“I love you. Regardless of day and night, of darkness and of light, no matter what the gods say, or the Fates decide… I love you. Whatever you believe my motivations to be, know this, I did it all for the love of you.” Erebus’s voice cracked, barely above a whisper, but he got it all out on a choked breath. He managed to look at her once more, but he didn’t see Nyx there anymore, the Consort of Darkness. He saw a cosmic, primordial goddess as she stood there among the stars and the moonlight. She was a powerful, other-worldly creature… utterly lost to him.
Erebus turned on his heel and left, never once looking over his shoulder. If he had, he would have seen the mother of night drop to her knees and cry. Nyx cried until starlight poured from her eyes and washed down the hills of Elysium, mixing with the waters of Styx.
Darkness and Night were no more.
???
If you listened closely,you could hear how noisy Hecate’s kitchen was. Although the Goddess of witchcraft moved silently, the fire popped in the hearth; her dogs shuffled aimlessly around the table; water boiled and spilled over in her kettle. She was where she could always be found, in her kitchen, the center of her home, still recovering from the intrusion of all the gods. She didn’t blink when the Underworld was plunged into endless night, rather, she had expected it. The separation of Nyx and Erebus was going to cause greater problems then Nyx proving a point with eternal darkness.
Although I can’t imagine how taxing that is.Hecate rolled her eyes as she continued to have a conversation with herself—she was always the best company.To perform two jobs at once. Even if she is the most powerful of us all, that wasn’t what she was made for. They were made for each other.
Hecate knew that Erebus should know better, but she understood where he was coming from too. Men were blinded by their love, determined to fix whatever they could. He saw the world disrespecting his wife, and he wanted to correct it. Nyx saw an impudent child-god making a power grab, and she wanted Erebus to stay far from it. Which mattered more… who could say. Hecate was deep in concentration muddling together dried lavender and water when she sensed an arrival in her courtyard. Only a moment later, a deep, distressing wave of power ran through her home, and Hecate sucked in a sharp breath at the pain it carried.
Oh no.
She wiped her hands on the folds of her tunic, stepping around from her counter and waiting. Nyx appeared in the doorway in her mortal form, sagging against the frame as if existing was a great effort. As soon as she laid eyes on her friend, she burst into tears. Hecate was on her in a moment, pulling Nyx to her chest as they both sank to the floor. Nyx tossed her arms around the goddess and screamed, her body convulsing with the weight of her sobs. Hecate let out a deep sigh, rearranging them both gently on the tile and running her hand through Nyx’s hair.
They sat there for a few minutes which felt like an eternity as the energy of Nyx’s pain washed over Hecate in waves until Nyx quieted. She let out small, gasping breaths every few seconds as she tried to catch her racing heartbeat. Hecate pulled back slightly so she could see Nyx’s face, cupping it with her hands. All she could see was the heartbroken expression of a woman, something that Hecate was well-versed in. She wasn’t a primordial, but Hecate understood this kind of all-consuming sadness more than anyone; it was what her acolytes prayed to her for.
“Great one,” Hecate sighed gently as if she was coaxing a babe and not the most powerful being in existence. “What pains you like this? Surely it is not Erebus?” Her mind raced as she wondered what else could have caused their fight to escalate so intensely.
“It is only Erebus,” Nyx wailed, beating her hands against the floor. Hecate made no move to stop her, knowing that Nyx couldn’treallyhurt herself in mortal form.
“What happened?”
Nyx shook her head, and it took her several tries to get the words out. “He came to me. He told me he loved me… but… but it’s not enough. He won’t go back on his word, and he’s going to leave for Mt. Olympus.”
Hecate sighed, leaning her head down to rest it on top of Nyx’s, and squeezed her closer, waiting a few more moments as she tried to find the right thing to say. The separation was going to kill Nyx and Erebus before any war did. The eternal night in the Underworld could only last so long until other immortals started asking questions. If Nyx continued to act out in heartbreak, chaos would erupt if she took this to the mortal realm. There were already rumors that Helios had heard of what was happening in the Underworld and was not happy. The gods and immortals were gathering at the base of Mt. Olympus, and tensions were high enough.
“Nyx…” Hecate started slowly. “Do you not realize that Erebus only wants to bring you into the sun so the world might feast upon your glory as he does?” She held her breath when she finished, worried that she might have stepped too far in defending Erebus. Nyx didn’t respond for a full minute as her breathing evened out. When she spoke, she didn’t look up or attempt to make any eye contact with Hecate.
“I don’t care about the attentions of men. I only care about Erebus… who could find me in the dark.”
“That’s why he has gone.” Hades’s deep voice echoed through the kitchen, causing Nyx and Hecate to snap their attention to the hallway. Hades stood in the entrance to Hecate’s home, down the hall from where they sat in the kitchen’s doorway. His dark frame could barely fit. Tendrils of smoky power evaporated off him as he looked at both women with a solemn gaze.
Nyx sucked in a breath and then jumped to her feet, moving before either Hades or Hecate could stop her. She went screeching down the hallway and exploded into her primordial form, waves of power sending shockwaves through the house. Hades barely had time to throw his hands up over his face before Nyx barreled into him, sending both tumbling into the courtyard.
Hades landed with a sickening thud on the mosaicked tiles, and the impact sent cracks in the floor all the way to the edges of the courtyard. The columns shook and the altar spilled over, sending water all over them both. Nyx was barely holding onto a human shape at all, her eyes fully white with rage and power. Hades sputtered and coughed a few times to clear his vision, looking up at the primordial on top of him. Nyx had her hands around his throat as she sat on his chest, her heels digging into the ground and cracking through the stones. He was smart enough to not fight back, knowing that he was no match for Nyx, but waves of gray and black smoke cascaded from him in self-defense he couldn’t control.
Nyx shrieked, a sound that shattered the windows in Hecate’s house, sending the jars in her kitchen flying to the floor. She seemed to realize what she was doing, and in a moment of clarity, growled and let go of Hades. Nyx’s body detonated and utter darkness fell upon the courtyard, constellations being flung all over the walls of Hecate’s home like mud splatter. Hecate could sense her back inside the house.
Hades waited for a full five minutes before he dared move, sitting up slowly. He found Hecate standing in the doorway, looking out at her destroyed courtyard with a slow shake of her head.
“You thought you could come convince her of this? Again?” Her voice was admonishing, barely above a whisper, but Hades caught every word. He shook his head slowly before he sat up and rested his arms on his knees.
“I thought I couldremindher that Erebus loves her.” He shrugged, now seemingly unaffected, as if nearly being destroyed by Nyx’s power was another normal afternoon.
Hecate studied him, turning her head gently to one side, as she peered deep into his soul. When it came to matters of the heart, she specialized in the vengeance of scorned women, but she could see into a man as well as Aphrodite. There was something at the core of Hades… something warm. It was hidden behind a deathly cold exterior, but it was there. Something was amiss when it came to Poseidon and Hades plotting with Zeus, but whatever was going on, it had bothered Hades enough to come and try to convince Nyx that Erebus loved her. Hecate could only shake her head, turning on her heel and disappearing inside to tend to the primordial in her kitchen.
What was going on?
20
Nyx filled every crevice of Hecate’s home, refusing to let Hades drive her from the comfort of her friend’s hospitality. It was the only place that she felt like she could breathe; no God of the Underworld was going to take it from her. As she waited in Hecate’s kitchen for Hades to leave, she began to fume as she felt the tendrils of his power around the property.
What else could he possibly have to say?Nyx’s inner monologue growled, causing small shockwaves to shake the kitchen. She was undetectable as she floated above the kitchen table, only traceable by the glimmers of her power. There was too much rage rippling under her skin to keep herself contained in a mortal body. It would be all too easy to listen into the conversation happening outside, but she refused. Finally, she felt HecateandHades making their way towards the kitchen, sending another shockwave of sharp anger through Nyx. When they walked through the doorframe, Hecate had a warning glare on her face.
“Listen to him.” Her words came out sharp as she raised an eyebrow. Nyx attempted to drop her racing heartbeat, slowly materializing out of the air into her body once more. Hecate gave her a warning stare as she took in the waves of black and purple power that erupted under Nyx’s skin, betraying her thin temper.
