Chapter 4:
1112 Words
The Furies laugh as they have their yearly round of beating me to a pulp. They've tied me to a pole so thick that I'm basically hugging it. I hold back a scream as fiery whip slams down on my back. I feel something cold run down my back. Must be sweat. I scream this time as one of the Furies digs her claws into my back. She laughs and pulls back.
Panting and tired, I stare down down the hill towards the rest of the Fields of Punishment. Even now, it's hard to believe Azora had to endure them. She went through every torture the Underworld, Tartarus, and the rest of the world can offer. I clench my teeth and close my eyes.
Her reaction. It could've been worse. Right? She could've brought down an entire empire again. Why didn't she hurt like she did then? Why was she more angry than driven by grief? It seems as if the more time passes, the less I know her. She's closing up. I'm not sure what to make of it.
An image of her flashes through my mind. I open my eyes and scream again. The Furies quicken their pace. I pull against the binds, ignoring the pain of the binds digging into my wrists. It's useless. The binds were a designed failure to bind Azora. Instead, they bind me perfectly.
"Enough." Someone says. Startled, I look up to see Azora stand before me. She doesn't look at me and instead stares at the Furies.
"Go away." I pant. Azora ignores me and walks past me. The binds loosen as she passes. The Furies screech and fly off. I break myself and turn quickly to stare at Azora. She merely leans against the wall and slides down. Her expression's completely emotionless. Her eyes seem to be indecisive over how she feels.
"Is this what you do to feel better about yourself?" She asks. I sneer.
"Oh, no. I f**k your sister." Azora's expression doesn't change. She pulls her knees up against her chest and wraps her arms around her legs.
"You still blame that demon of yours, right? You still refuse to take responsibility over your own actions...RIGHT?" I flinch and look at Azora. "WHAT PART OF STAY AWAY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND? WHAT f*****g PART?"
It's been so long since Azora's yelled like this. Usually, she's so controlled and hard to anger. I stare into her fiery orange eyes. I smile.
"That's what I wanted to see." I laugh. Azora's fingers become black and long claws begin to grow. Her long fangs appear and her eyes become black voids.
"Have you forgotten what you did to me?" I look away and shake my head. If I'm not careful, she'll cause havoc in the Underworld. She's done it before. And with good reason.
"Why are you here if you're just going to yell and guilt trip me?" I grumble. Azora holds her hand out. Smoke appears around her clawed hand. A sword appears.
"Take it. Leave us alone. All of us. Stop giving me reasons to f*****g kill you." Azora says and throws the sword at my feet. I stare at it. Why would she give it to me that easily? What's going on in her head?
"What about my daughter?" I ask. I look up to see Azora is back to normal. She shakes her head and stands.
"You are in no place to ask for her." Before I have a chance to argue, Azora disappears. I sense her in the Overworld far away from the mansion.
"You send armies to the Overworked to cause havoc while you're down here feeling sorry for yourself. I'm starting to understand why she didn't try to get you back. She never loved you to begin with." I turn my head to see Elektra walking towards me. Her naked body has been covered with bandages and wounds. Her eyes have become a muted green.
"What do you know?" I grumble. Elektra's eyebrows knit together as she clasps her hands in front of her.
"I know enough to see what you've been doing. You're pathetic. You call yourself lost. You miss what you never have. You throw everything you have around you! Amorious, can't you see what you've been doing! And that demon of yours isn't to blame! It's you!" I get up and approach Elektra. She glares up at me quietly. But underneath that glare, I can see fear.
"Stop acting like an innocent, bitch." I growl and slap Elektra across the face. Her hair hides her face and the red imprint of my hand. I shove Elektra aside and walk off. What do they know?
"You've become abusive. At this pace, Azora will destroy you." My demon says. I ignore it.
No one understands. No one sees what I see. I'm on my own and the only way to survive is through violence. That's what our history consists of. Doesn't matter the deity. The answer's the same. We wage wars for supposed freedom and then chain ourselves in our beliefs. People we love end up getting her or killed because of our selfish intents.
I'm no prophet, but even I know how f****d up the world is. No one was there when I was drowning. No one trusted me when they were falling. Azora's selfish and only thinks about certain things. Those children she trains are nothing but blood cold killers. And the decline of children population only shows how much she wants the world to do.
"If you want to protect them, why do you keep them from breathing?" The tell you have rights but wipe them away from you. They tell you they love you and treat you worse than the people who hate you. They call you a friend and you are really the enemy. They keep the enemy closer claiming they have the upperhand. In truth, the enemy is the friend.
There's no innocence. Not even in a child. Not even in the most righteous of judges. Not even the most beautiful of divinities. The fire they call pure is tainted with lies and resentments. The love they call pure is nothing but a tale you tell to children before they die.
"Careful. You'll walk off the edge and it'll be bye-bye with the tyrant king." Styx says. I pause and look at her. I wandered here without noticing. Why am I here?
"What? Chiron's breath kill you? I could hear you murmuring war on your way here." Styx says with a laugh.
"Let me through." Styx smiles.
"Send me something, will you?" She says as the door flies open.
- Writer
