Chapter 22 #2
One could almost feel his soul shatter at the sight of Hestia wavering between hope and despair, swinging like a fragile pendulum between choosing life or death.
“I-I shall come with you, my beloved. I shall see what is awaiting us after our death. I was a fool for thinking that I could do something . . .” And then she stopped, unable to hold back the sobs that were clawing their way out.
With slow, delicate movements, she pulled Zeus’s hand between her slight palms, caressing his cold fingers as she chewed on her lower lip, desperate not to fall prey to the agonizing feelings that threatened to overwhelm her.
“I can hear your pleas to stop me from what I am about to do, yet my existence is inextricably bound to yours, my dearest. I cannot be whole without you,” she uttered, gripping at his fingers as if she hoped that he would wake up. “The world cannot be whole without you.”
And her eyelids fell, not as a sign of peace, but of surrender.
As she kept one of his hands in her grasp, she brought her other hand to her chest and began desperately scratching her skin with her nails.
She didn’t stop. She pushed forward relentlessly, and a blinding light suddenly burst from her fingertips, cutting through the darkness that surrounded them.
Her nails pierced through her own flesh in a desperate search for the last remaining beating heart in Elythra.
Her mouth opened, and a scream of pain resonated through the ruins. Hestia let her hand sink deeper, seeking her own heart. The tears relentlessly rolled down her cheeks, her eyes widening as death gripped at her soul.
Another howl poured out of her lips as if ripped from her empty chest, her body trembling from the unbearable pain that engulfed her. In the open air, her heart was now pounding, with the wind whispering over it.
She had performed the unthinkable act of sbennymi*—the goddess of the eternal flame of peace had extinguished her flame as she removed her hand from her chest. Her eyes finally shifted to her open palm, where the soft light that had streamed through her fingers tenderly caressed the pulsating heart she was holding.
The pain faded away—or perhaps she stopped feeling it as her almighty body realized that it had to embrace eternal death.
A smile graced her lips before she collapsed onto Zeus’s chest as the light emanating from her hand faded away. Her body melted into itself, drained of all the fights it had been carrying as her fingers eased, letting go of the heart that pulsed within her chest.
As her heart hit the cold ground, the remnants of their world recoiled under the crushing weight of grief, and it appeared the sky was about to come crashing down upon them. The atmosphere dispersed, and they were completely absorbed by the Kosmos’s mysterious nature.
And there was no light, nor darkness—only nothingness.
In the absence of light, the darkness returned, engulfing his void entirely. Shadow hadn’t realized how quickly he had distanced himself from Eros, but he did observe how quickly Eros turned on his feet as if he were trying to catch him lurking behind him.
Eros searched, his eyes darting around the room and his labored breathing merged with the breathing of the other gods, yet he appeared unable to see Shadow.
The God of Love’s fists tightened as he saw Artemis, Athena, and Hades looking at him, knowing that Shadow had been there the entire time.
Even though his peony scent remained in the air and they all recognized it, the enormity of what they had just seen overshadowed his presence.
“That . . .” Artemis began, but she couldn’t get any other words out of her mouth.
A hesitant pool of tears glistened in her widened eyes, and it seemed as if she was trying to decide whether to let them fall or to keep them locked away.
Despite her hatred for her father, the genuine love she witnessed between him and Hestia had touched her.
With her eyebrows creased in profound disbelief, she rested her trembling hands upon the table’s edge, bending forward to get a better look at the ancient book.
The deadly silence persisted among them and Eros, his face pale, seemed to cease his search for Shadow.
Hades’ typical calm and shadowy demeanor had completely disappeared; his eyes were now open wide, locked on the book.
Athena was the only person in the room who did not seem to be as puzzled as the other people; the events in the vision were no mystery to her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step back; her gaze fixed on the other three gods.
“I advise against moving forward with this plan,” she stated, her voice heavy and solemn. “With the death of Zeus, our own end is imminent, as you have witnessed.”
“But how is this possible? Why?” Artemis briefly asked, still keeping her gaze locked on the table as if she was struggling to find a solution to what Athena had just shown them.
With a tightened mouth, Athena drew her shoulders back and directed her gaze to the old floor. She was avoiding any eye contact as she continued to hold still—too still—as if any movement of her body might give away what she knew.
“I am unable to provide any further information,” she finally stated, and with quick steps, she left the room, leaving the other gods in total silence.
Shadow observed the strained atmosphere that lingered between them, as they all bore the burden of what they had seen. A sense of unspoken concern hung in the air, and no one seemed ready to break the silence.
The death of Zeus would result in the obliteration of the divine realm, encompassing all deities and creatures within, with the exception of Hestia. She was still present, mourning the man she secretly loved and for whom she chose to commit the ultimate sacrifice.
This was, without a doubt, a very disturbing scenario.
I wonder if the gods standing in front of me are going to proceed with their scheme, considering its outcome?
The part of the vision that contained Hestia’s presence sparked Shadow’s interest. It was something he knew he would return to, but now his attention was solely focused on observing the next moves of the gods, considering their scheme had disastrously backfired.
“What are we going to do?” Artemis began to speak, her words shattering the silence that everyone was afraid to break.
“Nothing,” Hades declared, lifting his gaze to Eros, and then moving his attention toward Artemis.
The sight of the God of the Underworld, Death, and the Lord of the Dead, devoid of his typically assured confident demeanor, was a difficult sight to take in, even for Shadow.
However, he was well aware that the seed of fear was rooted in their souls.
Now that they knew, they must confront the reality of their eventual disappearance.
“Should the death of Zeus cause our plan to fail,” Eros started, pausing briefly and resting his hands on the back of his head. “It is then necessary to change the plan’s goal.”
Hades cocked a brow at him, his dark eyes narrowing as he analyzed his words.
I’m listening, God of Love. Perhaps you are skilled not only in the art of romantic persuasion, but also in turning a scheme into a success?
“What are you trying to say?” Artemis began as she started walking in slow circles around the table.
“Rather than killing him, there must be a method to curtail his powers,” he responded, and Shadow observed a glimmer of optimism in Artemis’s expression.
“We have to ask Athena if she found anything that could help us achieve this while reading the book,” she replied, and in a matter of seconds, she immediately exited the room with the two gods following her.
A very intriguing change, indeed.
Even after they left the room, the tension that grew between them still lingered in the air, and Shadow was able to sense it deep within his void. Everyone was shocked. They had never considered that Zeus’s death would mean the death of everyone else—and to Shadow’s own amazement, neither had he.
Deciding to follow the gods, he glided toward the door but was confronted by the hushed breathing of someone in a crouched position.
Charisma Sinclair.
What brings you, my dearest mortal, here at this late hour? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?
The scent that permeated the room caused her to furrow her brows, and Shadow realized that she had indeed sensed him. He was close enough to make it impossible for her to avoid noticing.
Even though he wanted to overhear the gods’ conversation, he found Charisma’s unexpected appearance to be far more captivating. However, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering how she was able to find the room and sneak up on four gods.
I am consistently surprised by your abilities, Charisma Sinclair. Perhaps there is something about you that helps you fit in right with the gods, since fooling them clearly isn’t a problem for you.
As she moved forward across the wooden floor, she took each step with extreme care and caution. Her shoulders hunched forward, instinctively shrinking her tiny figure to blend within the darkness of the room.
Shadow noticed how quickly her eyes moved, carefully examining all the objects placed on the table. When she got closer, her eyes focused on the only book opened. Her hands shook and she bent over the table, delicately putting her fingers on the aged pages.
Her lips parted as she darted quick glances around her, paying attention to each sound that might announce the return of the gods.
Given that she had successfully snuck into this room, she might have overheard the gods’ talking and realized that she must locate this book.
Very clever of you, Miss Sinclair.
She held the book, running her fingers over the damaged, darkened leather cover, and Shadow found himself moving closer to her, curious about what held her interest. Charisma pressed her index finger against a drawn rune on the right page.
The instant that Shadow’s void skimmed over the words on the page, he was taken aback by what he saw.
Every word was written in Ancient Greek—the forgotten language of the gods, which should’ve been a mystery to a mortal like Charisma.
Although Athena had unlocked the words, they should have remained a jumble of letters to Charisma.
Yet the expressions that were rippling across her face betrayed that she did indeed understand everything she read.
The speed at which she flipped through the pages was astonishing, which shocked Shadow even further.
Her fingers danced over each rune and scribbled notes in the margins, as if she was analyzing them.
This is unthinkable.
It is absurd for her to be able to know . . .
Charisma’s voice interrupted Shadow’s train of thought. “Three relics,” she murmured, instantly frowning when she realized she had spoken aloud.
Unbelievable.
* From Greek sbennymi (σβ?νει) = “to extinguish,” or “to fade gradually.”