone. I came out of the vent, materializing behind him and grabbing the phone.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I snapped, crushing the phone in my hand.
His face held brief shock before anger took over. I didn’t give him time to reach for those damn guns again, my gaze lighting up with vibrant gold.
“You don’t want to talk. No, you want to sit. Don’t you?”
I saw his gaze flicker for a second, trying to fight it, before he nodded in agreement.
He moved towards his desk, pulling his chair out and sitting down. He folded his hands in front of him as he made himself comfortable.
“Good boy,” I smirked. “Now you can speak, but you don’t want to reach for any weapons or call for help.”
“What are you and what have you done with Nyx?” he all but growled.
“More like, who,” I responded, running my hands over my hair.
The silver tresses slowly disappeared and my black waves came forth. I shrank a few feet as I regained my normal height, along with losing a few of Nyx’s delicious curves. I smiled at Dinlas as he looked at me, confusion edging his brows.
“Hello, Dinlas. I am Ate, Goddess of Mischief and Ruin, and you, my dear, are fucked.”
