“I was only able to send him back to his previous location. He can’t be killed, he is also immortal. A god.” His answer not surprising as he turned back to Alecto, but still shocking to her knew reality.
“I will inform Zeus of the development. Thank you Alecto.” As he nodded his head, he placed his hand to his chest. Alecto smiled, her teeth stark white against her inky mouth. Without warning she side jumped into the window, causing the glass to shatter. Evie turned away, instinctively blocking her face against the onslaught of glass she expected to feel. Nothing came. She looked up to find the glass intact. Hurrying forward, she inspected the smooth glass. Her owl eyes turned to Kratos.
“She likes to make an exit….memorable.” He remarked as he gestured to the now intact windows.
“You?” she asked, wondering if he had fixed it or not.
“No.” he answered, as he shook his head in irritation. “She doesn’t like to leave a mess, either. She‘s a bit of a show off.”
“I need to speak with Zeus and Themis, inform them of what is…” his words trailed off as he gaped at her, his eyes shining an ethereal light from within as his mouth dropped open.
“What?” She touched her face, his shock evident as she vaguely made out her image in his eyes. An image that was not quite her.
“What do you see?” Evie frantically asked as he stepped toward her, his hand reaching out to her face, his fingertips caressing her jaw.
His whisper of amazement shook her to her bones. “Your eyes, Evie…” He paused, his eyes wide with wonder. She turned to the window to see that her partially translucent reflection revealed one green eye glittering brightly while her grey eye was no longer grey, but molten silver shimmering and swirling in her eye socket. A halo of shimmering black curls framed her head and undulated gracefully around her face. Her skin appeared to be coated with a breathtaking effervescent iridescence.
Evie turned and ran to the bathroom, ripped her bathrobe off and stared in awe at her naked self. She looked like the goddess that everyone insisted she was. Leaning against the counter she stared at her eyes, her face. Her silver eye churned and whirled like liquid precious metal. Minutes passed before her eyes began to dim, her skin dulled, and her hair drooped down about her ears.
“No! Don’t leave yet!” She begged her reflection, as a distant voice whispered to her, have patience. Baby steps. She yelled at her reflection, “Fuck baby steps! Don’t leave me!” She screamed as she heard her own laugh ripple in her mind. As the laugh silenced, she leaned forward, raised her fists, and smashed the mirror in frustration.
Chapter 16
Lying on the bed, Evie pulled her T-shirt down over her knees and rolled to her side, convinced that she deserved a moment to feel sorry for herself. Kratos appeared in the doorway, ruining her self pity. His dark shadow fell across the wall she was facing.
“You can’t languish away in here. Come with me to speak with them. They are your parents.” He sat on the bed, causing her body to roll slightly. Placing his arm over her waist, he continued, “You need to be patient and have faith.” He kissed her temple, as if she were a child.
“So I should take the imaginary elevator to the imaginary and improbable apartment, in this not real building, in the make believe city. Is that it? Where are we really Kratos?”
When he didn’t answer, Evie continued her verbal assault, “What am I suppose to do, just wait to either be killed by my psychotic sister, or wait to be reunited with sisters who are just as vulnerable and useless as I am?” She rolled over and glared at him, supporting her weight by her elbows as she waited for his answer. He ground his jaw and stood.
“Get some rest. Waiting is all we have right now until you are all reunited. Believe it or not, Zeus is formulating a plan. The priority right now is to keep you safe while locating Clothos and Atropos. That is all I can tell you right now.” he finished, raising his hands in supplication.
“Then you’re my guardian, appointed by Zeus? Was fucking me part of your plan? Would that help me remember?” Her acerbic tone made him take a step back.
Turning away from him, she was shocked when he grabbed her foot, pulled her partway off of the bed and punched both of his fists on either side of her shoulders. She sucked in a breath and then sputtered with indignation. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get off of me!” She pushed at his granite hard chest. He didn’t move an inch.
Nostrils flaring, neck muscles flexed, darkness came over him in a wave as a sudden chill engulfed the room. His azure eyes became stormy pools of black as they bore into hers, his skin darkened as if eclipsed by shadows. He nudged her thighs open, pinning her to the edge of the bed with his groin.
His voice dripped anger as he chastised her. “We had sex and it was hot. You had no problem being a woman then, so why start acting like a child now. Do not pretend to be a victim when you are stronger than that.”
“Get…off…mmf-” before she could finish, he covered her mouth with his hand.
“Don’t speak. Understand?” eyes wide, she nodded wondering what had happened to the gentle lover from earlier? “Good. Listen to me. I’m not the bag guy, but I’m not a saint. Don’t mistake my wings or demeanor as angelic because you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
She nodded under the weight of his hand. “What is happening can’t be changed, it is a destiny you need to handle.” Removing his hand, his eyes pinned hers, turning her shivers from fear, into shivers of awareness as need overwhelmed her senses.
Leaning toward her lips, his breath mingled with hers as he whispered, “I’m here for you, with you.” He gently tapped her forehead with his finger. “Be the goddess that I know is in there.” The light touch of his nose nuzzling her jaw sent ripples of sensation straight through to her nether region as his finger tips grazed her profile. Her breaths were shallow as her eyes closed, his tongue sliding a hot path from the juncture of her neck, to her shoulder, and finishing off with tender bites from his blunt teeth. She turned her head to the side, giving him just enough access to her neck. She realized then that she was weak, or maybe it really was the goddess inside her that was stronger. She wrapped her thighs around his waist, gently rubbing her feet up and down his legs.
He groaned. “Lachesis, come back to me.” The soft whisper caused her breath to hitch as a memory of his sensuous whispers invaded her mind. He slowly kissed her lips as his fingers pushed her underwear aside and pressed with slow intention inside her wet heat. She was swollen, dripping, and needy as he kissed her with languid thrusts of his tongue, his fingers mimicking the sensual movement until she ruptured, stars forming behind her eyes as her climax ended in sudden blackness.
Chapter 17
Evie awoke with a start, she had apparently blacked out during her intimate moment with Kratos. She groaned at her weakness, how long had she been out and was he still with her? How could she have passed out, or was it a seizure? She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked down at herself, discovering that her t-shirt and underwear were still on and Kratos was gone. Disgruntled with her earlier behavior, she pulled the blankets up and stared into the darkness of the room as she swung her legs off of the bed. Lachesis and Kratos were lovers, fragments of memories of their relationship began sifting through her conscience. At times, she felt as if her body was taken over by the goddess. It was a visceral and all consuming experience. She needed to feel numb, even for just a little while. She was also tired. Oh so tired.
Sleep was elusive, her restless and short term slumber predictably worked into the usual state. The dream started as usual: her hovering over the ground, colors and hues appearing as wispy threads tinkled and undulated in the air, feathers glimmering in the fractals of light, static motion as if she were in a sort of catatonic state.
She startled as an acute realization hit her: She was her own worst enemy. Lachesis was in a catatonic state in Evie’s mind. Her dreams were of Lachesis trying to reemerge or awaken Evie’s mind. The darkness that enveloped her during her d
reams was her subconscious suppressing Lachesis as she tried to force her to remember.
She was her own worst enemy.
When she was in college, Evie vaguely remembered reading an article in her abnormal psychology class about suppressing memories. The article had argued that suppression of traumatic experiences or memories was actually perpetrated by a biological mechanism in the brain. She had always remembered the lecture and how fascinated she found the content to be during that particular class. After the class, she filed it away, in the back of her mind, not realizing it could be of future use to her. More than likely, it was the back of her mind that decided to keep the knowledge, knowing it would be needed later. The human mind truly is an amazing organ.
Evie laughed at the simplicity of it. She was more dangerous to herself than anyone else was right now. She needed to explain to them what she discovered. Stumbling over to the bureau, she pulled out jeans and pulled them on as she padded barefoot and unsteadily over to the door. Pulling it open, she stopped and glanced at the floor length windows lining the apartment. The blinds were drawn, light from the day peaking through the edges. A need to look out of the windows consumed her as she walked towards them, a familiar tingling sensation coursing through her veins. The simple opening of blinds seemed to symbolize a simultaneous awakening and acceptance of herself. Or should she say, her selves? A soft, tinkling of laughter erupted in her head and for the first time since it all began, she welcomed it.
Her hand paused at the switch. Clarity begun to bloom in the recesses of her memory as her consciousness embraced her identity rather than fight it. Evie pressed the switch and waited for the blinds to open to see where she truly was. For a moment, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the unknown guest residing in her mind, the hum of the blinds opening creating tension and impatience.
Let me see the truth of where we are.
Taking a fortifying breath, and then exhaling, Evie opened her eyes, to see a bright azure sky. A busy city landscape greeted her. She scoffed at the vision as people walked and milled about on the streets that were filled with buildings bolstered with neon lights and rooftops crowded with billboards. She had to see beyond it all.
Calmly she asked of her, using her name aloud, “Please Lachesis, I know you can hear me. Help me to see.” She strained her sight at the cityscape before her. As she was about to step away in defeat, the cityscape wavered and rippled in her vision. Tears formed in her vision as she stared, a mild burn beginning to build behind her eyes. Placing her palms to the glass, she leaned closer and pressed the tip of her nose against it‘s cool surface. Squinting, she made out lines, or could it be, threads shimmering in the sunlight?
She pulled her hands away as a warm energy shot through her and the glass disappeared, causing wind to rush upon her face. Swirls of cold air brushed against her body, threatening to push her over the edge. An immediate calm settled over her, counterpoint to the situation. The cliff scenario formulated in her mind again, only her fear stemmed not from stepping off of it, it stemmed from not taking the step. Her motions seemed to move languidly like in her dreams as she reached forward to touch the threads that wavered like spider webs in the wind. She stopped just before it, knowing that touching it was the step off of the cliff.
She needed to know, to feel, to accept. Strumming her fingers with delicacy, the threads tinkled a beautifully melodious sound. A mountain top highlighted by a pale blue sky as iridescent clouds fluttered by became clear though the threads as they wavered and tinkled. She marveled at the amount and hue of threads, some colors were muted and some rapidly changed and sifted in color and clarity. She blinked, shaking her head to see better, but the image receded and rippled away until the image was of a busy city.
She stumbled backwards, blindly landing against the couch as a sudden realization came upon her. She was on a mountain, not a bustling city. Was it possible that Mt. Olympus really was where the gods lived and if so, was she there now?
Turning, Evie smiled as she hastened her steps to the apartment door. What if she could learn to control herself and be both the goddess and the mortal? It was not much, but it was a beginning…..
Epilogue
“She is in California, Zelus. Tread gently, Clothos is timid, I assume her human personification is close to being the same.” Zeus stood before his warrior, his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed with concern.
“I will, sire. What do you want me to do if Deimos has been dispatched after her?” Zelus waited for his command, his hands clasped behind him, legs spread apart.
“Send him back to his previous location. Hopefully, we will be able to track him to…her.” Zeus continued, unable to say his rogue daughter’s name.
“I will be there when you need me. You only have to summon me.” Thelma assured him, as he nodded his head in assent.
Bowing and turning away, Kratos greeted Zelus on his way out, offering him his arm in brotherly acknowledgment.
“Good luck. You’re gonna need it. The human version is more…..unpredictable and fascinating then anticipated.” A muscle under Kratos’s eye began to twitch at his admission.
Zelus laughed, as he continued to leave. “I’m sure I will have it all under control. She is the timid one.”
As Zelus walked through the door, he vaguely heard Kratos’s disgruntled mumble, “It’s the timid ones you have to watch out for.”
PSST! Hey reader! Be sure to check out the next installment
The Spinner:
The Threads of Destiny
Coming 10/14
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Cora Graphics for creating exactly what I wanted for cover art. Thank you to an amazingly patient editor-Katharina Brendel of Portable Magic. Lastly, thank you Cynthia St. Aubin, Isobelle Cate, and Kerrigan Byrne. Your help, encouragement, and inspiration mean more than you know.
About the Author
Kimberlie L. Faye is a New Englander who loves her children, husband, family, and writing. Oh, and she likes chocolate a lot too. Mmm…chocolate.
You can find her trolling Facebook and harassing her favorite authors.
The Allotter:The Threads of Destiny Page 11
