Ananke: Primordial God, page 13
I whimpered. Kitty! Help!
I can’t Bets. You need to do this yourself. Trust me.
Moirai, I need you! HELP!
An overwhelming sense of panic took over, so I called out to Shadow.
Shadow, please help. I need you. Matis, if you can hear me. Please.
I felt someone in the darkness respond, which pulled me back from the all-consuming sense of doom. The crushing pressure of my power lessened. For a second, I was aware of my surroundings.
Aton and Ivius struggled to carry me, fighting against my energy. There was an unnatural silence in the air, and darkness descended. It wasn’t night, but it wasn’t day either, like an eclipse but darker.
“Do something,” Aton said through gritted teeth, like he was pushing against an unseen force.
“What did you want me to do? Just like you, I’m powerless against it,” Ivius snapped.
“We can’t go much further. We need help,” Aton grunted.
I tried to move, but I was paralyzed from the pressure of the energy flowing through me.
“Can you hear me? Please help.” I begged the darkness. Not knowing who Matis was, but he felt like someone I could trust.
Don’t worry, Betty. You’ll be okay. The sound of his rhythmic voice felt soothing. My breathing settled, and my heartbeat slowed as I laid my trust in the three men before I ultimately gave in to my power.
Chapter 14
Matis
I had been drawn to the weird human from the moment she got to the island.
I preferred to stay in the shadows rather than mingle with the other gods, but as soon as I felt her presence, I’d been up to the surface more times than I’d been since I got here a couple of years ago. However, I kept to the shadows, especially when the Moirai were around, knowing my cover wouldn’t fool the fates.
Surprisingly, the human could also feel my shadow. Only a handful of gods could feel my presence. Those were usually the powerful ones.
I could have sworn that familiar of hers could also sense me, and she almost caught me twice, especially after the one close incident inside their chambers. Since then, I stayed clear and only lurked outside. I already felt like a creep, so it was probably best to set boundaries.
At first, I only wanted to find out if she was a threat to my kind. With her unique powers, I needed to know how to warn the others. However, she kept talking to me and even sought me out, and when she called me, I couldn’t ignore her summons. It was like she had a hold on me, adding to her mystery.
Like the idiots Aton and Ivius, I suspected she was a Titan. However, after she’d healed the godling, I guessed she was much more.
There was something about her that even Aton and Ivius couldn’t deny. I was also wary of what she was doing to us. She wasn't conscious of it, but I didn’t trust her. No gods could be trusted, especially if they weren’t from the Underworld since no other gods wanted anything to do with us. However, I’d seen how she treated the minor gods and the Titan.
She seemed too good to be true, and hope was something I couldn’t afford. Trust was the death sentence for the underworld gods.
I didn’t dare show myself to her.
I couldn’t trust her until I felt her powers at the beach, and I knew then what I needed to do. The proof I needed was bursting out of her.
When she reached out to me, I almost lost my shit. Her voice, reaching out to me, tugged at my core. Those few words had tethered our fate together.
Aton strutted around the sanctuary, confident that he was the most powerful godling, but I knew he was threatened by Ivius. That was why he kept him close. He didn’t count me as his rival because I wasn’t part of the godling society pretending I didn’t exist.
The gods above ground were terrified of the power from the underworld and didn’t bother to gain knowledge of what we could do. Therefore, they were at a disadvantage. They assumed we were weak, but that was where they were wrong. They also believed our powers were evil, but just like theirs, powers were neither good nor evil. It was up to us how we used them.
The two pricks almost shit their pants when I appeared. Then they both glared at me and faced me together.
“What do you want, Matis?” Ivius asked.
“Go away. We got this,” Aton said.
I didn’t have time to argue with them. However, I was impressed that they were willing to protect Betty. Not so much with Ivius as he seemed taken by Betty. But I didn’t think self-serving Aton would stick out his neck for anyone besides himself. Nonetheless, I had no choice but to take them to my lair. As much as I hated revealing anything to the other two, Betty didn’t have time. The power coming off her was too strong for her human body.
My place was coated with volcanic rock and other minerals that could contain godly powers. It was built specifically for someone like me who had unstable powers.
We watched her helplessly for several hours, but her powers continued to burst out of her. I paced the room and glanced at the tiny cracks in the ceiling, unsure how much longer it would hold.
“You’ve been pacing for the past half hour. Will you tell us what’s going on?” Aton stood in front of me, blocking my path. I considered knocking him out, but the lair wouldn’t be able to sustain any more damage before it gave out.
“My lair wasn't meant to contain a Primordial. Let alone an original,” I said dismissively, then resumed pacing, trying to rack my brains on what to do next.
“What did you say?” Now it was Ivius’ turn to block my path.
I took a deep breath, trying for patience. If it wasn’t for Betty, I would have tried to pull the life force out of these two irritating godlings. “You heard me,” I growled.
“Yes. We did. Why didn’t you say she was an OP, to begin with?” Ivius asked.
I cocked a brow. “Didn’t you know? And enlighten the room if you have a better plan.” I didn’t admit that I had only recognized the energy at the beach, and the recent large burst confirmed she was not only a Primordial but an original.
When no one spoke, I chuckled darkly. “I didn’t think so.”
“Hey, asshole. We’re all trying to help, so drop the attitude.” Aton stepped forward.
Ivius stepped between us with his hands outstretched. “We don’t have time for this. She doesn’t have time for this.”
“He’s right.” Aton crossed his arms and studied Betty. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, “What happens if she separates from her human body?”
Ivius and I stared at him like he was losing his mind.
He raised his hand. “No. Hear me out. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve thought of wanting to smite the irritating human, especially when she flung me over the ocean and my lightning was like pretty fireworks to her. Then her damn familiar kept stealing my private stuff. But I couldn’t deny we have a connection, so don’t question my motives. What I’m trying to say is we know nothing about OPs. What if they were meant to separate from their human shell?”
“It looks painful. I don’t know what to do. Where’s her familiar?” Ivius said with discomfort.
I closed my eyes and tried to reach for Betty. She’d spoken in my mind once. Maybe we could do it again. Betty, can you hear me?
Nothing.
“I don’t know.” Was he right?
What if he was right, and I was preventing something that she needed?
Betty took a shaky breath in. The lair shook from the amount of pressure coming from her. We had been shielding, but I was getting weaker, and so were the two. I stepped towards her, ready to bring her to the surface, when I felt an intrusion in my lair.
Do not even think about it. The large panther spoke directly to my thoughts based on the two godlings’ expressions. She did the same to them.
“Where were you?” Aton asked.
“Finally.” Ivius sighed.
Betty and I are one. I am never too far. However, she needs to do this on her own. I will only step in when necessary, like the asinine idea of separating her from her human shell. She would have returned in another form if she didn’t need her human shell. We returned to this form for a reason. The fates and I are always around. Remember that. With those last words, the giant black panther disappeared.
“What the…” Ivius gaped at the spot the familiar occupied just a moment ago.
“Yeah,” Aton agreed, clearly shaken by the warning.
“Okay, let’s think. An OP is here. Why is she here?” I regarded the two and waited for a response.
“Last time she came back was because of Chaos. I’ve heard of my father talking about some gods going missing,” Aton said.
“Ananke had used a human shell in the past.” Ivius stood next to Aton. Both of them wore serious expressions. “We agree she’s Ananke, right?”
We nodded. There were only three OPs, Chaos, Ananke, who went by many names, and Khronos.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to draw the attention of the Moirai, so let’s not fuck this up,” I added.
“What do you recommend?” Ivius crossed his arms and frowned.
I know we were on the same page since the gods feared the fates.
“What does that make her? She created them, after all. Even the Moirai fear her.” Aton nodded towards Betty.
“I know. But can you walk away?” I dared both of them. I knew they felt the same pull as I did. The three of us were tangled in her web now, so we had no choice but to see this through.
The two shook their heads.
“Exactly. So let’s figure out what we’re supposed to do. This is a test.”
“Why do you say that?” Ivius’s brows drew together.
“It makes sense. Her familiar wouldn’t leave her, and the Moirai would step in if it was important. We’re supposed to do something.” Aton paced.
“Why couldn’t the familiar just tell us?” Ivius’s voice grew louder in the end, and he spoke to the room as if he was calling to the panther.
I wished it were that easy, but I assumed we needed to do this voluntarily. Just like everything in our lives. It was always some sort of fucking test to prove we were worthy.
The three of us were silent for a moment, deep in thought. The lair shook once more; this one lasted longer than the rest. It felt like an earthquake, but I knew it didn’t originate from the ground. It was coming from Betty. Her power flowed out of her in waves, and the lair had trouble containing the pressure.
We randomly talked about what we knew about Betty, sharing hints she might let slip from our interactions with her leading up to this incident.
“Tell me what she said again?” I asked with my chin resting on my clasped hands.
“I told you, at first, she asked if I was using my power to entice her,” Ivius said with slight irritation in his voice. “Then, at the beach, I thought she was just horny and was running away because of it.”
“You always think everyone wants to fuck you,” Aton shot.
I jumped up from my seat, my mind racing.
“What is it?” Ivius asked
“What?” Aton demanded.
“Shut up. I’m trying to think,” I snapped at them, who were hot on my heels as I paced frantically, pausing now and then to stare at Betty’s form on my bed. Then I stopped right by her feet. The other two stood next to me, their eyes glued to me.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, reaching for her exposed leg with a shaking hand. She needed an anchor.
Aton clutched my hand, stopping it from touching Betty. “What is it? What aren’t you telling us?”
I glanced at this hand on mine and then at Betty, still in shock. “Her human body can’t sustain the essence of an OP.” I pulled my hand from his. “Her familiar is the excess of her essence. But her frail human body still can’t sustain the power of an OP, so she needs anchors—and I think that’s what we need to do. We need to anchor her essence to the human vessel. When her powers become too overwhelming for her, we need to help anchor them to her human body.”
“Holy fuck,” Ivius whispered.
“How do we do that?” Aton asked.
“Not sure. I'm just following my instincts.” I shrugged.
“Okay, I don’t know why we were chosen for this, but here we are, and my intuition tells me you’re right.” Aton nodded.
“Me too.” Ivius agreed, who stood on the left side of the bed while Aton moved to the right.
I glanced at the two godlings in surprise. Who would have thought that the two most powerful and conceited godlings in the sanctuary would put their trust in a dark god like me?
“Okay, on three. One, two ...” We all shared a look, and without saying three, we grabbed a limb. As soon as we touched her, the energy flowed into us. My muscles locked up, and I could see the other two do the same. The sheer force of her power had me frozen in place, unable to move. It felt like every molecule in my body was being torn apart, but I didn’t fight it. I opened myself to it and allowed the energy to take what it needed. Her energy continued to slam into us, but it was like we adjusted to its force, and it no longer felt uncomfortable.
Something inside of me clicked—settled. Something I had been trying to achieve since I got to the island. I felt at peace and in control. The fragile bond I shared with Betty solidified and formed like another limb. It was a part of me.
I also sensed a bond with Aton and Ivius, my bondmates—they were now closer than blood. I opened my eyes and met their gaze.
A newfound respect and understanding passed between us. We stood unmoving, knowing that we weren’t done. Her energy still felt erratic. Like it still needed something. She gasped and sucked in a deep breath and sat up with her eyes wild.
“Not again,” she moaned, then dropped her head back.
My place was coated with volcanic rock and other minerals that could contain godly powers. It was built specifically for someone like me who had unstable powers.
We watched her helplessly for several hours, but her powers continued to burst out of her. I paced the room and glanced at the tiny cracks in the ceiling, unsure how much longer it would hold.
“You’ve been pacing for the past half hour. Will you tell us what’s going on?” Aton stood in front of me, blocking my path. I considered knocking him out, but the lair wouldn’t be able to sustain any more damage before it gave out.
“My lair wasn't meant to contain a Primordial. Let alone an original,” I said dismissively, then resumed pacing, trying to rack my brains on what to do next.
“What did you say?” Now it was Ivius’s turn to block my path.
I took a deep breath, trying for patience. If it wasn’t for Betty, I would have tried to pull the life force out of these two irritating godlings. “You heard me,” I growled.
“Yes. We did. Why didn’t you say she was an OP, to begin with?” Ivius asked.
I cocked a brow. “Didn’t you know? And enlighten the room if you have a better plan.” I didn’t admit that I had only recognized the energy at the beach, and the recent large burst confirmed she was not Primordial but an original.
When no one spoke, I chuckled darkly. “I didn’t think so.”
“Hey, asshole. We’re all trying to help, so drop the attitude.” Aton stepped forward.
Ivius stepped between us with his hands outstretched. “We don’t have time for this. She doesn’t have time for this.”
“He’s right.” Aton crossed his arms and studied Betty. Then asked no one in particular. “What happens if she separates from her human body?”
Ivius and I stared at him like he was losing his mind.
He raised his hand. “No. Hear me out. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve thought of wanting to smite the irritating human, especially when she flung me over the ocean and my lightning was like pretty fireworks to her. Then her damn familiar kept stealing my private stuff. But I couldn’t deny we have a connection, so don’t question my motives. What I’m trying to say is we know nothing about OPs. What if they were meant to separate from their human shell?”
“It looks painful. I don’t know what to do. Where’s her familiar?” Ivius said with discomfort.
I closed my eyes and tried to reach for Betty. She’d spoken in my mind once. Maybe we could do it again. Betty, can you hear me?
Nothing.
“I don’t know.” Was he right?
What if he was right, and I was preventing something that she needed?
Betty took a shaky breath in. The lair shook from the amount of pressure coming from her. We had been shielding, but I was getting weaker, and so were the two. I stepped towards her, ready to bring her to the surface, when I felt an intrusion in my lair.
Do not even think about it. The large panther spoke directly to my thoughts based on the two godlings’ expressions. She did the same to them.
“Where were you?” Aton asked.
“Finally.” Ivius sighed.
Betty and I are one. I am never too far. However, she needs to do this on her own. I will only step in when necessary, like the asinine idea of separating her from her human shell. She would have returned in another form if she didn’t need her human shell. We returned to this form for a reason. The fates and I are always around. Remember that. With those last words, the giant black panther disappeared.
“What the…” Ivius gaped at the spot the familiar occupied just a moment ago.
“Yeah,” Aton agreed, clearly shaken by the warning.
“Okay, let’s think. An OP is here. Why is she here?” I regarded the two and waited for a response.
“Last time she came back was because of Chaos. I’ve heard of my father talking about some gods going missing,” Aton said.
“Ananke had used a human shell in the past.” Ivius stood next to Aton. Both of them wore serious expressions. “We agree she’s Ananke, right?”
We nodded. There were only three OPs, Chaos, Ananke, who went by many names, and Khronos.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to draw the attention of the Moirai, so let’s not fuck this up,” I added.
