A Victorian Lady's Guide to Killing Gods and Monsters [ONC 2023]

Chapter XI: Parting ways is quite fun if you steal an identity for it

Salisbury, April 6th, 1852

"What happened? Miss Rayburn, you can be honest with me."

"I will not, Swift. This is my destiny. I was just thinking... what do you think about the gods?"

They were in a pub near the monument. Hattie slept all day until this conversation occurred at five o'clock in the afternoon. Her dress was ruined with blood from the cut on her palm, but at least she was alive. She had hurt a goddess, if not killed her. She discovered she had to murder the only friend she now had, just in order to satisfy the Fates in control of their lives. They live out of us remembering them, she thought. Why can't we think they die? Why can't we think we are the only masters of our fate?

The pub was better than Persephone Inn, especially because the air did not smell like monsters urinating on its walls. After the Auntie Simona incident, Miss Rayburn thought she had lost her ability to smell monsters. The thing is, she had been surrounded by monsters ever since... until now. They had wine and beer for everyone. That was a good sign.

"Ben, I think I invoked my father's spirit earlier. Helen just... vanished when lightning struck. I think that was my fault."

She was no longer calling him Mr. Swift. It was too late for that, anyways. She would ask him to part ways as soon as possible. She did not really care now if he called her m'lady. He was her friend now. He had saved her two times in a day, and she had done nothing to retrieve that.

"It's okay, Hattie. We are not special just in a bad way. We... we have power, you know? Not just about manipulating something or getting killed by monsters. We have the power to make history, to live in humanity's memory for ages, just like the gods do. You can control lightning, I can control people's sanity. Strange enough, yes, but our nature is equally strange. And, about your question... I really don't know."

"Why do you know so much about this, Ben?"

"It's silly, really, but I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I belong to another world, another life, somewhere gods cannot reach me. I've been pursued by monsters my entire life. I had to learn. I encountered demigods on my way, and I learned from them. I'm... I'm tired of running away, you know? I want to have a home to go to when I am scared, and a family to hug me when I am sad. I want to be happy. The gods have taken that away from me. I can't love them, they have abandoned me. The only time my father appeared before me was the time he ordered me to come here and help you. I still don't understand what his purpose was with this, but at least I met you, huh?"

"I am not quite sure if you are lucky to have me... or maybe Tyche hates you. Yesterday's incidents made it clear that I have the Devil's luck and my own."

He laughed. She wished she could remember every detail about him—his smile, his dark eyebrows, his wine-colored look. She wished he could live forever in her memory, just like the damn gods above and below.