EREBUS

Erebus was a God of Shadows, a man who could not be seen by any until he allowed it. It was a useful trait that he used on many occasions, whether it was hiding from his easily vexed wife, or secretly spying on those he refused to trust, his skills made him an expert in infiltration. But sometimes spying on someone made Erebus have to endure things he didn't want to see or hear, and this was one of those unfortunate times.

The Primordial of Shadows curled his lips in unmitigated disgust, practically radiating contempt as he looked down at the shriveling wretch before him. She didn't see him of course, but her hunched body was pointed in his direction, and he could clearly see her head leaning forward toward him, buried in her hands while her tears leaked down her fingers. An untouched tray of food sat next to the girl, already cold and practically inedible, but the girl made no move to even remove the food from her sight, she simply allowed it to stay and torture her longer.

Erebus wasn't sure how long he had been watching the girl before him, suffering through the constant pangs of hatred and vitriol. But for some reason, he stayed and watched her suffering. The Primordial made no move to help her; in fact, he did nothing at all except stand in the corner of the room with an irremovable sneer on his face. As a rule, Erebus despised weakness in all possible forms. He did not allow any cracks in his walls or any emotion to afflict him to the point where it inhibited him in any way. It was a code he had lived by since the first time he had realized what weakness was, and since then he had been a staunch oppressor of it.

He knew his son, Aether, did not agree with him in the slightest. But his son's opinion did little to sway Erebus' opinion, and he in turn viewed his son as weak and pitiless. It was the same for his daughter . . .

A sniffle interrupted his train of thought, and he immediately switched back attention to the girl. Rage consumed him at the girl's weakness, and without even thinking he lowered his cloak and appeared directly in the open, eyes black with anger and robes billowing with unholy power. He stormed up to the unaware girl and practically bellowed, "Stop crying!"

The girl's head snapped up and looked up at the dark figure in front of her with unveiled fear in her watery eyes, "Wha . . . ?

The crack of his hand against her cheek echoed through the room, a lasting sound that broke through the large silence that had filled the room. The girl flew back and smashed against the wall, causing cracks to spiral outward through the wall. She fell down onto her hands and knees, chest heaving with pain and tears. Golden blood dripped from cuts on her back and began to create a circle around her. Tears began to fall again, mixing with the blood, a sight that inflamed Erebus' already potent rage. He stormed forward and grabbed the girl by her hair, dragging a cry of pain from her mouth, "I said stop crying," He hissed angrily, glaring at the little droplets as they fell down her cheeks, "Or else I will remove them for you."

The girl opened her mouth, but then promptly closed it and sniffled, closing her eyes and ceasing her tears through sheer force of will. Erebus grunted and dropped her into her own blood, sniffing distastefully, "You're too weak to be a goddess, too weak to even exist. You are blight on this universe."

"I don't know what you're talking about," The girl whispered, tears beginning to brim over her eyes.

"Don't cry," Erebus warned harshly, raising his hand to hit her again.

"Please, stop," She cried, wiping away the tears and looking up at his black eyes with as much calm as she could muster in her current state.

"I despise weakness, girl," Erebus grunted, "In all its forms, what you are doing is blasphemy."

"I'm just crying," She objected, but the strength wasn't there.

"You are not strong," Erebus hissed, "You have no conviction; I can see you were never correctly taught this lesson."

"I have been," The girl murmured, her voice sounding haunted, "My father tried, but I never learned to be like him."

The God of Darkness' eyes blackened with anger, but he made no move to strike the girl, "Indeed," He muttered, "You have not learned at all."

He looked over at the platter of food and extended a hand. The platter came racing to him and he placed it in front of the girl, "This is the source of your weakness," He said, "Eat it, now."

The girl's visage twisted into a look of disgust, "I don't eat anymore, and it's cold."

The slap was totally unexpected, and her head rocked back against the wall, "You do not question me. You must learn to be strong, and I will not tolerate failure."

"But I don't want to," The Goddess protested, the smallest sliver of conviction entering her voice.

Erebus grabbed her neck and pulled her up to his eyes level, "You will not resist, little girl," He spat, "You will do as you are told."

His words took a moment to register in the girl's mind, but when they did, Erebus could plainly see the spark and anger and pain in her eyes. Angrily, she wrestled herself from his admittedly weak grip and stood straight, the redness leaving her eyes replaced by total rage. "I won't do it," She repeated, but this time with real strength in her voice.

Erebus attempted to slap her again, but she suddenly dodged and kicked at him, landing a solid blow to his chest. The kick did nothing to faze the Shadow God, but even so, it gave him pause. Slowly, he retreated from her, and just as slowly he regarded the girl with in a new light, "Hmph," He grunted, sounding satisfied, "Perhaps you're not so hopeless after all." He flicked a finger, and immediately the wounds on her back healed.

The girl furrowed her brow in confusion, "What are you . . .?"

Erebus retreated further from her, snapping his fingers and materializing a plate of fresh food on her bed, "You do remember strength, then. Do not cave again, or I will be back to smack the lesson back into you . . . daughter.

Hemera looked back at her father silently, and didn't respond, showing no emotion. Erebus grunted his approval and disappeared. Hemera walked over to the plate and took a grape, hesitantly putting it into her mouth. She nodded slightly, "Thank you father . . . I think."