Helios sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he resigned himself to telling the story. “We couldn’t be together. I was in the sky, and she was always in the sea. We brought Circe here, in the East where the sun meets the sea, so we could both watch her grow up. We did the same with Aeëtes years later.”
Hecate felt the agony coming off him, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to have any empathy for Helios.
“When did you wipe the king and queen’s memories of Circe? Did she know about that?”
Helios shook his head, tears in his eyes. “No. She asked too many questions about Clymene, who was already gone. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You’re not fit to be a parent.” Hecate looked at him with disdain. “She would be furious with you.”
“I know.” Helios’s voice was quiet. “I know.” Hecate let out a long sigh, the crushing realization of Aeëtes’s parentage rolling over her. The spell wouldn’t work without the blood of his mother, and Circe’s patchwork spell wasn’t going to last forever. They needed to think of another solution, and fast.
“Be gone, Helios,” Hecate muttered, her voice tired. She had nothing else to say to him as the light around Helios began to increase in strength, and he vanished in a blinding flash. Not even a full second later, the mottled colors of the sky cleared, and the sun had risen. Hecate heard the echoing screams of humanity in surprise, followed closely by their cheers of relief as they realized the sun had returned.
Hecate rolled her eyes at the fickle nature of mortals, taking a closer look at the rubble around her. She waved her hands over the stones and stepped over the debris. It only took a few flicks of her fingers, and the corner of the palace that had fallen was restored. She stood back to admire her handiwork when Aeëtes’s voice reached her.
“My gods! Hecate! Oh, are you okay? What happened? We heard—” He stopped talking as she turned to him and held up a hand, silencing him. The king and queen were right behind him, stunned looks on their faces.
“I summoned Helios.” The king looked sick. “I did what was asked. I don’t know why…”
“He came.” Hecate nodded in the king’s direction. “We’ve spoken.”
“He was here?” The king looked like he was going to pass out. “I didn’t see him. I went to the temple, and I made sure…” He was babbling, and Hecate pressed a finger to her temple, annoyed.
“Stop talking.” She waved her hand from Aeëtes’s direction towards the king. “Please. Both of you. Yes, that was Helios. He came directly to me.” She looked at Aeëtes, but her gaze was detached, as if she was looking straight through him. “We need a new plan. Your mother is…unreachable.”
She settled on her word choice carefully, not ready to have a discussion with him about Clymene. Aeëtes’s eyes got wide, and his complexion blanched, panic consuming his features as he tried to rationalize her words. Hecate felt a deep twinge in her gut and an urge to go towards him to comfort him…but then she saw Faidra standing a few paces behind him.
There is someone else who is here to catch his tears.Hecate reminded herself harshly and put some effort into glamouring her expression again. The queen sensed the tension in the air and, ever the politician, gracefully stepped forward and offered Hecate her arm.
“Shall I escort you inside, Goddess? It looks like you have done a lovely job of remodeling your quarters already,” she said in jest, with genuine warmth, looking up at the restored rooms. In that moment, Hecate had never been more grateful for the woman’s soft presence. She accepted the queen’s arm, grinning sweetly at her.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve had to redo my own kitchen.”
30
The women walked in silence back to the guest chambers. Hecate felt a weight settling into her bones; too much had happened, and her heart felt like it was spiraling into a million different pieces. She didn’t know how to break the news about Clymene to Aeëtes, but she knew that she had to be the one to do it.
As Hecate opened the door to disappear back into the solace of her rooms for a few hours, the queen placed a hand on her shoulder. “Would you like to join us for breakfast? Or…lunch? I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure what time it is now.” She chuckled, and a small smile crossed Hecate’s face, both women looking back out the windows as if to ensure that the sun was still in the sky.
“While I’m sure dining in your home is a lovely experience,” Hecate shook her head, “I need a few hours to myself.”
“Shall I send food to your rooms?”
“That would be lovely,” Hecate murmured while departing, the queen slipping away as the door was shut between them. Hecate slid down the door, sinking to the tile, until she leaned over entirely and pressed her cheek to its cool surface.
She felt like she was overheating with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her mind wasn’t working in a straight line, it felt like it was spiraling, and she couldn’t channel her focus long enough to think about alternative solutions to Hera’s curse. She let out a quiet sob against the floor and pushed herself up to a sitting position. There was a glimmer of magic that generated in front of her, one of her dogs pulling itself out of thin air. Hecate leaned forward and wrapped her arms around its neck, burying her face in its black fur. Her tears mixed with the red magic on its skin, and Hecate let herself go for the second time in as many days. She managed to get to the bedroom and threw herself on the mattress, several more dogs stepping out of the air and joining her. She fell asleep in the center of them, barricading herself from her emotions.
Someone brought food up to the room and ended up leaving it outside of the door. Hecate eventually pulled herself together and began pacing, nearly wearing a groove into the new flooring. Her brain whirled as she thought of any other way to reverse one of Hera’s curses. It was easy enough to outdo them, but removing curses was a different matter entirely. Plus, Aeëtes was immortal but only a demi-god. She was nervous that anything too extreme would kill him.
A sharp knock at the door brought Hecate back from her reverie, and she blinked rapidly and looked around the room. It was dusk now, the sun finally setting behind the horizon. Whoever was at the door knocked again, bringing Hecate’s attention fully back to the present.
She walked over and threw it open without thinking, and her heart stopped. Aeëtes stood in front of her, his eyes were red with tears, and his face was anxious.
“What do you—” Hecate started, but Aeëtes stormed in past her. Hecate slammed the door shut and turned to face him, feeling her ire rise.
“Faidra isn’t my fiancée,” Aeëtes blurted it out, looking utterly miserable. He hadn’t changed since they got off the ship, and his hair was messy; even one of his sandals was untied. The words were a shock to Hecate’s system, but she couldn’t manage any response. She started searching her soul, trying to find some semblance of relief at his words, but there was nothing. Hecate could hardly bear to look at him and how distraught he seemed, but no matter how genuine, there was no balm to her bleeding heart in those words. The tension between them now was wholly unnatural, all the ease of their previous banter and budding intimacy was now gone. They stared at one another, and it might as well have been from miles apart instead of across the room.
“I don’t want to play this game,” Hecate finally sighed, sliding down into a nearby chair. “We need to focus on how to break Hera’s curse.”
