Before she stood up, Artemis looked at Eros and made a quick, indecipherable remark with her lips, her fingers patting his shoulder in good luck.
Encouraging her friend. What a remarkable goddess.
While the other gods rose from their seats and walked toward the door, Hades disappeared, leaving only dark matter behind. Shadow lingered farther back from them to avoid being noticed once more.
He didn’t want to make his presence known at such an important moment. He was eager to witness what Zeus had planned to talk about with Eros.
Now the room of Concord wasn’t filled by the same intense atmosphere as it previously was—instead, it was filled with the breath of two of the most powerful gods of Olympus, who were waiting for something only one of them knew about.
Zeus, with his broad, muscular shoulders squared, leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table in order to supporthis upper body. He locked his silvery eyes on Eros, building a challenging eye contact with him as the left corner of his mouth curved up into a one-sided smile.
Unlike his king, the God of Love maintained a relaxed posture, subtly avoiding any display of defiance by keeping his arms at his sides. His face gave nothing away—there were no signs of a furrowed brow, a clenched jaw, or even a tightly set mouth. He carried only a grounded energy, not letting his king feel him distracted or tense.
Equanimous.
The only sound cutting through the silence between the two was their breathing. Zeus’s breath hitched as he broke eye contact and let his attention fall somewhere close to the door.
“Show yourself,skiá.”
Skiá.
The void in him stirred as Zeus’s gravelly voice called for him. He crept closer to the table where the two gods were sitting, still not showing himself to them. As he analyzed them, Eros did not show any emotion when faced with his king’s request—he rather appeared content with merely drifting his gaze to the side where Shadow was lingering.
Finally, something of interest is occurring.
“I was already here,basileús,” Shadow finally declared, his voice echoing as if every shadow in the room amplified his words for him to be truly heard.
While Eros refused to acknowledge him, Zeus directed his eyes toward the area where the shadows remained. And then, from nothingness, the air morphed into a human-like shape made of dark matter.
Ignoring my presence.
Really discourteous.
“I have been aware of your newly earned freedom. I have no interest whatsoever in learning how you escaped or what it is you are after; to silently analyze your gods and?—”
“I have no gods,basileús?*,”Shadow interrupted the king, inching closer to him. “In light of your apparent disregard for my presence and your failure to remember vital information about me, a review of your visual and mnemonic functions is recommended.”
Zeus tsked as he let himself fall back into his chair, while still maintaining his gaze on Shadow. “Because you seem to possess a high degree of intelligence, I request your presence for a matter of great importance.”
“And why would this matter of great importance of yours matter to me?”
He arched an eyebrow and approached, preparing to resume. “I am willing to offer you something in exchange.”
“What conceivable benefit could you offer to your favoriteskiá?*?”
“You have my word that you will never be imprisoned again.” Zeus began explaining, averting his eyes to Eros, and then back to Shadow. “This is what I am able to provide. My proposal should not be construed as a benevolent gesture, but rather as an assertion of my authority, which encompasses the power to both bestow and withdraw your freedom”.
A pact made with the God of all gods.
Indeed, this is the missing piece of the puzzle I have needed since I regained my freedom.
The clash of the deities was about to begin.
Delightful.
* From Greek Basileús(βασιλε?ς) = “king” or “sovereign.”
* From Greek σκι? (skiá) = “shadow.”
