Memoirs of an Immortal (The Immortal Series) (29 page)

“So what did he want?” Eirene asked me.

“Don’t be too rough on the guy, he really does care for you and I know you care too. Just give in already. Don’t be like me and lose it all because of fear or pride, trust me, it’s not worth it.” I said softly.

I watched as Herakles came back, he looked at my direction and shook his head no. He wasn’t too pleased with himself either.

‘I won’t tell him, but don’t you think it best that you do?’
My eyes met Herakles.

Eirene watched as I began to get up and walk past him. Herakles reached over and patted me on the back. I walked to the back door and took in a large breath and exhaled.

“If you need anything, let me know!” He cried out to me.

I walked thought the large wooded door that led to the most beautiful scenery in all of Olympos. I had to focus my eyes because the sun was too bright at this time of the day. I could hear the birds calling over the waves of the ocean.

Hephaistos was with Kelalion near the sculptured stone railing. I walked up to them and waited. Hephaistos jerked his hand and had me up in the air. I waited, but something seemed off.

“You’re that angry.” I finally said. “Then rip them out if you want.” I said taunting him. “If that will make you feel better, then hurt me. At least that way I can finally talk to you.”

Kelalion stood frozen. I could tell Hephaistos’ breathing had changed. With one flick of his hand, my blades were torn out of me.

“Sire!” I heard Kelalion cry out. My scream must have been loud for Herakles and Eirene came running out. I looked over to see my blades, they were full of blood. I watched as the blood slowly dripped on the beautiful craved stone floor.

“I understand now.” I said gazing back at Hephaistos, I flinched, grinding my teeth from the pain. “I get it now. Its ok, you don’t care for me. You’ve told me.” I managed to say as the pain rippled through my body, making me twitch uncontrollably. He kept working on my blades, not making any effort to hear me.

“I know now. I know you don’t want me. I know that I have hurt you. So why is it that you are not gone? Why is it you are still here” I held my hand over my heart. “Could you not leave me now? I’m not holding onto you. So please leave me heart. Take the heart of mine that you mended and destroy it again. Please Hephaistos keep destroying me, so that I could forget you now.” With that, Hephaistos jerked and pulled me closer to him.

“You’ve never said my name before so why now?” He said it with such contempt.

“That’s right. Just like that. Look at me, just like that. Hate me, loath me. Keep going Hephaistos.” I pleaded.

“Enough! Stop now!” He barked.

“It’s ok to keep killing me. Do it. Do it as many times you need to satisfy yourself.” I kept talking.

He held me tight, his power was much stronger than I had ever imagined. He glared at me with his eyes in full wrath. Eirene and Herakles did not dare to involve themselves.

“You will stop now, Psykhe!” He said furiously.

“Do not do that.” I pleaded. “Don’t say my name.” The very sound of my name off his lips, pulled at my heart. “You are mending my heart again. Tell me, tell me what you want from me and I will do it, tell me?” I began to plead. “Would you like that I punish myself? Hurt myself? Destroy myself? Anything. I am willing to do anything, to appease you.” I was begging now.

He let go of me, making me fall to the ground. The open wounds on my back burned as I hit the floor. Herakles took one step closer, but Hephaistos stared him down. He finished with me blades and lifted me up. With one swing of his hand, he placed them back with such force, that I flew into the wall in front of me. I felt my body break apart. He made his way to me and lifted me up.

“I was made a fool once by Aphrodite, but I willingly ignored it, thinking I was not what she wanted, but you… I will not make the same mistake. I thought you different, I thought you special, but you are like them.” He hissed “You see me as a joke and a tool to play with. Well I am no fool, Psykhe. I was taken in by you, by the pain you felt. I thought I could be someone who could take your heart, who can care for you, but you are nothing special. You’re nothing, but just a mere stupid little girl.” He slurred his words, anger seething through him. “To think you allowed Apollon to touch you, to have you. You brought this onto yourself.”

Eirene’s axe interrupted his speech.

“If you’re done with her, let her go now and never ever come near her again.” She roared. “I hate the lot of you, you stupid narrow minded gods. You don’t deserve my sister and you will never have her, I won’t allow it.” Her eyes glowed with hatred for him.

She called back her axe and threw it again, but this time I stopped it with my broken body. She screamed out my name, as I fell onto my knees, with the axe buried deep in my back.

Hephaistos held me, the anxious look he gave me made me reach up and touch his face. I relished in how his skin was so soft compared to his beard. Tears streamed down the side of my face as I looked at his stunning green eyes.

“Don’t give me that look.” I reminded him. “My heart, you need to break it, remember?”

He took Eirene’s axe out and threw it. The metal of the axe made a hard clank as it hit the ground. He then gently and carefully laid me down.

Zoe came running in and pushed him off me, as she tried to clean up my wounds to heal me. Herakles leaped into the air and took Hephaistos by the throat.

“She is my sister and my leader. If you ever want to go near her again you will have to contend with me.” Herakles roared. Agape ran in with Akhilles. I looked at Zoe’s worried face.

“It’s bad, isn’t?” I asked, she didn’t answer. “Ok then, Eirene, Eva, Herakles and Akhilles, you all need to go down to find out more about Erysikhthon.” I stammered. The pain was becoming too unbearable for me, but I needed to get this mission done for Zeus.

“Eirene?” I called out. “You’re in charge. Make sure we only find out what we need, then come back.”

She leaned over to me.
‘Why?
’ She thought.

“Understood?” I continued, waiting for her to acknowledge me.

“Understood.” She finally said as she stood up. “We leave in five minutes.”

Akhilles looked at me with a pitiful face as he lifted me up and carried me.

“I’ll meet with you after I bring her home.” He said to Eirene.

I watched as Hephaistos looked past Herakles’ hold and looked at Akhilles walking away with me in his arms.

Within minutes we were in my room.

“Zoe, Agape and Bellerophon will stay here. There’s no need for so many in a scouting assignment.” I said quietly, as Akhilles laid me down on my bed. I was feeling better, but I still felt my body ache in pain.

“Don’t worry by the time we’ll be back, you’ll be fine.” Akhilles said as he ruffled my hair. He then looked at Agape for a mere moment and with lighting speed he was gone.

Zoe lifted her hands over my body. “Most of your major bones are broken.” She sighed heavily. “Why? Why would you let it go on for so long? Is it that hard to tell him the truth?” Zoe exasperated.

“What truth would you like me to tell him?” I asked her. She lowered her head, as she continued to look after me. “I will never tell him what happened. Not because I blame myself, but because I never want him to look at me, the way you all have been looking at me this past year. I hate it. I hate being pitied. I don’t want him feeling sorry for me, I want him to look at me the way he did before. You can’t understand that look and what it does to a woman.” I bit out.

I squirmed, the feeling of my bones healing rapidly, was something I could never get used to.

Anthousai readied a fire in my room, the heat was immense. She had put more logs then usual to warm my body on this cold night. Zoe had placed one of my chairs next to me and sat, while Agape lied down across the foot of the bed. I watched her as she slept soundly on her stomach, she always slept like that. It was nice to see that not all things had changed. Zoe was like always, reading one of her scrolls about something that was still not proven.

I sat in bed wondering, why I could not be left alone. But I didn’t bother being too upset by it, they where here because they loved me

The night grew darker and finally in the distance I heard the boorish footsteps of Herakles. No wonder it was difficult for us to surprise our enemies. I stood up quietly, by this time Zoe had also fallen asleep.

I crept out of my room and gently closed the door. I could hear them in the courtyard now. I gave myself a light foot and glided to the entrance.

“And?” I asked. “Did you find anything?”

Eirene stalked over to me. ‘
Why? Why did you do that?’

I smiled “Its fine now. So tell me of Erysikhthon.”

Eva sat down under the olive tree. “Well, apparently the Diavolis offered him a deal. They said that they would quench his hunger, if and only if he quenched their hunger for human life.”

Bellerophon laughed as he joined us. “So they used his insanity against him. Interesting. Is it just me or are they getting more clever?”

“They might be.” Eva continued.

“So now our prey has some brains. Well this will be fun.” I said smiling. The thought that we’d be challenged now was enticing.

I noticed they came back with one less. “Where’s Akhilles?”

“He said he needed to do something before he came back.” Herakles said, trying to gain Eirene’s attention by jabbing her with his club. I always found it cute how he often tried to interact with her.

My admiring was interrupted by Zoe’s bellowing and Agape trying to calm her down. Everyone had gotten up, but I signaled them to stop, knowing what was waiting for me. I walked into my room to see Hephaistos waiting for me.

“Why are you here? What could you possibly want now?” Zoe yelled at him, not giving him a chance to speak. Hephaistos only noticed me and ignored Zoe’s questions.

“Are you alright?” He asked in a gentle manner, Zoe ran in front of me, her hands spread wide.

“No! You don’t have that right now. You don’t get to ask if she’s ok!” I placed my hand over her shoulder to stop her. The way in which he looked at me, his head hanged low, he knew.

“I hate you gods! You come in and out of our lives as though we have no rights. Who are you to be coming into our home without our permission? Leave! Leave NOW!” Agape had had enough and tried to order him to get out, but he continued to act as though they both weren’t there.

“I came to see if you were healed.” I noticed the mirror. He must have unlocked it again. I could hear Zoe’s thoughts.

“Enough!” I said. “There will be no fighting. Go now, both of you.” They both gave me a side look and walked out, slamming the door behind them.

He stood far from me, waiting to see what I would do.

“You made it clear, that you no longer wanted me, that I was a whore and nothing more.” I was baiting him. I needed to know if he truly knew. He said nothing. His silence was more telling than any words he could use.

“So you know.” I said calmly, trying to hide my disappointment.

“Akhilles…”

“I’ll have to thank him when he comes back.” I interrupted him.

I wanted the upper hand. I didn’t want him to say anything that I didn’t want to hear.

“Psykhe, why did you not tell me? Why did you not come to me?” He began. I waited trying to calm myself. I took a breath and faced him.

There he stood, the man I had viscously fought to not give my heart to.

“I tried, but you didn’t want to hear or see me.” Tears were now threatening to fall. I was desperately trying to forget how much I longed for him this whole year. How much I needed him.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it? We both made our decisions and we both have to live with it.” I purposely spoke slowly not to lose my composer. He looked at me strangely.

“What do you mean by that?” He took two steps closer, trying to close the distance between us.

“Is it because of what you know now? Does that change everything?” I laughed, but there was no humor in my voice.

He began to get angry. “Of course everything changes. I have never stopped my feelings for you. I couldn’t stop it. Not then and not now. Now that I am no longer blind to the truth, we could…” He trailed off. I stopped my tears from coming, wiping them with my hands.

“Don’t… Don’t look at me that way.” I turned to face the window. “Don’t you dare tell me how you feel! I don’t want to know anymore. I told you that I have given up now, so should you.” I sobbed.

Hephaistos began yelling, his voice echoing in my room. His primal scream was loud enough that it rang in my ears.

“Stop please…” My voice was meek, I was losing myself to my feelings again. He ran and turned me around, his grip overpowering.

“Why? Why can’t I? Why can’t I look at you? I have been looking at you since…” He stopped himself. “Why are you like this?” He kept yelling.

It took everything in my soul not to fall into his warm embrace and melt into him, but I knew better. I glanced up to see his beautiful face.

“Apollon forced himself onto me.” I started. He closed his eyes shaking his head.