Forsaken Deity

Chapter 15

Drifting back to consciousness, Thea struggled to remember where she was or who she was. Lissandre's memories floated through her mind as she tried to remember what had happened. Nyx had flicked her head, knocking her out in the middle of the ocean.

Her eyes felt like cotton and she battled to open them. After a few failed attempts, she managed to pry them open and she took in her surroundings. She was back in her bedroom, lying in bed. The lights were dimmed and she guessed it was the middle of the night. She rubbed her eyes and the movement felt odd; her body felt strange, as if she was remembering how to use it again.

Lissandre had been a curve ball. She never would have guessed Lissandre's true reasoning for her cold behaviour. In many ways, they had once been alike but because of circumstance, Lissandre had built a wall between herself and the Gods. It scared Thea to think if things had been different, her life might have turned into Lissandre's. Turning her head to loosen a kink, she stilled.

Hermes sat in the chair beside her bed, head tilted back and eyes closed. His hair looked wild and he appeared worried. His mouth was a thin line and she could see the tension in his shoulders. Sitting up, she reached over and tapped his leg.

"Hermes?"

His eyes flew open and she jumped as he shot forward. His eyes focused on her and he grabbed her arm before she could move away. "Thea, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine -" She was cut off as he pulled her into a spine crushing hug. She felt the air leave her lungs and she tapped his shoulder. "Can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." He let her go and leaned back. "Just relieved you're finally awake."

"Why? How long have I been out?"

"Four days."

"Holy crap, four days? Nyx only flicked my forehead!"

His eyes darkened. "I should have known Nyx would pull something like this. When Poseidon returned and Jaxon was carrying your unconscious body -"

He broke off and turned away. Thea could feel the anger emanating off him and she tried to reassure him. "It's all right, Hermes. I'm fine."

"But you weren't fine! It's my job to protect you and I let you go out there alone. It was stupid of me to think Poseidon would protect you. I should have gone with you."

Leaning over, she touched his hand. "It's fine, really - and anyway, you can't breathe underwater, remember? Nyx was just helping me recall Lissandre's life."

She saw the wall go back up at the mention of Lissandre. "Did you remember anything?"

"I saw flashes of her life. It helped put a lot of things into perspective."

"What things?"

“I guess, it helped me to understand how Lissandre became the woman she was. She had her reasons for being awful and though I don't agree with the way she went about everything, I can certainly understand why she did what she did."

Hermes growled and she put a hand over his mouth before he could retort. "Shut up and let me explain before you chuck a wobbly."

His eyes widened but he nodded and she continued. "As I said, I understood. I didn't say I would do the same thing, though. Lissandre's life was different to mine. The Gods and her powers were a part of her life for as long as she could remember. She did what she felt was necessary to survive and not what she wanted to do herself. If she had followed her heart, things would have turned out much different, I think."

She could see he didn't believe her and moved her hand away. "I know I can't change your opinion of her and I'm not going to try. I'm just saying that I know why you hate her so much, but I will never be like that. Do you believe me?"