Chapter 18

Christian and Arsenio felt it even before it happened. The unrest in her. Her anxiety, her pain and her ultimate submission. They felt the wind pick up speed, the air turn violent. Lashing against their skins. They watched the sun cower behind the clouds in fear and the darkness fall on earth.

A slow fire began to lick on their skins, submerging the air with the stench of charred skin and the rotting smell of death.

Everything was responding to her distress.

The two men leapt to her room, they had to calm her before something worse happened. Daniel looked up as the first drop of rain squeezed its way to his lip, tasting the anguish. Tasting the hint of darkness within it laced so beautifully with fading light. Tasting so much love and consumption, as if he was Athena himself. A sudden image of Christian's chained bleeding body flashed in front of his eyes.

Another drop fell.

As did another image. Arsenio with desperate love in his eyes trying to save her.

And another.

What he knew from her memory to be Caibre's broken voice echoed in his ears.

A broken voice, a broken man and desperate loving eyes.

Athena's tragic trio of broken hearts and unfinished romance, filled with the echoes of her screams as she begged them to stop. The echoes of their love as they begged her to not save them, to run away from the doom they will ultimately cause. An array of stories that's started out innocently but ended with tragedy.

She had the curse of Theamoura. One she shared with Lord Caibre.

The curse that death would come to her only and only at the hands of her soul mate. Some saw that as a blessing but it was a curse.

But, what Daniel thought to be her greatest curse was not that. It was them.

Their love.

Their obsession.

Her very damnation.

He heard Christian and Arsenio's steps clap against the stairs as they rushed up for Marco's benefit to look human.

"Stop, Christian. It might get worse if she sees you." Daniel said.

It was barely a whisper but he knew Christian could hear him. He knew Christian understood for then he heard only one set of legs rush up to Christian's room.

Daniel walked to Christian, pulling him out of the house and to the outhouse they had, away from prying eyes. Freda silently nodded, conveying to Daniel that she would keep Marco occupied.

No sooner were they inside than Christian broke down.

"I don't think we have long. She is… dreaming about him. I could tell from the way darkness surrounded her that she was."

"I know."

"I… I…"

"I know you want to protect her but wait. She is already unstable enough that she is triggering. She has dreamt about you before. She is already in love with you. Or at least the man she dreams about. Her heart already recognizes you, Arsenio and as it turns out the dark lord."

"What does that mean?"

"We all wondered what it was that pushed the dark lord to seek his father out… and make the deal that well you know what happened. All we really knew was that the dark lord was how do I put it delicately? Obsessed with Aliqua Tia. Well, now we know why… for some reason and somehow and I genuinely do not know how or when but they have met before and are well more than simply acquaintents… so yeah…"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"Yeah fuck! But, at least that explains things…"

"A lot of things! But, why?"

Christian's body slides down, his legs gave in as hopelessness began to carve its way into his eyes. His eyes matching the image Daniel saw in Athena's dream. Christian drew his legs against his chest as the sound of thunder slowly faded. Seems Athena was awake now and calm. But, he did not want to talk about that to Christian just yet.

Daniel watched Christian as he cover his face with his hands, harsh breaths left his lips.

"What if… she loves them more?"

Daniel sighed thinking how Christian did not seem to have his priorities safe.

"From the drops of her dream that I tasted. What I gathered was that The Dark Lord was only a voice in the shadows who obviously had two voices one his and one of the creatures, it was super conflicting if you ask me. The creature wanted to consume but the lord wanted to warn her. He even seemed to want her to not come and save him. The creature had trapped you naked while a bunch of women tried to fuck you but you looked miserable. Which is weird because I promise you if I was there with a bunch of men doing those things to me I would be like this is heaven? And those were sirens none the less... not just any women man. Anyways, Arsenio was behind. And everyone including you kept asking her to run but she chose to be consumed by darkness to save you. So I guess she loves you best? I mean dreams are your subconscious mind? Right?"

"Are you really telling me to believe in a dream? They are fucking random!"

"I…"

"Just go? Look after her and make sure she gets the book. She must read it after all…"

"Yeah yeah I know"