Spontaneous Combustion
Anger. No. Rage. Frustration. Betrayal. Sadness. Confusion. Fear. I felt like either I had lost my mind or that everyone else had. Both prospects were frightening.
Anger. No. Rage. Frustration. Betrayal. Sadness. Confusion. Fear. I felt like either I had lost my mind or that everyone else had. Both prospects were frightening.
But, before I can muster a reply, she tenses and looks back up the road behind my Range Rover. “Someone’s coming.” She gives me a sardonic smirk. “Friends of yours?”
I gather my wits, and in an effort made of pure will, I croak, “Run.”
Okay, I forgot my own strength and shoved the door off its hinges, knocking the man over. Feeling my wings push against my tattoo, I concentrated to hold them back.
I dropped the letter on top of my desk and sighed. There were things that I wish had been different between us, but I believed that we had made some progress in overcoming some of our issues. All I could do now was pray and wish them well, wherever they were at the moment.
Yet, I’m being summoned to fix something, something I thought I already fixed. Leave it to them to make something which should be incredibly simple nightmarishly complicated.
All that show did was drive a larger wedge between us. At least now I know who truly cares for me, even if I feel used for it. It is and always has been the mischief family I had made.
Mortals always thrived in a community setting, and at its base, that is what I was offering. And thrive they did! By sharing with me, they shared with one another. That was why I called it a family.
“I hope you have found your passage across the Styx, Mr. Steffens. If not, well…” I trail off, placing drachma in his palm. “Tell that greedy Charon I’ll pay your fare.” As my fingers graze his skin, I’m suddenly blinded by a flash of light as a vision takes over…
I didn’t know how long I would be healing on this gorgeous island. Looking out the window, I watched the sea, calming after a storm that could have caused massive destruction. It hadn’t, and that thought gave me hope for the future.
The one thing I’d come to understand about all creatures, be they mortal, animal, or dare I say, god, was they instinctively put their best interests first. I was just as guilty.
My eyebrow arched as I took in her visage. Like most goddesses, she was stunningly beautiful. In fact, she was so beautiful it made most people underestimate her danger.
The world stilled for me in that moment, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Persephone swept all of the glasses out of the bar cabinet to get our attention. It was the sting of betrayal that got to me. “How could you?” I asked, my voice the quietest it had been since I had arrived. “Eros, you and Din nearly died because of her actions. How can you defend her?”
The rune dissolves, and the black ink liquid moves and shifts from my hand as if to say, See you soon, Thanatos. We remember. I remember the hot and dry desert air, the cocky sneer of the djinn, his eyes alight with blue fire, and the permanent look of surprise on his face as his head hit the ground and rolled to the feet of his father.
I scooted closer to her, placing my hand on her knee. The flash of victory images flashed the end results before me. I pulled my hand away. That had never happened to me before.
Poseidon, my love. I do not know why you left me, why you left Atlantis. You need to be the king they need and deserve. I will help you however I can. I am worthy of you.