Solar, Defeated (Oracle of Delphi #2.5), page 1
Solar, Defeated
Mythos: Stories from Olympus, Book One
By Diantha Jones
Published by Diantha Jones
Copyright 2012 Diantha Jones
This book is a work of fiction. The names, character, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Dedicated to Strafford lovers everywhere.
Get your fan-girl on.
WARNING:
This novella is to be read after reading Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise (Oracle of Delphi, Book TWO), as it contains spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk.
Before she changed my life forever, there was just me, Solar. Alone. Tortured. Defeated.
I. NOW—A PRINCE DEFEATED
I left so I wouldn't have to listen to her screams anymore.
I didn't have many personal possessions so it didn't take long to move it all into the villa. I hadn't brought a lot with me in the move from Dublin to the Irish countryside. The reason was simple. I hadn't wanted the material things of my past sitting around reminding me of how miserable my future was fated to be. What I didn't give away, I threw out. What I didn't throw out, I burned.
The move to the country was supposed to have made things better. It was supposed to have helped us forget all that we had lost, all that I had taken from us.
It didn't.
I had ruined our family beyond repair and shamed Apollo and my half-siblings. I had been disgraced by all of Myth. I was a Prince, but I had failed the kingdom. I was a coward and no one was prepared to let me forget that. I deserved this dismal, mortal existence that my actions had bought me, and I was doomed to live in this misery for the rest of my life.
For the last few years, I'd stayed close to her, my mother, thinking that at some point she would see my dedication to her and forgive me. I had even picked out this house near a Terra Gateway for her. I had hoped it would deliver her from her never-ending torments and give Ace, Felicity and Teagan their mother back. But that hadn't happened and I just couldn't stand being jolted from my sleep by her screams in the middle of the night anymore.
The villa was closer to the castle anyway. There was an old castle sitting at the back of the property, and though it was falling apart and uninhabitable, it was magnificent and half the reason I had purchased the land. I went there a lot to think and clear my head, so much that my younger brother, Ace, had started calling it 'my castle.' I wasn't worried about the thing falling in on my head either, not that anyone but Ace would care if it did. I kept clear of the most deteriorated parts and stuck to climbing the towers and camping out on their roofs at any and all hours of the day or night.
Once moved in, I left the villa as I found it: stark, white, and quiet. I refused to paint or hang any pictures. I had the minimum amount of furniture—a bed, a sofa, a table and an armchair. That was it. There was no television, no computer, no books, and no music. Definitely no music. I didn't own a sound system and I had smashed my guitar to bits years ago. We weren't a band anymore, so I hadn't seen any reason not to smash it. I hadn't struck a chord since.
Now I lay wasting away in my empty place, stomach roaring because I hadn't eaten a single morsel in the last twenty-four hours. I didn't care. My mind was preoccupied with what had happened, as was the case every single day I woke up to this nightmare. At some point, my grief had turned into depression, and my depression had morphed into a lifestyle. I just couldn't shake it, and to be honest, I was surprised I hadn't become as crazed as my ma.
Maybe I was. I mean, I could hardly call myself sane. I was barely a glimmer of what I had once been and I didn't see an ounce of redemption ahead of me. I had spent the last three years in unceasing torment that just wouldn't fade. It was my punishment. The Fates refused to let me feel alive again after what I had done and I couldn't blame them. My failure was unforgivable and had cost me everything. My mother, my siblings, my crown, my honor.
And Isolde. My sister, my twin, and my best friend. I gripped my chest as my heart started to hurt in the way that broken ones did.
There was a knock on the front door, a pause, and then Ace pushed inside. He had been stopping by more and more lately, now that he had gotten the sponsorship from Apollo to attend Plato's Academy in Olympus. Most of his stuff was packed and he would be leaving in a couple of weeks. Once again, Olympus was taking away someone else in my life and I was sure it had no plans of ever giving him back.
Stepping inside, Ace closed the door behind him, turned, and just stood there staring at me.
I didn't say anything because I wasn't exactly sure what would come out of my mouth. Company was the last thing I needed right now, but I wasn't going to throw my little brother out. I just wasn't positive I wanted to talk to him and I damn sure didn't want that bloody sandwich he had come to try and make me eat.
Still reclined across my bed, I threw my arm over my eyes and waited for him to speak his mind.
He finally did after several minutes. "Your garden looks like hell."
I said nothing. I didn't give a damn about any bloody garden and he knew it. It had been a lifeless bedlam of weeds and thorns all summer and would remain that way. Rest in peace.
"I could have the orphs fix it up a bit before I leave," he continued with a bit of enthusiasm. "Under my direction, o' course."
Ace was a healer (hence his celestial name of choice, Remedy), and kept a continued interest in all things flora. All he needed was the go-ahead from me and my villa would end up drowning in herbs and plants for him to use in his medicines.
"Wha's the point?" I mumbled.
If Ace had an answer for that, he didn't say it. Another bloated quiet filled the space.
"Bro?"
Slowly, I dragged my arm from over my eyes and looked at him. "Wha'?"
He stepped forward. "Will you eat somethin'?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Eat the sandwich anyway. For me."
Now I wanted to throw him out. I thought up a few ugly retorts, but instead of being an ass, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of my bed. Ace approached, handed me the roast beef sandwich on a plate, and sat down on the floor at my feet. He did that sometimes when I was in a foul mood, like he was scared to actually sit next to me or something.
Ace brought his knees up and draped his arms over them. He watched me take my first bite, swallow it, then he let me eat the rest without supervision.
"So, wha' are your plans for today?" he asked.
I tried not to roll my eyes. "Same as every day," I replied around a mouthful of sandwich. "Not a damn thing."
What the hell was I going to do? I wasn't a hero anymore, and other than a trip into Dublin now and then to get twisted at a few of my favorite pubs, I didn't really go anywhere. It wasn't like I needed to get myself a job either. Our mortal bloodline was a Family of Influence and we had more money than should be legal. We weren't just worth billions, we were worth generations. Our money was old and had been passed down through the centuries, every bill and every coin, payment for the services my family provided. And there really was no limit to what some mortals would pay for the services the Law Influentials of Ireland provided. We were set.
"I was thinkin' maybe we'd take Hyperion out today," Ace said. "You haven' taken him out in weeks and it's great flyin' weather today. Warm and windless."
I was shaking my head before he finished speaking. "No."
"Why not? You may like being locked up all day and night, but he doesn'. And you know wha'll happen if he stays cooped up for too long."
I groaned, hating that he was right. When Hyperion got bored, things got destroyed. "You have my permission to take him out then."
"But without you, right?" There was no need to reply to that question. Ace already knew the answer.
I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich and handed Ace the plate. "Thanks." Then I lay down again and tried to forget that he was there. He, of course, wouldn't let me.
"So I was thinkin'," he said, and I knew I wasn't going to like what came next. "I might stay on at the Academy and not come home for Winter Solstice." When I didn't say anything, he continued. "You always said Solstices were a blast, though not a good craic like the fourth Olympiad tha's comin' next summer, but still a fun time. I think Felicity wants to go too, but she goes to every Solstice."
I looked at him. "If you're fishin' for my approval, you'll never have it."
Ace nodded, knowing this, but it was clear my response still disappointed him.
"Why do you want to go?" I asked. Ace hadn't attended a single Solstice since he had been declared, even though he had had every right to. Part of me was excited that he would finally get to experience what I had year after year growing up. The other part of me, the selfish part, wanted him to come back home and be miserable with me.
My brother ran his hands over his buzzed black hair. "I've always avoided Solstice out of bro-love for you. I thought tha' if I jus' kept myself away from
Hearing these words, my chest immediately started to hurt again. Ace had finally given up on me, but I had known this day would come. Actually, I had expected it to come much sooner. Still, it hurt like hell and I didn't know what to say to him. So I said nothing. Turning away from my little brother, my eyes found the ceiling again and I stared at it, unblinking.
When neither of us spoke for an eternity, Ace stood and headed for the door. "I think I'll take Hyperion out now." I heard him stop walking. "You sure you don't want to come out with us?" And with that question, I knew Ace hadn't completely turned me over to my fate yet.
"Nah," I said, regardless, because that was just the kind of tragic prick I was. "I'm tired. I'm jus' gon' rest here for a bit."
Knowing 'a bit' meant he wouldn't see me until tomorrow when he would have to force me to eat again, Ace opened the door and left.
Right away, I wanted to close my eyes and sleep until my life was over. But who was I kidding? The sun was up and I never slept while the sun was up, even now. I hated it.
I remembered that it hadn't always been that way. When this first happened to me, I felt honored. The sun had truly become a part of me and was my greatest strength. Now it was just a way to remind me of what I used to be.
And what I would never be again.
II. THEN—A PRINCE'S FAVOR
8 Years Old
"Solar! Where are you?"
"Over here, Da! Check it out!" I took off running, quickly picking up speed as I pumped my arms and set my sights on the prize.
I had been in the courtyard of my father's palace, the Delphic Chateau, practicing flips-- back flips, front flips, and no-hand cartwheels--for hours. I had been flipping since I was three years old, but I had upgraded to flipping over things. I thought I had become pretty good at it, too. But this was the moment of truth. If I landed the flip I was about to attempt and impressed my father, then I would know that all of my efforts hadn't been wasted.
I picked a round, stone table as my target. On top of it sat my favorite sparring dummy, Theo, already partially hacked up. Approaching the table at supernatural speed, I pushed off with one foot, tucked in my legs, flipped twice, and as I uncurled my body, I sliced through Theo's neck with my sword. His head bounced away and I landed in a perfect crouch on the other side of the table.
My da clapped, a proud smile gracing his face. "Amazing! You impress me with your artistry, hero!" I grinned, bowed, sheathed my sword, then ran over to greet him. On the way, I scooped up the head and tucked it under my arm. I would ask Dr. Life or Cure to "heal" him later so I could hack it off again some other time.
As usual, my Greek god of a father looked more mortal than divine. His neat, black hair was thick and cut short, and though he changed his hairstyles as often as he changed his clothes, one constant was his eyes. They were the exact same crystalline blue that they had always been. They pierced my essence like a sword and every century my father had lived shined bright within them. Even at eight-years-old, I understood the power that lay behind those brilliant orbs, and that left me ever more awed.
My da didn't look too young, but he wasn't old either. It was all his choice. Gods could look however they wanted to look, and they took full advantage of it and changed appearances often. His clothes were modest: dress slacks and a collared shirt. But it made sense. He was a violinist in an orchestra, a mortal one, and that explained his conservative appearance and demeanor. My father's mood always seemed to reflect the type of musician he was. He had only been a violinist for a couple of years. Before that he had been "the main one" in some really popular boy band that broke up after only two cheesy, but extremely successful, albums.
"Sit with me," Da said, gesturing towards another table nearby. I obeyed and settled down to hear whatever my father had to tell me. I placed Theo's head next to me on the table.
"Your mother is going to have another baby soon," he said, sitting down next to me.
I grinned. "Really? Another boy?" True, I already had Ace, but he was just three years old, undeclared, and not much help against Isolde. My twin was a Sun child like me, a Princess, and could already kick my butt. She was stronger than me, much stronger, and the way I figured, I was going to need a lot of brothers on my side if I was going to have any chance at all of taking her on when we got older. She was only going to become more powerful and I cringed as I imagined what it would be like once we were teenagers.
"Sorry, Yie," my father said. Yie was a form of 'son' in Greek, and my father called me that all of the time. "It's a girl. We're going to name her Felicity."
I tried not to let my disappointment show and smiled anyway. "Tha's great. I can't wait."
Apollo smiled. "Neither can your mother, it seems. She's insisting that you and Isolde return to Ireland right away, even though Felicity won't be born until the eleventh day, three moon cycles from now."
It didn't surprise me one bit that he knew what day my new sister would be born. He was the god of Prophecy and could see the future of almost anyone, except the gods. Only an Oracle could do that and there hadn't been one for many, many years. Probably wouldn't be in my lifetime. Oracles were rare and typically born only once a century. Really sucked for us demigods, too. Only an Oracle could read our Kismets, the language of the Fates that told our futures. Da only saw what he saw. But with the Oracle, we could find out almost anything as long as we asked the right questions.
Oh, well. The chances of that ever happening were slim, so I tried not to think too much about it.
Da had called the day, and even the time, that Ace would be born. Same with Isolde and I. Not that it mattered to us much. Demigods didn't celebrate birthdays. Most half-breeds eventually forgot what day they were born on, and we were no exception. We knew our Zodiac signs, and to the gods that was all that mattered.
"Do you love my ma?" I asked, blurting out the question that I had been harboring ever since Ace had been born.
A brow rose on my father's face. "Why do you ask such a question, boy?"
I shrugged. "I guess it's jus' 'cause you're the only god tha' keeps havin' children with the same mortal." As young as I was, I understood that gods liked to have a variety of mortal lovers. Felicity would make demigod number four for my mother. Gods didn't do anything by accident.
"I love Siobhan very much," Apollo said, a strange gleam in his eye. "I've waited centuries for her."
I had no idea what that meant and didn't question him on it. I was stuck on the fact that he said he loved my mother. Gods didn't love often, if at all, and usually their love for mortals went as fast as it came. But I believed my father. I didn't know why I believed him, but I did. He loved my mother and we were each a product of that love. I practically glowed as I sat there absorbing this into my adolescent brain.
"I have a gift for you," Apollo said.
I perked up even more. I loved my da's gifts. "Wha' is it?"
My da held out his hand, there was a flash, and a dagger appeared in it. A flicker of disappointment shot through me. I had been hoping for Aor, the sword of Apollo. I had wanted the weapon from the moment he had told me the story of its creation during one of our study forums. He had made it clear that one day the sword and all of its powers would be mine. Every day I hoped that would be the day he gave it to me. But every day so far, I'd been disappointed.
The dagger, though, was amazing. It had a smooth black handle and a curved empyrean bronze blade with Greek letters etched across it. They spelled out "radiate," a word I had been claiming as my motto since I could talk. I loved it immediately and knew that nothing but death would ever make me part from it.
"It's of the finest quality, straight from Hephaestus' forge," Apollo said, handing it to me. "Treat it with the respect it deserves and it will serve you well on your mission."
My head snapped up. "Mission?" If he had truly said what I thought I heard, then it was a first. He was sending me on my first mission ever.
