From the Darkness

My mother was standing in the entrance hall. She was looking around my home, deciding if it was acceptable or not. I stood behind her, waiting silently. My nerves were jumping every time she moved or even twitched. I didn't know what to think about this.

She ran her fingers across the back of my throne, feeling the symbol with the pads of her fingers. Asteria was a mystery. Most times she was only half awake during the day. Leaving her mind in a haze. But at night, that changed. She became alert and aware.

“Mother,” I started. Her dark, almost black eyes which were really a dark blue, snapped to me, waiting for me to continue. “would you like to sit down?” I asked, not thinking of anything better to say or ask. I didn't know how to talk to my mother when she was like this. Her focus was never on one thing for long.

Her long nails clacked against the stone right by my symbol. I flinched. I knew she was annoyed, and she showed it by that awful sound.

Clack. Clack.

It nearly drove me mad. And I had only listen to a couple of them.

“No, dear. I would like some tea.” I never knew my mother drank anything besides nectar on occasion. Or grounded ambrosia. But then I hadn't seen her in so long, I didn't know what she drank. But the gods and titans didn't eat ambrosia and drink nectar all the time. Maybe once a day at the most.

With a wave of my hand, I summoned a table with a steaming cup of tea atop. Asteria walked around the throne and sat upon it. Not caring it was mine.

Sighing heavily, I summoned another chair for me to use. I pulled the table with a flick of my hand to in front of my mother. Her long dark hair splayed across her shoulders as a crown of silver and pearls sat on top. She was beautiful. I got most of my looks from her. Except my eyes. People say that came from my father. And that angered and chilled me to my very core. I didn't want my father's eyes. A fiery hazel. Many said they were closer to amber than gold. Like my father's.

Asteria sipped the hot drink, popping her lips a few times before running her tongue across each light pink one. She swirled the drink with her finger, smiling. “I can see now, dear. You will be happy in the end.” With a lift, she slipped her finger between her lips, sucking it dry before turning to me. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. I just didn't know what that meant. She was unpredictable at times.

Her fingers lifted in the air, wiggling around before she snapped. A bored, dead looking woman appeared. She was transparent. Like a ghost.

I gasped. “Mother!” Asteria smiled at me as she gestured for the ghost woman to come towards her. She did. Floating as if pulled by some force. “I will not stand for this! Send her back. Now!” Her eyes turned cold as she snapped her gaze to me.

“Why? You are the goddess of ghosts. And necromancy we both share. Why should I send her back? I am exercising my abilities.” Gaping at my mother, I sat there incredulous. The ghost didn't seem bothered by it until Asteria was trying to send her back. She started to fight, crying that she didn't want to go back.

Jumping into action, I forcefully sent her back to where she belonged, Haides. The hauntings of ghosts were ones I left behind. Most times Hermes or someone else would take the soul down to the Underworld. Leaving them on one side of Styx or Acheron to pay Charon their way across. But some were left, most being there for a reason. A murder. A traumatic event. Something that tied them there. I felt they needed to be heard and for others to learn a lesson before the Erinyes got a hold of them.

But this was something different. This was my mother working necromancy, but not having enough power to send her back. A bad combination.

I sat down, breathing a heavy sigh. “Mother, necromancy is not something to be trifled with.”

“But you do it all the time.”

“I am your daughter. I inherited it from you.” The titanide turned away, gulping down the rest of her tea. I could tell she was sulking. “Your ability has diminished since you birthed me.” Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. She knew it was true.

But I think, she was jealous. She had lost one of her abilities to me. Asteria still ruled and watched over necromancy, but she wasn't invoked like I was.

A familiar buzzing came to me. It was persistent as I ignored it. Being in the Underworld so much seemed to loosen a bit of their control over me. They had to wait until I answered them to say anything to me. But the buzzing was annoying.

I looked at my mother as she continued to pout. “ I will be back.” She didn't even glance at me as I went to my bedroom. “Speak.”

That opened the channel for the Fates to speak to me. “You have been ignoring our call.” The words echoed in my head, hurting. “That will not be tolerated.”

“What do you want?” I asked swiftly. I didn't want to discuss anything besides what they wanted me to do.

“Befriend Persephone.” It was a command. And they disappeared after that. I couldn't argue or tell them it would never work. I didn't like Persephone. At least not when she was down in Haides. Here, I didn't associate with her, so I could not say anything about her personality. Besides that she was more polite and shy while not in the Underworld.

Heaving a sigh, I walked back to my mother. But she was gone. All that was left was the cup, sitting perfectly in the center of the round table. She didn't leave a note or anything. She was just gone.

Groaning loudly, I stomped over to my bath. Nearly ripping the chiton from myself, I snapped my fingers. Every clothing I had on disappeared and reappeared in the corner. A wooden chair sat there, lonely.

But at this moment, I didn't care. I stepped quickly into the water. It splashed over the sides and against the tiles. It didn't calm until I was seated and not moving. The water started to warm from the fire beneath. And that made me start to relax.

I needed a bath. It calmed me. After my mother left, it just set something off within me. I didn't know what. It could be a combination of being commanded to befriend Persephone and Asteria leaving. I found myself thinking.

A sharp bark startled me. I nearly jumped out to defend myself. But I relaxed once I saw Hekabe. Galinthias was in the lonely chair on top of my clothes. She loved that spot.

Her eyes though, were on me. Hekabe sat down in front of me, waiting. Both were. They knew something was wrong and wanted me to say what it was. “It is nothing. Just silly emotions.” Hekabe barked, not looking happy at all. Galinthias lifted her head before stalking over. Her brown and black fur bristled as she stopped in front of me. I stared at her bright blue eyes. Whiskers twitched as she leaned in closer.

She knows it is more than nothing. I sighed. I couldn't keep anything from these two. They knew me too well. But then again, they were my familiars. They stayed with me since their change.

“I understand. It was not nothing. I am frustrated. With my mother. With the Moirai. But mostly with myself.” Galinthias rubbed her cheek against mine. It was her way of comforting me. Hekabe licked the other. I could feel the slick, pink appendage run up my fair skin a few times before she pulled away. She looked happy, which was a good thing and made me happy.

Hekabe jumped into the water, spraying water all over and scaring Galinthias back to her chair. She hissed angrily at the dog. Hekabe barked a few times in response. I shook my head at those two. Galinthias didn't mind water, but she hated it when it came suddenly. If she went to it, it was fine.

I watched Hekabe as she swam around, heading to the edge to get out. Her head was stuck out, pointing to where she was going as her paws lifted up beyond the surface of the water. I walked slowly over to her, rubbing her head as she got up on the tiled floor.

This was why I took them in. They offered something that humans couldn't. They saw the world in a different light. Literally. My familiars would watch over me as I watched over them. Hekabe would watch over me like a mother while Galinthias was more like a sister.

My eyes wandered over to Galinthias as she sat on my clothes. Her story was a sad one.

The witch Gale turned her, but it was upon Eileithyia's orders. Galinthias was Alkmene's handmaiden. When Alkmene went into labor with Herakles, Eileithyia was to make sure he wouldn't be born. Galinthias though saw the goddess at the door, seated with her arms and legs crossed. Thinking quickly, Galinthias shouted, “A son is born!” It startled Eileithyia enough to allow Alkmene to give birth to Herakles.

But the goddess was furious. She found Gale, who had no problem with working magic with Eileithyia's help. Galinthias was changed into a polecat and left to fend for herself in the wild. And a human doing so in a body of a polecat would mean death very quickly if they didn't learn quickly enough.

I found her on one of my wanderings. It actually was Artemis that found her first. But Galinthias wouldn't come to Artemis. The Goddess of the hunt then asked me to try. Most animals came to her. But both of us knew she wasn't just any animal. She was a human transformed.

Getting out of the bath, I walked to Galinthias, smiling softly. She knew I needed my clothes, but she didn't want to get off of them. Sighing, I gripped my clothes beneath her, softly tugging on them. She still stayed. Inhaling deeply, I gave another tug before she jumped off, growling softly at me. I knew she wasn't angry. Galinthias was more miffed than anything. Now that she was off, I put on my clothes and walked to my bedroom.

I could feel it. Someone was invoking me. Not for crossroads. I could feel the familiar sensation of necromancy. Someone wanted to bring back the dead.

The power was engulfing my senses as I smiled. It was nice to be called upon. It was wonderful to not be forgotten. The feeling of that magic swirled inside, just under my skin. But what had me curious was that this spell was more powerful than others. They really want this person back.

Hekabe's bark brought me back. Snapping my eyes open, I stared at the far wall. It was dark, made so by me. There were tiny pricks of light in it, representing the stars. It was a tribute to Nyx, the protongenos of night and of darkness. If she was never born, I would never have been conceived.

Galinthias rubbed up against my leg, silently telling me there was something for me to do. I had to go to this ritual. Besides the Lampades and I were going to collect ghosts, lost souls of people and bring them to Haides.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I closed my eyes and transported myself to the place the ritual was. Not opening my eyes, I listened. There were all sort of noises around me: chanting, squealing, and in the distance a dog barking.

But what hit me most was the dank and vegetative smell. It permeated the room. Beneath that strong smell was something even worse, blood and waste. And then there was the sickening incense that burned in front of me.

I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to see what this place was like, but I had to. I had to know.

The first thing I saw was the candles. They were littered around the outside in a circle. The flames flickered, swaying as I stood in the center. The altar was standing in front of me, wooden and with a single candle. A black candle. The flame flickered the most.

A pall of darkness hung around outside the circle. No light seemed to penetrate it. It was as if it was a cloth hanging from the ceiling. Upon the floor was a chalked in circle with swirling symbols between the second circle. I knew those symbols.

“Hekate,” a dreadful voice said. It was a deep baritone. “welcome to our humble abode.”

Something was not right here. I could feel it. A growing sensation of fear and panic formed within my chest.

“Come now,” said the man sweetly. “It is polite to at least answer me.” He shouldn't be able to see me unless I allow him to. But he seemed to be able to. Not even demi-gods could. “Don't make this harder than necessary. I just have some plans that I need your help with.”