I stood on a hill just above a beautiful valley. The sweetest breeze blew through my hair and the sun beat down on my skin, warming me up inside. The beautiful goddess walked toward me, a welcoming smile on her face. "You've done well, Mari," she sighed, grinning.
"Thanks," I replied, looking around. It was seriously gorgeous here. "So…am I dead?"
"Very nearly," Nyx chuckled. "Oh, please don't be angry at Daydream she—"
"I'm not," I said, shaking my head. Nyx gave me a hard stare. I never thought I'd see a goddess look confused. Then again…I had never figured I'd see a goddess before. "I wanted her to live. If she needed to drain me then so be it. I'm alright dying in her place."
Nyx stared at me and, had I not known better, I could have sworn I saw tears dancing in her eyes. "Just like that? You would give your life for a vampyre?"
I shook my head. "I would give my life for someone I can't really live without. The vampyre part just means I can give my blood to do it."
"You could have pulled her off at any time."
"Never occurred to me," I laughed. "So…can I move on? Enter your…heaven type place?"
Nyx laughed and shook her head."You're not dead Mari. You're just nearly dead. They will pull you back from the brink."
I smiled at Nyx. "I've figured out who you are." Nyx cocked her head to the side. "On my way up here I thought a lot .I thought about what makes your vampyres singular and what humans so scared of them. I realized who you are."
"And who is that?" Nyx asked, grinning even bigger than she had before.
"You're the goddess of death. The keeper of those who have passed. That's why your children need to consume life, blood. That's why people fear you and your children unreasonably. You are darkness only in the idea that you are unknown."
Nyx stared at me. "You came up with that? All on your own?"
I nodded. "Why are you so shocked?"
"Well, you're not the brightest." I opened my mouth to object but…I reconsidered. "So, am I what you expected in the mighty Hades?"
"You're certainly what I hoped for." We smiled at one another.
Suddenly I heard a noise and looked over to see a young man with sandy hair walking towards Nyx. "This place is really nice," Lucas sighed, bowing before Nyx.
I stared at him. "Lucas? Did you…astral project? Or is this how you communicate with the dead?"
Nyx shook her head. "Mari, honey I think you know what he's doing here." She looked to Lucas. "And the others, dear?"
"They'll be along in a minute," he informed her, glancing over at me nervously. "I'm showing them the way. I like my new job."
"Good," Nyx sighed, beaming down at him.
I shook my head. "No…no you can't be dead. You're my strongest warrior."
Lucas smiled grimly. "Yes, I was. Doesn't make me immortal. C'mon Mari, you knew some of us would die."
"But…not you. I never thought…"
"Did you think any of your friends would die?" He gave me a cocky smile. I shook my head. "That's what I love about you Mari. You assume the worst but hope for the best. Like with me, remember? You assumed what Jenn said was true but hoped that I would be useful. You're the reason I'm here Mari," he sighed, motioning to the beautiful field around us.
I covered my face with my hands. "I know. It's my fault you're dead."
Lucas shook his head. "No dummy!"
I glared at him. "What's with everyone insulting my intelligence here?"
Lucas walked up to me and pulled my hands to his chest. He felt warm and pure…I can't explain it. "You feel that Mari? That's a free spirit. It's thanks to you that I was able to make it here and take on the job Nyx has assigned me." I shook my head still not understanding. Lucas tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He stared into my eyes. "Mari, I never told anyone the truth about me. It would have bound me to the earth. Weighed me down. But you took away the power it held over me." He looked up at the sky, feeling its warmth.
"Oh goddess," I groaned, looking over at Nyx. "He's the man shrouded in darkness?" The goddess grinned proudly at me. Everyone was right. I was not quick on the uptake. "So," I sniffed, trying desperately not to cry again, "what's this new job?"
Lucas smiled. "Things are coming. Big things, but you'll figure that out. I have to be there to help people get over here. It's too easy to get lost or taken these days."
I chuckled. "You're the Ferryman now?" He nodded, grinning from ear to ear. I'd miss that smile. "I'm going to make sure people know about you. You know that, right?"
"I'm counting on it." He gave me a hard stare. "You're a helluva woman." He rolled his eyes and kissed me gently. "Sorry," he sighed, quietly. "It's the one thing I would have regretted." He looked to Nyx then nodded. "Okay, I should go check up on the travelers. They deserve to be here. I'll be seeing you Mari. Take care of yourself." He ran off into the distance, looking so light and happy.
I shook my head, trying desperately to stop the tears. I knew he was better off here. I knew he had a job to do, a purpose. But, as I once wrote, death is only unfortunate for the living. Nyx made her way over to me, a kind expression on her face that reminded me of my mother. "You've done so much for my children, your friends," she sighed. "I appreciate it, more than you can know. That being said, you need to wake up soon because there is still so much you need to do."
"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm painfully aware. Life doesn't stop after battle. There's a lot of clean up if nothing else. I have to make sure a lot of soldiers are given the respect they deserve."
Nyx smiled and placed her hand on my chest, right over my heart. "Thank you, Mari. Daughter of my heart." Something in her voice made me stop and take notice. I felt the skin beneath her hand burn but…not in the worst way. "I'm extending your life a little," she informed me. "You won't live as long as my vampyres but you will live longer than humans. You have too much to do for me to let you live the short life of a human." I nodded obediently, though I had no idea what she meant. "You are my honorary child, though no less my child."
I laughed suddenly. "I'm adopted?"
The goddess laughed too. "Yes, two times over." She pursed her lips. "Not to divulge too much but…you will meet your birth parents someday."
My eyes widened. I hadn't really thought about my birth parents since I was in middle school. I didn't really care about them. I'd learned, even more so in the last eight months, that family was who was in your heart, not your DNA. "While we're divulging secrets…may I please know now the only thing I don't understand about Daydream's vision of me?" She tilted her head to the sighed. "Why was I made of stars?"
Nyx nodded, rolling her eyes. "I suppose it's only right. Remember the story of Orion that David told you?"
I smiled, remembering that night, and awaited for her to explain further. Then, when she continued to stare at me, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I remembered Connor's comment I wonder what those left behind will call you. "I…are you going to make me a constellation?" I stuttered.
"You will reside in the heavens, yes. I constant celestial body." I was speechless. What do you say to that? "Alright, no more talk. You must go back now." She leaned over and kissed my forehead.
I awoke in a bed in the medical building of the underground city. My body hurt like nothing else. I groaned, alerting Gia, Erol, Daydream, David and Desmond to my consciousness. "Mari, thank the goddess," Desmond sighed, relieved.
"I told you she'd wake up!" Gia growled.
"It was scary anyway," Erol sighed. I guess they had been arguing this point quite a bit.
"It's just good to have you back," David sighed, irritably. He'd been dealing with the two squabblers. I could tell. I put my hand to my chest, which burned terribly. "Yeah," David chuckled. "Seems you've been…well given a gift.
I glanced down at my chest and felt tears coming to my eyes. In the middle of my chest was a filled in crescent moon, stars reached up to my collarbone and the top of my breasts were covered with flames and Celtic warrior markings. It was beautiful, and it was mine. My own Mark.
"I take it your meeting with Nyx went well," Daydream sighed, hesitantly. "I'm sorry Mari, I—"
I shook my head. "I'm tired of arguing this point. I was never going to be mad at you, even before I knew that you were told to kill me by Nyx." Daydream's eyes widened, glassy with tears. "Daydream, you're my best friend. I was willing to die for you." Daydream sobbed and threw her arms around me, reminding me that I had a few broken ribs. "So how'd everything go?" I asked, when Daydream pulled away giddily. "Did we make our point? Did Jenn get it done? Did—"
"Calm down, Mari," Desmond cautioned, looking extremely worried. "Things went down as well as we had hoped. We uh…we've made a list of the dead. We're celebrating their lives tonight." He slowly handed me a few sheets of paper.
Everyone sat beside me, touching me in some way as I began to read the list. I couldn't finish. I broke down into cries of "No". The first name was Lucas and just beneath him was Rosto.
