by VS Winters
"What took you so long?" Crius snapped at the nymph.
She shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the bar, taking a seat on the stool. "The mortal was sleeping. Then she had to get dressed and she acted as if she had never seen a portal before. Anyway, here she is."
Crius rolled his eyes and glanced at me. His expression lightened a bit. I looked at him, and then down at the woman tied to the chair. "So, now we're, what? Abducting people?"
Crius reached out and grabbed the woman's chin lifting her face. Immediately I recognized her as one of the Furies that had attacked me. As soon as her eyes opened and caught sight of me, she began to move her head, pulling on the straps on her arms and trying to kick her feet as if she were afraid of me. I walked slowly toward her, noticing her animalistic tendencies. "Are Furies always like this?"
He shook his head. "No. Furies are mighty warriors and protectors. This is the shell of a Fury, one who has been infected. I want you to put your hands on her."
I lifted a brow. "I'm really hoping this isn't some weird sexual thing."
The nymph giggled and Crius rolled his eyes. "No. Just do as I'm asking you. I want to see if what I think will happen, does."
I shook my head. "I don't feel a thing. Whatever happened back in my hallway, it was a coincidence. But, if you're so sure, I'll come touch her. And when it doesn't work, I want you to take me back home."
"Deal," Crius said just as I finished my sentence.
My eyes shifted nervously from him to the Fury and back again over and over as I carefully stepped forward toward her. She shifted again, causing a pause. Crius kicked the chair hard and she scrunched together, putting her head down. I swallowed the lump of nerves that formed in my throat and reached forward, putting my hand on top of her dark flowing hair. As my flesh touched hers, light erupted from my palm, flying out in all directions, searing the room.
My entire body felt as if it were going to catch fire at any moment. The heat radiated around me like I was inside of an oven. It was difficult for me to keep my grasp on the Fury, but as quickly as it had reached a fevered pitch, it simmered. The heat gave way to the smell of fresh flowers, clean clear air, and the kind of scent you got taking a deep breath on a bright sunny day. The light began to recede, folding inward back toward my palm and up my arm. I felt dizzy, but watched as the light shimmered through my veins and up into my chest. There was an energy to it. It was strong and severe, and as soon as the connection between the Fury and I released, I stumbled backward, grabbing on to one of the tables to keep myself on my feet.
My breath was heavy and slowly I lifted my eyes to the Fury in the chair. She was no longer dressed in a black slinky outfit, and her hair no longer looked greasy and worn. Her body was strong, and she wore a dark leather outfit that clung to her body like paint. I could see the muscles ripple in her arms and she pulled her feet beneath her, resting her thick-soled boots on the ground. Slowly she lifted her head and the darkness that had been swirling across her skin was completely gone.
In her eyes I could see deep purple irises with golden specks that almost shimmered when she looked at me. She was nothing like the Fury that I had seen in the hallway, or even the Fury that had been strapped to the chair moments before. She was like an entirely different person. With ease, she pulled her arms from the restraints and reached down, untying each of her feet. She stood up tall, and I found her at least a foot taller than me, closing her eyes and taking in a long, deep breath.
When they opened again, they fell on me and she began to walk toward me. I stood up nervously, looking over at Crius, who gave me a nod. The Fury stopped a few feet away for me, and bent down on one knee. She lowered her head for a moment and then shifted her eyes back up to mine. "You have saved me. You have freed me from the darkness that took me over. For that, I commit my life to you. I will protect you, shield you from all danger, and give my life for you if need be."
"I… That's really not necessary…" Her face twisted with pain and I shook my head. "But if you insist, thank you."
A look of relief flooded her and she smiled, standing up. Crius walked toward us. "Do you see?"
I took in a deep breath, and though I wanted to make excuses for what had happened, to pawn it off as if I had nothing to do with it, Crius was right. He needed me and my light to cleanse whatever corruption had taken that Fury over. "I see. But what now? Do we go running around whatever world you and your magical friends live in just touching people? Are they all going to pledge their life to me? If so, I'm going to need a bigger house."
"I can build you a bigger house," the Fury said.
I smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "That's okay. It was more of a rhetorical thing. Never mind. I appreciate it though. I've been dating guys for years and no one has ever even offered to rent an apartment with me."
The Fury looked pained again. "Fools."
I smiled at her. "I think this is going to work out just fine. Me and you…we're going to work well together."
Looking back over at Crius, I found him standing there, dazed, lost in thought. It was as if everything he had questioned about himself had suddenly come true, but I didn't know what those things were. I moved to take a step toward him, to help him get through whatever he was struggling with, but the nymph was at his side within seconds. She had her arm around his shoulder and was comforting him. I could feel the pain in my chest, a jealousy of sorts, so I turned away from them and looked up at the Fury. "What's your name?"
She cleared her throat and stood up straight and proud. "Alecto, born of the blood of Uranus during his castration into the sea. Protector, Punisher of Moral Crimes."
I lifted my brow surprised. "Wow. That's intense. Do you punish all moral crimes…? Or just some of them?"
Alecto looked curiously at me. "It used to be the moral crimes of humans, but now that we are in this war against an unknown force, and you saved me, my duties have changed."
I nodded. "Well, you don't happen to know how to quickly get us out of here and back to my house, do you?"
Alecto put her hand on the butt of the sword at her side. "Why yes, I do. You might want to hold on to me, it can be a bit jarring for humans."
Great. It was obvious nothing was going to go back to normal anytime soon. I glanced over my shoulder as I walked toward Alecto, secretly hoping that Crius would have turned for me, but he still stood in the bar, the nymph clinging to his side. I wasn't sure what the pull was to him, or why I wanted to be near him so badly, but I needed to shake it off because it wasn't going to do me any good to be starstruck by Mr. Strange and Sexy when I had creatures hunting me down.
Chapter Eight
Jarring travel didn't quite capture the feeling that came along with whatever magical trip I took with Alecto.
One minute she pulled me in tightly to her side and the next I felt as if my body was being spun in circles, around and around through some sort of vortex. I shoved my face into her side and clenched my eyes shut until I could feel the ground beneath my feet. I opened one eye, and the room continued to spin around me. She held me tightly to her side until finally I released the death grip that I had around her waist.
My knees felt weak and I stumbled slightly to the side, putting my hands on my thighs and breathing deeply through my nose, attempting not to blow chunks everywhere. When I finally found my grounding, I looked up to find her staring at me curiously. "Maybe we should take the longer route next time."
I put one hand up and shook my head. "No, that's okay, I'm sure I'll get used to it. Crius's driving is not that much better."
Alecto looked around her, staring at the vines and flowers along the walls. "This is a curious way to decorate your home. Are these alive?"
I chuckled, looking over at the vines that seemed to be spiraling slowly toward to me. "Yeah. They're alive, but I wouldn't say that this was my first choice in the decor. They've kind of just taken it over. They seem harmless enough. So, there's a second bedroom, if the vines haven't eaten it,
that you can sleep in, and we can order a pizza if you're hungry."
"Pizza," she whispered as she continued to stare at the vines. "Whatever you need. And I don't sleep, I have no need to."
I patted my pockets, and let out a sigh, rolling my eyes. "Dammit. I think the vines swallowed my phone."
"Is this phone important?" Alecto asked looking at me with a serious face.
I shrugged. "Humans think it's much more important than it really is, but in this situation, it's my only ability to make contact with the outside world."
Alecto triumphantly pulled her sword from her side and pointed it at the vines. "I command you, release Kora's phone upon penalty of death."
My eyes went wide and I had to press my lips together not to laugh. To my right something tapped my shoulder and I looked over to find a small leaf unfurl, revealing my phone. I picked it up and nodded at the plant as if it could see me. "Thanks." I shook the phone at Alecto. "We probably could've just asked nicely. I'll order the pizza and jump in the shower really fast."
"I'll stay here and watch the door," Alecto replied putting her sword back into her sheath.
I nodded and walked down the hallway, pressing the button for the pizza place which was on speed dial. Hey, I was just glad pizza was back in order. I was craving a pepperoni pizza during the war, but making one over a fire was a little bit difficult. "Yeah, can we have one…actually, make that three large pepperoni pizzas?"
I wasn't sure how much Alecto could eat, if she even ate. I finished ordering the pizza and walked into the bathroom, which was happily only slightly covered in vines. They mostly traveled down the walls but left the pipes, the toilet, and shower unscathed. It was nice to feel the hot water, to relax for a few moments. As the soap trickled down my back from the loofah, I turned my hand over to look at the cut on my palm. It had healed in record speed, which was shocking to me considering I half-expected to have to suture it myself at some point. But as the crusted old blood washed away, I found barely a scratch.
"Curious," I whispered to myself.
My feet splashed in the pooling water beneath me as I turned, letting the water run over my hair and down my back, taking in the warmth of the steam and letting myself relax for just two seconds. Of course, because my life was something out of a fantasy novel, that two seconds was cut quickly in half by the sound of Alecto threatening someone in the hallway. I quickly turned off the water and grabbed my robe, throwing it over my sopping wet body. I tied it tightly and hurried through the room and out the door into the hallway.
At the end of the hall Alecto stood with her sword pointing straight at the pizza boy who was shaking wildly with three pizzas in his hands. "Why are you here? What did you bring in those boxes?"
"Oh boy," I grumbled as I took off down the hallway. "Alecto, he's not an enemy. He's the pizza boy. He brings my pizza."
I quickly stepped between Alecto and the young kid, who I was pretty sure had pissed himself at that point. Alecto pressed against me still holding her sword high. "He could be a spy. I can take him right now. If I quickly sever his head from his shoulders, we can let the vines take his body."
The boy's eyes went wider. Slowly I reached up to her hand and pressed on it so that she lowered her sword. "I promise, the pizza boy is not a spy. He just wants me to pay him for the pizza so he can go back to work. Maybe he'll get a new pair of pants before he goes back this time."
Alecto watched him, her face angered as I reached over and grabbed some cash out of the purse hanging by the door, also half-covered in vines. I didn't even know how much I was giving him—it could've been a thousand dollars, but I just wanted him to quickly get out of the situation before he lost an eye. "Sorry. Keep the change."
The kid nervously backed out the door and I shut it, knowing full well he took off from there and headed straight back to his car. I closed my eyes as he squealed tires out of the neighborhood. Alecto looked at me. "I'm sorry, I knew nothing about this pizza boy. Do they come here often?"
I snorted as I walked past her toward the kitchen. "More often than I would like to admit. It's probably why I would never dare put on an outfit like you're wearing."
She followed me into the kitchen and I tapped on the vines that wrapped around the cabinets. "Can I have two plates?"
The vines shakily moved until I was able to open the cabinet door. I pulled down two plates and two glasses. Opening the pizza box, I took one piece for me and one piece for her, and slid the plate to her. "Eat up. If you don't sleep, I know you have to eat."
Alecto blinked at the piece of pizza on her plate and slowly reached down poking the pepperoni. "I eat, mostly creatures I catch, or meals provided for me within the underworld. We don't have anything like this…pizza."
I watched as she struggled to figure out how to pick it up, finding it far too humorous. After a few moments though, I tapped her on the hand and pointed down to my plate. "Watch me."
She watched as if I were giving her the secrets to the universe. I picked up the slice by the crust, folded it slightly, and took a bite. "There you go. And you can have as many slices as you'd like."
Alecto glanced over at the sliver of window between the vines. "Do you always eat pizza for breakfast?"
My head snapped toward the window. "Man, I didn't even realize what time it was. Well, there are large portion of university students that have pizza for three weeks straight multiple meals, so I guess it won't hurt us."
We stood there quietly sharing our pizza, and I waited for her to get used to the taste of cheese and meat on crust. She seemed pretty pleased with it. I opened the box to let her take another slice and she smiled at me happily. She was nothing like the fury that had attacked me in the hallway, or…nothing like the way she was before I had touched her. "Can I ask you… What was it like to be corrupted?"
Alecto swallowed her bite of pizza, patted her lips with one of the napkins that were laying on top of the boxes, and shook her head. "It was dark. I felt very sad and alone. There was a voice in my head, one that shouted louder than my own. He told me that I needed to end humanity. He told me to start with you."
I stopped chewing for a moment, and nodded at her as she looked at me with remorse. "That sounds terrible."
"Do you remember Pandora's horrors?" Alecto asked.
I chuckled. "How could we ever forget? It still plagues the human race on a daily basis. No matter what the gods gave to us, famine, the plague, evil, it's still something that human beings struggle with on a constant basis."
Alecto nodded her head, her face scrunched in sadness. "It was worse than Pandora's horrors. I have never felt such a darkness or evil inside of me. And while Pandora's box contained hope, there was no hope in the corruption."
"Which is why the two of you should not have left until I knew full well whether you were fully cleansed or not," Crius said standing behind us in the kitchen door.
I swallowed my bite of pizza and stood up straight, looking around Alecto. "She's fine."
Crius walked around, staring suspiciously at Alecto. "How do you know? She could be lying."
Alecto glared at Crius, but I talked before she could. "Just an hour ago she could have stabbed both me and the pizza guy, but everyone's still breathing. He was a little bit startled, but it's to be expected. I just left you, by the way. Why are you here? I thought for sure you and the nymph would've gone off somewhere and spent some time together. You both seem very close."
I knew there was snark in my tone, but I really didn't care. Jealousy wasn't my best look, but at that point, I wasn't sure what my best look was anymore. Alecto stood up and wiped her hands on the sides of her bodysuit. "Is there a place that I can clean my hands?"
I nodded and pointed across the hallway. "There is a bathroom in there. Like in the speakeasy. There's a sink. If you press the little nozzle on the container by the handle it'll give you soap, and you can wash it off with the water to be very clean."
Alecto nodded. "I know what soap is."
I chuckled as she walked away, but Crius just kept staring at me. Finally, I turned back to him. "So? You gave up your time with the nymph to do what?"
He scoffed, and opened the box of pizza staring down at it curiously. He closed it without asking any questions. "There's nothing between me and her. She says that we were lovers once, and she seems to hold on to old feelings, but I do not share them with her. I do not feel close or connected to her in the least. Not like I do…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't have to. I knew exactly what was supposed to come after that. The heat between us burned in my chest, but it also caused me pain. It was an unspoken connection between the two of us that neither of us understood. Everything in me wanted to wrap my arms around him and press my lips to his, but I couldn't do it. It wasn't because I was shy, but there was something in me that felt if I did it, the entire world would unravel around us.
Chapter Nine
Crius took me outside, a way to get away from the plants and breathe in the cool morning air.
I shut the door behind me as to not allow any of the passing neighbors to see the forest that the inside had become. We walked through the grass of the front yard and around back, the first place I had landscaped when the war was over. It was looking rich and green, more so than I thought it would at that point. Maybe it was the magic helping it along. There were rows of flowers blooming on each side of the yard, and the same tire swing that was there when I bought the house hanging from a branch of a large oak tree. It was a picturesque backyard, exactly how I had always wanted it.
Walking beside him, he looked around. "This realm is actually more beautiful than I thought it would be. I don't remember my childhood, I don't remember becoming who I am, but here with the warmth of the sun and the flowers, I find it nice and appeasing."
