Hestia's Wish [2019 ONC Longlist]

10 | A Ram's Demons

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Aries froze, her eyes locked onto the menacing beings in concealed cloaks that stood directly behind the mortal in her grasp. They came for her. They always came for her. They sought to punish her for not being strong enough. 'Libra poses a larger threat than you. You're pathetic,' they would say. They knew her greatest fears and they knew the right things to say to bend her to their will.

She staggered back, looking around, half expecting her soldiers to defend her but instead they appeared frozen in time, staring at her in fear and disbelief. She grit her teeth in frustration as their murmurs buzzed in her head uncomfortably. She raised her hand at them, willing fire to appear. It crackled uncontrollably, her powers fading along with her resilience. Her heart pounded painfully fast in her chest as her body became charged with adrenaline. She knew what was coming and that she would be able to put a stop to it.

She threw large fiery balls at the phantom-like creatures, only to see it fly straight through their bodies. "Stay back!" she screeched.

'he mumbled weakly. her to the edges of the Aithnean territory. She stared in terror at the immense ocean that surrounded her territory. The pain in her chest began to tighten as she gasped for air. She fell at the mercy of the water and whispered, "I beg you. Don't make me go in there."

'You know what to do.'

"I can't," she choked out, her breaths coming out in shorter gasps as she struggled to stay conscious. Her fear was weighing her down, threatening to suffocate her. She knew her aquaphobia was something that could be taken advantage of if everybody knew about it. However, the problem was that one person had recently found out and that was her sister, Libra.

They gripped her tightly by the arm and began dragging her to the water. Its scalding temperatures didn't bother her since her body was accustomed to unnaturally high temperatures. When the water touched her skin, tears streaked her face as she began to cry out. She struggled against their firm grasp but she couldn't break free.

'A Celestial Deity shouldn't fear something as trivial as water. We only wish to help you become stronger. It's for your benefit, Aries.'

She drifted in and out of consciousness when they forced her underwater. When sheher body could no longer take the mental torment, her body emitted a strong blast, and caused the water to shoot high into the air like a powerful geyser.

When she regained consciousness, she found herself in her original position, towering over the mortal that dared to disrespect her. It was as if the moments leading up to this were nothing more than a passing nightmare. There was faint clapping in the back of her mind and she turned around to find its source, only to see nothing.

'You're stronger than your sister,' her father whispered in her mind. 'You just needed someone to help show you the right path just as these foolish mortals need you. Make an example out of him and end him now before he breeds ignorance and arrogance amongst the rest of your subjects,' her father whispered in her mind. She couldn't help but give into the pleasurable shivers of power that radiated throughout her body. She needed this. All she wanted was for her father to choose her, to recognize her as the superior daughter. She couldn't let him down.

She was stronger than her sister. Her father's presence in her mind was enough evidence to prove that. She stared down at the mortal cringing in pain within her grasp. The smell of burning flesh did little to sway her decision.

"It seems that I've been gone for far too long," she said, her voice ringing out in the clearing. The mortals turned their heads at the sound of other voices. "You've forgotten who your ruler is and in doing so, you've forgotten that you're only here because I allow it. I, the benevolent leader, have granted you refuge among my lands. And it is me that can take away that very privilege."

She threw the man on the ground like he was nothing but the vilest garbage and stalked past her soldiers. "What sort of punishment should I enforce? Should I burn your homes? Take away your food? Destroy your loved ones?"

Nobody dared to question her as their gazes were submissively pointed at the ground. The corners of her lips turned up into a smile full of malice and hatred. She was a goddess and deserved to be treated like one.

"L-Lady Aries, I meant no disrespect. P-please spare me," the man she released stuttered nervously.

'Look at this fool,' Libra goaded in her mind. 'He wishes to earn your sympathy for his indiscretion. Are you going to let him manipulate you, sister? You know what happens when one mortal gets an idea in their head. It spoils the whole bunch. Then again, perhaps you're too weak to make a decision like this on your own,' Libra goaded in her mind.

An image of Libra, sitting upon her rightful throne invaded her thoughts. 'Wouldn't it be better if I was the ruler of these Aithneans, sister dearest?'

'Don't you know you're the reason I'm trapped amongst the stars?' The third voice quipped. Her head pounded like nails were being hammered into her skull. All of the voices talked at once, conspiring against her but it was the third voice—her mother's voice— that threw her mind through a perilous loop. She hated that one the most and she didn't even understand why.

She raised her hand as an eerie violet flame manifested on the tips of her well-manicured fingers. She aimed for the half-dead man who was writhing on the ground and watched with newfound glee as he was incinerated by the demonic flames of the Underworld.

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A/N: This chapter has been dedicated to Ivy279! Thanks so much for all of your feedback! To my readers, if you haven't, please check out her story, The Fall of Mangiatorvi.