Memoirs of an Immortal (The Immortal Series) (41 page)

“What do we do now?” He added with much hatred.

“All I know is that we need to stop the Diavolis. That’s about as close of an answer I could give you.” I said unsure of myself. Akhilles gave me a menacing look.

“If that’s the case, then Leonidas should have died. He’s not supposed to be here.” Akhilles never moved his eyes from me, he stared me down trying to get the answer he wanted.

I didn’t bother to respond. I was too confused and lost in my thoughts to bother with his speech. I leaned my head against the tree, wanting to be left alone. Agape understood and ushered him away. Zoe had sat next to me reading her scrolls, not talking, but just sat quietly next to me. At times, her form of comfort was the best.

Only one question ruled my mind. What should I do now? The easy answer, was do what needed to be done, but now the appearance of Leonidas complicated things. I was exhausted. I tried to fill my head with other thoughts then the one that lingered in the back of my mind. I kept replaying the images of Hephaistos walking away from me. A sharp pain shot right through me and I began to have a hard time catching my breath. Zoe reached over and took my hand and held it.

“What brings you this much pain? Is it Leonidas? Or is it Hephaistos?” She asked.

I closed my eyes not wanting to answer. I simply squeezed her hand wanting to be held. The air around us shifted and we both realized someone was coming. The darkness around us grew, but was not foreboding, Zoe and I sat waiting. A young woman had walked through our gates. She stood in front of me with a sorrowful look, her eyes averted. Her long brown hair tied up in a loose bun, her knee high dress was black and her sandals were gold in color. I stood up and walked over to her.

“Hekate.” I bowed little. The mark on her forehead had always intrigued me. It was three black crescent moons that represented the dark crossroads that she controlled. She was a powerful witch goddess, who commanded curses and all dark magic.

“I’ve come to apologize.” She lowered her head to me.

I was taken aback. It wasn’t often that a goddess as powerful as she would lower themselves in front of me.

“Apollon…” her voice trailed off. “He took me and tricked me. He led me to think he wanted me.” Her eyes not wanting to betray her weakness, her voice laced with the shame of her mistake. I reached forward and took her hand.

“It’s fine.” I lied.

She raised her head slightly. “You must remember that he is not complete. He is not the Leonidas you knew. You can never really bring back a soul without affecting it somehow.” She said ruefully.

“I understand.” My voice sounded broken.

“Please Psykhe, you must keep going. Do not let my mistake affect what must be done. I am so very sorry.” She bowed once more.

She left our home and the darkness that had surrounded us had now disappeared.

I slid back down to where I sat before. Zoe reached for me and let my head rest on her shoulder. The rest of my sisters began to slowly show up. As we all sat there wondering what to do next, I realized that my emotions were controlling me.

I finally looked for Agape and I stared at her.

‘Do you really want me to do this for you? I promise I won’t let it happen like before, I’m better at controlling my abilities.
’ She thought. I nodded. There was no other way. In order for me to function, I needed her to numb me from everything, my feelings for Hephaistos and my feeling for Leonidas. Within moments, I felt my heart grow cold and hard all my thoughts became clearer, my mind now focused, all that was left was my anger.

Apollon

Now that my heart was iced, my mind could now fixate on what I wanted, on what I could finally do for myself. I found myself cold, ridged, and angry. I knew where I wanted to go.

I began to follow the scent of Apollon. Since he’d been banished, he lingered between the wastelands on the outskirts of Greece or at his beloved Delphi. Before I could decide where to go, Eirene walked into our battle room.

“He will be in Delphi. I saw it. He’s going to arrive soon. His priestesses are preparing for him.” She stopped to gauge my reaction. “Do what you want. I’m just afraid since Agape is numbing you, you might be too dangerous.” She warned me.

“Don’t bother talking me out of this, this time I’m going to make him pay.” I bit out, my words strained. “If I could kill him, I would.” I continued.

“Just don’t do something that you’ll regret.” Eirene said, as she gave me the map to Delphi.

“I won’t.” I yanked it out of her hands and placed the map onto the table.

Landing at Delphi took my breath away. It was so stunning, especially now that the land was growing lush with flowers. Tall cypress trees dotted the valley below only adding to its sheer beauty. With the sun about to rise, a light fog that blanketed the area, creating a beautiful mist that smelled of wild flowers. Delphi was more like a little city than a religious area. Everyone came here to hear Apollon’s oracles and prophecies. I was surrounded by beautiful spiritual hymns that were sung as the priestesses prepared their rituals. I finally found his main temple and stood at the foot of it. It stood in the center overlooking the valley below. Far beyond the valley, with my immortal eyes, I could see the ocean. I could see why Apollon came to fight the Python. This land was worth it.

The air was filled with perfumed incense. I could hear the faint voices and quiet thoughts of his priestesses’ and their attendants’. I stood near at the foot of his large temple close to the cliff’s edge. A slight wind had picked up. My hair that I had tied up high on my head, swung with the breeze.

“I always pictured you here standing at my temple overlooking my land. What I thought could be our land. The sight of you right now, is just perfect.” Apollon stood behind me, near his temple doors, a quiet hush came over his small city. The only ones that mattered right now were him and me.

“It’s so beautiful. I can see why you wanted to keep it. Why you were glad to accept your punishment for killing the Python. There’s no other place like this in the whole of our world.” I kept looking over the land. Large mountains flanked either side, making it a quiet secluded place.

“Have you come to have your oracle told?” He smiled as he said it, but there was no true humor in him voice.

“Do you like being banished? Does this make you happy?” My questions went unanswered as he stood quietly. “How can you be so perfect to the world around you, but be so different? Everyone worships you, sees you as a perfect man, a perfect god, but I stand here looking at a man with more faults than I had ever seen.” I said in a serious tone.

Apollon’s face was sunken in, a sorrowful image of the man that was spoiled by his own perfection. Who received whatever he wanted and if he didn’t, he would destroy it and deal with the consequences later. But this time, he may have gone too far, this time, there was no going back.

“You owe me and I’ve come to collect.” As I said my words my blades wielded out of me, hovering on either side.

With one wave of his hand, his breastplate appeared. It was all black, a hard metal, I had never seen before, he then produced his xiphos, a double edged short sword. The colour of the blade matched his armor.

“Perhaps you are. Perhaps I do owe you, but all I ever wanted was to be with you, to have you, to hold you, to….” His head lowered and shook it. “I know that I destroyed my chances. I was too impatient and too afraid. I could see Hephaistos affecting you. How could I lose to him, when I was me? You can’t imagine how it felt to be beaten by him.” He slowly walked down the temple steps. “I wanted you so badly that night, to be close to you, to breath in your scent. Dio’s wine was a perfect way to forget the arrangement you had with Hephaistos. I made sure that you were busy with Diavolis, so that you wouldn’t have time to be with him. But the first night you had off, you had to, you had to go see him….I saw it.” He sneered. “I have a priestess here, who shows me everything I want to know about you.”

To be honest I wasn’t surprised with his revelations. Apollon always controlled our encounters. “I was angry. I realize it’s too late now, but I’m sorry, I’m sorry for hurting you.” He finally reached the final step and stopped. “Till this day I’ve regretted that night.”

I scoffed. “But it didn’t stop you from bring back Leonidas did it. Why would you do that?” I hissed.

We both were circling each other, trying to feel one another out.

“Your happiness with Hephaistos was too perfect and I realized that I could probably never make you that happy. Seeing you so at home with him, so comfortable. It made me angry beyond anything I had ever experienced. My decision was blinded with white rage, do I regret it? No, I don’t. I hope that they both destroy each other and I spend the rest of eternity finally making you mine.”

With his declaration, Apollon finally stopped moving and within seconds was next to me, hovering over me, looking straight into my eyes. I didn’t bother to flinch.

“I want you to know Apollon, you could never make me happy and I will spend the rest of eternity, hating you for what you have done.” My blades hung higher ready to be used with one quick thought.

“We shall see.” He smiled a wicked grin and with that our blades collided.

Using his right arm with his xiphos, he blocked my blades. He lunged at me and I wheeled myself into the air, my swords finding their place in my hands. I landed ready to run towards him. I launched myself using the weight of my blades to hurl me up. I let go of one and held onto the other to confuse my attack. I was able to stab him in the back, which only intensified the fight.

He began to reach full wrath, I could sense the change around us. He affected the environment that surrounded us. His power was truly immense. At that moment, I had to wonder how Hephaistos was able to beat him. What was his full wrath like? I pushed the thoughts of him out of my mind and began to refocus on my opponent.

We had fought hard and long, my body was full of wounds, but so was Apollon’s. I was glad that I could match him attack for attack. In an instant the air shifted, I could smell metal. Before I could move to deliver what I thought could be my final blow, Hephaistos appeared before me. He didn’t bother to look at me, but rather slowly made his way to Apollon.

“Did you do this to her?” He asked his voice low and threatening. Hephaistos’ armor was a dark sliver, his breast plate plain. He brandished a large kopis. It was larger than most kopis I had seen. The heavy sword had a large curved blade to it. It was silver and had ornate designs on it, which closely mimicked mine. His hair was tired up in a tight ponytail, his eyes only focused on Apollon. Had I been myself, I may have wanted a chance to rest, but this was my fight not his. He had his chance and he made it clear I was no longer his concern. The only thing I had left that I didn’t want Agape to take away, was my anger and I had plenty for everyone.

“Hey!” I yelled throwing my blade at him nearly missing him. He turned his head, his eyes fully wrathed. “This is my fight, now fuck off!” I roared. I would have never spoken to him in that manner, but my anger got the better of me. I wanted him to understand that he had crossed a line with me, a line that he would never be able to walk back from.

“Leave here!” He yelled back, his voice resonating throughout the valley below.

“I don’t think so!” I shouted. I ran without thinking and recoiled my blade and hit his kopis. “Apollon is mine and you have no right to interfere in my fights. You made it clear that I was not yours to care for, now leave me alone or face me as well.”

Apollon smiled, happy that he caused this rift. Content that he destroyed something that I held so precious.

That was it. That was the moment. My rage grew beyond anything I had felt before. My ears began to ring, my heart began to beat irregularly and my eyes burned with hate. I wielded my swords so well and so quickly that I knocked Apollon off his feet. The sheer brunt of my attack left him fully hacked. His breast plate left broken, his skin stained with blood. His face all astonished. His lips quivered with anger. I sneered at him

“Do not consider your debt paid.” I pointed my sword to him “I’m not done with you.” That’s when I began to laugh like a mad woman. “But I suppose the feeling of being banished must be too much for you. I’ll let you know a little secret.” I stood tall, now smiling wildly. “Zeus offered me a gift. Would you like to know what it is?” Apollon stared at me, his face not giving way what he was thinking. “I’m the only one who can allow you to return.” I laughed. “I’ll decide when you are allowed back into our world.” As his face fell, my smile became brighter. “Now, I’m satisfied.”

I stalked closer to him and leaned in. “Sit and behold this beautiful place and enjoy the human world, for you will rot here.” I said coldly.

As I readied myself to leave, Hephaistos grabbed my arm, but I yanked it back.

“Don’t touch me.” I hissed. “And never appear in front of me again.” He held onto me as I tried to yank him off.

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to come to my rescue.” My words were harsh and laced with my bitterness.

He shook his head in disappointment. “So you have Agape controlling your emotions again. Did you learn nothing from the last time?” His voice was filled with annoyance.

“Did I have a choice?” I shouted. “You left me no other alternative but this.” I waved my hand in front of me.

“So she numbed your pain, but not your anger, I guess that was your decision?” He snapped.

“I’m sorry since when do my decisions concern you?” I scoffed. I hated that I was standing here talking to him like this, when I wished that I could simply be back in his arms. I shook my thoughts away. It was him who didn’t want me.

“They concern me since you are still my wife.” He bit out.

The word so easily rolled off his tongue, like he had not left me, that he had not ran away.

“Wife?” I laughed uncontrollably. “Since when? Or is it when it suits your needs and desires?” I took two steps forward and another sinister smile came across my face. “I am no longer your wife, you told me that. Now take your ring and never step in front of me again.” I slid the ring off my finger. My heart winced for a mere second, until Agape was able to numb it again. He hesitated, his eyes now back to their luscious green, melting and breaking.

“No! You don’t have that right.” I screamed “You are not allowed to look at me as though I did this. Now take it or I will simply throw at you.” I held this tiny ring, the weight of it heavy enough to anchor me to him. Hephaistos stood, not holding out his hand testing whether I would hold true to my threat.