The God & The Shadow

Chapter 65

FLORENS

"You've been staring at that wall for hours."

"Why have you been watching me watch that wall for hours, then?" Florens turned her head to Olivia with raised eyebrows.

She shrugged. "I had nothing better to do."

The witch and the goddess had no choice but to keep each other company for the past hour. Hermes had to leave to disperse the news of Veronica within their allies, and Warren was adamant on joining him to make sure he was emotionally stable enough to do so.

Lore was off doing whatever he had to do as King, but Florens knew that once he was finished that he would spend the rest of his time in Tartarus, taking out his anger on the poor souls entrapped there for eternity.

Florens rolled her eyes. "You have nothing good to do in the first place. Go bother someone else. There's a whole town of souls who might find you interesting."

"Is that a compliment?" She tilted his head at her.

"No. It's a sign telling you to leave."

"Alright, that's it." She stood from the couch and dusted herself off. "You're incredibly difficult to be with."

"No shit." It was what she wanted in the first place. To push people away, made sure the message was loud and clear that she hated them.

"How did Veronica even tolerate you?"

Florens stood. "She didn't–" She hated how she used the word tolerate. Sure, she changed a lot when she disappeared, felt like everything went wrong because of her. But she refused to believe that Veronica tolerated her. "She didn't tolerate me. She was my friend."

Olivia rolled her eyes indignantly. "Yeah, right. Friend. A friend you gave up on so easily."

"You forget yourself, witch." She warned, eyes darkening from her fury.

"Whatever. Do you know how much my sisters back in Salem talk so highly of you? Hecate, the goddess. Our goddess." Florens felt a pang of guilt inside her. Never had she heard of anything like it, or even realized the witch had high expectations of her.

All Florens could do was stare. What was she supposed to say? Sorry? An apology for being weak? An excuse for her own failure? She was at a loss for words.

Olivia sighed and moved to the front of the fireplace, crossing her arms at the warmth of the crackling fire. "Sorry. I'm just–" A pause. "I've never done this before. Have someone depend on me. Have someone have faith in me. It feels heavier than expected, especially when you fail."

Florens was inclined to agree. Before Veronica, she lived quietly in peace. During the war, she didn't even join or take up arms as Lore and Hermes did. Perhaps that was what made her want to join their trip to the Fifth Realm: Purpose.

"I understand," the goddess found herself replying as she moved to the kitchen and grabbed the kettle from the stovetop. She pulled out two mugs from one of the cupboards and started pouring it with the tea bags Hermes had gotten her a few months ago.

"To have someone to depend on you is to have someone have faith in you." Florens watched as the clear water turned into a hazy shade of auburn. "And needless to say that I despise faith. It's a liability and a foolish thing to have."