CONSORT OF DARKNESS × THE SANDMAN

CH. 9: DEATH AWAITS



CHAPTER 9:
DEATH AWAITS
Nyx

CHAPTER 9:
DEATH AWAITS
Nyx

“I can not let her go again. . .” 

I never thought that I would give birth to such a powerful woman. After Khaos left us, I thought that it was I that was the only one who would ever bear so much power. Yet as I was giving birth to my beloved daughter, I felt the life draining from me. 

She killed me.

She was a baby, so she never meant to harm me, but just giving birth to her cost me my life. My life partner, Erebus, shared part of his life force with me and brought me back. Yet I felt different. I wasn’t as powerful as I was before.

Not only was she a powerhouse on her own, but she stole more of my power and life.

Because she’s a fertility goddess.

And Zeus knew that.

He knew of my power that had been drained, so he knew he did not need to fear me anymore. He made his declaration that he would no longer obey me, so my poor Arcadia was worried because she knew that the majority of my power went to her. So, I trained her. She would control the darkness itself, and the very atoms of the cosmos would be at her disposal.

But she left me too soon. 

She married Morpheus and went to his realm before we could finish her training to control this power and how to harness it - how to make it your own. She knew she was not ready, that she does not truly know what it is to wield an enormous amount of power. 

To have an entire pantheon fear you.

“She still loves him,” Erebus spoke.

“He promised to protect her. He hurt her.”

“As did I, at one point. You forgave me,” His voice was calm and deep, always the calm lake to my raging fire.

“You begged me for two thousand years. He has not come close to an ounce of that, and yet she is willing to throw herself into the fire for him.”

“That is love, my dear,” He replied, but he did not like Morpheus either.

“And you do not believe any other Being worthy of our daughter," He pointed out.

“Because she’s a fertility goddess! Gods know how to act and show up, but if they turned out to be an abuser and breed her, you know I will bring war,” The history behind fertility goddesses is cruel and dark. They are either eaten for power or bred to create other Beings of power. 

So when she was born and I discovered this, I knew that I would risk everything to keep Zeus from her.

But I failed.

Both as a mother and as myself.

“As you said, she’s strong, and she is not a child. She can handle herself.”

“But-”

“Yes, she was still young when she left us,” Erebus interrupted, “but she is over a million years old and has witnessed the worst and best of humanity.”

Arcadia was my baby, my most precious little one. Most of our children were not born but made. I did not need to worry as much because I created them for a purpose.

Arcadia? She was just a result of love.

I had no intention of creating the next. . .me. The next ruler of Tartarus, the next Primordial Being that would make Zeus quake in fear.

"What do you suppose we do?" I was genuinely scared. I wasn't as powerful as I once was, and Zeus knew this. That's why he killed Arcadia the first time and why my word was nothing without solid evidence that he had done this.

"We do nothing, my love. We are simply her parents, watching as she leaves the nest," One of the many reasons why Erebus was my eternal partner. He was calm. He knew what to say and when to say it, being the light to my darkness when my anger rages and he is always there to welcome me home.

"I cannot lose her again," I muttered.

"Who says we must wait? Trust me that if Zeus tries anything again, he will experience nothing but true eternal darkness."

///
I'm so sorry for the long wait! College is kicking my ass.