"No time to explain," you say to the Pack, "But we've gotta get out of here *now.*"
Viv takes a ring of keys out of her pocket and says, "Way ahead of you, dear."
She selects one and points it out in front of her. A door appears in the air around it. She turns the key in the lock, and it opens inward. On the other side is the strangest forest you've ever seen, and you have to shield your eyes at the brightness of it.
(Part 1/3)
Everyone goes through the door, and you follow, closing it behind you. When you do, you hear it lock, and then it vanishes back to wherever it came from.
You squint and try to make sense of what you're seeing. There are trees everywhere, but the leaves look more like book pages, complete with words typed in neat little lines.
There are little rivers of clear, blue water flowing in between the trees in all directions.
(Part 2/3)
The grass is tall, and a pale gold. It sways gently in the breeze. The sky is so bright, though, that you can't even tell where the sun is.
"What is this place?" you ask, still taking it all in.
"We're somewhere in the Midlands," Xander explains, "The land between the lands."
You raise an eyebrow.
"He means it's a place that connects to every universe," Ava replies.
(Part 3/3)
"Zag and Mak won't be fooled for long," Viv says, then turns to you. "It may be time we help you to remember who you are, but it's up to you, Noë."
You realize at that moment, though, that the vampires hadn't followed the rest of you through the door. They were still back in Birch Hollow.
Tiebreaker vote!
Tiebreaker vote for...the tiebreaker vote. 😂
(Part 1/6)
You nod. "It's time. How do I pronounce the word?"
"Co," Viv begins, and you echo her, "vee-ooch." That last "ch" sounded sort of Welsh.
"Now, say it all together," Ava chimes in.
Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes and let the word slip from your lips; "Coviuch."
(Part 2/6)
The moment the spell breaks is palpable in every atom of your being. Your eyes snap open. You're not seeing the people around you, but all of your memories rushing back at once. And there are more than you could have ever imagined. Uncountable years. Millenia, perhaps.
Melinoë. That's your full name.
"If your father ever knew…" the ghost of your mother's voice says.
(Part 3/6)
Then, your brother. "Zeus is just as cruel as Hades, if not madder."
And your sister. "Neither is as mad as I!" Her deranged laughter encircles you.
Goddess of the Wayward Dead.
The voice of your father booms in your mind. "I will cut them off at the stem before they can infect the whole branch."
And the Oracle. "Shadow, Shadow falls..."
Daughter of the Underworld.
"If we don’t do something now, who will?" Mother sobs.
(Part 4/6)
"It’s not your place to question him," brother growls.
The Oracle whispers, "Everything will fold in on itself."
Mother needs you.
"We will see each other again," her voice assures you.
"You are no child of mine!" father screams.
"One, two, we’re coming for you!" sister sings.
She is waiting, hidden away for safekeeping.
"Zagreus gets his temper from his father," mother reminds you.
(Part 5/6)
"Ever since dad raised Makaria from the dead, she’s been different," brother once confided.
"Three, four, through the magic door!" sister's voice rings like a warning bell.
Hiding in another Birch Hollow.
"Find me. You’ll know when it’s time," she tells you.
"There will be nothing but ashes when I'm done," Hades says.
(Part 6/6)
Your brother and sister—Zagreus and Makaria—are coming for you and mother. Likely, on Hades' orders.
The Oracle reminds you, "Only Persephone can heal the wounds."
"I’m doing this for the greater good, darling," you overhear father say to mother before you both escape from Tartarus.
But they’ll have to catch you both first.
(Part 1/4)
Everything is slipping away. Just out of reach. You can almost taste it.
Your eyes flicker open, and darkness surrounds you. Groaning, you sit up. It isn’t supposed to be like this.
When you snap your fingers, the lights turn on. You shuffle over to the closet and grab a uniform.
Just before your nap, you showered, so all you have to do now is get dressed, put your hair up, and go.
(Part 2/4)
Being human was something you hadn’t done in ages, so it all felt strange. You wondered how you could possibly have all these aches and pains if you were so brand new, though.
After you dress, you pin your name tag to your shirt. It reads, “Hi! My name is Seph. May I take your order?”
Another day at the diner, and no more information than before.
(Part 3/4)
A pang of guilt rumbles your stomach as you think about your daughter, and you wonder which universe she was hiding in. You’d feel it if she was in trouble, right?
“Noë can take care of herself,” you mutter as you close your door behind you. When you press the button on your key, the small house folds in on itself, and the foundation flips over, revealing a small, community garden you and the neighbors pitched in to plant.
(Part 4/4)
Many of the houses on your street are still up at this hour, their residents in bed or getting ready for the day. You’d been in the Hollow a while now, but time has been moving at different rates throughout the multiverse recently.
As you walk, lost in thought, you hear a scream coming from the big, blue house up on your left.
(Part 1/6)
You start running toward the scream, and then it turns into laughter. Multiple people laughing. Sounds like some kind of party.
Shaking your head, you slow your pace and hope no one saw you.
You’re on edge because the multiverse is on edge. There are entire realms blinking out of existence or merging with their closest parallels.
(Part 2/6)
Even the afterlife is a mess. Because you’re connected to all things living and dead, you can see it all at once. Feel it all at once.
So, your gut is screaming at you to do something. To fix it. But all you can do is hide from your children while you masquerade as human.
Just before the diner, there’s a little flower garden.
(Part 3/6)
The sunflowers are drooping, so you lean forward and whisper, “C’mon, you gals can do better than that.”
They straighten up like soldiers at attention.
“That’s better,” you say with a wink as you continue on to work.
The flowers move to face you as you pass, as if you are the sun itself.
(Part 4/6)
When you get to the diner, it’s already hopping. If there’s one thing you could count on, it was that the multiverse was full of different versions of Mel’s. This one was pretty spectacular. It was made out of one of the first interstellar ships.
Small, compared to the luxury starliners they had today, but it was still impressive. Very fancy.
(Part 5/6)
The people of your Earth would find this one very strange. This one is highly advanced, as they skipped over the Dark Ages a bit. However, the fashion and aesthetic is more like the 1920s where you are from.
“You’re on section four today, Seph,” Mel calls out when she sees you come in, “Alex already sat a couple tables, but she has to run.”
(Part 6/6)
You nod and get to work right away. There’s a young couple in a booth, and a table full of men in suits. Alex waves to you as she passes, heading toward the door. She looks a little green, and that’s worrisome. Since when did she ever get sick?
(Part 1/3)
“I hope you feel better soon, Alex,” you say to her.
She smiles weakly and says, “Thanks, it must be a wolf thing. By the way, I seated the big party first. They seem a little on edge, so you might wanna grab their order before anyone else.”
You thank her, and head over to the men in suits. Grabbing a fresh pot of coffee off the counter as you go, your brow furrows. Since when do werewolves get sick?
(Part 2/3)
The men in business suits ordered mostly steaks. You momentarily wonder if they’re also wolves, but a shifter wouldn’t ever work a job that required that kind of outfit.
After telling them you’ll be right back with their mimosas, you turn and notice that the couple that had been there were walking out the door in a hurry. Instinct tells you something’s wrong, and you move toward the windows.
(Part 3/3)
Alex is still sitting in her car, and it looks like she’s on the phone. The conversation must be heated, because she’s waving her free hand around like she’s conducting a frantic orchestra. And the couple is making a beeline right for her.
You open the front door and quietly close it behind you. The couple seems unaware that you're following them, which is good for you...not so much for them.
One of them reaches in through Alex's open window and grabs her phone, then tosses it into the grass nearby. She snaps at him, obviously annoyed, and the woman opens the passenger side door and slips into the car. Alex tries to scream, but the man has her by the throat now.
Quickly, you move up behind the man and tap him on the shoulder. He turns, you smile cheerfully and say, "Hi!" Then flick him with a finger.
Before the man can get a word out, you've sent him flying into the grass. He hits the ground, skids several feet, and konks his head on the sidewalk with a grunt.
The woman scrambles out of the car, but you tap her forehead and she falls to the ground.
"I owe you one," Alex says, stepping out.
"Pop the trunk, will ya?" you say to your co-worker.
She complies, and you drop the unconscious couple into her trunk before anyone sees. Thankfully, you're the only people in the parking lot at the moment.
You just hope no one is looking out the restaurant windows.
"They were asking me about you," Alex says as you close the trunk, "What kind of trouble are you in, Seph?"
You sigh. "The biggest kind."
(Part 1/7)
After telling Mel you have to take off, you run back out to Alex's car and hop in.
"Where to?" she asks.
The only place you could think of, off the top of your head, was to bring them into the forest. There was a gnome there that owed you a favor.
Teleporting would draw unwanted attention, so you direct your friend as she drives.
Cars in this universe were different than what you'd grown accustomed to on your Earth.
(Part 2/7)
They were sleek and stylish and ran on sunshine. Literally. The entire body of the car was essentially a solar panel. And what energy it didn’t use, it stored in extra batteries in case of long drives at night or during cloudy days. No one ever had to worry about filling up their tank here.
“Pull over here,” you say when you’ve reached the edge of the woods.
(Part 3/7)
When you’re sure there are no onlookers, you grab the man and woman out of the trunk. You toss one over each shoulder, and head into the green before realizing Alex is following behind you.
“You should really go,” you say.
“Not a chance, Seph. I’m not getting left in the dark.”
You sigh. It was impossible trying to argue with a werewolf. They were so stubborn. “Fine.”
(Part 4/7)
“Fine,” she replies, cheerily, then grabs the man off your right shoulder, slinging him over hers instead, “Least I can do is help. Lead on.”
When you eventually get to where you’re going, you knock thrice on Vimbree’s tree. As everyone knows, gnomes are easily spooked. Long ago, you agreed to only speak Welsh when announcing your presence to her.
“Mae ffrind yma,” you whisper to the tree.
(Part 5/7)
Silence.
For a moment, you wonder if she's even home. Then, the great trunk begins to untwist itself, revealing a doorway between its massive roots.
A small, leafy head pops through the opening. For a moment, she scowls at you, your friend, and the unconscious man and woman. Then Vim sighs and says, “Well, best come in, then. Always knew that favor I owed you would be trouble.”
(Part 6/7)
You and the wolf follow her down into her spacious, underground home. She directs you to a wall where the roots of the tree are numerous, and she begins to sing. They come alive and entrap the man and woman in their grip. As they do, the pair begin to regain consciousness.
When they realize what’s going on, there’s a panic in both of their eyes.
(Part 7/7)
“Who are you, and what do you want with Alex?” you ask. Might as well be direct to start.
Neither of them answers, but they look terrified.
Alex's eyes flash yellow and she lets out a growl. "I could convince them to talk," she says, as deadly claws grow from the tips of her fingers.
(Part 1/2)
"No need for torture, Alex. I think I've got this," you say. She doesn't put her claws away yet, though.
You move closer to the couple and study them carefully. They look more nervous the longer you don't speak. You make eye contact with the woman, and you pluck a memory from her mind like a flower.
"Cora," you say, "You weren't always a thug for hire, were you?"
Her eyes widen with panic. "H-how did you know my name?"
(Part 2/2)
"I know a lot of things," you say, trying to remain as vague as possible, "so you better tell me the truth. I'll know if you're lying."
"Oh yeah?" the man chimed in, "And what're you gonna do to us if we don't? You already said you won't let the shifter hurt us."
"Thomas," you say, meeting his eyes, "What would your mother say? This wasn't the life she wanted for you."
Tears welled in his eyes, "How dare you!" he said, "Witch!"
Interesting. He didn't know who you are.
Alex snorted. "Mercenaries, then," she said.
You nod. That's certainly how it appeared.
"You're only in this for the money, right?" you ask Thomas and Cora, "What would you say to double whatever your current employer is offering for the Princess?"
You're a goddess. You can pull gold directly from wherever it's hiding in the earth. Besides, you work for a dragon. Money is never an issue.
The mercenaries look at each other and nod in agreement.
"Done. What are the terms?" the woman replied.
You think on this for a moment.
You decide asking them to spy for you might be helpful.
"What if their original employer offers even more?" Alex warns.
You look pointedly at the couple. "If it's who I think it is, he would offer death before he offered more payment."
The couple look at each other and nod. The deal is struck. You set them loose, but Vim says she has a bad feeling.
Maybe you should break the radio silence and contact your daughter, just in case.
"So," you say, turning to Alex, "We didn't really get to the bottom of things, but we have some new spies. Why do you think you were targeted?"
She shakes her head. "I dunno. I mean, this couldn't have anything to do with the Shadow, could it?"
You shake your head. "No, they have their own agenda. Perhaps it was to draw my attention."
"Didn't you say your daughter was in hiding, too?"
You nod. All of this was very troubling.
Closing your eyes, you reach out with your mind. Flipping through universes like the pages of a book, you land on one where you feel a familiar pull.
"Noë," you say to her, soul to soul.
There's no answer. You try again, and you can feel her panic.
She's not safe. Your first instinct is to go to her, but that could endanger her further. If only you could see clearer.
The multiverse tips on its axis and you, with it. Your consciousness is ripped from Persephone with no ceremony whatsoever. For a moment, it's like Russian Roulette, but with the self.
"One, two..."
Who are you?
"We're coming for you!"
Are you Mellinoë?
"Three, four..."
Persephone?
"Through the magic door!"
The Player? No.
You are Makaria the Blessed.
No...now, you are Makaria the Mad. Mak the Eye; the Sighted. Mak the Risen.
(1/4)
You smile to yourself. And to the Player, of course. Not that they notice. Not that they even realize they’re a part of things yet.
It’s insidious, the multiverse. Once you’re connected to realms other than your own, you start to see things that weren’t there before. Worlds beyond. Things from behind the Veil.
(2/4)
Not that you, Mak, have ever had that problem. You have always known you were godsblood. You have always been a Daughter of Hades. You have always seen the things others cannot. Even things Hades is not privy to.
He isn’t the god he used to be. Nothing is as it was. Even you can see that it does the realms no good to have other gods hopping around within it. It’s not just your mother and sister, no; Chaos has been missing for ages.
(3/4)
Not just YOUR Chaos, either. Several of them. Without her to keep it in check, the Shadow was spreading.
You can see many paths ahead, but the way is tangled. Right now, you’re choosing to remain ambivalent until the correct one presents itself.
“What are you doing?” Zag asks from the hall.
The flickering of your candlelight illuminates his face in your doorway, casting dancing shadows on the wall behind him.
(4/4)
“Thinking,” you reply.
“I mean with that,” he points to the candle.
You raise an eyebrow. “I like it.”
He shrugs, as if to say, “Suit yourself.” Which you always do, anyway.
“Father wants to see you. He wants you to look again.”
Sighing, you hop lightly to your feet and follow him down the hall.
"Anything I should know before going in?" you ask.
Zag shakes his head but doesn't reply. You would frown, but then someone might think you're having an emotion. The walls had eyes, after all.
You turn to meet them. They stare as you pass. Just a reflex at this point for most of them, unfortunately. These were the souls of the Unforgiveable.
"Actually," Zag says, "Don't mention Mother. Father is in one of his moods."
You wait for him to continue, but he doesn't. Both of you remain silent until you reach the outer chamber of your father's throne room.
"Good luck in there," he mumbles, and holds the door open for you. You nod to him and put a hand on his shoulder in thanks. It's a small gesture, but one that surprises him. You try to remember the last time you gave him a hug. It was probably before you died.
No matter. Father is waiting.
On second thought...nah.
You wink at Zag, say, "I think you'll be needing all the luck today," and run in the opposite direction.
The glee of doing something unexpected bubbles up inside of you and turns into laughter. Joy, even. You let out a sound of elation and snap your fingers. A portal opens; a way into one of the old temples, somewhere, somewhen.
You whisper, seemingly to the air, "You coming?"
You jump effortlessly through the doorway and slam it shut behind you.
The sunlight is disorienting for a moment, and you shield your eyes. The temple around you has long since crumbled, and nature has begun to reclaim its ground.
Outside, you can hear ocean waves and taste the salt in the air. This was Greece. Some version of it, anyway.
"Well," someone behind you says, voice smooth as honey, "YOU'RE new."
When you turn, there's another goddess behind you. You know, because you recognize this one. Or rather, one of their alternate reality counterparts. They all had the same, flaming red hair, though.
"Loki," you say.
She smiles. "Ah! You know me! Splendid. I, however, don't think I've ever had the pleasure."
You return her smile. It was rare to find a Loki who didn't introduce themselves by playing with your brain a bit first.
"Sorry, I've met so many of you before. I was sure you must know me. I am Tyche, Goddess of Fortune, at your service. Just on a bit of a holiday from my realm. How are things here?" you lie.
Loki smirks, and there's a glint in her eye. One that is giving you PTSD from your last encounter with one of them.
She says, "Perhaps you could be of assistance. We need all hands on, at the moment."
Internally, you wince. It wasn't a question.
Loki leans against one of the broken pillars and says, "There's something wrong with the Gates to Valhalla."
Their Valhalla is your Tartarus. It's just their universe's word for the afterlife. Your godsblood runs cold, because you know what's next.
"They won't open anymore. For any soul. So, the dead are just...everywhere. See for yourself."
You look out at the beach where she's pointing, and there are hundreds of ghosts.
"What's the plan?" you ask, still looking out at the lost souls. Most of them are wandering aimlessly, and it breaks your heart.
You still feel things. That's a good sign.
Some of the ghosts have noticed you, and now they're staring. Probably not a good sign.
"We've got to find the last dragon. Only she knows where the gnomes are hiding. They are great with portals. I bet they could crack it open, easy. Your luck could come in handy."
Tiebreaker vote.
"Not to alarm you or anything," you say, "But is it bad that some of the ghosts have noticed us?"
Loki shrugged. "Probably not. I mean, they can't really do anything to affect this realm. All they can do is talk at us."
Your brow furrows. You see some of the lost souls coming toward the ruins.
"Maybe they've seen things that could help," you suggest.
Loki grins. "See? You're helpful already! Let's go talk to some dead people."
"After you," you say, and your companion obliges, leading you out of the ruins.
"Ah," she remarks, "I recognize that one, over there. One of the Arcane I used to work with."
Surprisingly, the man she's walking towards looks familiar. You wince as memories not your own flash through your mind. Time and space and multiple realities, remixing and colliding. If the Great Magi is dead in this world...You shudder at the thought.
"Loki," you say as you walk beside her, "It can't be good that Merlin is dead. You do know who he is, right?"
"Of course I know," she laughed, "He was a good friend. He died saving his family, which I can't blame him for."
"But without him—" you start, but she cuts you off.
"I know. Dire consequences and all. I mean, we've already had those." Loki gestures to the mass of ghosts before you.
"Good point."
It's still troubling, though.
As you make your way through the throng of ghosts, they stare wordlessly. They know, instinctively, that you are connected to them. You feel their despair as your own, and it's bottomless.
Trying to climb out of it, you ask, "So, who is this dragon you mentioned? Are they really the last?"
Loki nods. "Her name is Caesura, and she's the last remaining Arygetlan from our Avalon."
Earths and Avalons were almost always connected.
"What destroyed them?" you ask.
"Who else? The Shadow. However, Caesura was able to defeat it here."
Your eyes widen. This was news. In other universes, nothing has been able to stop the darkness from devouring everything.
"Hope is a fool's errand," you hear your father say in the back of your mind.
But you are not your father.
There's a strange hum now, where his voice was a moment ago. Like something rooting around in your brain.
River J. Hopkins