The god complex (Book one of The Devil's Daughter trilogy)

Chapter thirty-one.

When I imagine the temple of a goddess I picture a stone temple in full glory. Loyal subjects bowing at the golden statue of the goddess. Flowery plants and large amounts of crops, and I don't know why but children. Lots of loud, annoying children running around and being in awe of the goddess.

What I am looking at now is a run down shitty building, not like the secret hideout of Medusa, this is worse. Ten times worse. There is no white stone pillars, but there is white random pieces floating down from the ceiling. There are no flowery plants in bloom, the closest thing to a plant is a dead cactus. Whoever lives here is less nurturing than the dessert, no crops, and no children running rampant.

Instead when I open my eyes there is something running around my chest, I look up and meet the small beady red eyes of a rat. I scream on top of my lungs and try to torch the little vermin but I am powerless here. Where ever the hell I am anyway. I search the room for any sign of life but I see none except for the small remains of an old loaf of bread.

I sit myself up rubbing at my head where I was attacked from. I pull my hand away dripping blood. I would think that all the blood I've seen killing these gods and monsters it wouldn't make me sick to see my own blood. Yet it still does, and I puke next to myself. I wipe at my face the remains of the large meal Night and I ate.

"NIGHT!" Remembering the little scene I pulled at Ihop brings me back and the lack of Night I'm seeing.

"Relax. Your precious guard is alright." A rough voice comes from the shadows, I turn all around searching the darkness for the owner of the voice but I see nothing. "Shame that in my temple you are powerless."

"You call this a temple?" I scoff at the sight but regret it instantly. In a flash I am snatched off of my feet and held up against the wall. The hit makes me knock my already bloody head against the old wall making me groan in pain.

"It may not look like much to you stupid girl, but to a true goddess it is marvelous." The tight grip around my throat grows tighter as my eyes adjust to the darkness. I grasp at the strong hands choking me but can't stop my impending doom. My vision starts to grow darker but then the person drops their hold and with it drops me to the ground like a sack of old potatoes.

"Who are you?" I gasp out in pain, I'll have bruising around my neck from that. "What do you want with me?" Whoever this is steps out of the shadows and stands in front of me in the midday sunlight. A strong yet young looking girl, skinny, sickly skinny. Her hair is a dark brown and tied in a tight braid draped around her shoulder. She wears tight light washed jeans rolled around her ankles, it may be the style or they may be hand me down jeans too long for her to wear comfortably. She is flat chested, more than I am, and her white long sleeved sweater hangs loose on her frame, yet she looks flawless, even with her beaten up red tennis shoes. She holds something long at her side and it shines in the sunlight.

" I am Athena. Goddess of battle and wisdom. Daughter of Zeus, your uncle, your cousin." I pale at her title and name, this is the goddess Athena.

"You don't look like a goddess, you look more like a twelve year old boy." She shakes her head with laughter and it makes her whole body move. She steps closer bringing the thing at her side shine and it makes my blood freeze in my veins. It is a long sword with a golden hilt, and one lone ruby in the middle of the hilt.

"Don't sound so surprised I may look like a twelve year old boy but I get that a lot. It's just the lack of boobage I have, I leave the beauty stuff to Aphrodite. I'm more kick ass, look pretty later kind of girl, and from what I'm looking at so are you Fotia." The word rolls off her tongue and sounds foreign to my ears, but I know it is my name in Greek. "Not much of a looker yourself, we'll leave all that beauty stuff to Aphy."