Iridescence

CHAPTER ELEVEN

APOLLO

I was not okay. Not only had Eliza played a song I hadn't heard in millennia, but I suddenly couldn't stop wondering if the impossible was possible.

Kleia is dead, Apollo, I reminded myself. She has been for millennia. You couldn't save her, but she saved you...

I wanted to scream, or cry, or eat a tub of ice cream, or maybe do all three at the same time. Instead, I found myself lost in a flashback.

The battle against the God of Chaos, Apophis, was in full swing. Many deities had been killed, as had many of our allies. Somehow, he knew our secrets. There was a traitor amongst us.

Altheos had been trusted by all of the Gods. He was the son of Hades and Nemesis, but he'd been raised by Zeus and Hera and was always on the side of Good. He was practically one of my brothers. Even I had no idea he was secretly working with Chaos and trying to destroy us all. Most of us affectionately called him Theos, and we foolishly believed every lie uttered by his charming little tongue. Lying was perhaps his greatest gift, but he also had incredible power within him. His choice to help Chaos had drastically tipped the scales against us.

As more attacks were launched and more deities fell, Kleia took a deep breath and began gathering energy. I knew she was about to cast a powerful spell. She was the daughter of Polyhymnia and Aether, and she was both Muse and Goddess of Air and Light. I knew the kind of immense power she held within her. After all, I was in love with her. I had been for a few years, and dating her brought peace into my life unlike any I'd known before. I fully intended to ask her to be my official consort, but she was still young. Kleia was barely nineteen, which is nothing to an immortal.

As she unleashed her spell, she levitated high into the air. She blessed those of us who needed it, and she blasted Altheos with so much light it made him scream in pain. His power began to fade as her spell temporarily weakened him.

"Kleia!" I shouted, knowing this spell was too powerful for any one entity to cast alone.

She was radiating with power. Her own life force was fueling the spell. I had to stop her. This was too dangerous.

"Kleia, stop! It's too much!" I cried.

"I love you, Apollo," she whispered. The air itself carried her words to me.

"Kleia!" I cried again.

Altheos burst into flames. He screamed but no sound came out. I realized he wasn't getting any air. I was kind of impressed because Kleia was as gentle as they came and would never harm another, yet she was harming him to save the rest of us.

My moment of admiration for my beloved was interrupted as Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon worked together to attack the weakened Altheos. They rarely worked together back then, as Uncle Hades was still splendidly evil and loved proving it, but when it came to battling Chaos, we were all on the same side.

I watched as Hera joined the fight, doing a decent amount of damage to Altheos before Hephaestus stepped in and destroyed his sword. Altheos became enraged, but there wasn't much he could do.

Ares led the charge against Chaos as Athena oversaw the battle against Altheos. I stayed on him since Kleia was still weakening him and I was worried for her safety. Artemis stayed by my side, attacking the minions who came near us and tried to defeat us while we focused on the bigger threat.

Kleia was growing weaker. She was about to pull back when Altheos murdered another of our allies, snapping her neck. He immediately absorbed her powers of creating toxic plants with Earth magic. He sent a sharp vine straight at Artemis, and we all knew the vine would fill her with a poison that could kill even a deity.

I dove in front of my sister, taking the blow right to my chest. Kleia's eyes widened in horror. "Apollo!" She screamed. She wrapped the energy of a healing spell around me. I could feel her lending me strength to survive long enough for an antidote to be given to me.

"Kleia, no... You're too weak," I protested, barely able to get the words out.

Artemis loosed an arrow right into Altheos's chest. It was dipped in the same poison he'd just used on me. He went down hard.

"Hades, put your bastard down!" Zeus cried.

"I wanted to do that the moment he was born, but no one ever listens to me!" Hades replied. He began casting a death spell.

Hera looked away. Aphrodite had tears in her eyes, but they both knew Altheos had betrayed us and it was far too dangerous to allow him to survive.

The death spell failed. Hades almost destroyed himself, but Zeus and Poseidon held onto his energy and kept him from dying.

We were screwed. I was positive we were all going to die, but then an unexpected ally joined us. As the ground began to shake, Gaia rose up. A forest bloomed around us. Vines wrapped around Altheos, trapping him.

Hermes gave me the antidote and I began to recover. Chaos had fled at some point, and Ares swiftly approached us with a sword that was raised and dripping with blood. He glared at Altheos. "Traitor!" He shouted before severing his head. Artemis loosed another arrow into his chest. I called the Sun and burned his remains. Hades cast a second death spell on the ashes, and finally, we knew Altheos had been destroyed.

I couldn't focus on that as Kleia screamed and fell from the sky. "Kleia!" I shouted. I tried to catch her, but she hit the ground before I could reach her. She was unconscious and barely breathing. I held her in my arms and wept, begging her not to die.

"Apollo... She's in a coma, my brother," Hermes told me gently. "She psychically fried herself with that spell..."

"I'll heal her," I insisted. "You and I can do it together."

"Apollo, she's unlikely to wake up... I'm sorry."

"No. You're wrong," I said firmly.

"Nephew..." Hades began.

"Don't," I replied.

"Apollo, she knew what she was doing. She sacrificed herself to save us... To save you. She won't wake back up. There isn't enough of her life force left to survive." He paused, softening slightly. "I'm truly sorry. She was a lovely girl."

"She's still breathing! There's still hope!"

"My son, listen to me," Zeus said. He rarely called me that. "She's gone. We've lost her."

"She can still wake up," I insisted stubbornly.

"No," Morpheus said sadly. "She cannot. Her body is too weak now."

I remained in denial for three days. I sat, holding her hand, refusing to let her go the entire time. Finally, she faded away to nothing and I knew she was gone. I refused to move, clinging to the place where she'd been.

It took Artemis to get through to me. She sat by my side and whispered, "Brother, she is gone, but you are not. Do not let her sacrifice be for nothing. Live, Apollo. That is the only way to honor her."

I cried in my twin's arms for a while before I tried to make myself stand up. I couldn't. My legs gave out.

Silently, Poseidon picked me up and carried me away.

I snapped out of the unwelcome flashback. Kleia is dead, I thought again. She was one of the many people destroyed during the battle against Chaos. She doesn't exist anymore.

But if that was true, how had Eliza played one of her songs? There was no way she could have known that melody unless...

I shook my head. It was impossible. There must be a logical explanation for it.

"Apollo? Are you alright?" Poseidon asked in concern.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I need to talk to Hades."

"It must be bad if he's the one you're going to."

I walked toward Hades, who was keeping to himself as Artemis began talking to the girls. "May we speak for a moment, Uncle?" I asked.

Hades looked surprised. "I suppose," he replied.

"Is it possible Kleia still exists?" I asked before I could lose my nerve.

Hades sighed. "Apollo, I thought you were past this," he said sadly. "Kleia fried herself and destroyed her own life force to save us. I'm sorry, but she cannot be fixed. She is gone."

The words were like a knife to my chest even after all this time. "Is there any chance you were wrong? Could she have survived somehow?"

"Of course not. I would have told you!"

"You were highly evil back then."

"Apollo, I liked Kleia. She never judged me or treated me as the enemy. She gave me a chance to prove I wasn't what everyone thought. If I could have saved her, I would have done everything in my power to make that happen."

I believed him. "I guess a series of odd coincidences is messing with my head," I replied.

"They aren't coincidences," Morpheus said softly as he joined us.

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

"Come, Apollo. We should talk." He motioned for me to follow him.

Morpheus led me deep into the woods before he began to speak again. "There is something I never told you, Apollo," he began.

"What is it?" I asked.

"When Kleia fried herself, a small part of her consciousness survived. I kept that part in my realm, where she could dream for eternity and be safe."

"Morpheus, how could you not tell me she was alive?" I demanded.

"She wasn't alive. The shred of her I kept safe was too weak to revive her body. She could no longer exist in the waking world. Telling you that would have only hurt you. It would be torture to know a tiny piece of her existed but you could never see her. I am not cruel."

"Could we have strengthened her and fixed her?"

"No. She was broken and there was no way to reverse the damage."

I let that sink in and tried to resist the urge to hit him. I knew he really was just trying to protect me and he'd done the only thing he could do for Kleia.

"You said this isn't a coincidence. What did you mean?" I asked.

"I do not know how, but the piece of Kleia I rescued must have attached itself to the energy of a new soul," he explained. "I believe she reincarnated, Apollo... And based on her dreams, I believe she became Eliza."

I had already suspected that much, but hadn't quite let myself hope. "You're telling me that Eliza is Kleia?" I repeated.

"No," Morpheus replied. "I am telling you that Eliza was Kleia. She is an entirely different person now, Apollo. She has only begun to catch the briefest of glimpses into Kleia's life and she doesn't understand them. She has not connected to her. She believes these are your memories. You must tread carefully, Apollo. Eliza recovering Kleia's memories may put her in terrible danger."

"We defeated Chaos and Altheos was destroyed. What possible danger could she face? Everyone else adored Kleia."

"Altheos was a tricky being, Apollo. Part of him may have also found a way to survive. If he did, he will target Eliza."

"I'll protect her."

"Apollo-"

"I couldn't save Kleia, Morpheus, but I won't lose her again. I will keep Eliza safe with all that I have."

"Apollo, Morpheus, the girls are ready for you," Hermes said as he appeared.

"Hermes, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

"I came to deliver a message from Zeus, but I decided to stay and watch the training session. It seemed like fun."

"Who was my sister's surprise guest?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Morpheus and I followed Hermes back to the girls. I was mildly surprised to see that Hecate had joined them.

"Hecate is here to teach the girls magic," Artemis explained. "Not magic based in their elements, but general spell casting."

Faith's eyes lit up in excitement. "Awesome!" She declared.

"Double, double, toil and trouble..." Krissy joked.

"This is going to be fun," Vanessa decided.

"I don't think my parents will approve of me learning spells," Jenna said with a sigh. "They're Catholics. I hate keeping secrets from them, but I guess I don't have a choice."

"Spells are kind of like prayers," Eliza replied. "They're just a little more elaborate."

"Have you cast a spell before?" Jenna asked in surprise.

"I consider myself spiritual more than religious, and I incorporate a lot of Pagan practices into my life," she admitted shyly.

"Nice! I'm a Witch, too," Faith said. "My button's not just a joke."

Emily remained silent, as usual. She'd already shown a talent for spell casting and I had to wonder where she'd learned it.

"I want each deity to stay with their student and help them master this new skill," Artemis explained. "Magic is inside of all of the girls, but each comes to it in a different way. They're used to being mentored by the rest of us, so it should help them learn a little easier if we work with them."

"Does that mean you'll work with someone, too?" Faith asked. "I volunteer!"

"I will oversee all of the training, so I'll be working with each of you," Artemis replied.

"I can't wait." Faith winked at her.

Dear Gods of Olympus, that girl doesn't stop, I thought with a laugh.

Artemis ignored Faith, but I could tell it took some effort. It was obvious my sister was fond of her, although even I couldn't tell in what way. Artemis kept her emotions hidden well, and it was possible she didn't even know what she felt yet.

I kind of hoped Faith would keep flirting with her. It might be nice to see Artemis fall for someone, and Faith would certainly keep things interesting.

As Hecate began to teach the girls some of the basic principals of magic, I noticed Eliza paying close attention. She seemed eager to learn something that wasn't about violence. After teaching the girls to cast a basic calming spell, Hecate had them practice on their own.

I smiled as Eliza cast the spell. She was very focused as she recited the chant.

"I am focused, I am strong. Sacred words become a charm. To find peace, I sing this song. The Goddess keeps me safe from harm," she chanted. She repeated it three times as she watched the flame of her white candle dance, and I could tell it was working.

Hecate joined us and smiled at Eliza. "Excellent, Eliza," she said. "You seem significantly calmer than you were before."

"Hecate... May I try something?" Eliza asked politely.

"Of course. What is it?"

Eliza took a deep breath and focused. "Light, Light, I summon thee... Fill this place with energy... Pure of heart, I sing with glee... Fear and woe, I banish thee!"

The sun began to shine brighter, and I realized Eliza was glowing with light. It spread beyond her, touching the other girls and deities. They turned to look at her. Even Ares looked calm, which almost never happened.

"Where did you learn that chant?" I asked her.

"It just came to me... I've always been good at making up lyrics and chants on the spot," she replied a bit shyly.

"I'm the daughter of the Muse of Sacred Hymns," Kleia told me with a shy smile. "I've always been good at making up lyrics and chants on the spot."

As the brief memory flashed in my mind, I stared at Eliza, and any lingering doubts I had vanished.

"Kleia..." I whispered.

Hecate turned toward me and nodded. "I see it, too," she told me softly. "Apollo, be cautious."

"What is it?" Eliza asked. "Have I said something wrong?"

"No, sweet Eliza," I replied. "We need to talk privately... After training ends."

As Hecate brought the girls together again to learn a basic protection spell, I tried to keep myself calm. Artemis noticed my nerves and approached me. "What's wrong?" She asked softly so no one else could hear us.

"Kleia," I replied just as softly.

She looked at me sadly. "Oh, Apollo... Is it getting bad again?" She knew I'd been haunted by nightmares after Kleia's death. They came less frequently now, but I did still have them.

"No, it's not that," I said. "Artemis... I think Kleia reincarnated."

"I thought she was destroyed."

"Morpheus said part of her lingered in the dream realm... And I think..." I paused. I might as well say it. "I think she came back as Eliza."

Artemis looked appropriately startled. She watched Eliza thoughtfully for a few moments. "Yes," she admitted. "There are many similarities between them. It's possible... But are you certain?"

"Not only did she say something to me that Kleia once said, but earlier, she played me one of Kleia's favorite songs."

"Gods of Olympus..." She mumbled. "Apollo, if you're right, then-"

"She's in danger. At least, that's what Morpheus thinks."

"You have to tell her."

"I intend to." I paused. "Sis... I was starting to develop feelings for her before I knew about this."

"I know that, Brother. It was obvious in the way you looked at her."

"Are you mad?"

"No. How can I be if she is truly Kleia returned? She was your consort."

"Unofficially. We never participated in the consort binding ritual and I never married her."

"You would have. I have no doubt of that."

"I would have," I admitted. "May I admit something to you without fear of you mocking me?"

She considered that. "You get one freebie," she decided.

"I'm terrified, Artemis... I lost Kleia. I couldn't save her... And now she's back, but she doesn't remember our past together. I love her with everything I have, but Eliza is so young. She's still a teenager, and she is only beginning to come into her powers. I don't want to frighten her. What if she rejects me?"

"Are you finished?" Artemis asked.

"I think so."

"She'll be alright, Apollo. Now that I know who she was, I have a better idea of how to train her. You will also be able to help her through this."

I took a deep breath. "Help me keep her safe. Please."

"Kleia was far stronger than you are giving her credit for. Eliza will be as well. Now, return with me to the training area. She will need your help."

We returned to the others. I forced myself to focus, knowing I would have to tell Eliza the truth once the session was done. Whatever happened next, there would be no turning back.