by Anna Edwards
“There’s something about the place ... there’s magic like I’ve never felt before.” Eyelashes finally fluttering up, Selene slumps, and the length of her hair tumbles forward, shielding her face. “I can try. But, Apollo, I sense danger and death even for creatures like you.”
Standing, I stalk over to the cabinet to retrieve her cigar.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Selene. I’m old enough to take care of myself.”
Taking her cigar with a shaking hand when I offer it to her, she inhales a long puff before letting the smoke escape through her puckered lips.
“You may be a god, but you are not invincible, my friend.”
She’s right. We aren’t invincible, but I haven’t lived this long without picking up some wisdom and tricks along the way.
A warm breeze blows over my face as I’m left alone in camp seven. I’m naked, having lost all my clothes to Pluto’s explorations. I’m sore, and I can feel the evidence of his attempt to breed with me, trickling down my legs. I can only hope it hasn’t worked. The thought brings bile to my throat, and I lean down and bring up the sparse contents of my stomach in a nearby bush. I want to go home. Why is this happening? Having been given details of which path to follow, from the guard who left me, I stumble blindly through the trees until I finally find my destination. A white painted building, grand and Victorian in style, looms high above me. No doubt it’s here as the result of a god with a penchant for the gothic—it’s not something that fits in with the surrounding jungle area. A tree house would be better. At this precise moment, though, I’m beyond caring. I just want a nice warm bath to wash away the dirt covering my body from Pluto.
The door to the house opens, and a face appears I never thought I’d be happier to see. My legs give way, and I fall to the floor as Fontus runs out to meet me. His long legs eat up the distance between us, and in no time at all, I’m cradled in his arms and being carried into the house and toward a bedroom.
“Hold up.” A tall figure stands in front of us. His voice sends shivers down my spine. It’s laced with the same malevolent incantation as Pluto’s. My head is whirling around, and I can’t quite make out his face, but I know it will be spiteful and full of lust if I do. “You need to follow the rules. You only just got here. We get first sample of any new meat.”
The man tries to tug me out of Fontus' arms, but he holds me tightly.
“You touch her, and you die. She’s mine. Inside this place and out,” Fontus threatens.
The man laughs.
“Not part of the deal. What happened on the outside world doesn’t belong in here. Now take her to my room.” The man pulls at me again.
“I said no,” Fontus growls at him.
“Big mistake. You’re weak from working the rivers. If you think you can take me on, then you have another thing coming,” the man continues.
“Fontus.” I try to dislodge myself from my lover’s arms in a desperate move to prevent him from getting hurt, but his grip is so tight it’s bruising my delicate flesh. “Let him do what he wants with me. He can’t be any worse than Pluto.”
I try to reason with him, but his stubborn streak is one of the things I like about him. We’ve been friends and eventually lovers ever since I can remember. It’s not a forever just yet. There’s something missing, but neither of us will admit it.
“Not happening, Eva.”
Two more men arrive, and I’m pulled from Fontus’ arms.
“Bring them outside,” the man who’s been demanding me orders the other two. “She can witness what the pecking order around here means.”
One of the men carries me while a weak looking Fontus is dragged out of the building by the other two. He’s no match for them in his current state—any energy he did have was expelled in carrying me as far as he did.
“Let her go. She’s not going to be your plaything. That isn’t what Pluto wants.” Fontus stands up bravely to the man, who appears to be the leader, while the other two men surround me with lustful looks. Fontus continues, “He wants relationships formed to breed strong children.”
All three men laugh.
“Pluto couldn’t give a fuck how he gets the children, just as long as he gets them. He wants his army. The cum dripping down her legs already tells me he’s tried breeding with your girlfriend. Shame he never seems to succeed. In camp seven, I’m the father of the most children. I’m Invidia. I’m the personification of the envy you all have. I produce the biggest, the strongest, and the most children.”
The man beside Fontus reveals his name. He’s not a god but a sin—one of the seven deadliest. If my demigod lover was at full strength, Invidia’s power would be inferior.
“You mean you produce the most monsters—they’re not humans or gods with abilities to fight for what is right,” I spit out at him as he bares down on Fontus. My friend, my partner … he’s barely able to hold himself up.
Invidia laughs at my comment, and then pulling his fist back, he punches Fontus square on the jaw. Somehow, Fontus doesn’t fall. He stands rigid as if planted to the spot.
“No!” The scream leaves my mouth as a shrill sound, sending birds scattering high into the sky. “Leave him alone. I’ll give you what you want.”
“No, she won’t,” Fontus interrupts me and receives another bruising thump to his face. He still doesn’t fall. The men on either side of me start to run their hands over my body.
“Hurry up and deal with him, Invidia. This one’s going to be a good lay. So much better than the other well-used pussy we have here.”
I notice several women poking their heads out of windows from above. A couple have men with them, and from their tangled hair and pinking cheeks, you can tell they’ve been fucking. I won’t submit to this. I can’t. I have to save Fontus and get out of here.
Invidia continues his assault, but my lover doesn’t fall. He stands steadfast although I can tell he’s fading. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something glistening in the lush gardens surrounding the house. A pond … salvation. Calling the demigoddess inside me, I summon her powers to control the natural life giver. The water from the pond swirls in a whirlpool before flying through the air and splitting into three. Each jet of muddy liquid heads for its intended target and smashes into their face and up their noses. My power is weakening. I don’t know if I have the strength to push it further, but I have to try. I’m the daughter of Neptune.
The remaining strength Fontus has entwines with mine and forces the water down into the men’s lungs. They’re not gods. They have nothing to match our strength or to fight the liquid bubbling and drowning them on dry land. The two men touching me are the first to fall, gasping and choking. Invidia succumbs last, the envy imbued in his name demonstrated in the way his eyes bulge out of his head in shock at what I can achieve. He thought he could mess with goddesses and break them, but not this one. I step forward, and twisting my hand, he dies before me. He’ll live for eternity in the Underworld now as a wandering soul. I have no remorse for my kill though. I drop to my knees beside Fontus. He is weak but breathing.
“Go, Eva, find the ocean. If you can get to it, then you can out swim any creature here. You are the King of the Sea’s daughter.”
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“Eva,” he pleads.
“I’m not leaving without you,” I repeat my declaration and help him to his feet. I inhale deeply, searching for the scent of the ocean, and it instantly unveils itself in my nostrils. “This way.”
I start to drag him along with me supporting as much of his weight as I can.
“Eva, you have to save yourself. If you help me, then we’ll both die.”
I stop and stare flatly into his sunken eyes. “Then we’ll both die.”
My face feels like it’s about to peel off. Invidia certainly knows how to hit. Shame he never stood a chance of felling me. I’ve dealt with far worse from my father, not that anyone knows. It’s a secret I’ll take to the grave with me. I’m glad E
va was able to use her powers to drown the men. My brain wasn’t exactly working properly when it came to thinking of a way out. I saw red when Eva stumbled into the yard of the house. Pluto will die for what he did to her. I won’t rest until he’s rotting in his own personal hell, or as we call it … heaven. No, that would be too good for him. He needs to be obliterated from existence.
“We have to hurry.” Eva helps me to travel farther into the woods. I can smell the sea from here. Its calming presence soothes my pains.
“Eva, leave me,” I plead with her again, but it falls on deaf ears. She just holds me tighter and continues to drag me with what little bit of strength she has left.
“That’s not happening—I’ve already told you. Stop arguing with me and concentrate on moving faster.”
“I don’t remember you being so stubborn,” I tease her, and she rolls her eyes at me.
“Let’s just say I’ve had a few weeks to develop my anger. I thought you were off with the mermaids, chasing their tails. I was ready to castrate you a few hours ago. I know differently now, and we’re going to get out of here and tell my father what’s happening. He can then drown this island, so nobody has to be a breeding mare at Pluto’s whim again.”
“I think I like this new you even better than the last one. Does it still shop?”
We push through a dense area and into a clearing full of fruit trees.
“I’ll always shop. I’m good at it.”
I’m struggling with the effort of escaping. My head is spinning, and I’m on the verge of collapsing. Working by the river for so long has withered my muscular form into a pre-pubescent boy’s frame. I need something to eat, or I’ll not make it much farther. I pull Eva to a halt.
“Can you hear anyone following us?”
She shuts her eyes. I know she has superior hearing inherited from her father. He can hear a pebble drop into the ocean in Hawaii when conversing with dolphins off the coast of Africa.
“No, it’s silent at the moment.”
“I need to rest a few minutes.”
“Ok.” Eva helps me to sit on a rock and reaches to pull a bunch of bananas out of a tree. “Eat these. They’ll give you strength.”
“Pluto’s going to be pissed you killed his top breeder,” I lament ruefully while peeling back the skin of the potassium laden fruit.
“He can go suck monkey balls. I honestly don’t care.”
Eva sits down next to me and rests her head on my shoulder. She’s still naked, and I feel bad. But wearing little more than a pair of tatty shorts myself, I haven’t any clothes to offer her.
“Did he hurt you badly?” I ask.
Eva goes quiet, and I can tell she’s composing herself.
“I’ll recover.” She strokes her hand over her flat belly. “I just hope he didn’t succeed in what he was trying to do.”
Looking around the clearing, I see papayas. An old wives’ tale my mother once told me springs to mind.
“Eat papaya.” I nod my head toward the fruit.
“What?” Eva looks at me like I’ve gone insane.
“Apparently it helps prevent pregnancy.”
She raises an eyebrow at me.
“How hard did Invidia hit you?”
“Very hard. Now eat the papaya. My mother told me about it. ”
Eva pulls herself up from the rock and reaches for one of the fruits. She breaks it open and scoops out the flesh inside.
“If this stops me falling pregnant with Pluto’s child, I’ll willingly eat a hundred of them every day.” She pops a bite in her mouth, and I can tell she’s not eaten one before by the face she makes. “Oh my god that is disgusting. It smells like old feet and doesn’t taste of anything.”
I laugh at her, my shoulders shaking up and down in amusement.
“But it’ll stop you getting pregnant.”
“Please tell me that there is something else that will do the same but actually tastes half way decent.” She reluctantly takes another nibble and screws up her face.
“I’m afraid not.”
Eva stills, her head switches direction to where we came from.
“We need to get moving,” she says, and dropping the fruit, she’s over helping me get to my feet in seconds. We push deeper into the jungle, the thick branches scratch our delicate skin. I can smell the sea. I know it is close now. I will my legs to continue, but they are weak, and I’m not sure how much farther I can go. Water, I need the water.
“Quicker.” Eva is panicking now.
Whatever she senses coming for us is getting closer.
I’m moving using strength buried deep within my psyche. I don’t know where it’s coming from, but it’s there, and it’s going to save us both. The jungle clears, and we see the sea. It’s beautiful. Ahead of us is a horizon full of wave after wave of crystal blue salvation. My legs give way. I can no longer stand. Eva drags me over the last vestiges of grass and onto the sand. The smell of it gives me hope, and I push on, crawling along the hot speckles of glass.
A loud crack sounds above us and then a screech that curdles my blood. The sky darkens, and I know magic has caught up with us.
“Leave me,” I plead with Eva again, but she persists in dragging me. I’m barely conscious. My arms and legs have no control over where they go. All I can focus on is the sea, but I know I’ll never reach it.
“Eva, go. Save yourself,” I shout again.
“No,” she yells back, and the screeching grows louder.
I can’t move anymore. I use my last burst of energy to roll onto my back and see dark shadows circling above us. A creature of my nightmares sweeps down from the sky with its large feathered wings, and its body covered in the scales of a lizard. Its beady eyes warn of punishment for those who try to escape. These flying beasts are the reason nobody leaves the island, not Pluto’s guards.
Eva swipes her hand, and a jet of water spurts from the sea and sends one of them tumbling into the trees.
“Fontus, come on.” My beautiful girl is crying, tugging hard on my arm, but I’m immobile now. I’ll die here on this beach, but at least I know she’ll be safe.
“Eva, it’s too late for me.”
“Fontus. I love you.”
“I love you too. Go. Find your father. Tell him everything.”
“I can’t. Please.”
Another bird swoops and receives the same treatment from Eva.
“Go.”
I twist my head and look over to the water’s edge. Reaching out my hand, I try to will it closer to us, so it can cover her and sweep her away, but my magic is already dead.
Eva kneels down and kisses me on the forehead.
“Thank you,”
Another bird descends, and I know it’ll catch her if she doesn’t go immediately.
“Now,” I shout, and leaping to her feet, she sprints as fast as her legs will take her to the sea. I watch everything while black swirls at the edges of my vision. She’s close, so very close. She just needs to get a toe into the sea, and she’ll be safe.
The last thing I see before darkness claims me, though, is the creature grabbing her and carrying her away from safety.
Cutting the engine to the speed boat, my narrowed gaze sweeps out over the endless stretch of shimmering blue ocean. These are the coordinates Selene predicted. According to her vision, there should be an island here. All I’ve seen is a pod of dolphins. Pushing the dark sunglasses more firmly up the bridge of my nose to shield my eyes from the glare of the sun, I frown.
Selene has never been wrong. In all the years I’ve known her family, none of them have made an error. Casting my thoughts back, I go over our conversation. She’d mentioned magic. Could the island be cloaked?
With that idea in mind, I turn the key, setting the boat once more in motion. If it is invisible, I need to be careful. The hazard of reefs or rocks could lay ahead, invisible to the eye. It would only take hitting one to sink me. It also begs the question as to why anyone would go to such lengths? What’s so
important it has to be hidden?
The cool ocean breeze caresses my skin as a trickle of sweat trails down my bare chest toward my abs. In an open white shirt and a pair of loose shorts, the sun beats down on my already bronzed, muscled limbs. Watching for anything suspicious, I’m almost caught off guard when things turn treacherous. One moment, I’m among gentle lapping waves—the next, I’m caught in a storm.
“What the fuck?” My voice is swept away on the raging wind.
The biting chill of the frozen rain sends shivers over my flesh. I’m soaked through in seconds. Battling for control, my boat is seized in the frenzied tempest. Above, the once clear blue sky is thick with grey ominous clouds, and lightning streaks overhead. Violent waves thrash the hull, rocking it from side to side, threatening to tip me over. Wiping salt water from my eyes, I cast a look out for any signs of land. There’s nothing but the sound of the howling, driving wind, and the sight of the dark, dangerous, churning sea. No shelter. No salvation. No time to think.
A roar breaks through the chaos. Turning my head, I glimpse the powerful tsunami right before it hits me. Airborne for a heartbeat, something slams into my body before I can teleport myself to safety.
Consciousness filters in slowly. Huffing in a breath, silky sand touches my lips. Pain throbs through my temples as memories surge. The last thing I recall is the clutch of the icy water. Eyelids flicking open, I take in the empty stretch of shoreline. Azure waters lap soothingly against the golden sun kissed beach. Farther back, trees with thick green leaves and bright blooming flowers herald the start of a jungle. Moving my heavy limbs, I wince at the ache. Every inch of me feels battered and bruised. If I’d been human, it would be my corpse washed up. Luckily for me, being a god, I’m not so fragile. The moist sand cushions my frame, and my curling fingers sink through the cool grains when I flex them. I doubt the boat made it. By now, it’s most likely a wreck on the ocean floor. Whatever magic is cocooning this island, it’s strong and savage. In place to keep out the curious and unwanted strangers.
