“You’re going to smash a hole through the ground at this point.”
Akrivi stopped bouncing his knees and released a long, haggard breath. His heart wouldn’t stop racing. How was Lonian able to maintain such outward calm? They were at Upper Tartarus, where a branch of the Areopagus court was located. A place that would spell their deaths or vindication; there were even rumours that Zeus might appear.
“You should calm down,” Lonian said as if reading Akrivi’s anxious thoughts. He was leaning against the stone wall, eyes fixed on the ceiling and expression serene. “Recall the Frozen Toad Breathing? Try it.”
“To river styx with that.” Akrivi buried his fingers in his hair, gripping it as he glared at the ground. “We may die. Blood! I’m too young to die.” He resumed bouncing his knee, unable to help himself.
“If we don't calm down, what else can we do?” Lonian’s massive shoulders rose and fell as he shrugged, that appearance of ease still in place. But he couldn’t fool Akrivi’s eyes; he was also scared.
“We’ll die when we're meant to die anyway,” he said, voice quiet and solemn.
“Again with that ridiculous line.” Akrivi huffed, suddenly annoyed. “It’s cowardice, you know? So I'm to just… just offer my life because some gods deem it so?”
Lonian snorted but said nothing.
“I'll never stop fighting to live. Hold on to life, my friend,” he said earnestly, hoping his words sank into Lonian’s monk-muddled brain. “Do anything to live. Anything.”
And Akrivi meant every word. Not because there was someone he promised several years ago to survive against all odds, but because that dogged will to survive was what got him this far. That I exist, and so far from the path he wishes I take, is sand in his eyes.
Lonian released a strained chuckle. “Even so, that mantra brings some peace, no? Fair trade.”
Despite Lonian’s calm exterior, his fear was evident in small details. The barely perceptible mist of sweat on his brow, how his fingers faintly trembled as he fiddled with his prayer beads. Praying to whom exactly? Akrivi sniggered. The murderous gods who put them in this situation in the first place?
“Ha!” The back of his head hit the wall as he stared at the ceiling, too. It was a deep grey shade, so were the walls and the iron door ahead. They had been waiting in this glorified cell for how long now? Two, three horai?
Demeter had given no assurances or comfort. Only sending Nestor to stuff them in a carriage heading for the nearest portal bridge that morning. At least the trial was held in Tartarus and not Olympus. If it were Olympus, his escape plan may be impossible to hatch, seeing that he was clueless about how aether worked there.
“You think she was in pain?” Akrivi asked, still focused on the ceiling. There was a wispy rope of cobweb hanging in the corner.
“She obviously was.”
“Couldn't you just lie?”
“Cheap comfort rots wounds.”
Akrivi rolled his eyes hard enough to strain their tendons. “If soft hands were alive, our odds would have been a lot better.”
Lonian hummed in response, eyes now shut and fingers still clutching his prayer beads.
Pray for both of us, because if my plan fails…
The temptation to spill everything danced at the edge of his tongue. There was a higher possibility that Lonian might understand and choose not to give up his life so easily. Or not; better to take him by surprise.
Unlike Lonian, who aspired to become the head monk, Akrivi planned to marry three or four beauties, have at least twenty kids and die old and satisfied at a hundred. No thanks, immortality. All his research, his savings, his plans to accumulate wealth and reputation ten times greater than that of House Alkis, to build an unshakable legacy for his children. If he died at seventeen, where would all that go? His mother would weep to see him join her so early.
I can’t let them kill me. The words drummed sure in his head, fuelling his determination to risk it all in the case of a damning sentencing.
“I keep thinking about it.” Lonian sat up and stared ahead.
“About what?”
“The way she died.” His gaze turned unfocused. “Why did we lose consciousness? We never saw her actual death. It makes no sense.”
Akrivi scratched his head, saying nothing because there was nothing to say. He had thought about it a hundred times. Even though May’s death made sense, it also made no sense.
“And it just had to be that she was the red god’s contender. Marvellous fortune we have.” Akrivi mumbled.
“How can we faint in the middle of that?” Lonian repeated, seeming not to have heard him.
They had had this conversation before, and yet no answer came. Akrivi recalled May holding her injured side as blood, blackened with poison, seeped through the bandages. He had never seen someone turn white that fast. Just as Lonian reached for her, everything went black, only to return with him waking with the sun on his face and May's cold body at his side. And that was precisely what he and Lonian told Demeter and Hermes.
Neither deity seemed surprised; if anything, Demeter appeared a little relieved. Or he could be wrong. The goddess’ expression was usually bland, and Hermes, on the other hand, always seemed distracted and thoroughly bored. There was also the part where Demeter warned them to never speak of the details of May's death, saying she would handle the rest regarding the trial.
“Let's trust the goddess,” Lonian said, as if needing to assure himself verbally. “Hopefully, we'll be vindicated and you'll go comfort Leda and Pasiphae. Nestor said they've been pestering him for news.”
A chuckle escaped before Akrivi could stop it. Both girls came from powerful houses, while he had nothing but his face and an absurd understanding of aether’s relation to natural science. Their houses would never let him stain their lineage with his blood, so he had approached the doves with fun and forming connections in mind.
“They'll be fine.” If he went on with his escape plan, they may never see him again anyway.
“Did you like her?”
“Huh?” Akrivi glanced at Lonian, confused. “Like who?”
“May? You always went out of your way to help her.” He wore a small knowing smile as he began counting with his fingers. “Coming to her rescue the day she joined the dogs, making me escort her through the nest that time. How did you even know she was in danger with the boulder bear? And that foolishness of exploring the nest. If you had treated her like she didn't exist, we may not be in this mess.”
“Of course, I like her,” Akrivi said with a big grin, then his smile slipped when the memory of her corpse invaded his mind. “Liked. But not in the manner you're thinking—okay, my mind did wander now and then, but it was obvious she wasn't attracted to me despite this face.” And she was never scared of him, too, which was strange. Thanks to the malevolent nature of his curse, his senses were always attuned to people's fear.
Lonian released a sound between a scoff and a laugh. “There was something very odd about her. That day with the bear, I…” his voice faded. “What she does when she vanishes. You think ordinary blood carriers can achieve that? And how you mostly have to look to know she's there. Almost no presence. Beyond strange.” As he spoke, his fingers flew over the beads. “I think her death would cause something—”
“Don't say it.” Before the wind eats and vomits it at the feet of the gods. That was his mother's favourite line whenever he attempted to speak words of ill luck. “And it wouldn't matter anyway. I have no intention to die today.”
Lonian’s gaze snapped in his direction. “What are you planning?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Akrivi shrugged. Now that he considered it, it would have been stupid to tell Lonian his plan. The boy was too proper; with all those stifling monastic tenets guiding his every action, he would spill the truth the moment he met Hermes.
“I am serious.” Worry cracked Lonian’s calm facade. “Tell me—”
Click.
Both boys looked at the door, watching in trepidation as it soundlessly swung open.
A slender man in a simple grey robe spoke as he stepped in. “Six members of the Areopagus council have come to a verdict.”
Akrivi’s heart sank to his belly as he realised he suddenly needed to use the lavatory.
“Upon your entrance into the court, you shall give honour to the council present, bowing once before taking your seats.” The man possessed a nasal voice and a condescending manner in his gaze. “You shall say nothing unless you are directly spoken to, and listen in silence. Heard?”
“Heard,” Akrivi mumbled, subdued and utterly terrified.
“Follow.” He turned and strolled out of the room, not bothering to check if the boys trailed behind.
Movement from there was straightforward. A brisk walk down a wide, dimly lit corridor that ended before a tall oak door, which opened to an expansive, domed space bracketed by tall colonnades. At six points along the edge of the circle, the council sat in tall, marble chairs with gold detailing.
There were others present, but he couldn’t get himself to look between offering the mandated bow and following the guidance of the lanky man. Also, there was a mix of aura in the place, myriads of scents clashing and making it unpleasant to breathe.
They were led to their sitting position behind Demeter and Hermes. Neither deities acknowledge them, only staring ahead. As Akrivi settled in, he followed their gaze, only to gawk shamelessly when he spotted her.
Beautiful. So beautiful. The golden lustre outlining her form was a clear testament of who he was looking at. He elbowed Lonian even as he blinked stupidly in her direction. “I think that’s...” Athena. Though he didn’t say her name out loud, he knew Lonian knew the name he wished to speak.
“I can see that,” Lonian replied dryly.
She was full-figured and petite with an air of gentle grace. There was also an innocent softness to her beauty, and her eyes were downcast, as if deeply sad. She moved to adjust the drooping sleeve of her dress, drawing his attention to—
Someone smacked him on the back of his head. He turned and glared at Lonian. What? He asked with his eyes.
“Surely, you are not mad enough to ogle her?” He whispered through his teeth, eyes darting about in panic.
Akrivi frowned. He could argue that his gaze was in worshipful appreciation, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
Just then, one of the council members spoke. Like the five others, they wore black, flowing robes that swayed as though they were submerged in water. Even their voices possessed a hollow echo, and their faces were hidden behind a beaded veil that exposed only their eyes.
“Does Athena wish to give a closing remark?”
She looked up then, and Akrivi saw that her eyes appeared wet with tears. What was this? And why did he feel like comforting her, even though the thought was completely ludicrous? What sort of comfort could a mortal give the undying goddess of wisdom and warfare?
She glided forward, her feet invisible beneath the pooling hem of her white dress. Stopping in the middle, she turned in Demeter’s direction and offered a subtle bow. “I deeply apologise for attempting to deny that Perseus was retrieved from his island upon my instructions.”
When a din arose, Akrivi noticed it then. There were others present, but it seemed they were hidden behind a veil he couldn’t perceive. But it was clear Zeus wasn’t present, and it seemed like Athena did have a hand in what happened in Drys Valon, just like soft hands said.
“But I did not destroy Seriphos in a bid to hide this truth as Demeter asserted."
Demeter snorted. Akrivi's jaw dropped at the sound. Never in his life would he have expected such an unrefined sound to come from the goddess. Hermes released a deep chuckle and summoned a bowl holding a mix of nuts and dried berries from which he ate.
Athena smiled, but the action appeared painful. She cleared her throat and continued. “As for the words of Yannis, know that they are lies. I never instructed those children to target my brother’s contender, but I shall submit to the verdict of the council,” she added with a small but stiff bow.
Four of the six council members nodded in acknowledgement. Then Athena looked to the left, staring at what appeared to be nothing. “And to my brother, Ares. I deeply apologise. I would never wish harm to that which is yours. Know that this was completely—”
“Oh, please, spare us the lies, wench.”
A sudden hush fell upon the gathering. Ever so slowly, Athena creaked her neck in Demeter's direction. Gone was the appearance of innocence. Her golden halo flickered. Her face twisted with such volcanic fury that all trace of beauty vanished, leaving something that triggered primal terror.
Even though the murderous glare was aimed at Demeter, Akrivi was choking. Chest tight, he drew in each breath with painful effort as his heart slammed heavily against his chest.
“Did you say something?” She asked, voice tight.
“Are you hard of hearing, wench?” Demeter asked in that even voice.
Hermes wove his fingers behind his head and leaned into his seat as if in preparation to witness a showdown.
“The gall. Ha.” There was a note of incredulity in the short burst of laughter as Athena stood straighter.
“You dared to spit on the code of a general, slayed my children, and now you use this sacred court as a stage to play to the crowd.” The air around her formed mirages as she pushed to her feet and stepped into the rotunda. “I have been pushed,” with each step she drew closer to Athena, “looked down upon, and insulted on the day of my festival.” She turned to the head council. “Will you force me and those who lost their contender to listen to the perfidious wails of the one who struck us?”
“And you called me names before all gathered with no consideration for my standing,” Athena spat in a quiet, deadly voice. “Do you expect me to take that—”
“You will take it,” Demeter coldly cut in. “That I didn’t destroy at least one of your temples for the foolishness you attempted is a testament of my goodwill towards you. Do not push me, Athena.”
Akrivi nearly felt sorry for Athena. The way she stood there, clearly enraged but seeming powerless against Demeter's tongue-lashing. Yet, he could no longer see the goddess in that earlier light. It was impossible to scrub off that venomous, scowling face from his mind.
“Your grievances are well noted.” Though Athena smiled, it didn’t touch her eyes. Her gaze shifted to Hermes, lingered with clear spite, before returning to Demeter. “Can I at least have Yannis back?”
“I see you no longer wish to pretend he isn’t yours.” Demeter waved as if swatting a fly, and the earth spewed a thing of nightmares.
Shivers racked Akrivi’s body as he took in the dried-up tree fused with a person. Silver canines flashed around the branch protruding from his mouth. And he was alive. It showed in occasional twitches and the steady flow of blood that stained the already blood-red garment and mangled limbs.
Athena stared at him for a long, silent moment, then she cradled his grotesquely unhinged jaw and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened with terror before he suddenly vanished. “Then I shall take my leave.”
Curiously, her halo was absent as she walked away, but another energy was present. Pure murderous intent. The goddess was furious and took no measure to hide it. If Demeter was concerned, it didn’t show. She calmly returned to her seat after watching Athena vanish into the distant shadow.
“On to the matter of compensation from the side of Drys Valon.” The same hollow voice returned as if nothing dramatic had just happened. “The number of contenders lost was three. Two of the affected deities forewent a life for a life.”
“Oh.” The sound came out dead in Akrivi’s ears. He had hoped that Athena being guilty would offset the demand for blood, but his assumption was clearly wrong.
Ah, I must run. And the best time to go about it was now when they seemed to be—
“Demeter wishes to give an offer in exchange for the life of her contender."
Akrivi froze, taken aback by the council's words. He stared at the back of the goddess's head in shock. What was this? Though Demeter had taken him as her contender, he wasn't a stranger to the fact that she disliked him. She'd assigned him to the dogs despite it being obvious that he should be in a better house. And the only time he had ever seen emotions in her eyes was when she made that bitter reference about his father. Pure hate burned in her eyes. So why was she trying to save his life?
“She offers one with Zeus’ blood. His name is Linos, the brother of the one who took the life of your contender.”
As if in response to the council’s announcement, a boy was ushered forward, and Akrivi’s face fell. It was cruel, offering one so young as a contender was too cruel. The child, face red from weeping, trembled where he stood. Hugging himself, he wouldn’t look up.
The council’s following words were even more shocking. “Do you accept Demeter’s offer, Ares?”
A hush fell as the air rippled with a sudden sharpness. Akrivi felt it then. Someone with a crushing cursed aura was about, and as if to answer his curiosity, Ares materialised from nothing. One moment, only the trembling boy stood alone at the centre, and the next his towering figure appeared.
The child, clearly shocked by his sudden appearance, cried out and fell to his knees. Akrivi could scarcely blame the child. The red god’s malevolent presence was a thousand times more than anything Akrivi could boast of. Even from a distance, his skin stung from the battering waves of twisted aether.
The only time Akrivi got a glimpse of the red god was that brief moment with May. Then he was wearing a hooded cloak that kept his features hidden. Now? He was very much in the open. Towering height, unbound red hair, fearsome but handsome features and a grim expression as he stared down at the wailing boy. He didn’t look impressed.
Lifting his eyes, he looked in Demeter’s direction. “I prefer cursed blood carriers.” Then, like a death sentence, his gaze honed in on Akrivi. “And I see your contender is cursed.”
No. Terror curdled Akrivi’s blood as he shrank into himself. Surely, it wasn’t what he was thinking.
“Give me that boy.” Ares' focus remained trained on him.
Akrivi dumbly pointed at his chest. “Me?” He whispered.
“Do this, Demeter, and I shall be adequately compensated for the death of my contender.”
So when it reached that point in this story, I was like nah, let's cut to the good part.
Anyhoo, if Demeter and Athena clash, who would win? I left a poll.
Athena vs Demeter ?? Who'd win?
