Old Magick

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“Pickles? Again?” Morrigan huffed loudly and slumped back in the chair at her desk, staring at the opened wrapper of her bagel. She seemed to glare at it for another long moment, then simply swept it off her desk and into the bin next to it. “How hard is it to understand no goddamn pickles...” She murmured, blowing a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes. Though she had been speaking out loud, there was no one else in the room with her. No one alive at least. It was just her and several cadavers down here in the icy basement morgue. It should have been a little unsettling to be in here alone, but she didn’t mind. It was sort of the family business. Her father had been a coroner, and her mother was an Apothecary like all the women in her bloodline before her. The only downside to the job was how little conversation she did actually get. Morrigan wasn’t an unsociable person, despite what her career of chalice may have people believing.

Morrigan scoffed and narrowed her lavender gaze at the bottle. “You think I would trust anything you of all people have to say, least of all that you wouldn’t feed my poison?” She replied, her arms folded across her chest in a clearly defensive manner. “I don’t need protecting, not anymore. You can tell your girlfriend Nyx that too.”

“You forget... I’m the one who knows everything.” Oberon breathed against Rhea’s ear. “Kings don’t make mistakes, only strategies.” He added, his tone making it clear he was smiling, even if she couldn’t see him.

"Oh you're not being protected." Erebus chuckled, still holding out the bottle. "As long as you remain with Hades, no one can save you." He was staring at the dark liquid that was changing deep crimson to midnight as he moved it. "You need to wake up, Mori. Before Rhea kills you too. She's not feeding us porridge from her bowl anymore. She's killing us. Do you understand me?"

"Are you saying you knew I'd end up here?" Rhea asked, wondering if this was why her mother warned her about him. "Oberon..." She wanted to demand an explanation but his lips were brushing the ugly scars on hers ears. It was soothing. For the first time since her father had held her down and cut off the tips, she no longer felt pain.

Morrigan finally snatched the bottle, deciding she could inspect it later. “I don’t need to wake up from anything.” She growled, clearly still rather raw about the way he treated her. “If anything, I need to forget. Then I don’t have to remember what an idiot I was for letting you in.”

“I don’t know the future, little one. I can only follow the path you’ve walked and make a guess at where you’re heading next.” Oberon breathed, rubbing the tip of his nose affectionately against the scar on her ear.

Erebus smiled, the twist of it an odd secretive thing. "Still stuck on that, are you?" He purred, crossing the balcony and yanking her toward him. He pressed his lips against hers but it no longer felt the same. He shook his head. "Wake up, little sister. Before you die like the rest of them." He hissed at her. 

"I..." Rhea couldn't remember how long it had been since someone had simply touched her in that way. "Maybe just for a little while..." She sighed at last. "I still have to do something with that stupid heart..."

“I am death.” Morrigan hissed, finding that kiss had left her with an overwhelming feeling of disgust, as though she were physically dirty. He was lucky she didn’t strike him, though she did touch no more than her fingertips to his cheek, the skin turning black for a brief moment before she allowed it to return to normal. “You can’t kill what is already dead.”

“That’s explains it.” Oberon chuckled, leaning back and tucking Rhea’s hair. Whine her ears. “I assume you have some sort of idea what to do with it? And don’t say give it back... where is the fun in that?”

"Then...this won't hurt a bit..." Erebus lunged forward, shoving her hard enough to send her off the side of the railing. He watched until he saw her hit the pavement below. 
He had no other choice. It was either him or her. Cronus had made it clear. 
That done, he slid out the knife he'd been given and stepped into the dark apartment. It was almost over.

Rhea couldn't help the impish wrinkle to her nose when she grinned at him. "I was hoping you would say that." She laughed softly. "Not giving it back I mean. And about what to do with it...no. I've been running with it for a long time too. Every time I ditched the damned thing it came right back." She sighed. "It's worse than the cat Mori tried to hide from me when she was little."

There were screams from people far below. They were shouting about a young woman’s body, but there was no blood, only a considerable dent in the pavement where the small woman had landed. Morrigan didn’t move, treading the veil between this world and the abyss. She was vaguely aware of people talking, the shadow of movement around her as they rushed to her aid. That would be their mistake.

“I have to say, I am very impressed your parents were able to keep all record of her from my books...” Oberon commented, piecing together the boys Rhea had told him. “But not nearly as impressed as you steingnthe heart of a god.”

Hades eyes snapped open when he felt Morrigan cross the veil. He tried to sit up, only to find a group of three strange looking men surrounding him. One was sitting on his chest, a wicked black dagger pressed against his throat. "It's over, Hades. In the name of Cronus, we spill your blood." He whispered.

Rhea smiled at the compliment. "You spend too much time reading. You need to get out more." She laughed softly.

Outside people were still screaming, but for a different reason. The young woman who had just plummeted from an upstairs balcony was. Is surrounded by swirling purple mist, the poor man who had come to see if she was still breathing now engulfed in said mist. Morrigan’s hand was upon his chest, her shattered bones setting and internal injuries healing as she drew life from her Good Samaritan.

“Out? Into the sticky affairs of gods and titans?” He asked in mock disgust.

"Quick!" Erebus hissed, once Hades dark blood began to stain the carpet. The other two brothers picked the underworld god up and carried him to the hallway. Erebus opened the portal, looking behind them. They had so little time. It was almost over. 

"I've had enough of it myself." Rhea confessed. "What I wouldn't give to be just a normal person for a while." She sighed. "You know where I've always wanted to go? A store where they make fudge." She blushed deeply. "Sorry... that's dumb."

The purple and black mist from the street below now swirled at the end of the hallway behind Erebus and his men. Morrigan stepped out of it, something dripping from her fingers, though it was hard to tell what. As she moved forward the most followed, a dark and ravenous pressure seemed to press down on the hallway like a living breathing entity all of its own. “What? No goodbye kiss, lover?” She mocked as Erebus glanced behind him.

“Fudge?” Oberon asked with a grin. “I never believed you to have such a sweet tooth.” He teased. “But I think we can arrange that, however... surely you know better than to eat food offered from a fae?” He was still grinning, of course he wouldn’t trick her like that.

Erebus grit his teeth. Even if he did make it out, Cronus would take the failure from his backside. He pulled his blade from it's holster and snarled. "You still won't wake up. You won't be able to truly see what's going on until you do."

"I never learned about the fae. My parents died before I could." Rhea admitted. "My mother just told me to stay away from their king."

“You assume I give a rats ass about what’s going on.” Morrigan spat as she moved closer. “I don’t care about whatever petty little scheme you have going. I warned you what happens when people steal from me. You chose to ignore that warning.” The mist swirled around her slender hand, a blade forming from nothing, though it appeared to be made of obsidian, not steel.

“Eat fae food... and you forever belong to their king.” Oberon breathed, again taking fascination with Rhea’s silken hair. “Perhaps your mother feared you? To be a fae Queen... would bring you immense power.”

Erebus held out his own weapon and shook his head. "You're not going to destroy this. Do you hear me? We've all worked too hard to have you ruin it." Though he was trying to sound menacing he felt anything but. He was backing up, attempting to move so that he was between Morrigan and Hades.

Rhea shrugged. "Isn't that a belief thing?" She laughed softly. "If I don't believe I don't have any power. Right? Can't I just eat fudge?"

Morrigan continued to take confident steps forward, a smile tugging at her ruby lips. “You really think you can stop me?” She asked, her head tilting to the side, as though mocking Erebus with her curiosity. “No balcony to push me off this time. Does the thought of a fair fight terrify you?”

“You saw the power Morrigan demonstrated, and that was simply from Hades telling her he wanted her as Queen, she wasn’t even coronated.” Oberon pointed out. “Imagine your power... the power of life. The fae are everywhere, because life is everywhere. Without life, there would be no death. Who do you think that truly makes more powerful?”

Behind Erebus, Hades stirred. He could handle being hurt by the Titans. But to hear that once again they had hurt the woman he loved...
The hallway dropped into darkness. There was nothing but the sound of their own breathing around them. "Er...we lost him..." One of them hissed. The other never had the chance to respond.

"What makes you so sure I'm a queen?" Rhea asked, shaking her head. "Last time I looked at myself I was a bit of a worthless, homeless...murderer...."

A very faint tinkle of laughter could be heard that was clearly Morrigan. “Oops... did I say fair?” She purred, her voice seeming to come from directly next to Erebus now.

“Only by your own admission. What kind of Queen could a pampered, coddled, frightened woman be?” Oberon breathed. “There is no place in this world for such women..: leave those potions to the humans. A fae Queen should be fierce, equal to her king, never hiding behind him:”

Erebus flipped the hilt and slammed it into the air beside him. His lips curled into a wicked smile when he heard the blade hit flesh. It was hers. He turned with it, shoving her against the wall and the blade deeper. He was careful not to touch her or allow her to get near him. "Your precious Hades will have to find you in Styx." He hissed, before disappearing, leaving his blade in her chest.

"Well," Rhea said with a wrinkle of her nose. "I hope you find one." She patted his shoulder. "Im guessing you want me around as a mistress? As long as you can promise fudge and maybe another warm bath like last night...I might stick around." She laughed.

Morrigan slumped down the wall once Erebus had let go of her. Blood was bubbling past her lips, though she tried to get up anyway. Her king needed her. It was her duty to protect him, to ensure the survival of the last remaining god. “Ha...” She tried to call to him, but it was useless. She could feel the cold waters of the Styx lapping at her extremities, pulling her away from the one she had loved all her life without ever even realising it.

“How about we speed things up, and you just be the in warm fudge?” Oberon teased, winking at Rhea as he tweaked her pert nose. “Oh you can be my mistress, if you like, but I will wear you down. You will be queen, even if I must wait until every soul resides in Tartarus.”

Hades didn't even realize she was gone. He was still tearing apart the other people who had hurt his beloved. When it was over he found himself completely alone. Not even her blood dotted the floor. 

Rhea shook her head. "You can try, oh great king." She purred, kissing his cheek. "But I still have so much to do. I have to fix the mess I made. Even if they are all threatening to kill me."

The only part of Morrigan left behind was the obsidian dagger she had used to defend her king.

“Mess you made? Your siblings made this mess all for themselves.” Oberon pointed out. “Why should it fall to you to fix anything?”

Hades believed this was simply her way of saying goodbye. It broke him. It was far worse than anything Cronus could have done. Death would have been better. He returned to his kingdom of darkness and simply stayed there, not even bothering to search for his heart. 

"Because I raised them. This is all my fault." Rhea whispered. 
This was the last she spoke of it. The green bag disappeared even though she didn't. She seemed to bloom with Oberon. For the first time in her life she felt free and unafraid. Even as people came and went from the library she didn't hide from them. Rhea was becoming a queen even if she didn't know it.

Hades’ refusal to search for her was a clear message to Morrigan. This was the second time she had been abandoned in Tartarus, both times by someone she thought cared about her. Once her soul had washed ashore on the river, the would-be Queen simply hid away from the demons that roamed the land outside the gates. The Elysium Fields were closed to her anyway. Titans had no place there, even if she didn’t truly know what she was. Her already darkened soul was tainted further as she wallowed in her own misery, eventually closing all entry to her own hell to anyone around her.

Oberon did everything he could to make the woman he wished to take as his queen happy. Each day he would bring her fudge of a different flavour in the morning, and a wine fermented from a different fruit each evening. He attended to his duties when required, but for the most part he allowed his kingdom to rule itself, his main task was ensuring the library of destiny remained safe anyway.

Hades stepped into Oberon's library after what seemed like years. He was surprised to find it alive with fae activity. It was almost exhausting to see the work they were doing. 
For a long moment he stood watching a tiny blonde at the center of it all. There was a dark elder trying to get her to read a thick book and she was having none of it. He kept insisting she would never be queeñ without it. He couldn't help but laugh when she shoved the man's nose in the book and snapped it closed.

“Twice in one mortal lifetime? My, to what do I owe the displeasure?” Oberon mocked, somehow able to step up behind Hades without the god hearing him. “If you have come to spy on the fate of others, you know it comes at a price.”

Hades looked worse for wear. His white hair hung down to his shoulders in matted knots. His usually immaculate clothing was wrinkled and frayed. Even his eyes had lost their shine. 
"I want to speak to her." He said softly, motioning to Oberon's most prized possession. 
Rhea had moved on to a young fae mother and her child. The woman held out the sobbing baby to her and she took it, rocking it gently in her arms. 
"I'll pay your price." Hades said after a long moment. "After all, I have nothing left to lose."

Oberon smiled, the look in his golden eyes betraying his sudden less than magnanimous thoughts. “Oh, but you’re wrong.” He purred as he followed Hades’ gaze to Rhea. “You still have a throne, do you not?”

Hades fingers curled around the handle of Morrigan's blade. How easy it would be to make this fae's blood stain the white marble floor. "Do you really want it that bad?" He hissed. 
Rhea had seen them and knew better than to come over. She'd handed the now sleeping infant back and was standing where she was, her insides on fire.

“I didn’t, until just now.” Oberon replied with a grin. “A desperate, lonely man... last of his kin. What does he truly need a throne for? Or... if given the choice between throne and Queen, am I thinking too highly of you?”

Hades turned on Oberon, shoving the other man hard against the wall. He held the blade against the fae king's throat, his hand shaking. This was very much unlike the gentle king of the Underworld. "I asked to speak to her. Not play faerie games." He snarled.
All at once he would find a blade at his own throat, his head yanked backward. Rhea had leapt on his back while he was distracted, using what little weight she had to force him away from her lover. "Try that again and I'll cut out more than your heart." She hissed in his ear. "You forget. I know how to kill a god."