22. Hecate
Alexa play: Nazareth by Sleep Token
I t was raining. The gladiator games at the Colosseum that day had been especially bloody and brutal.
I had heard that a chaos demon had been making deals with the Roman emperors. My interest was piqued, and I came to see the games.
They were violent, cruel and bloody.
Having glamoured myself as a nobleman’s wife, I’d been led to the imperial box to watch with the emperor and his key advisor.
I immediately recognized his advisor as a demon.
He lounged lazily in a throne-like chair next to Diocletian, who was gleefully ordering the slaughter of dozens of the god of creation’s followers.
Bright green eyes fell on me as I entered, and his dark eyebrows rose in surprise as he immediately recognized me for what I was.
Like recognized like.
“What do we have here?” the demon purred, and our energies tangled together in curiosity .
As the mother of witches, I was no stranger to demons.
My magic came from the natural elements of the earth and the sky.
I drew from the immense, bottomless power of the universe, and I walked the line of balance that came from the careful positioning of the planets and stars that made up our reality.
Demons, on the other hand, fed off anti-matter. They were the antithesis of everything I stood for. However, as a champion of harmony, I knew that this was a necessary counterbalance to all things good.
I didn’t fear this demon. I was simply intrigued.
“I have come to watch the games.” I smiled, and the creature’s lips spread into a devious grin, his green eyes traveling slowly up and down my form in curiosity.
“By all means,” he said, gesturing to the open seat next to him.
“We’re slaughtering Christians today. It’s been entertaining, to say the least.”
My ears pricked at the clear edge of his tone. This creature clearly hated the humans that were currently being gutted in the sand-filled area, and I frowned as I settled into the seat next to him.
The violence did nothing for me. I didn’t enjoy watching the humans bleed. Death was a natural cycle of life, but hatred and animosity were poisonous things that had the potential to put your inner peace at risk.
Whatever you sent out into the universe would be returned to you threefold. Looking at this chaos demon next to me, I worried for him.
The amount of hatred and scorn that radiated off of him was enough to put his entire future at risk.
“You hate them,” I observed, cocking my head to the side.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He turned those intense green eyes onto me, and he regarded me quietly for a long moment as if carefully considering his answer.
“I hate them because they follow a god that has wronged me in more ways than there are stars in the fucking sky.”
I frowned, opening my mouth to respond, when I was interrupted by a deep, bone-chilling voice.
“Shemhazai has a very long, arduous history with the god of creation and his angels. ”
I glanced up to find another god had come to join us.
The demon—Shemhazai—stiffened slightly as this new being reached out a large hand toward me in introduction.
This god was much larger than the demon, with broad shoulders and hair the color of roasted chestnuts. His dark eyes shone with a look I had come to expect from men of all kinds when they laid eyes on members of the fairer sex, and I immediately disliked him.
“Ares. I thought you were sitting today’s games out,” Shemhazai said dryly, his tone letting me know that the god’s presence annoyed him.
“You know I never miss a chance to enjoy the spoils of our agreement,” Ares replied, never taking his eyes off mine. He was still standing before me, with his hand outstretched, waiting for me to take it.
I slipped my fingers into his hand, and he drew my knuckles to his lips, leaving a disgustingly soft kiss on my flesh, causing me to shudder.
Quickly, I tried to pull away, uninterested in how this god looked at me like I was something to eat instead of a being of equal power.
Shemhazai watched our interaction carefully, and his green eyes narrowed at the way Ares tightened his grip on my hand, forcing me to keep my hand against his lips.
“Unless you would like a snake for a tongue, I suggest letting me go.” I smirked at the god, and his eyes flashed first with surprise and then anger.
He wasn’t used to being defied.
Too fucking bad.
I was Hecate. Mother of Witches. I bowed to no man.
Ares continued to hesitate, his grip tightening further. Shemhazai let out a bored sigh and lazily nudged Ares in the hip with his foot, pressing him away from me.
“Leave her alone, Ares. Watch the show.”
Ares glared at the demon, a muscle pulsing in his jaw, but he finally let me go and nodded.
“I’ll find you after…” he trailed off, clearly waiting for my name.
“Hecate. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?” I smiled sweetly at him, letting him see the threat on my face.
Do not fuck with me. I am not some human toy for you to rape.
However, his gaze only darkened in challenge, as if my no were merely an invitation for him to pursue me further .
Anger bubbled in my chest at the audacity, but to my relief, he left me with Shemhazai and took the empty seat on the other side of Diocletian, who was cheering loudly at the violent show unraveling before us.
I watched with disgust as human blood and gore mixed with the rain and sand of the arena. Organs and viscera spilled in heavy explosions against the harsh steel of blades and the ivory teeth of several exotic beasts that had been unleashed for the entertainment of human men.
“You have caught his attention,” Shemhazai drawled next to me. He was watching the massacre before us, though I knew he was referring to the god of war.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I shrugged.
He glanced at me, his green eyes flashing.
“You sure about that?”
I gave him a small, cocksure smile.
“I eat men like him for breakfast.”
He chuckled softly, his gaze tracing over my form again in quiet consideration.
“Of that, I have no doubt, Hecate, Mother of Witches.”
My smile widened, and I realized I liked this demon. Enjoying the company of a demon wasn’t something I had ever thought I would admit, but the universe was a mysterious thing.
“Still. Be careful of him. He is the god of war. He may not be the brightest, but do not underestimate him. If he comes for you, he will not rest until he has you beneath him.”
I scoffed. “I will never lay beneath a man, Shemhazai.”
“Call me Shem. Or Hazai. Shemhazai is such a mouthful.” He smirked, and I gave him a quizzical look.
“You do not like your name?”
He shrugged. “I did… once.”
“Hazai, then,” I agreed easily, which caused the slight tension I hadn’t noticed in his shoulders to ease.
“Regardless, Hec,” he said, shortening my name in return, “whether you agree to lay beneath Ares or not is irrelevant. He considers rejection to be a form of foreplay.”
I glanced at him, letting him see the fire in my eyes.
“I ride the men; they do not ride me. ”
His eyes twinkled in amusement, and he chuckled.
“Well. If you ever want to take someone for a ride,” he winked, “I’m more than willing to volunteer.”
For some reason, his advances didn’t annoy me the way Ares’ had. Shemhazai was looking at me like we could have fun together, not like he wanted to own me. It felt like the beginnings of what might be a friendship, more than a conquest, and my heart warmed.
“You’ll have to catch me first.” I smirked, and his grin widened.
“Mm. My favorite game.” He winked, and I laughed just as the crowd around us went wild. Only one Christian remained in the arena, and Emperor Diocletian stood up, urging the crowd to cheer for the man’s life.
“This is my favorite part,” Shem said, sitting up eagerly. “The human’s vote if the winner lives or dies.” His eyes flashed with glee. “If the winner is a Christian, Diocletian almost never lets them live, no matter what the crowd says.” He was nearly vibrating with excitement.
I turned to watch, and sure enough, despite the fact that the crowd was cheering for the winner’s mercy, Diocletian held up a fist with his thumb jutting out to the side. The man who stood battle-torn and ragged in the corpse-ridden arena was shot through the heart with an arrow.
He fell dead, and Shemhazai’s eyes lit on fire with clear joy at the man’s justiceless demise.
“See you in Hell,” he purred, and it was at that moment that I realized who Shemhazai was. He was the demon of chaos that ruled the underworld with Lilith, the goddess of death, and her reaper, Ramel.