Chapter forty one

Persephone choked out a cough as life returned to her body.  The words of the demon rang in her head like a cruel hangover. She kicked her feet out of her bed, her gaze set to the open door. As Persephone ran, She felt her legs buckle and her sight twist and turn like she had taken the wine of the gods but Persephone did not care. Her steps quickened and the more she thought about the little time the demon was giving Talia into her son's consciousness. The more her fear intensified.

  Persephone plunged hall to hall, forgetting which part was which before she finally stumbled on Talia's room. With power thrumming in her veins, Persephone pointed to the door half running.

"Shatter." She murmured and the beautiful blue coral doors cracked and flew across the room leaving an open space for her to go through.  She turned and saw Talia fast asleep in her bed, victim to the sleep demon's hold. She hated that she had to do this but she had no choice. Persephone bent down and picked up a jagged piece of coral that was sharp and long enough to cover as a knife. She squeezed unto the piece so hard that she felt a warm liquid coat her stinging hand. It was probably blood. Persephone's eyes widened as she paused right in front of Talia. The girl was innocent and now she had to die. The coral got heavier and the goddess' eyes clouded as she put the shard directly on Talia's neck. The girl was a demigod making her mortal. Being trapped in the dream direction, She would not feel the pain of her life leaving her. Persephone wished there was another way to go about it but she was comforted with the fact that the girl wouldn't feel the pain, the betrayal, and the ultimate truth. The shard went lower and just as it was about to slice Talia's neck open, Persephone heard someone speak.

"Why would a goddess want to kill an insignificant demigod?"

Persephone turned around and her hold on the coral loosened. It was a surprise to learn that someone else was awake and it wasn't just someone she could control. It was the son of a rivaling kingdom.

"You are awake." She muttered.

"The feeling is mutual, My Queen." He taunted as he approached her with the pride of a peacock. "But that isn't really what resides in your heart, you are wondering why I am awake. Perhaps you even freed Lilith from her prison so you could easily get away with...murder."

His accusation made Persephone's blood boil. Every minute her son was trapped with Talia, The closer the girl got to finding the truth. She had to finish what she came for.

"You know nothing about me child," Persephone shot back. In the back of her mind, She wondered how he had not succumbed to Murmur's wiles and why he was in Talia's bedroom almost as if he had been waiting for her. She did not have to prove a point but the child in front of her was the son of a goddess that resented her. If she was painted as a murderer in front of the major gods, It would wreak havoc on everything she had struggled to build. At the same time, She could not kill them both. She would very much be exposed then. Persephone was at crossroads but she was no quitter. "This girl here has managed to break the seal that has kept a powerful sleep demon with a personal vendetta from destroying the lives of everyone across this realm and the only way to lift this eternal sleep is... to kill her."

  Persephone felt her heart tighten. Her pride was hurt, her humanity had received a bashing unlike any other. If her beloved could see how much of a monster she had become, Would he still consider her the angel he fell in love with? Was this what Hades saw in her?

The boy clapped making Persephone wimp. Did he doubt her? There was a wicked smile plastered to his face as he spoke. "A liar and a murderer, It's no wonder the humans have turned to the new gods."

He disbelieved her. Persephone did not have time for this. Her grip on the shard tightened and she swiftly turned back to Talia to deal the finishing blow.

Suddenly, Persephone felt her hands stop just at the nape of Talia's throat. The more she tried to force the share in, her hands would not budge. It was almost like they were being controlled by an external force. Before she could register what was going on, her hands twisted, and soon enough, the coral shard was biting at her throat. Persephone's gaze darted to the boy and realization dawned on her. It was Yemoja's son.

"I'm sorry. I cannot let you do that." The boy stated, further coercing her to cut her throat.

It was a surprise for Persephone to learn that a demigod had mastery of a divine art that many lacked the knowledge of. Blood magic. As the blade kept searing into her flesh, Persephone noticed an opening. Gifted as the boy may be, Blood magic was not his fort. He was born of water and using a seed that wasn't his to bear took a toll on him. The moment he showed weakness, Persephone willed the shattered pieces of coral of the floor to levitate and immediately swatted it in his path. The commotion managed to lift his puppetry. Persephone immediately darted for Talia and made one last try to end the girl, this time, aiming the shard into her heart. Her hands stopped midair once again. Oba's puppetry was not over. She turned to him and felt an intense rage wash and consume her whole. He was bleeding from all sides and had shards of corals sticking out of him in several places. It was her doing and being a demigod, the boy was mortal.  As much as she wanted to end him right there, She figured there was little time left for him to leave. It gave her the strength to make him an offer.

"I can fix you. Let me kill her now and I promise you, You will live but if you refuse me, Your fate will come to you either way."

The boy cackled, refusing to relinquish his hold over Persephone. "I won't have to for long and my fate, well, I know I am going to live. After all, there should be no unforgivable sin on the nights of Mareel."

A loud screech followed. It was like the beautiful songs of the sirens and the room turned bright blue. Oba's hold over Persephone vanished and she saw the boy slumped to the ground. Persephone walked up to the open window right about the corner and looked outside. The teal color of the sea above them had vanished, replaced by a vibrant blue that sent a hue of ethereal white lights. Her hands trembled, finally letting go of the shard as she realized what would happen if she had killed Talia at that exact moment. Her gaze returned to the demigod slumped to the floor. But there was still a chance she had defiled the ritual. 

***
The room was shadowy and awfully quiet when Solomon stepped in.  He found Sybil crouched down, with her spell book opened and her gaze harmoniously glued to the inked writing on her book. She had the composure of a dove. On the surface, it did not look like she was planning something. Solomon couldn't even comprehend why he believed that god. So far, he was the only student who had acquired Talia's paternal heritage. An information that Talia herself lacked. But Solomon had to be sure. What did Sybil have in mind?

"Sybil, " Solomon called out, approaching her and taking a peek at her book. "We are... waiting for you."

"Somebody broke the seal," Sybil muttered, more to herself than him. "No one aside from Queen Persephone and Denys knew where it was."

"What are you saying?" Solomon asked, nervous.

Sybil appeared to be in a cloudy eyed daze as she spoke. "I went to Talia's room."

"Sybil, Talia is not responsible–" Solomon tried to say but he was cut short by Sybil's gruesome snap.

"I saw the book on her bed!" Sybil declared. "Dream walking. Explain to me how a Fae who is yet to master or perhaps even tap into her divine abilities is with a dark arts journal. A book so old it can only be an artifact inherited from a cradle witch."

"She is-"

Sybil continued, " Stop trying to defend her. A ring fae should not be able to cast dark spells and do you have the slightest ideas what a dream walking spell can do?" Without waiting for his reply, Sybil spewed on. "The caster can tap into the very mind of the victim and see their thoughts, their secrets. Have you given it a thought that maybe Talia isn't the innocent half-blood and using the pretty mask she has made all of you believe, she tapped into Persephone's head, drew out the location of the seal, and freed Murmur?"

"Why would she do that?"

Sybil's eyes filled with tears as she blurted; "Because she is in cohort with Hades, Her father."

Solomon hesitated. Sybil knew. Had she been aware all along? How in the world did she even get hold of that information? Considering she had possibly had the secret with her for a time longer than him, Solomon wondered why Sybil kept it from Talia.

Sybil slammed her book shut and rose to her feet to leave. Solomon swiftly pulled her by her arm and made her face him. His eyes looked grim as his lips pursed slightly to ask a damning question.

"You seriously do not believe that?"

For a few charged seconds they froze, glaring at each other, breathing hard. Solomon noticed Sybil's mood lift slightly. The look on her face was no longer anger but something between pity and respect. Her hands slumped down and she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. Then almost immediately she broke the kiss, stepping back and clutching her book of shadows tightly to her chest.

"You remind me of my brother, Storge and it is probably going to get you killed." She finally said.