Lilith's life is slowly slipping from his hands.
Sweet Pea holds his palm over her chest, forcing breath in and out of her lungs with the wave of his fingers as he wards off death with his words. He takes deep breaths as he tries to focus long enough to pull the poisoned words from her body, but his magic is not strong enough to rival the curse of Aphrodite.
"Η κατάρα του Ολύμπου," Sweet Pea mutters, forehead breaking out in sweat.
He knows the curse that Aphrodite placed on the mortal slowly dying in his arms all too well. It is one that she uses often to sicken humans, given that gods are not allowed to be directly involved with mortal deaths, it's one of the eldest laws. The curses the gods choose, however, usually weakens a person to the brink of death and then a natural illness takes them in their final moments, thus absolving them of any guilt but also giving them the satisfaction when the mortal dies.
Aphrodite's curse roots itself in the heart of the nearest living thing and turns their own emotions against them. The curse binds around the negative feelings and lashes out at the body internally, emphasized only to the extent of the negative aura emanating from the host.
Lilith's body has been poisoned so fatally due to her disdain for the gods and the resentment she holds for those who have scorned her. Her hate runs deep, and it is that very hate that is poisoning her body to the point of death.
"Πήγαινε στα κοράκια, την Αφροδίτη." Sweet Pea grunts in frustration, sitting back in the chariot. He looks down at the ground beneath them, the lush green grass almost waving in their direction, begging for her body to be returned to it.
Bubbles like seafoam dribble down from her mouth and Sweet Pea knows that it is a desperate move, but it is the last one that he has. He can hold off her death, but he will be strung out for the remainder of his life trying to keep this mortal alive, if one could even call it that.
He picks her body up daintily, cradling her head and legs as he steps down from the chariot and into the green field around them. Sweet Pea lays her body on the ground and the grass leans up to greet her.
"Παρακαλώ, γιαγιά, να θεραπεύσετε αυτό το θνητό. Απαντήστε στις προσευχές μου," he murmurs as he brushes his hands over the ground. Sweet Pea squeezes his eyes shut and rests his palms on her body, repeating the prayer until his lips turn dry.
Small strands of green wrap around her fingers and ankles, flowers bending towards her skin. Bit by bit, Sweet Pea can feel the curse lifting as his struggle to keep her breathing lessens. He holds his hand over her chest nonetheless, warding off her death until the Mother of Earth can work her own kind of magic.
It takes hours, but finally her skin turns back to it's beautiful, rich color, and the bubbles cease from foaming down her lips. A gasp parts her mouth and she sits up, breaking away from the chains of the earth with small snapping sounds. Flowers fall into her lap and settle in her hair.
"Σας ευχαριστώ, γιαγιά," Sweet Pea whispers as she bumps into his chest. He wraps the mortal in his arms to be sure that she is steady.
The feel of her breath against his shoulder relieves the weight he has carried for the better part of a day. Her hands tremble against his tunic, holding tightly as if to be sure that he is real.
"What is going on? Where is Aphrodite? Did she hurt you?" Lilith spouts, looking up into his eyes with such ferocity that he's afraid she might march back up the hill and get herself killed again.
Sweet Pea chuckles as he shakes his head, "No, my little mortal, she did not harm me. How are you feeling?"
"Like I tried to drink ambrosia," Lilith swallows. She blows a breath out of her lips and sighs, "What happened?"
YOU ARE READING
the forbidden fruit | sweet pea
Fantasy"They just don't understand us," she whispers, her eyes faltering down to her bloodied hands. "We're different, that's all." She looks up at the statue of the terrifying figure of Hades, the god of the Underworld. The moonlight glints off of the mar...
