fairy tales of a different sort

Shadow Wars- Round 2

This is my entry for round 2: Dark Fantasy. I was given a villain for main character and time period picked was Ancient Greece. Setting: the ocean floor. Word count :2,157

Calligenia only knew the dark. It was what she was; what she breathed. It was the color of her eyes and of her hair. Darkness coursed through her very veins and radiated from her presence. It was this power that caused those who came near her to change; they absorbed the emanating darkness within their persona, becoming her slaves. They were addicted to it, craved it, and without it, feared they should perish.

Though with the darkness came power. It stemmed from the hearts of men and women alike; the forgotten shadow race were no different.

"Akheilos, can't you go any faster?" Calligenia asked, enjoying the feel of the shark she rode upon; the being was pure power and strength.

The rush of water surging over her tugged at her dress and pulled at her hair. It was exhilarating and intoxicating, and she relished every second of it. She wore a rope tied around her waist to keep her dress from falling off. It also allowed for an open side to enable her to ride more freely as keeping your balance on a shark wasn't easy.

Calligenia tightened her grip on her spear, afraid the water would take it from her hand. This was the part that excited her the most, going to battle. Adrenaline raced through her veins, causing her heart to speed and her breathing to quicken. It wasn't the worrying over victory, for she knew she would win. It was the thought that she was about to kill that really thrilled her.

"No, Dark One, I cannot." He paused to think about it for a few. "Unless you want me to pull off of your power?"

"No. Not yet," she murmured, wishing that she could say otherwise.

Calligenia looked at her army; men and women on their own Great Whites. Spears and swords in arm, ready to strike at the given order. Shadows swirled in their eyes, mirroring her own. Below her marched her slaves; those ready to lay down their life for her. Their faces were stoic; like the dead come to reap the living.

She couldn't wait for the war to be fought, the blood to be shed, and to take back what was once hers. Damned the gods and goddesses who had banished her and her people to the depths of the ocean's floor! She would rise again, and she would bring the wrath of the seas with her, destroying all they had built.

She wasn't a Goddess herself, no. But she was something better than that; the Dark Ones, the shadow race, who were alive before the gods and goddesses came. They had lived in darkness until Chaos. And with Chaos the rest followed in pursuit. However, everything was about to change now with the horde of her slaves, she would finally have the victory that was due to her. Darkness would reign once again.

A soft smirk started to pull at the corners of her lips as she asked, "Akheilos, are you ready?" She could see the temple coming into view just ahead of them. "Remember, you no longer have anything to fear from the gods and goddess. Not while my power runs within your body," she reassured him.

"Yes," he rumbled, answering her.

She knew he had his own reason to seek revenge on the gods and goddess. It was because of them that he was turned into a shark. And together they had formed an alliance: the Dark Ones and the Spirit Sharks. They had helped her to ensnare sailors from ships and those near the sea, building an army.

As they continued their approach, she could see Poseidon on the steps of the temple and next to him stood Amphitrite.

"Calligenia, Dark One, go back to the deepest canyon you crawled out of." Poseidon demanded, his voice deep and gravelly. "You and your kind are no longer welcome. Times have changed. Your rule is over."