Iridescence

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

FAITH

I was full of rage. In fact, in that moment, rage was basically all I had left. As we arrived at the sanctuary, I helped Apollo lift Liana out of the van.

"We can bury her here and return her to the Earth without any unnatural chemicals within her," Artemis said. "The shell she leaves behind will nourish the Earth as her spirit moves on."

I sighed. "I don't know how I feel about that, but going green is good, right?" I replied. "And it's that or I burn her... And I don't want to do that."

"Help me prepare her," Artemis said. She produced a bowl of water and a wash cloth. I had no idea where they came from. Apollo politely turned away as Artemis began to gently wash Liana's face.

"Why are we cleaning her up?" I asked softly as I took a second wash cloth and helped clean Liana's body.

"This act was traditional in Ancient Greece. It's a way to cleanse her of what happened, and it's also a sign of respect," Artemis replied. She began singing a mournful song softly as she continued to cleanse Liana's body. I was surprised by how beautiful her voice was. I suspected she didn't sing in public often. Her brother was the God of Music, not her. Still, her voice was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.

We worked together, and soon, Liana was clean. Clean, but still dead. It didn't make me feel much better, but it still felt like we'd done the right thing.

Artemis anointed Liana's body with oil before placing a wreath on her chest. I watched as she pulled out a small silver coin. "This is Charon's obol," she explained. "It's used to pay the ferryman who guides the dead to the Underworld." She carefully placed the coin inside of Liana's mouth before gently closing it.

Somehow, that made it all feel more real. I looked at my friend and realized this was it. She was actually dead. We were sending her on to whatever came next. I took a deep breath and forced myself to remain strong even though part of me wanted to cry.

You don't get to cry, I thought. Not now. Not here. And not until this battle ends. Only then can you stop and grieve.

Artemis touched the ground. "Persephone," she said. "I require your assistance."

A hole opened in the earth. I watched in fascination as the dirt moved aside. Artemis looked at me and said, "If you wish to say something, do it now."

"I love you, Liana," I said softly. "Thank you for being the best almost-sister anyone could have asked for. I promise you, he won't get away with this." I touched her forehead a final time.

Apollo and Artemis nodded at each other, seemingly communicating silently. Apollo began chanting in what I assume was Ancient Greek. Artemis chanted something complimentary. Their words wove together, creating a perfect song. I felt their blessings in the air as they gently moved Liana into the hole.

Liana's body would be safe. No predator, human or animal, would be able to get near her. Somehow, I understood that was what their chants were meant to do. The energy they raised brought me a small amount of peace.

You don't deserve peace, I scolded myself. You shouldn't have peace until she has been avenged.

I was confused, feeling disconnected from my own thoughts. It was almost as if I wasn't the one thinking them, like I was both myself and someone else simultaneously... And that someone else was really pissed off, and really intense.

"This maiden has fallen," Artemis said in English, which snapped me back into awareness. "May she be safely wrapped in the arms of the Earth Mother."

The ground mended itself, covering Liana's body and making it look as if a hole had never been there at all. Hundreds of flowers grew before my eyes, weaving together in a beautiful pattern as they bloomed.

Thank you, Persephone, I thought. Liana deserves to be surrounded by beauty now...

I looked at Artemis and Apollo and asked, "Is she here with us? Can she hear me?"

"Spirits usually hear their loved ones," Apollo replied, "but death isn't our area of expertise. I can't say whether or not she's with us right now."

"You two can't see spirits?"

"We can see some spirits, but if they choose not to show themselves, then they can hide from us," he explained patiently.

"Hades... What about Hades? Can he find her?"

"If he can't, then he sucks at his job." Apollo offered me a sad smile.

"Yo, Hades! I need to see you!" I said, throwing my arms into the air to demand his attention.

"That's not the proper way to summon him, Faith," Artemis said in a gentle tone. "It won't work."

"It would totally work for Hermes," Apollo added, "but Hades is much more formal."

"Hades! I mean it! I need to talk to you!" I insisted, ignoring them both.

Before they could say anything else, a dark cloud appeared. Hades stepped out of it, not setting foot inside of the invisible barrier I sensed surrounded the sanctuary. He studied me curiously, looking more surprised than annoyed that I'd demanded he show up.

"I cannot enter, Faith," he said gently. "Artemis determines who does and does not cross onto this land."

"I don't allow males here," Artemis explained.

"Apollo can enter," I pointed out.

"Artemis likes to pretend I'm her sister," Apollo joked. "Besides, I can only enter when she decides to allow it. I have to be with her."

I moved closer to Hades. "Is she here?" I demanded.

He studied me in confusion for a moment before he seemed to understand. I guess he sensed the touch of death on me. "I'm sorry, Faith," he replied. "I do not sense her."

"You're Hades! What do you mean you don't sense her? Where is she?"

He hesitated. "Altheos did this?" He asked Apollo.

"Yeah. Chaos confirmed it," Apollo replied.

"Chaos did what?" Hades demanded.

"Calm yourself, Hades," Artemis said sharply. "He made it clear he was uninvolved and has no intention of changing that, then left."

Hades nodded before turning toward me. "Your friend's soul has not crossed into my domain, but she is not here, either," he explained.

"What happened to her?" I asked, trying not to let my inner foster kid kick the crap out of the God of the Underworld.

"Faith, Altheos was, regrettably, my son," he reminded me.

"Yeah, I know. So what?" I asked.

"He has power over the dead. If your friend is not here, and is not in my domain, she is almost certainly with him."

I felt like my entire body was on fire as I lost control of my rage. That was because it actually was. Apollo let out a cry of surprise as Hades jumped away from me.

I was made of fire and nothing else. It felt oddly natural. I felt stronger as I allowed myself to give in and just burn.

In an instant, a thousand memories flooded my mind. They weren't mine, and yet... They were. I was startled as I realized I was not in control of my body anymore.

"I'll destroy him!" I screamed. "I'll torch him until he begs for mercy and then torch him some more! Altheos will pay for this!" I burned brighter. The fire felt so good.

"Faith-" Hades said cautiously.

"By the power of every flame, every ember, I will end that bastard! And it shall be fun!" I laughed manically. I was pretty sure I'd lost my mind, but I didn't care.

Artemis stared at me with obvious concern. "Faith?" She asked cautiously.

I looked into her eyes and heard myself reply, "Not exactly, Gorgeous."

She paled significantly. "Tana..." She whispered.

I smiled and asked, "Want to slaughter this guy with me? It'll be just like old times!"

Artemis did something I hadn't expected; she started to cry. I was immediately concerned. Hades looked terrified, like the world might end. I can't say I blamed him.

Apollo moved closer to his twin. He didn't touch her, but his natural light grew stronger and wrapped around her. This seemed to comfort her.

After a few moments, Artemis pulled me into a very tight hug. The talisman Tana had given her so long ago protected her from my fire, and I relaxed in her arms. Soon, my body returned to normal. My heart stopped feeling like it was going to escape from my chest. I inhaled and exhaled slowly until Tana settled into me. It was like we finally reached a level of mutual cooperation, and I could function again.

I had her memories. I had her powers. And I had her love for Artemis in addition to my own. I kissed the tears off of her cheeks.

"I should have told you," I said. "I loved you... I understood that love was more than friendship, but I was waiting for you to come into it on your own."

"I loved you, too... I just didn't understand the way it had deepened," she replied. She paused before asking, "How much do you remember?"

"Everything," I replied. "I can access everything Tana knew now... Her memories are my memories, and I know I can do a lot more with my powers than I realized. I know how to control all of my powers now."

"Athena said it's possible that all of your souls will fully awaken due to trauma... It seems that was true for Eliza and for you. I am hoping the others will be spared, but I have my doubts."

I didn't like that idea. "Eliza watched her mom get murdered. A friend who was like a sister to me got killed by Altheos and now he has her soul. We can't let anyone else who's close to us get killed just because they know us," I said. "Can't we unlock our souls in some other way?"

"Psyche might be able to help, but I can't guarantee it. The trauma makes you all stronger. It may be a requirement to obtain deity level."

"Bring her to us, Artemis. We have to try. We can't let more innocent people die for a war they have no part in."

"She's right," Apollo agreed. "If we can spare the girls this pain, we must try."

Hades tensed then. "What is it, Hades?" I asked.

With a sigh, he replied, "I'm afraid it's already too late for that... I sense death. A single death that will traumatize three of the girls at once."

"Three? Which three?" I demanded.

"That is not for me to know, Faith. I simply feel it coming."

"Then prevent it." I felt like I was about to burst into flames again.

Artemis gently touched my arm. "Breathe, Faith," she said soothingly. "You must focus. Do not let your concern for the others send you back into a rage."

"We can't just stand back and let someone else die!" I protested.

"Sometimes, things must be left to happen as they are meant to," Apollo said gently. "This has been set in motion for a reason. We must allow it to play out."

"That's crap!" I shouted. I refused to accept that there was nothing we could do to prevent more tragedy from unfolding.

"Faith, Apollo is the God of Prophecy. If he says we must let this happen, then we must," Hades said firmly.

I wanted to scream at all of them. Instead, I took off running, determined to find my friends before anything else catastrophic could happen.