Chapter 2: Nightmare
"Anya, listen to me." A voice that startled her said. It was stern but at the same time it sounded warm.
She looked around and noticed that she's currently outside of some café in some busy streets. A look from the café and you can tell that it was designed in a Roman fashion. By the corner of the shop there were tall white columns that supported an arch at the top that probably says the shop's name.
She couldn't tell. It was already hard enough to read English much less another language. She blames her dyslexia for it.
She was seated across a lady that she can't seem to tell what her face is exactly. She tried to look at her better by narrowing her eyes but the image was just plain blurred.
"Who are you?" She asked a bit weird out of the situation. She was pretty sure she was disintegrating in darkness a few minutes ago.
The woman only smiled, though she didn't see it. She can only feel it. Even she can feel the longing the woman has as she looks at her.
"That is not important right now Anya." She said but she can feel the sadness in her voice, as if, if she can only tell she definitely will. "I can only muster a little of my strength as of the moment."
"So" Anya said awkwardly as she combs her hair with her fingers. "What do you want?"
The woman nodded at her question, quite pleased for her straightforwardness. "I need your help."
Anya didn't exactly like to be asked of help. The last time someone did, it didn't result to a good ending. It was the most awful memory she ever have. She even dreamed it almost every waking moment of her life, reminding her of her awful choices and lack of skills.
"I'm not really good at helping." She said her voice filled with grief of the very memory of her friend drowning. "I… I can't help you."
As she said those words she could feel the woman's eyes on her. She couldn't tell for that moment if she'd disappointed her, made her angry or sad. She didn't really have the guts to look at her blurred form even for a second.
"Anya" the woman said, full of bliss and sorrow. "You are the only one who can help me right now."
'Just great.' She thought to herself. Even the blurred lady didn't really have a choice but her. That didn't make it easier. It only made her scared.
"Anya, listen to me." The woman said and that made her look at her form. She reached for her hand and Anya gasped at the contact. It wasn't what she expected. It was warm and human. Suddenly she felt safe.
"I am not a god or a goddess." She said as she rubbed soothing circles on her palm.
"A what?" She asked confused after all there was only a God.
"As I'm saying, I don't have much strength. My body is possessed and I only have little strength left. You have to help me." The woman said. Desperation was in her voice.
"W-what can I do?" Anya stuttered though she tried her best not to scream in panic.
"Enter the labyrinth and find my body." She said firmly but she could feel fear in her voice.
"Your body?" Anya asked worried about what she was talking about. She wasn't even sure where this labyrinth is.
"Yes" the woman said, deep in thinking. "Once you've found it, destroy it." She said with finality that Anya wasn't even sure what she's hearing.
"Destroy it?"
"Yes." The woman answered, not even a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"But you will die." She said like it wasn't obvious.
"Yes, I will die. But I've already been dying for years. Destroy my body and end my suffering."
"You want me to kill you?" Anya asked, partly because she wanted to be sure of what to do, another part wants to know if she can pass the burden to kill to others.
"It's not about wanting you to kill me but what you have to do to save what is left in this world." She said regret in her voice. "That's the best we can do."
"Why do you want to offer yourself to save the world?" She asked somewhat angry. The world didn't exactly make her happy or needed and now she has to kill somebody to save it? Well, that didn't make sense. "What good did it do to you anyway? Like you said you've been dying for years. Isn't that painful?"
The woman gave a soft laugh and pondered on that question herself as her form looks at the sky.
"You're right, Anya. The world is pretty cruel." She paused and her form seemed to be stretching her arms and with a grunt she continued. "And it is beautiful Anya." She said and Anya could feel the longing in her voice.
"What's so beautiful about that?" she asked a bit sad that even the blurred woman has someone she cared about.
"Life, Anya. The gift of life." She said standing from her seat and made her way towards where Anya is seated. She levelled down and gave her a hug.
'She smells of cookies.' Anya noted to herself. "But the world also takes life."
"It sure does." She replied and parted from her but Anya wanted to stay in that embrace. She didn't get much hugs like that.
"So, is that all you need?" Anya asked disappointed from the lack of warmth from her body now.
"Well, do tell him that there are some things that he has to let go, even if those things are his greatest treasures." She said, this time looking at the horizon as if remembering a distant memory. "He should move on because this time, I'm not coming back."
"Who's him?" She asked curious to whom the woman is referring to.
"You'll know when you see him."
She replied and when she turned to look at her, she figured that the woman was probably lying about being not a goddess because under the setting sun in the horizon, she looked like one. Her eyes were gray as if actual storms were inside. Her beautiful blonde hair was flowing with the wind. Even without makeup on she looked beautiful. Her regal form made her long white dress looked like that of a warrior's. Then she realized it wasn't just a dress, it was a wedding dress. It was a sleeveless dress that went down pass her ankles. It showed her figure even if it was all white except for the thin blue ribbon circling her waist.
The woman looked at her with a smile and said some words but she didn't hear them. She tried to call out but slowly the woman disappeared together with the wind. She called for her to come back but she couldn't hear anything even her voice.
Then all of a sudden the scenery changed. She could hardly see where she was but her gut feeling told her where she was. She was in the labyrinth. It was dark and smelled of earth. She touched the wall on her side and felt it. She felt the whole place breathe as if it was living. She quickly withdrew her hand and blinked a couple of times for her eyes to adjust.
She took note of her surroundings and noticed that it seemed she's in some canal. The ceiling was arched and dripping dirty water on her. She took slow steps forward and froze when she heard a scream.
When she looked back the scenery changed in room of a dungeon and she saw the woman she was talking to chained on the wall. This time she didn't looked like a goddess. Her eyes were sunken and dark. Her lips were chapped. Her blonde hair was in a mess and her once beautiful dress is now ruined. She looked like she was already dead though her shaking body shows that she's still alive but really dying.
"Help me." She pleaded. Her eyes that were once confident were full of sorrow and grief. "Please."
Anya took a step back when she remembered what she had to do.
"You want me to kill you right now?" She asked as her hands shake failing to keep her calm.
"NO!" the woman cried. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die." She kept on repeating like a mantra.
"Mother, help me!" She cried again and pulled against her chains. "HOW CAN YOU LET ME SUFFER?!"
Her voice was hoarse and threatening. She kept on pulling on her chains and whimpered when she realized she couldn't escape.
"I have helped save Olympus and yet only to be forced into punishment like this?! MOTHER, HEAR ME!"
She took deep breathes and tried to calm herself. When she started to look at her surroundings, she noticed Anya and she growled with anger.
"I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAVED YOU!" She yelled as she looked at Anya with pure hatred. Her eyes were once again filled with storms. This time Anya was pretty sure those storms will kill her.
"You should have died!" She yelled again and cursed in a language she recognized as Greek. "Your birth became the end of me! This is your entire fault!" She lashed at the chains and Anya could feel the weight of her words.
She was the reason this woman is suffering and she didn't know about it until today. Her very life made someone else's torture.
She was about to run away when she heard her speak.
"He will avenge me." She muttered a blissful smile on her lips. "He will murder you, once he learned of who you are."
At that, Anya felt fear. The hair on her skin started to rise and she can feel the coldness of the room, as if draining all warmth attributed to life.
"You're not her!"Anya found herself saying the words. "You are not her! You're a monster."
The woman laughed loudly that made the walls of the cage shake and crack.
"Oh, I am her, child." She said chuckling as blood started to pour from the walls and out of her eyes. "I'm a part of her. You won't be able to get rid of me. I am her and he will avenge me."
This time Anya winced. She could feel the truth in those words. The woman was made of pure love and hatred. Love for the man and hatred for her.
"What do you want from me?!" She asked frustrated as she saw the woman shifted her smile in a wicked grin.
"Capture the soul that escaped me and burn it as an offering to Gaia. Only you can do this." She said with a wicked grin that made Anya forget what she once looked like in the café.
"Why would I do that? I'm not your servant!" She yelled frustrated. First she was ordered to murder a woman by a soul then the woman wanted her to burn the soul to offer to who knows what.
"Anya" Anya froze and looked at the woman. She became the same woman when she was under the light of the sun, beautiful and brave but the words that came out of her mouth were poison.
"No one wanted you to live." As she said those words the walls began to crumble and an earthquake suddenly seemed to happen. She tried to run but her foot immediately was trapped when huge debris from the top fell.
She tugged at her foot but regretted it immediately. All it did was cause more pain and she hated herself for it. She tried to lift the debris off but it wouldn't bulge. To make things worse, the lady seemed to have escaped the chains and is now slowly making her way towards her.
She pulled harder on the debris but it was no use. She was trapped. She didn't know what to do. She looked around but there was nothing to save her. Then panic started to rise in her when she noticed that the blood seemed to start flooding around her. And before she could drown, she was already having trouble breathing.
"This couldn't be true." she said to herself but it wasn't working.
As she tried her best to steady her breathing the blood was already at her shoulders and continued to rise at an alarming speed. The woman in front of her only smiled. Her smile was that of a person looking amused at the tricks her pet was doing. It didn't help her calm down.
"Help me!" This time Anya was the one pleading for help. She could already taste the flood of blood and it tasted horrible.
The response the woman only gave her was a soft laugh as if her life was such a fun thing.
Anya tried to lift her head out for air but her foot was stuck and didn't really give her any leverage. She held her breath and closed her eyes. She can feel the stinging of her skin caused by the blood.
She pushed the debris trying with all strength she had but it was no use. She was stuck. She can feel her lungs move desperate for air and she accidentally breathe. Blood entered her throat and she can feel herself drowning in acid. Her insides ached from the foreign element entering her body. Her eyes were wide open as she screamed in pain but it only made things worse. She can feel her eyes melt and slowly she was losing her sight. The last sight she'll be seeing was a woman smiling at her painful death.
"Anya" the woman called, this time in a different voice. It was warm and motherly. But she can feel it, the wickedness sewn in its voice. "Remember our promise."
With that she lost her consciousness and she bolted straight up and gasped desperate for air, hands on her throat. She looked around and she noticed she was once again in a place she didn't know of. But at least she was alive and not dying from acid blood.