Abomination #2
The occasional siren flew toward them, squawking loudly.
Sol was quick to blast them with his sun magic, making them flee.
Gaia’s voice echoed frequently through the mist, as the sirens no doubt learned not to get too close to the sun god.
It was clear they were trying once more to lure Trivia in with their siren call.
Every time her mother’s voice called out to her, Sol’s grip tightened on Trivia’s waist.
“Can you hear it, too?” Trivia whispered.
Sol shook his head. “No. But every time they speak to you, you draw in a sharp breath, your eyes sparking with hope and longing.”
Trivia glanced at him and the sorrow in his eyes. It made her heart twist painfully in her chest.
“I know how it feels to yearn for your mother,” he said.
Trivia squeezed his arm, her eyes closing for a moment. Gods, she was so full of regret and shame. The agony of her mistakes, her choices that had cost so many lives… It was too much to bear.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Your mother would still be alive if it weren’t for me.”
Sol said nothing for a long moment. And after a while, Trivia expected he wouldn’t respond. Perhaps they had reopened a wound that hadn’t fully healed yet. She wouldn’t blame him if he still hadn’t forgiven her.
“My mother was always haunted by Gaia’s banishment,” Sol said suddenly, his tone thoughtful.
“I think she blamed herself for not defending her friend. When the opportunity to defy Apollo presented itself, my mother didn’t hesitate.
I think she was waiting for her moment. I think she always knew she would die opposing Apollo.
In fact, she welcomed it. She had always been a warrior, and there is no greater shame than living a long life as a coward.
She would have preferred to die this way, I think. ”
Trivia wasn’t sure how to respond to this. From what little she knew of Hestia, this made sense. But it still didn’t erase what Trivia had done, nor did it absolve her of any guilt.
And that’s okay, she told herself. This isn’t about you—it’s about Sol and what he needs. Forget yourself for a moment and focus on him.
“I know you didn’t have the closest relationship with her,” Trivia said quietly. “But I’m glad you knew her well enough to understand her like that.”
Sol looked at her, expression contemplative. “You’ll come to know Gaia in the same way. I’m sure of it.”
Trivia offered him a weak smile, but it didn’t lessen the sharp pang of fear that sliced through her at the thought of Gaia dying somewhere alone, with no one to help or comfort her.
A sudden bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, muted by the dense fog around them. Trivia jumped, eyes widening. “What was that?”
Sol didn’t answer. He went completely still beside her.
Then, they heard it.
The shrill, piercing screams of sirens.
Another flash of lightning. Then another. The screams grew more anguished. More desperate.
Trivia’s breath hitched. “What—What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. Something is attacking them.”
“It can’t be a Titan—can it?”
Before Sol could respond, everything fell silent. The lightning ceased. The screams subsided. Nothing but an eerie stillness settled around them.
Trivia didn’t like it one bit. She tightened her hold on Sol’s arm, unable to shake the sense that they needed to run. To flee. To hide.
The ground trembled. Trivia ducked, crouching low, expecting more cracks to form in the earth.
But this was… different. The ground continued to quake and quiver, but it wasn’t as violent as before. And there was a strange rhythm to it.
“Trivia,” Sol said sharply.
She stood, drawing closer to him. Only then did she realize the shaking was coming from a loud, distant thumping.
Footsteps. Enormous footsteps.
“Oh, gods,” Trivia whispered. She frantically looked around, searching for a place to take cover. But they stood in a wasteland, surrounded by cracks and mist. Perhaps if they lay on the ground, whoever was coming wouldn’t see them?
“I know that smell,” Sol muttered. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
The thunderous footsteps were almost upon them. Each step was so loud it drowned out all sounds.
“Cyclops,” Sol said in between the pounding.
“Not just any Cyclops,” said a cold, sinister voice. It echoed all around them, deep and resonant, like the voices of ten men. The sound made Trivia’s skin pebble, and a chill swept over her.
A massive figure took shape through the mist, towering over them. It stood as tall as the castle of Elysium, and Trivia had to crane her neck to stare at it in horror.
It wasn’t just a Cyclops, but a giant. Thick, meaty legs stood before them.
Trivia only came up to its shins. As she gazed up and up and up, she found a one-eyed gray-skinned demon leering down at her.
It wore nothing but loose leather trousers, its muscular chest left bare.
Its singular eye was white and all-seeing.
Jagged teeth spread into a wide, feral grin.
From what Trivia knew of them, Cyclopes were large, but not this big. And they certainly didn’t have demon flesh.
She swallowed hard, trying not to tremble as she stared up at this beast who could easily squash them with a single step. “What are you?” she called to it.
“I am called Atlas,” the Cyclops said smugly.
Sol was shaking his head. “Impossible. Atlas is a Titan. And Titan magic can’t produce something like this.”
Leather shifted as the Cyclops leaned forward to closer inspect Sol. A droplet of saliva dribbled from his lips, large enough to splatter over them both and drench them completely.
“Ah, little sun god,” Atlas crooned. “It is quite possible indeed. You see, Titan magic, when combined with death magic, can produce all manner of abominations. And we’ve summoned them all as a welcome gift just for you and your little witch goddesses.”