“You will pay for this! I’m the Princess of the Underworld! You can’t do this!” She yelled and spit in my face again for good measure. I glared sternly into her eyes, and something she saw in them silenced her again.
“You have earned your punishment, Nadia.” I spoke loud and clear to make that sure she heard every word I said. “And you were right, Karma is a bitch…and I’m her best friend.” With that, I plunged my dagger into her evil heart and held it there, until the last flicker of light had been drained from her eyes.
I closed her vacant eyes with my hand and pulled the dagger from her body. She slumped back to the sand, and a sadness washed over me. The fact that I had never killed anyone before was overridden by the fact that I couldn’t allow for Nadia to stay in this world. She was too dangerous and destructive to all the Orders, as well as to the Nereids. I remained on my knees with my head bowed over her body. I lifted my head when I sensed a dark presence in the distance. A woman was standing on top of the sand dunes about fifty yards away. Her golden hair blew in the wind, along with the long white dress wrapped around her tall frame. Her golden eyes glistened in the moonlight, as tears ran down her cheek. Persephone. My respect for her tripled at the knowledge that she had summoned the Erinyes to decide her own daughter’s fate; knowing how harsh the punishment would be. I bowed to her slowly, keeping eye contact. She put her hands together and bowed respectfully toward me, and then she disappeared.
“Stasia, turn around!” I heard Zara shout at me, but I had already sensed Keto’s arrival. A cool breeze, smelling of ocean brine and kelp, washed over me as I twisted around and stood with confidence.
“Congratulations, Anastasia,” she hissed with a smirk. “I see that your destiny has come to fruition earlier than expected. Unfortunately for you, the time you will have to enjoy your completed essence is dwindling by the minute.”
“Why do this, Keto? Is the power of greed more potent than your respect for life?” I pressed.
“How many more lives must be taken to satisfy your unattainable need for power?”
“I will require but one more.” Her gaze pierced me, and for the first time I was able to see the woman behind the frigid exterior she had so expertly projected. I could see the pain of rejection in her; the fear of losing control. But most prominently, I could see the hollow grip of loneliness that crushed her soul. I couldn’t help but wonder who Keto used to be, before the pain and betrayal had twisted her heart. She had been a Nereid. She couldn’t be all bad.
“What happened to you, Keto?” I asked her genuinely. “What drives you to these extremes?”
Her defenses slammed shut and a coldness took over her features. She narrowed her eyes at me.
“You’re just like your worthless mother.” She narrowed her eyes at me, “Always trying to pick me apart. As if I were some fractured soul she could piece back together and make whole.”
“She cared about you,” I insisted, remembering the sadness mom had felt in my antiquity experience.
“Don’t patronize me, girl,” she growled at me. “You know nothing of my past. You know nothing of the sisterhood you want so badly to belong to. You are a fool! Only the weak need others to thrive. The strong thrive on their own.”
“Strength founded on vengeance and fear is just an illusion,” I frowned at her.
“An illusion?!” she cackled at me with a shocked expression. “Does this look like an illusion?“ She whirled around and blasted an eight foot hole in the sand with one finger. With a fierce satisfaction she crossed her arms; threatening me to disagree. I shook my head. I pulled energy from the sand and matched her hole with a flick of my own finger.
“Power isn’t strength. True strength is allowing others to see who you really are,” I retorted.
My heart softened as I saw my own fears of abandonment swirling within her.
“You truly are a fool,” she sighed as if highly disappointed in me. “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me, however. With no mother-figure present in your life.” A sly grin appeared on her face, along with a threatening dark eyebrow as she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s such a shame I killed her.”
Chapter 42
I knew that she said it simply to get under my skin. Unfortunately it worked like a charm, because I knew it was the truth. She had taken the life of my mother; ripping her from life too early, and sentencing her to an eternity in the Underworld. Rage churned through my veins and I fought to hold back the urge to rip her apart, limb from limb. Her sly grin widened to a full blown smile, and my restraint unraveled; twisting into something ferocious. I stepped closer and narrowed my eyes.
“My mother should have killed you,” I spit at her. “I heard what you said to them. You deserved any amount of punishment they imparted on you. You were just too cowardly to face it.”
Now it was her opportunity to lessen the space between us. She gritted her teeth, and I took pleasure in knowing I’d found a button to push.
“I deserved their pardon! Their grace!” she hollered at me. “They preach sisterhood, but only on their terms!” Out of the corner of my eye I could see our audience coming closer. Selene, Zara, Phoebe, and Carmen were listening intently. Finn and Willow were helping Natasha and Elina, after my shockwave had sent them flying down the beach. Thankfully, the Auras and Sirens had no healing hands to assist them. They were all still lying motionless on the dark beach.
“And what are your terms?” I shouted at her, exasperated. “Hurt as many people as possible until you get what you want? Where’s the pardon and grace in that?”
“Don’t you dare chastise me,” she fumed. For the first time, I noticed a dark green glow about her. As her outrage rose, so did her luminosity. She would be a glow stick if she got much madder. “This has gone on long enough. It’s time.”
“You won’t succeed,” I informed her with a matter-of-fact tone. Instead of answering, she sent a ball of green energy directly into my chest. I flew backwards and landed in the foamy waves as they lapped at the shoreline. The splash sprayed me with a glistening shower of ocean that sizzled as they hit my skin. I could feel the energy of the ocean before, but this was completely different. The ocean was alive with a litany of emotions and energies that blended together into a world that called to me; sending my essence into a frenzy. It was time to find out exactly what sea goddess essence was all about.
I was back on my feet in time to see Keto disappear beneath the waves. I ran and dove in after her. If we were going to do this, I was glad we were going to do it in the one world we truly belonged in. A thrill of excitement rocketed through me as I glided through the water with ease; almost as if it were pushing me along. Its velvety arms wrapped around me and I was on Keto within seconds.
She shot forward and deeper as I continued to follow her. The green dress she wore resembled fronds of giant kelp trailing behind her in the current. As we passed schools of fish, I could feel their surprise; the recognition of our presence. They darted out of the way as we entered Keto’s element. A forest of giant kelp welcomed us with excitement and I began to lose sight of her as she wove around and through them. She disappeared amongst their dark green color and I soon found myself alone in the jungle of kelp.
I searched my surroundings for her, but only discerned the excitement and energy of the kelp.
Her own essence was so close to the kelp, she became a part of it; rendering me helpless to find her.