Upton right now, and these professors don’t give a damn about him!” With Ev missing and CiCi facing her own crisis, Maya firmly believed she was at her emotional limit. She saw her life crumbling before her eyes, and no one was doing anything about it.
“How can you say that?” Freya said. Maya looked up and was astonished to see tears in her eyes. “Have you forgotten? I’m a goddess of love; I feel the pain known only by lovers. I know exactly what you’re going through, so please don’t say I don’t care. It’s just that… sometimes we have to make choices that could kill us because any other choice will kill many more people.”
Maya stared at her. “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I was only thinking of myself.”
Smiling, Freya said, “You weren’t just thinking of yourself; you were thinking of the bond you share with Ev. Love is selfish, Maya, and that’s OK. We do what we do because we want to be happy with someone else, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Professor. But I can’t just stand by while Ev faces his execution. I’m going to save him.”
* * *
Ev didn’t know how, but suddenly, he was in the kitchen. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed up by Hades. But now Hades was gone, though the sight that now greeted him was just as unreal.
Lying on the floor was the body of his father, the knife still in his kidney, the tile soaked with blood. The scene wrenched Ev’s heart open again, the guilt threatening to drive him mad.
From somewhere, Hades’ voice called out to him. “You couldn’t save your father.”
Ev panicked and ran into the living room. There, he saw the horrifically familiar sight of his mother nailed to the wall.
“You couldn’t save your mother.”
Ev howled in agony before running out the front door. This time, he was on a bridge, and the house vanished behind him. The body of Arcturus Reich lay on the concrete, his heart punctured by steel shrapnel from their battle.
“You couldn’t save Arcturus Reich.”
Ev bolted over Arcturus’ body and kept running until he was on the other side of the bridge. This time, he was faced with a gruesome scene that hadn’t yet happened: Maya’s head hung on a pike, blood dripping down. “No!”
“You won’t be able to save Maya Brünhart.”
Ev screamed, “What do you want from me?”
“To recognize your own sins. Their blood is on your hands. You cannot change that.”
He cried out, even louder, “You’re the one who murdered my mother!” He could feel his voice getting raw.
“You provoked us. You mocked us. This is how gods settle affairs.”
“She had nothing to do with this!”
“She is your blood. You care about her. That is reason enough.” Ev could feel the tears coming and knew there was no stopping them. But Hades suddenly said, “Not yet. I will not allow you the luxury of grieving so soon. Your suffering must continue. For now, embrace the darkness, the nothingness.”
Everything faded to black, and Ev was suddenly in a void not unlike Gehenna. But Gehenna had the Tower of Babel and other things inside it; he somehow knew there was absolutely nothing here. It was completely empty.
He cried out for someone to hear him, to find him, to help him. He was ashamed of his weakness, but he couldn’t help it; he desperately wanted to be anywhere but here.
Maya. He wanted to see her again. He didn’t deserve it, though; he had failed to avenge Mom, he had killed his own father and Arcturus Reich, and he knew he should die here as penance. He believed this with every fiber of his being.
Nevertheless, selfishness won out, and he found himself wishing he
“How can you say that?” Freya said. Maya looked up and was astonished to see tears in her eyes. “Have you forgotten? I’m a goddess of love; I feel the pain known only by lovers. I know exactly what you’re going through, so please don’t say I don’t care. It’s just that… sometimes we have to make choices that could kill us because any other choice will kill many more people.”
Maya stared at her. “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I was only thinking of myself.”
Smiling, Freya said, “You weren’t just thinking of yourself; you were thinking of the bond you share with Ev. Love is selfish, Maya, and that’s OK. We do what we do because we want to be happy with someone else, and I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Professor. But I can’t just stand by while Ev faces his execution. I’m going to save him.”
* * *
Ev didn’t know how, but suddenly, he was in the kitchen. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed up by Hades. But now Hades was gone, though the sight that now greeted him was just as unreal.
Lying on the floor was the body of his father, the knife still in his kidney, the tile soaked with blood. The scene wrenched Ev’s heart open again, the guilt threatening to drive him mad.
From somewhere, Hades’ voice called out to him. “You couldn’t save your father.”
Ev panicked and ran into the living room. There, he saw the horrifically familiar sight of his mother nailed to the wall.
“You couldn’t save your mother.”
Ev howled in agony before running out the front door. This time, he was on a bridge, and the house vanished behind him. The body of Arcturus Reich lay on the concrete, his heart punctured by steel shrapnel from their battle.
“You couldn’t save Arcturus Reich.”
Ev bolted over Arcturus’ body and kept running until he was on the other side of the bridge. This time, he was faced with a gruesome scene that hadn’t yet happened: Maya’s head hung on a pike, blood dripping down. “No!”
“You won’t be able to save Maya Brünhart.”
Ev screamed, “What do you want from me?”
“To recognize your own sins. Their blood is on your hands. You cannot change that.”
He cried out, even louder, “You’re the one who murdered my mother!” He could feel his voice getting raw.
“You provoked us. You mocked us. This is how gods settle affairs.”
“She had nothing to do with this!”
“She is your blood. You care about her. That is reason enough.” Ev could feel the tears coming and knew there was no stopping them. But Hades suddenly said, “Not yet. I will not allow you the luxury of grieving so soon. Your suffering must continue. For now, embrace the darkness, the nothingness.”
Everything faded to black, and Ev was suddenly in a void not unlike Gehenna. But Gehenna had the Tower of Babel and other things inside it; he somehow knew there was absolutely nothing here. It was completely empty.
He cried out for someone to hear him, to find him, to help him. He was ashamed of his weakness, but he couldn’t help it; he desperately wanted to be anywhere but here.
Maya. He wanted to see her again. He didn’t deserve it, though; he had failed to avenge Mom, he had killed his own father and Arcturus Reich, and he knew he should die here as penance. He believed this with every fiber of his being.
Nevertheless, selfishness won out, and he found himself wishing he
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