Chosen (29 page)

             
A thrill shot through me and I almost teared up at the knowledge that I could actually not only defend myself, but also defend the ones I love.  My thoughts instantly returned to Finn, and I ran toward the sand dune where he had been thrown.  I was there in less than two seconds, which was a little unsettling, but very convenient.  Willow was hovering over him with her eyes closed; her hands placed on his chest where Selene’s energy had pierced his body. 

             
“Stasia!” Willow looked up in surprise and then her eyes ran down the length of my body in amazement.  “You look…I mean - we thought you were dead!”  I kept my eyes on Finn, who was beginning to moan as I answered.

             
“I think I was,” I contemplated, “But apparently the lightning changed that.”

             
“Lightning?” she furrowed her eyebrows.

             
“Yeah, didn’t you see-“ I was interrupted by a piercing shriek that sounded all too much like Carmen.  I whirled around and saw several Auras holding her down and attacking her.  She was completely outnumbered and lacking immensely in power.  I nodded at Willow, who averted her attention back to the now-writhing Finn, and jumped off of the sand dune just as I felt a wave of darkness.  Down the beach, a mass of Sons could be seen making their way towards us.

             
A small sense of relief filled my heart as I regarded Carmen’s dire situation.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Phoebe run up to Finn and Willow on the sand dune, but my focus was strictly on the Auras who were now disabling Carmen with their eyes.  One wrapped his hand around her neck, and I was on him in seconds.  I grappled him by the neck and propelled him down the beach.  He landed right in front of the Sons, who quickly made sure he wouldn’t be hurting anyone else.  The other two Auras were now backing up slowly, their suddenly frightened eyes on me.   At first I thought they must be seeing something dangerous behind me, but common sense hit me and I realized that
I
was the something dangerous. 

             
I swiftly wrapped my energy around the Auras and hurled them down the beach as well; leaving them lying on top of the Auras I’d plucked off of Phoebe.  With my roommates safe, Finn healing, and the Sons arriving, I turned my attention farther up the beach to where the bulk of the fight had migrated.  With another single thought, I crossed the beach in record time.  I tried to assess the situation as fast as I could.

             
Natasha and Elina were in the process of conjuring a spell against the Sirens, who were quickly closing in on Keto’s command. Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the Auras were moving in silently; attempting to attack them from behind.  I was instantly surprised at Zara, who was yelling and gesturing wildly at Nadia and Selene. I had no idea that she had the courage to face two incredibly strong immortals.  I searched the beach for Keto, and found her moving towards Selene and Nadia just as her Sirens started to sing.   I hadn’t even realized I’d come up with the idea before it came to fruition.  A high frequency sound wave echoed out from my body, fueled by my energy, and was then sent on a collision path with the Sirens.  All ten collapsed in agony, as the wave slammed into their ear drums and rendered them momentarily deaf.  I commenced to blanketing them in a sea of blue energy that quickly muted their voices and left them unable to move.  The Auras that had been sneaking up behind Elina and Natasha were also quickly taken care of, as I knocked them unconscious with my energy and cast them to the other side of the beach with their kin.  I smiled proudly at myself, and then heard Elina, Natasha, and Zara gasp at my arrival. 

             
I met the startled eyes of Nadia, whose jaw hit the ground; almost dropping the dagger that she clutched tightly in her hand.  Standing next to her, Selene’s features darkened with anger and Keto gazed at me with a fury I could actually feel.

             
“Looks like this won’t be easier than you thought, Keto.” I smiled at her pleasantly, knowing that it would only make her madder.

             
“Nice work, Pasha.” A voice suddenly materialized beside me, along with a very weary looking Finn.  He snapped his fingers twice and at that moment, three things happened simultaneously.  The mass of Sons encircled the three women on Finn’s subtle command, Zara tossed me my dagger from my valise, and Nadia vanished into thin air.  I felt her materialize behind me.  She stood behind my three roommates, who had been watching on from a safe distance.  Dark smoke shot out from her hands; quickly wrapping around them and slamming them to the ground.  I slowly closed the distance between us with slow, measured steps - watching the madness burn in her eyes as I got closer.  She ran behind Phoebe, clutched her by the neck and pulled out a black dagger; more than likely, the same black dagger she had stabbed me with.  She grinned wickedly at me as she started to run it across Phoebe’s throat, but I deftly commanded the wind to blow it out of her hand before any damage could be done.  All she had succeeded in doing was pissing me off even more.  She stumbled backwards from the wind’s force, trying to retrieve the blade, while I walked past my wide eyed roommates and continued to move towards her.  She searched the sand in a desperate attempt to find her weapon. 

             
I watched with surprise, as she was able to summon the dagger to her somehow.  It slid across the sand and into her outstretched hand.  A putrid mixture of hatred and rage hardened her golden eyes as she climbed to her feet and ran towards me.  Gray fingers of evil smoke flew out from her outstretched hands, but I dispelled them with a puff of energy and they faded into thin air before reaching me.  I watched as a slow fear crept into those calculating evil eyes.

             
“What do you think you’re going to do?” she fumed at me.  The unsteadiness in her voice gave her away, as did the quick worrisome glimpses directed at the dagger I now held in my hand.  The only thing that could kill her. “You’re just the bastard child of Thetis.  You’re nothing!”

             
I smiled casually when she stopped within inches of me, and inspected her with obvious amusement.  My electing not to speak only made her more furious, and her face contorted with indignation.

             
“When I speak to you, you answer me!” she growled at me.  She lunged at me with the dagger, but I was easily able to pick her up and throw her onto the sand beneath me; locking the hand that held her dagger on the sand with my knee.  Dark smoke blasted out of her body and wrapped around us, but I swiftly forced it back with my own energy. 

             
Somehow she was able to get a leg free, and she gave me a nasty kick in the side.  I cringed just enough so that her arms loosened beneath me.  She swung the dagger towards my stomach, but I held fast to both of her arms with an iron grip and shoved them down; practically sitting on top of her and staring her in the face.

             
“You’ve ruined everything!” she screeched at me. “I’ll be Queen of the Underworld soon and I can promise you I
will
come after you!  I will make sure you rot in Tartarus for all of eternity!”

             
“No, Nadia.” A velvety, familiar voice answered for me; the excited anticipation swirling in the air around her.  Mere feet away were three pairs of flashing yellow eyes, all staring at Nadia. “That will be your fate, child.”

             
I allowed Nadia to incline her head to see our newest visitors.  Her eyes narrowed and she yelled at them, “You weren’t summoned here!  Leave or I’ll ensure my mother knows of your…”

             
“Your mother was the one who summoned us,” one of the Erinyes inserted with disdain; breaking one of their own rules by revealing who had commanded them.  Nadia was silenced by her words, and another of the Erinyes nodded to me in approval before they promptly disappeared.  I shifted my eyes back to Nadia, who spit in my face and began to writhe beneath my ironclad hold. 

             
I was suddenly knocked off of her by a ball of green energy from behind, and I rolled several times before coming to a stop.  I jumped to my feet in time to see Finn and Natasha subdue Keto, as the fighting broke out once again within the circle of Sons.

             
Nadia barreled into me, and we slid up the beach several feet from the force.  With my dagger still in my hand, it was difficult to get a hold of her thrashing limbs.  My left hand found her wrist, and I squeezed until I heard the breaking of bones.  She cried out in pain and dropped the dagger she was holding.  I jumped back on top of her and held her down once more; frowning down at her as she yelled at me.

             
“You will pay for this!  I’m the Princess of the Underworld!  You can’t do this!” She yelled and spit in my face again for good measure.  I glared sternly into her eyes, and something she saw in them silenced her again.

             
“You have earned your punishment, Nadia.” I spoke loud and clear to make that sure she heard every word I said. “And you were right, Karma is a bitch…and I’m her best friend.” With that, I plunged my dagger into her evil heart and held it there, until the last flicker of light had been drained from her eyes. 

             
I closed her vacant eyes with my hand and pulled the dagger from her body.  She slumped back to the sand, and a sadness washed over me.  The fact that I had never killed anyone before was overridden by the fact that I couldn’t allow for Nadia to stay in this world.  She was too dangerous and destructive to all the Orders, as well as to the Nereids.  I remained on my knees with my head bowed over her body.  I lifted my head when I sensed a dark presence in the distance.  A woman was standing on top of the sand dunes about fifty yards away.  Her golden hair blew in the wind, along with the long white dress wrapped around her tall frame.  Her golden eyes glistened in the moonlight, as tears ran down her cheek.  Persephone. My respect for her tripled at the knowledge that she had summoned the Erinyes to decide her own daughter’s fate; knowing how harsh the punishment would be.  I bowed to her slowly, keeping eye contact.  She put her hands together and bowed respectfully toward me, and then she disappeared. 

             
“Stasia, turn around!” I heard Zara shout at me, but I had already sensed Keto’s arrival.  A cool breeze, smelling of ocean brine and kelp, washed over me as I twisted around and stood with confidence. 

             
“Congratulations, Anastasia,” she hissed with a smirk. “I see that your destiny has come to fruition earlier than expected.  Unfortunately for you, the time you will have to enjoy your completed essence is dwindling by the minute.”

             
“Why do this, Keto? Is the power of greed more potent than your respect for life?” I pressed. “How many more lives must be taken to satisfy your unattainable need for power?”

             
“I will require but one more.” Her gaze pierced me, and for the first time I was able to see the woman behind the frigid exterior she had so expertly projected.  I could see the pain of rejection in her; the fear of losing control.  But most prominently, I could see the hollow grip of loneliness that crushed her soul.  I couldn’t help but wonder who Keto used to be, before the pain and betrayal had twisted her heart.  She had been a Nereid.  She couldn’t be all bad.

             
“What happened to you, Keto?” I asked her genuinely. “What drives you to these extremes?”  Her defenses slammed shut and a coldness took over her features.  She narrowed her eyes at me.

             
“You’re just like your worthless mother.” She narrowed her eyes at me, “Always trying to pick me apart.  As if I were some fractured soul she could piece back together and make whole.”

             
“She cared about you,” I insisted, remembering the sadness mom had felt in my antiquity experience.

             
“Don’t patronize me, girl,” she growled at me. “You know nothing of my past. You know nothing of the sisterhood you want so badly to belong to. You are a fool!  Only the weak need others to thrive.  The strong thrive on their own.”

             
“Strength founded on vengeance and fear is just an illusion,” I frowned at her.

             
“An illusion?!” she cackled at me with a shocked expression. “Does this look like an illusion?“ She whirled around and blasted an eight foot hole in the sand with one finger.  With a fierce satisfaction she crossed her arms; threatening me to disagree.  I shook my head. I pulled energy from the sand and matched her hole with a flick of my own finger.

             
“Power isn’t strength. True strength is allowing others to see who you really are,” I retorted. My heart softened as I saw my own fears of abandonment swirling within her.   

             
“You truly are a fool,” she sighed as if highly disappointed in me. “I suppose it doesn’t surprise me, however.  With no mother-figure present in your life.” A sly grin appeared on her face, along with a threatening dark eyebrow as she shrugged her shoulders.  “It’s such a shame I killed her.”

             
I knew that she said it simply to get under my skin.  Unfortunately it worked like a charm, because I knew it was the truth.  She had taken the life of my mother; ripping her from life too early, and sentencing her to an eternity in the Underworld. Rage churned through my veins and I fought to hold back the urge to rip her apart, limb from limb.  Her sly grin widened to a full blown smile, and my restraint unraveled; twisting into something ferocious.  I stepped closer and narrowed my eyes.

             
“My mother should have killed you,” I spit at her. “I heard what you said to them. You deserved any amount of punishment they imparted on you.  You were just too cowardly to face it.”  Now it was her opportunity to lessen the space between us.  She gritted her teeth, and I took pleasure in knowing I’d found a button to push.              

             
“I deserved their pardon!  Their grace!” she hollered at me. “They preach sisterhood, but only on their terms!”  Out of the corner of my eye I could see our audience coming closer.  Selene, Zara, Phoebe, and Carmen were listening intently.  Finn and Willow were helping Natasha and Elina, after my shockwave had sent them flying down the beach.  Thankfully, the Auras and Sirens had no healing hands to assist them.  They were all still lying motionless on the dark beach. 

             
“And what are
your
terms?” I shouted at her, exasperated. “Hurt as many people as possible until you get what you want?  Where’s the pardon and grace in that?”

             
“Don’t you dare chastise me,” she fumed.  For the first time, I noticed a dark green glow about her.  As her outrage rose, so did her luminosity.  She would be a glow stick if she got much madder.  “This has gone on long enough.  It’s time.”

             
“You won’t succeed,” I informed her with a matter-of-fact tone.  Instead of answering, she sent a ball of green energy directly into my chest.  I flew backwards and landed in the foamy waves as they lapped at the shoreline.  The splash sprayed me with a glistening shower of ocean that sizzled as they hit my skin.  I could feel the energy of the ocean before, but this was completely different.  The ocean was alive with a litany of emotions and energies that blended together into a world that called to me; sending my essence into a frenzy.  It was time to find out exactly what sea goddess essence was all about. 

             
I was back on my feet in time to see Keto disappear beneath the waves.  I ran and dove in after her.  If we were going to do this, I was glad we were going to do it in the one world we truly belonged in.  A thrill of excitement rocketed through me as I glided through the water with ease; almost as if it were pushing me along.  Its velvety arms wrapped around me and I was on Keto within seconds.

             
She shot forward and deeper as I continued to follow her.  The green dress she wore resembled fronds of giant kelp trailing behind her in the current.  As we passed schools of fish, I could feel their surprise; the recognition of our presence.  They darted out of the way as we entered Keto’s element.  A forest of giant kelp welcomed us with excitement and I began to lose sight of her as she wove around and through them.  She disappeared amongst their dark green color and I soon found myself alone in the jungle of kelp. 

             
I searched my surroundings for her, but only discerned the excitement and energy of the kelp.  Her own essence was so close to the kelp, she became a part of it; rendering me helpless to find her.  The serenity of my surroundings hid the fact that there was a dangerous sea goddess stalking me at every turn.  I twisted around in an attempt to get my bearings.  I saw a flash of movement in the corner of my eye and I shot after it.  I continued deeper into the forest until I was completely lost. 

             
The water temperature dropped suddenly, and the kelp around me quivered before shooting towards me at mach speed.  The individual fronds wrapped around my arms, legs, and stomach.  As they squeezed tighter, I knew that Keto was close.  I struggled against their slimy fingers, but they were relentless.  Icy rage bubbled up in my stomach and instantly I distinguished the feeling of remorse from the kelp holding me hostage.  It sent a current similar to menthol through my skin and released me.  Interesting.

             
Knowing Keto must be watching, I decided to use the kelp to my advantage.  I reached out to my surroundings one more time and was able to sense a cool presence a couple of feet to my left.  I reached my hands out to the kelp and willed it to give me a clear sight of Keto.  A frenzy of sensations flowed into my hands and an invisible energy split and bent the kelp, creating a path for me to follow. Suddenly, the kelp around a very stunned Keto bent back, revealing her hiding place.  Her head swiveled in surprise and her emerald eyes swirled a bright neon green, as she extended her arms and splayed her fingers. 

             
“Traitors!” she shouted at the giant plants with hatred.  Green energy flowed out of her fingers as she sliced the kelp in half, their top fronds floating helplessly to the sea floor.  The despair I endured as she mowed down half the forest cut deep and enraged me even more.  I could feel the resentment and pain swirling in the water, and thanked Keto silently for unknowingly making my idea that much easier to execute.

             
I held my arms out, palms down, and willed the seaweed that was still alive to attack her.  A mass of green silently rose from the depths and wrapped around her.  Several larger strands twisted around and flung themselves at her; cutting into her skin and leaving the water red with her blood.  I heard her cry out in rage, but the kelp continued its relentless attack. 

             
Suddenly, something razor sharp impaled my left calf, causing me to lose my concentration in a fog of overwhelming agony.  The electric eel that had done the damage swam away into the dark, and I heard Keto laugh as she was able to overcome the kelp with her energy.  I pulled from the ocean’s energy and felt the pain in my calf subside.  I glanced down and smiled as the wound began to close.

             
“You’re gonna have to do better than that!” I yelled at her as I swam away.  I felt her on my heels as I spotted a shipwreck up ahead.  I ducked into one of the broken windows and made sure my dagger was still tucked safely in my pants.  The handle sparkled in the moonlight that filtered through the surface. 

             
“You can’t hide in there forever, coward,” I heard Keto snicker.  I gritted my teeth at her accusation, and then smiled with delight as I found what I was looking for.  A small reef shark swam up to me, her curiosity pulsing around her smooth gray body.  I rubbed a hand over her back and willed her to follow me.  I swam back out of the ship and peeked back to make sure she was still there.  Unfortunately Keto was way ahead of me, and her eel pierced the shark with a ferocity that made my heart squeeze.  I rounded on Keto and sent a wave of energy at her.  It wrapped around her, but with a smile she blew it away with her own.  Suddenly there were at least twelve sting rays flying around me, their beady eyes trained on me. 

             
They mimicked every move I made, watching me carefully.  A shockwave of cool energy hit my chest, knocking the breath out of me and blurring my vision.  My world exploded in pain as the rays instigated their attack.  My arm, my legs, and my shoulder were stabbed over and over, blocking  my vision as the blood swirled around me.  I felt myself hit the sea floor, but the rays didn’t let up.  I mustered up as much energy as I could and tried to blow them off of me, but this made them come back even madder.

             
I felt a soothing presence arrive, but the frenzy of rays and the sand that my thrashing was  churning up left me unable to see what or who it was.  One by one the rays disappeared, and I was able to deduce what was happening. A massive sea turtle was taking chunks out of them, diverting their attention to her instead of me.  I pushed off the sea floor and put as much distance between me and the rays as possible.  Suddenly a bright green light shot out of the darkness and collided with the sea turtle, killing her instantly.

             
It felt like my own life had been taken, and the despair of it all crippled me.  My stomach convulsed and my head exploded in pain.  How could she do this?  How could she be a sea goddess and have absolutely no respect for its creatures?  As rage replaced the pain I harbored, I swam towards her and pulled the dagger from my pants.  She saw me coming and sent me a sick grin that prickled across my skin.  I threw a stream of blue sparkling energy in her direction, and it bounced off of whatever shield she had been able to throw up.  She smiled again and started to…twirl?

             
As she spun faster and faster the water also started to spin, pulling me with it.  I shot energy at her, but it spun off and dissipated into the water behind her.  Keto finally stopped spinning, and my eyes had trouble convincing my brain that they weren’t seeing a hallucination.  Every inch of her skin had darkened to a deep green; covered in overlapping scales.  Her dark hair had taken on a life of its own - the separate strands melding together and squirming in the water like snakes.  Her eyes had eclipsed a solid black, and the nose that once adorned her face had shrunk to two simple holes.  She flashed triangular teeth at me and actually hissed, as a forked tongue shot out.  She was something in between a snake and a lizard; both sending chills down my spine.

             
She moved towards me without swimming, and I backed up in shocked silence.  As her hair morphed into full blown snakes that writhed and hissed atop her head, I fought the urge to throw up.  A blinding light suddenly shot out from within her, sending out a shockwave of green that radiated out from her body; leveling everything it came in contact with.  Including me.  I watched as my dagger was ripped from my hand, and tumbled out of my line of sight.

             
I was thrown onto a reef as Keto’s energy followed suit; waging war on my body.  The coral that supported my weight sliced through my clothes and ripped my skin open, as I tried to struggle against my attackers.  What I had first thought were snakes atop her head were actually electric eels.  They detached from her skull and like a sidewinder snake, cut through the water and headed straight for me.  Large spinning barbs of green energy commenced to piercing my skin and burrowing into my body.  They continued to stab me again and again, painting the ocean a deep murky red.  The electric eels rubbed against my skin, sending volts of electricity through me and causing me to convulse and shake.  My body slid down the side of the coral as I fought to defend myself; its sharp edges tearing across what skin was left on my back. 

             
I pulled from the sand and blew my energy outward, but neither the barbs nor the eels were affected.  I had to figure out how to combine my essences if I was going to overcome Keto’s power.  I knew I was stronger than her. I knew I could defeat her.  The main thing she had over me was experience.  A barb suddenly stabbed me in the stomach and twisted sharply, as it pierced several organs on the way in.  An eel ran its belly along the same wound, and I thought my soul had caught fire.  The result left me racked with a pain that elicited screams from deep within; the kind of screams you hear when someone is about to die.  Unfortunately, the cool reprieve of death would never come for me.