Fates and Thrones

Gambit

Sitting on the couch next to my aunt, Athenrún, reminded me of just how deeply I was in over my head. Nekrosyl had never hesitated to remind me of my loyalty—my unyielding loyalty to her—and how that devotion had led me to choose her wishes over those of every candidate we'd tested so far. Each one had failed, either marked unworthy and devoured by Lyra or lost to the dangers of the woods. But this time was different; the twins had made it farther than anyone, facing challenges even Athenrún hadn't foreseen. And that made me wonder, just for a moment, if my faith had blinded me.

I cast a glance at Athenrún, watching her pace with an unusual restlessness. She wasn't one to get nervous, but I could see how much this moment troubled her. We had to reveal the truth to Ajita and Aleesia earlier than planned, and it was clear she had reservations. I wanted to believe that the twins would succeed where others had failed—but I had never seen Athenrún this shaken. I'd followed her lead my entire life, trusting her wisdom implicitly, but here and now... I wasn't so sure.

There was no manual for what we were doing, no guide for forging gods. Gods were supposed to be eternal, or at least until they trained their successors and chose to fade willingly. But Eirphyra had taken that choice from Mimrion in an ancient betrayal we were forbidden to speak of. So, we had tried everything to find replacements for Mimrion and Hebe. Three thousand years of searching had brought us here—to these twins—our final chance. The Daughters of Fate, bound to the Sky and the Ocean.

Nekrosyl's voice cut through my thoughts as he addressed Athenrún. "While we want to tell you everything, we can't. Our time is limited, and we must be swift."

Maiden nodded, then raised her hand with an almost sheepish smile as she interrupted him. "However, as your aunt, I feel that I should be the one to tell you." Turning to face the twins, she looked at them with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. She was choosing to reveal more than I ever thought she would. Her loyalty to her mission had always been unwavering, but now there was something else—something I could not quite put my finger on.

"You two are not being tested to become Athenrún's champions," Athenrún said carefully. "I apologize for misleading you, but we needed to know if you were here for the right reasons. We will honor Athenrún's promise of vengeance, but your purpose is greater. You're being tested to become goddesses in your own right. Ajita, you are my daughter with Thalagrim. Aleesia, you are the daughter of Crone and Alfatherus himself."

I turned to look at the twins, feeling a knot in my stomach as I saw the shock and distrust in their eyes. Ajita's face was tight with anger, and Aleesia stared, looking utterly betrayed. For the first time, I felt the weight of my loyalty to Athenrún clash with my own sense of duty to these two.

"You're not just using us, then?" Ajita's voice dripped with sarcasm and hurt. "You're throwing us into this mess, asking us to become something we don't even understand?"

Maiden met her daughter's gaze without flinching. "Yes. Because the realms depend on it. The cycles are breaking. I would have told you sooner, but—"

"Then why the deception?" Aleesia cut in, her voice steady but filled with bitterness. "If you really cared, you would have prepared us, not strung us along like pawns in some divine chess game."

I felt a strange pang at her words. She was right, and yet I had let myself believe Athenrún's choice was right. Had my loyalty been a mask for fear? A fear of questioning Athenrún, of disrupting the path she had laid out.

"I know I failed you," I said, my voice low. "I thought keeping the truth hidden would protect you. But I see now I was protecting myself, afraid to question the plan that had been in place for so long."

The twins glared at me, anger and pain in their eyes. They turned to Athenrún one last time, and Aleesia's voice, cold and firm, cut through the room. "Fine. We'll face whatever tests you throw at us. But don't expect us to forgive you. Either of you."

As they left, I looked at Athenrún, feeling the ground shift beneath me. For so long, I had trusted her without question. But now, I wasn't sure if my loyalty had been to the right thing at all. I stood up to try and chase the twins, before someone stopped me.

"I see you are finally getting it Nephew." The softness of Athenrún's voice was shocking. "I wondered how long it would take you. So many times, you cried when you thought I would not see. So many times, you angered at me, however your faith was never shaken. Yet now, you are finally questioning me."

I looked down at my boots and sighed. "I expected you to be mad, Aunt."

"I am the Goddess of Wisdom and War, Child. I expect you to ask questions. You were never meant to replace me anyhow. You were just shadowing me to learn your own heart. Your father called in a favor I owed him." Grabbing my arm, she pulled me back down on the couch with her.

"Aunt, what do you mean?" I was supposed to replace her. She wanted a break away from the darkness. Ares was going to take over the war side, and I was to take over the wisdom side. That's why she was teaching me? Right? But she has not really taught me anything recently. Or not wisdom lessons.

"I am meaning that your mother is tired. Yet, your father did not want you to be like her when you took over. Bradite and Hephestus love each other as much as they can, but Bradite has some quirks that your father did not want passed along. So, we have been working on you finding your love inside of you. Instead of just sex and mindless passion."

Her voice cracked at the mention of her sister possibly fading. I looked up to see tears filling her eyes as she looked down at me. "I am proud of you Jax. You are finally learning to walk your path."