The Master Strategist

Bleeding

We were right up against the railing. He was super fast. No running. The water was safe. I pushed her to safety.

Alexia fell with a splash into the water.

Second role of strategy; save your powerful players.

I fought the urge to gasp as the dagger went through me. Always made it sound like someone was shocked.

I wasn't shocked. I had long come to except this journey would end in my death. Not in this way, but at least I was warned beforehand.

I turned slowly to face him. I smiled, for his benefit and petty revenge for my enemies.

His hair was wild, his eyes glassed over, his breathing heavy, wings on his shoe tight.

But he stopped running. He stared at me like a primate might, confusion and curiosity warring on his face.

I must have looked insane as I smiled at my murderer. As I sunk to the ground and still smiled, as I fell in my own blood. Smiling at the sky.

Smiling at her. Because there she was. Hera, watching from above. I smiled at her. She wanted this to hurt so much. It did, physically. It burned, emotionally.

But I smiled. Because I would not let her beat me, or at least not let her think she had.

The best way to get back at your enemies was to smile.

"ALITHIA!" That was Hyacinthus. Hermes still didn't recognize me.

Hermes. Memories of us together flash through my head. Reading together, him braiding my hair, laughing at his stories.

I love his laugh.

I don't blame him. He wasn't in control. I married a god. I was always aware it could end like this.

Its terrible to say I'm not surprised, isn't it?

Smile to my husband, smile to my enemies, smile through the pain, smile...

In victory.

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The anger cleared from my mind in an instant, like a cloud being blown by a strong gust of wind.

I blinked. Where was I? What was I doing? How did I get here?

Then it all came back to me in an instant. Before I even felt the blood gathering at my feet. Before I looked down. Before I saw her smiling face.

Even Hades froze at the roar released from my throat as I sunk down beside Alithia.

Her blood pooled around her, but it wasn't absorbed into the wood like the demon's blood. As if the ship knew she was something else altogether.

She had such a beautiful smile. Her eyes were wide, as if she were waking up to a new day. Her hands were at her side, not even covering the wound in her chest.

Right where her heart should be, my dagger had pushed through all the way.

"Alithia?" I leaned in close to her face, whispering into her mouth as if the breath of a god would bring her back.

Her heart had stopped. It had bled out. She freed me from Hera's madness.

Hera. I looked up. The goddess of Marriage hovered above us, staring down in disgust. A new rage took over me then.

Everyone had frozen when Althia fell, but I broke it as I jumped in the air with a scream.

I understood Seraphim' thirst for revenge now. So well.

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It all went to hell from there. We were able to push Heron and his friends off as the battle progressed, with Heron jumping on that new flying beast of his, grabbing Alexia on the way. Then Artemis and Apollo jumped into the sea to hide with their uncle.