Fire sparks

Ch. 12 Repercussions

Through the following years, Eve grew only slightly faster than a normal six year old girl. Meanwhile, Lucian was nearly a decade beyond his years both physically and mentally. Far too frequently, I found myself wondering if he was smarter than I was, though I’d never give my ten year old the satisfaction of admitting my suspicions. 

I stood back at the Judgements while Eve and Lucian gave their sentences. On one fateful day, the man on the pedestal had done something heinous. Something so heinous, that most six year olds wouldn’t begin to understand the gist of the crime. But Eve knew exactly what he had done and understood it- at least to an extent. And for that I was eternally sorry. 

Still, I held my breath as she gave her judgement. There was such a delicate balance to what was acceptable and was was… extra as f**k. 

We’d had a talk the year prior about how they needed to match punishments to crime- not just give out extremely violent punishments for the fun of watching the world burn. They were too young to gain satisfaction from such darkness. To be fair, even the darkest gods were too young to relish in watching the world burn in the way my children wished it would. 

But the gods hadn't grown up amidst hell's rejects. My children... they absolutely deserved to watch the world crumble. I couldn’t even begin to deny it. To say these wicked beasts were diabolical was an understatement. And there sat my six and ten year old listening to the most twisted of crimes day after day. Yes, they definitely deserved to watch the world burn. 

Of course, they had their apprehensions from time to time. My kids were good at heart, despite how loudly their behavior would scream otherwise. Being born and raised in the Dark Place would be enough to justify the pattern of cruel and unusual behavior from any child. In my distant memory, a memory from another lifetime, I heard the words echoed in my mind 'even the purest of spirits can break when faced with the cruelty of men.' And they'd been surrounded by the cruelest of men the mortal realm had to offer. 

I could only hope their spirits weren't, in fact, broken, but rather acting in defense. Defense of the other reason they had to be terrible; each other. They had something to lose; something worth fighting for. I, more than most, understood the burden that came with affection. It was the exact concern that had prevented me from having any kind of normal relationship with my children. 

Still, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t wanted to smack them both publicly many times before that day. But I’d refrained, only overruling their choices here and there to assert my dominance and remind the realm that I still held the power. It took everything in me, during those moments of my children's unhinged cruelty, that I fought to remind myself where the violent streak stemmed from. In many ways, it's very sweet how much they love each other, I'd tell myself over and over again. 

Sometimes I even believed it. Sometimes, I'd find my disgust laced with awe at their diabolical ways. It was almost adorable how they were a united front… but it could never quite cross that line into true appreciation while they offered me no semblance of respect. 

But that particular day started a week long trend of the same gods-awful punishment that had me wretching in hidden corners of adjoining caverns. The punishment wasn't so incredibly undeserved by the man who'd inspired it, but for the following trials it was horrifically inappropriate. I almost stepped in on the second day,  but then I caught a glimmer in Lucian's eye. That smug look at an anticipated victory. 

The little genius had figured me out. He was hoping I'd step in; pushing me to do so. So I didn't. Instead, I let them carry on while I silently thought long and hard of an alternative way to motivate them. 

When I sat them down at a family dinner- if you could call it that- to talk through what crimes deserve which punishments... again, Eve had tilted her tiny head at me. Though the week preceding, had made it so incredibly difficult to look past the small monster I’d created, when a lock of her black hair had fallen over a shoulder and she’d looked at me with large, innocent amber eyes to say, “But mother, I have to kick their ass before they kick my ass!” I found myself both swallowing laughter and would-be tears. 

She wasn’t wrong. And she was cute as all hell. But she shouldn’t use that language. 

“Don’t say that word.” I knew that was the least of my worries, but it’d be bad parenting to let a six year old walk around with that foul mouth.

Her head tilted to the other side- black locks spilling past the opposite shoulder. Her eyebrows pulled tightly together as she looked to her brother seemingly sensing betrayal. “Kick? Lucian- I didn’t know that was a naughty word.”

Lucian was never one to laugh in front of me. I only knew he still could laugh from eavesdropping on their playtime. But in that moment, I watched my son’s shoulders wiggle. I watched him try to fight it. But finally, a chuckle sputtered from his always serious face. 

“Not that word, dummy! She meant the other word!” For one fleeting moment, we felt like a normal family. My kids were typical kids, exploring the art of language together. I was a normal parent coaching them on the dos and don'ts of society. Potentially they would fear a small spanking or time out from the use of a foul word-

Eve’s eyes went even rounder. They flickered to me briefly before glancing straight down at her already empty plate. “Oh.” She’d said almost to herself. “I get it… you mean...” she looked to either of us quickly, as if she didn’t know who would be more upset at her reuse of the word. “... ‘mine,’” She’d quietly whispered.

This time my shoulders shook with Lucian’s. We both found ourselves hiding our laughter behind napkins. His eyes met mine for a few moments, initially checking to see if I’d punish the girl, but they lingered to watch me be human for an unfathomable second. 

Hades entered too soon. All laughter ceased. If I had known that would be the only and last time I’d laugh with my children I would have savored the moment, appreciated it a little deeper. 

“Sounds like you all are having a nice time.” His gaze was solely trained on my daughter, baring his teeth as if he knew she was the cause of the laughter. Like it was such a crime. She squirmed under the stare. I didn’t need to look at Lucian to see the glow from his eyes.

“We were enjoying a lovely meal until you came in.” The sharpness in my words surprised me as much as it did everyone else. Hades and I’s relationship had continued to be filled with nothing more than tension and toleration over the years. I didn't exactly hate him and I was fairly certain he didn't hate me, but we were far from cordial. Still, neither of us seemed eager to fully part from the other. So we remained trapped with each other's quiet, ever-present contempt. But I was never directly harsh with him, save for now. My tone struck a cord with my children, because, again, for the last time in their lives, they looked to me with hope. Hope that maybe I was on their side. 

Hades didn’t so much as respond. Instead, he addressed my children. "You'd be wise to keep your temper under control, boy. Girl, it's a dangerous thing, joy. It be a shame for you to weaken your family with it." The word sounded like acid on his tongue. 

Finally, he spoke to me, but didn't let his eyes leave my daughter who now returned his glare. "Didn't you have something important to discuss?" For a moment, I reconsidered my planned speech. We were having such a pleasant time. And I’d already let myself believe our relationship could be repaired. 

But then I saw Lucian’s eyes go blank. And I remembered what they’d done that week. Over and over and over again, they’d done the same terrible thing. Peel back nails, Eve picks a finger to eat, before leaving their victims chained beside the fiery pit to be picked to death by the other not-so-civil civilians. 

Without a doubt they’d say I was a terrible mother when they grew up, but if let them continue doing that… well, what they thought of me was of no concern. I rolled my eyes in defeat. Lucian raised a brow, but his expression remained emotionless; my dark void of a son. 

“Eh- fine, let's cut to it. So. You both know the Judgements are meant to keep the people in line. They are meant to bring order to the kingdom.” Lucian scoffed and folded his arms against his chest. Hades growled in response, but didn't dare break eye contact with Eve. They were in a perpetual battle of wills- one that neither was content to lose.

“Aht, aht. You will stay silent or you will stay outside.” Begrudgingly, he tore his eyes from Eve's and looked to me. I could see the glow of my emerald eyes in his beautiful mirror ones.

He bowed dramatically and said, “As you were, my liege.”

Lucian snickered across the table. I would have reveled at the sound of a second laugh in a single evening, had this whole situation not been so f*****g ridiculous. Two children and the hired help were calling the shots. I rose to my feet and slammed my hands down on the table.

“ENOUGH! I have allowed you three enough leniency for a lifetime, and now my kingdom is suffering. You two-“ I pointed to my children with the rusted butter knife in my hand, “you will get it together. I can’t have you raising questions about rationality amongst the townsfolk. You will give fair punishments. The end.” This conversation had proven fruitless in the past. But in the past I hadn't given any motivation. Gods knew I wasn’t giving them another sibling, so- against my better judgement- I’d thought of something else. 

“Now…” I let my lips curl into a sinister smile. Deny it as he might, Lucian cowered at this smile. Until that night, Eve never made an effort to hide her fear. She usually hid behind Lucian when I’d look at her like this. But now, she stayed seated. I had to respect her when she didn’t let her fears show past the small bob in her throat as she swallowed them down. If she saw the flash of approval in my eyes, she didn't let that show either.

“Your harsh punishments certainly set a precedent. I’d hate for anyone to forget how ruthless you can be. From here on out, you will have any particularly intense punishments you give branded in the form of depiction onto your skin.” I paused, letting my words sink in. It was a horrible plan, but a win-win nonetheless. Warning them gave them a chance to reign in the severity of their punishments, but marking the cruelty they were capable of would do wonders for reminding the kingdom of how ruthless they could be.

Besides, tattoos were nothing new in the realm of darkness. Everyone wore them like badges of honor, almost exclusively chosen to permanently depict the scenes of destruction on their skin.

“Tattoos? You’re going to give us tattoos?” Lucian leaned further back into his seat. He was clearly attempting to look unimpressed by the threat, but his usually well trained facial expressions faltered when he looked at his sister. He shook his head, "You've gone mad-"

"Watch it." My voice was sharp as knives; knives my son didn't flinch at. "Before you begin slinging insults, consider who at this table charged a petty thief with the same punishment as... a murderer." There was no need to go into further detail on that particular man's crimes; we all remembered. "I assure you, I am not the one who has gone mad. If you don't want a tattoo, then avoiding them is simple enough: don't do anything worthy of a tattoo and you won't get one."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Eve's small voice caught all of our attention. “Lucian, what’s a tattoo?” Eve pushed a lock of hair back from her face. Hades took a step forward, as if to say something- or perhaps challenge the child to another staring contest- but I stopped him with an outstretched arm. 

“It’s a picture on your body but it's there forever.” Lucian’s words caused Eve’s wide eyes to switch from confused to excited in an instant.

“Ohhhh!!” She clapped her tiny hands in delight. She even turned to me for a moment, before remembering she hated me. Her eyes cast downward as she quietly but eagerly asked, “Can I have this dinner on my arm? I like this dinner. Mother laughed!”

I felt Hades' heated glare on my skin even before he snapped. “No, you disgusting little wench. You cannot have this dinner on your arm. You can have the man’s face who you chewed off last month just because you were a little hungry.”

It took a moment to register the snarl ripping through the room as my own. Before I could follow it up, Lucian’s plate collided with Hades’ head. “You don’t talk to my sister like that, you creepy old fucker! You work for us, not the other way around.”

Again, he wasn’t wrong. But that kind of overstep would likely get him killed. While Hades would never actually hurt him, he certainly could snap the oversized tween in two without a second thought. Virtually no one else would have that level of restraint. Even if he was a six foot tall ten year old. 

Hades brushed a bit of meat from his brow, flicked a bit of porcelain from his shoulder, but made no move to retaliate. Likely because of the silent approval I caught dancing in his eyes. The quarrels between the two were regular enough, but I didn't miss how Hades worked hard to mold my son into a fearless leader. Why and to what end, I couldn't be sure. I hadn't asked, let alone acknowledge the grooming taking place under my own roof. I was just grateful he didn't hold the same resentment for Lucian that he did for my daughter.

“Hades.” I gave him a sharp look. “I will meet you outside momentarily. I would like to share the exciting news with my children in private.”

He sneered, brushed another bit of dust from his shoulder, but stalked out the room without saying a word. 

“Little ones. You will only earn these tattoos when you have done something… heavy. In the future, perhaps your Judgement is fair… perhaps it is not." I gave a small shrug. "But this week, you’ve done something worth remembering. Tomorrow morning, you will earn permanent reminders of what you have done.”

Sure, yeah, whatever, not great parenting. But they had to know I meant business.

Lucian's brows seemed to be stuck, permanently raised high on his face. His mouth now contorted into a tight defiant line. “You want to tattoo your children? Eve is six. You know that, right? That's low... even for you.”

A deep inhale was the closest I’d come to calm before answering. “Yes. She is young in years, but her punishments are severe. I trust you, her big brother, to reign in those Judgments. She learns from you, so set an example.” Lucian’s face crinkled trying to decipher my riddle. When I could see him getting close, I threw him off once more by adding, “You’ll need room for a lifetime of tattoos… no need to rush them all now.”

I tried to shrug again, but had to fold a hand under my chin to hide my flinch when I caught the intensity in Lucian's stare. He didn’t ask any questions, though I saw them swelling in his gaze. Whatever he was thinking, he kept mostly hidden, except for his loathing of the trophies I’d promised. 

I tapped my fingers three times against my chin, before adding, “If you feel proud enough to give a punishment, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be proud enough to wear it on your skin forever.” I looked at each of my children. “Am I understood?”

Silence.

I sharpened my glare. “Am. I. Understood?”

I saw Eve shudder before she said, “Yes, Mother.”

Lucian said nothing. “Lucian? I don’t believe I heard you.”

His voice remained flat. “There was nothing to hear.”

I’d hoped we’d avoid this. “If you are unaccepting of this plan, then you are to begin receiving punishments when your Judgements are too harsh.”

Eve gulped; my smart girl. Lucian scoffed- too smart for his own good. “Aren’t we regularly already punished?”

Our glowing eyes met, both staying silent for a heartbeat. I urged him to hear my silent plea, the words left unsaid. He’d been gifted much more free time lately. He was all too aware of how horrendous this realm was beyond the castle. Yes, this life was a far cry from acceptable, let alone okay, but still, he had to know he had it relatively good. It was time he learned how fragile his role in all of this was.

Lucian narrowed his gaze, searching my eyes, testing the seriousness of my tone. Finally, he saw something that made him believe my threat was far from hollow. A flicker of an idea danced across his face, a smile played at the corner of his mouth. “I’d like to choose my first one.”

“No. You decided your first one when you gave the same ridiculous Judgement all week."

He placed both hands on the table before him, examining his arms as if he was choosing a placement for whatever he had in mind. "Fine then. I will choose the second one."

"No. Perhaps one day you will earn the right to choose, but for now, you will not.” I saw his gears turning so I added, “And I’ve already informed every potential artist to avoid you… so don’t even think about sneaking around, boy.”

He bared his teeth, the anger in his eyes enough to make me stiffen. To both of our relief, Eve broke the tension. 

“Lucian- that’s okay! I have a little clay in my room! I can draw a picture on you now if you want!” His eyes softened at his sister’s offer.

“I’d love that, Eve. Let’s go. I think we’re done here anyway.” He didn't wait for a dismissal. He didn't even offer me a parting glance. He just stood, took his sister's hand and left.

As I watched my kids walk away from the table I huffed a sigh of frustration. The only way to reign in their behavior was to give parameters, the only way to ensure parameters were respected was to give consequences, and the only way to ensure those repercussions were effective was to carry through. 

Fuck, I’d thought to myself, I’m about to ink my damn children.