Forbidden (A Luke Castellan Love Story)

Chapter 89

Avery's POV

*Dream*

When my eyes opened to darkness, something inside of me suddenly became terrified, remembering my last dream where my eyes didn't adjust to the darkness. After recognizing my fear, my stomach dropped in guilt, remembering how I'd laughed at Thalia being scared of heights, and here I was being scared of the dark, one of my moms domains.

Terror swelled in my heart as I looked around in the darkness, feeling fog swirl at my ankles. Unlike the last dream however, I could see through the darkness, it wasn't as well as it should be, and that made me feel small like an animal that wanted to bolt away.

"You've grown Averill." A voice called through the darkness. I jumped, turning to see a faded figure that never quite managed to come to focus.

A slight wave of relief came from me upon hearing the stranger speak. I was expecting a cold voice, like the one in my dream before, the one that gave me chills and sounded so dark and evil. This voice was completely different, it was female for one thing, and the voice sounded smokey and mysterious, still frightening, but nothing near the other voice.

"Who are you?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes and squinting to see her better. I couldn't help but feel stupid after the words left my lips, if this person was really going to hurt me, I doubt they were going to tell me, but at the same time, it was the only thing that I could think to say.

"I guess I shouldn't expect you to remember me," the voice mused almost sorrowfully. "But I do remember you, Averill, your mother and I are close friends."

"And you are...?" I inquired skeptically to the mist, turning my head to look around me. Her voice confused me because her voice didn't seem to come from one spot, it sounded as if it were coming from all around me.

When something moved to my right, I quickly turned, hitting my wrists together in a flash, turning to where something had moved, ready to fight. I straightened in surprise when a woman emerged from the mist. She was tall and elegant, her face pale, beautiful and ageless. You could tell she was a goddess by the aura that surrounded her, a green shimmering. You could feel the power from her even from how far away she was, as she stepped closer, the power followed her. She had dark short hair, which surprised me because I thought all goddess had long hair. Her gown was sleeveless and rippled as she walked, almost as if the cloth was spilling in. In her hands at her side, she gripped two reed torches. At her feet, mist and fog radiated from her, filling the room with it. I realized she was the source of it all. She gave me a smile that wasn't warm, but wasn't cold either, something in-between.

"Hecate," the woman answered my question, her lips curved.

Recognizing the goddess of the mist and magic, as well as Matt's mom.

I jumped back when I saw two small figures appear in either side of her, lab and a polecat - though I had no idea how I knew the full name because it just looked like a ferret to me.

The dog nodded to me in a hello when I looked over at her and the polecat passed gas when my eyes landed on it. I rose an eyebrow, not expecting that at all.

"Must you really do that?" The dog rolled her eyes a snarl that sounded like a scoff leaving her lips.

"It's a condition." The polecat argued, letting another one loose. "And if you don't like it you can shove it up your furry-"

Hecate interrupted them. "Really I do apologize for their behavior. None of the people that I visit can understand them, besides Artemis herself, but I don't bring them when I see her." She seen a glare to the two animals telling them this was exactly why. "They will be silent for the rest of the visit." The dog bowed before leaving, the polecat passing gas before waddling away with the dog.