Sins Of The Mother.

Chapter 27- Hunt The Hunter.

THIRD PERSON

Creatures of the sea, forest and sky sought shelter as Hecate released her magics, walls of waves crashed into cliffs violently while trees shook and cracked, the weaker of them uprooted completely as pulses of blackened purple magics ripped through the air, lightning struck from the night sky through thundering black clouds, causing sheets of treacherous ice to crash down from the mountains. Dionysus opened for business, his phoenix feathered quill poised above the pages as the gods placed their bets, everyone knew he offered the best odds in Olympus, in the lead for who had angered Hecate this time were Hades at 8-2, Ares at 5-1 and Dio himself at 7-1. Dio kept quiet, ticking off the names of those gambling jewels, favours of all flavours and rare, coveted artefacts, his large tanned hand combing through his bountiful beard while he calculated the bets. his strong hearty features stretched with a wide grin.

As the parchment filled, the god's eye began twitching, his enjoyment at the sudden burst of excitement evaporating rapidly as the list grew ever shorter. Cursing he threw the goblet of his finest merlot against the wall. Once bidding had died down, he grabbed the leg of lamb from the feast on the maple table, tearing a chunk off with his teeth, uncaring of the juices running through his beard before opening a new bottle, downing the heavenly nectar before daring to peek at the book lying innocuously beside his throne at the head of the finest table in Olympus, the quill now still. As he had feared, Selene's name wasn't there. The goddess of the moon was the biggest gossip he knew, parties always filled with raucous laughter as they all listened to Selene spill the latest, a hand to her ches, her hushed voice as scandalised as the first time she had confided the information.

***** 

The wood splintered into a million fragments as the door imploded from the blast. Her magic slithering ahead, she stormed into Selene's bedchamber. The moon goddess was bathing in a pool of milky moonlight, tears streaming down her face. Her remorse singing its song of misery into the layers. Selene did nothing to defend herself as the magic wrapped around her throat, lifting her out of the water and slamming her into the wall, the stone floor cracking with the force of Hecate's wrathful vengeance as the goddess stalked towards her prey.

"How could you? She's a child, haven't we put her through enough for now!" Hecate screamed, her magic tightening around the Mother Luna's throat. Her friend's broken gaze met hers and Hecate read her, rampaging through Selene's mind until she staggered backwards in disbelief, her hand rubbing at her chest as if it could relieve her from the betrayal and stupidity of the woman before her. Selene slumped to the floor, gasping as her lungs filled with air, her eyes lowered but Hecate had already seen it all, the shame, sorrow and the clawing need she had to please him. 

"You stupid bitch. You hurt your most beloved child, broke your oath to Fenja and Enyo to pander to Ares?! An oath you took in front of the Moirai. What has become of you Selene?" Hecate cried despairingly, "setting them on the path to their mate is reckless and dangerous, for yourself and for the child. Her magic is in her infancy!"

Tearful moonlight orbs beseeched Hecate desperately, trying to make her understand. "The best soldiers are the ones forged through tragedy, out of the ashes of suffering rises the phoenix."

Hecate stared at her, how did this happen? How did she not see this coming? Bitterly she laughed, throwing her hands up she paced before Selene, "the words you speak, you spout his lies as if they are your own." She exclaimed in disgust, "did it occur to you that they might not survive this, have you seen her nightmare?!" 

The stained glass in Selene's temple shattered as another pulse rippled through Olympus. Deep in the forest, strange whispers began to leak out of the cave, priests rushing to consult their tablets and scribes while deep within the stone cavern Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos shared grim looks as the guardians circled them protectively, the walls of scripture highlighting the folly of the Mother Luna, for her actions were the first of the portends they had prayed would never come to pass. As the path of prophecy obliterated the others and began to grow branches of its own, Atropos ran the string of moonlight between her fingers, her sisters gravely witnessing her shave a hair off its width, leaving its length intact. For now. With equally grave countenance she handed the string and the single hair to Lachesis, who lifted the one as green as spring, adding that which had been taken from the other, before returning both lives to the tapestry of life. The three sisters sighed, turning as one they traced the new branches with impassive fingers.