Mature Decedre

Spitfire and Logic

Song: Greek playlist by Ivoryyy

"By Ilithyia! How the walls of this palace manage to endure the presence of a moronic parasite such as yourself is beyond me!" she shouted. Blazing rays of sunshine poured upon my savior, setting her alight. A harsh glow enveloped her state of disarray, highlighting her olive skin. "I thought you were smart enough not to have her kneel in my presence."

"She wasn't in your presence before, midwife."

"She is now," Aunt Meg sneered. Her upper lip curled. "Get up, Desdemona."

I wavered, glancing between Aunt Meg and King Titus. If I followed her orders while in the presence of the king, I was publicly acknowledging what we all knew to be true. That Aunt Meg was of a higher position than him. If I did that then I would surely be punished, starved even, and I didn't want that.

Not on my last day of life.

But if I didn't listen then I'd have to face the wrath of Aunt Meg. And that was even worse than starvation.

King Titus laughed hollowly. His little eyes gleamed. "She knows her place, Megara. Quit giving her false hope that she can stand amongst any of us as equals."

A dark cloud settled over Aunt Meg's face, taking with it the last of her goodwill. "I am Megara," she said slowly. "Daughter of Ilithyia, the goddess of childbirth and midwifery. Granddaughter of the great Zeus and Hera. Favored child of The Moirai. You and I will never be equals."

King Titus sputtered, a rosy hue settling over his sunken cheeks. "I am the king!"

"Yes!" she agreed. "A position that you were elected into. The question of whether you still have what it takes to wear that diadem and govern our people is debatable. My king."

King Titus scoffed, clenching the fabric of his expensive cloak in a tight fist. "You speak so eloquently whenever you come to the aid of this monster. Tell me, Megara, how can you defend such a vile creature like her when you know of the devastation she causes?! For 81 generations we have suffered at her hands. How can you, in good faith, stand against your king for the likes of this!"

I curled in on myself under the harsh jab of his finger. He stood far away and yet, I still felt the heat of his burning skin against my fair flesh.

Aunt Megara chuckled, stepping between us as if she were Athena's aegis personified. "We are all monsters in our own ways, my king." she said. "Some of us are just more obvious about it than others."

I bit my lip to stifle my gasp, floored by how quickly the conversation escalated.

This wasn't the first time Aunt Meg and King Titus engaged in a battle of verbal blows. This wasn't the first time she put him in his place, as she often liked to say. This was, however, the first time she'd ever implied that the king and I were equals on the same level.

As monsters.

I didn't know if I was in awe of her tenacity or in fear for her life.

While it was true that demigods were revered here, there was still plenty of respect for the current king. She'd already isolated herself from at least half of the island. There was no need for her to ruin the other halfs good opinion of her by insulting King Titus.

I opened my mouth to speak but someone else beat me to it.

"My king," General Hector's deep voice rumbled. "I make no defense for Megara's words. Nor am I attempting to deter the conversation. But I feel it my responsibility to remind you of the structure of the day. Desdemona the Fifty-Eighth has the right to spend her last moments as she sees fit.