Chapter 37:
The Sweet Wine of Corruption
Author's Note: On the path to NaNoWriMo we go! Everyone enjoying the constant updates? I am! I've definitely feel like I can get a good chunk of this story finished before December 1st.
Chapter Warnings: Sexual themes. Feel free to skip to the end/next chapter after the *.
Erebus spent many years observing the wrath of Hades.
The elf prince, was never one to outwardly express emotion. As Erebus understood, Hades was a practical sort of man with a pragmatic outlook on life. The story of the three elven princes drawing lots to decide who would, ultimately, take the elven throne was highly inaccurate. No physical lots were cast, but the presence of a hereditary birth mark on the right palm of the youngest - illegitimate - prince, Zeus, raised the young elf to the title of king. The legends had correctly reported the rage of Hades and the apathy of Poseidon. Hades had allowed such a transgression to remain for a time until Zeus became unhappy with the marriage to his sister-wife, Hera, and sought comfort with others.
Erebus had been born a short time after Zeus' dalliance with the human woman, Io, ended and the eldest boy, Perseus, was whisked away to Olympus as an honorary prince of the elves. He'd heard his father rage at the foolishness of Zeus bringing a half-elven bastard of his to court and the mere fact that the king recognized the boy as a son and prince brought shame to the elven peoples. It all went downhill from there when Zeus not only loved Metis, but managed to keep the romance a secret until the elf lady fell pregnant with his child. The affair that ensued caused Erebus to fall into the camp of Aries and become one of his acolytes and staunchest supporters.
The mark that supposedly denoted the heir to the elven throne had been on baby Athena's right hand. The greedy little bitch used that mark to usurp Aries of his throne and cast the prince, princess and uncle into the cages of Sheol where they'd remain for thousands of years until Queen Mab finally garnered enough power to release them.
He watched Hades pace the length of Saruman's conference room in Isengard. Queen Mab sat demurely in one of the chairs following his movement with her crimson eyes.
"Are you certain there's no sign of her?" He asked.
"We've looked for the month," Erebus replied calmly. "She could still be hidden in one of the elven realms of the region, but none of the trackers have found evidence of her presence in almost a month."
Hades snarled and snapped, "Of course she's there! I have felt the touch of her magic enter the world for many moons. Mab has inspected the tears in the expanse and discovered many of them repaired save the wound in Mordor. The little queen has worked her magic, but even she can't fully overcome our power."
Erebus didn't show his exasperation, but oh was he tempted to place his feelings on full display. Instead, he simply bowed to the uncle of his liege and worked to bite back the sneer threatening to make its way across his face.
"Of course, your highness. I will return my men to the Uruk tracking party and help them in their search. They are considering following the river Emin Muil in case she makes an appearance there," he informed them.
Queen Mab simply nodded at the information, keeping up with her calm facade. Hades openly glared at him.
"See that you do!"
Erebus, recognizing the dismissal for what it was, turned and left the room.
Yes, Hades had been a careful, calm, and calculating politician once. It was clear that was no longer the case. The prince of elves had become angry and embittered. While he held some moments of true cunning, his desire to lead effectively and carefully was gone. Instant gratification was the only thing on his mind and attempting to instill patience in Hades' mind was nearly impossible. His time in Sheol had changed him and Erebus wasn't sure he wanted to submit himself to their rule any longer.
His favorite time to attack was on the edge of a thunderstorm. The flashes of lightening, the low pressure in the air, and the sheets of blinding rain created the perfect atmosphere of confusion for him to instill fear in the hearts of the foolish humans. His flock of furies crowded into the sky and began to descend once more upon the city. The people on the streets below screamed. The soldiers yelled orders and encouragement. Many screamed in fear along with the rest of the citizenry.
Aries lifted his hand into the air and release the deluge of dark fire from the pockets of dark power he'd spent the last three weeks cultivating. The wind provided by the storm bent around the circumference of the city and repelled the flames - scattering them into the night. He snarled and looked to the top of the towering city where the lone figure of his sister, Artemis, held an arrow notched to a bow and trained directly on him.
He kicked his fury to wing to the side just and narrowly missed being pierced in the heart. The inky black feathers of his steed fluttered and strained as she attempted to right herself against the wind. Aries snarled and kicked the fury into Artemis' path once more. Fire danced in the palm of his hand and enveloped the next arrow sent his way. She danced away from the stream of flame as it lurched onto the stone courtyard.
Shouts disturbed his concentration and averted his attention to a young man with curling red hair as he felled his second fury. His eyes narrowed. The steward's youngest son, he mused. He drew his sword and dived for the young captain, but his descent was stopped once more by Artemis' next arrow.
He returned his attention to her and flew directly at her. Dark fire coursed along the edge of his blade as he directed the creature to dodge another arrow. He saw the grey of her eyes - a grey eyes that belonged to his father and once belonged to him before he pulled his elemental birthright from the legions of the Fallen. He swung. She ducked his blade and hit his fury with a light encased bow.
The world blurred and he snarled. Before he was fully banished from the city, he released his fire again and hit her shoulder and arm as she attempted to right herself. He blinked. The buildings of Osgiliaath surrounded him. Orcs staggered away from him as the fury stumbled to the broken pavement. His world lurched once again and Aries was throne from the fury's back before he managed to reorient himself.
When he looked into the distance, Aries beheld the furies fall as they were picked out of the sky. He snarled.
The huntress would learn to fear the God of War.
It had taken him three days to find the region of Rohan that Persephone currently haunted. Another three days passed before he'd been able to locate the village she and her coven terrorized for the past several weeks. Since her defeat in Hollin, Persephone worked tirelessly to replace those women she'd lost in that skirmish. The moment he'd entered the village, Erebus was met with piles of carnage and the sobs of men begging. He entered the village circle to chants and sobs. Three women stood in a circle while Persephone chanted at them in the old tongue. At their feet were three men, tied and blindfolded, and Erebus guessed - from the way they begged - that Amorphasia hadn't been used.
Well then, I wonder what angered Persephone to withdraw such a kindness, he mused.
"Hilda, please, I don't understand! Please!" One man whimpered.
The one whom Erebus supposed was Hilda, remained stoic in her expression as Persephone continued to chant. Then the women were handed three silver daggers and given words of power. They spoke them and slit the throats of the three men as if in one mind. As their red blood ran, darkness drifted from the growing pool and covered their forms. Persephone's volume increased and she raised her hands above her head.
High pitched shrieks filled the air. Bones cracked, and the occasional curse followed. Erebus looked on in admiration as the art behind Persephone's ritual made itself known. Sights unseen by human eyes curled through the darkness in brief flashes. One particular image burned itself into his mind. Teal eyes of Doctor Brianna Davis flashed in his mind accompanied by a feral snarl and the arch of a small knife clutched in her delicate hands. The image faded before the knife fell into its intended target. Erebus found himself blinking dumbly as the darkness cleared and revealed the bones of the men and the village women completely changed.
One women was tall and pale. Her busty body gave way to a slender frame. Red eyes glared out from underneath long, dark, eyelashes. When they settled on the bones of the man she'd sacrificed, her startling red lips curled back into a snarl and revealed a pair of long incisors. The middle women was gifted a voluptuous body with mesmerizing lime green eyes. The last woman became a thin, willowy creature of beauty that took his breath away. She, too, glanced down at the bones of the formerly alive man and smirked. Her long, blond hair reflected in the sunlight as she ran her fingers through its silky strands.
Erebus felt his mouth dry and, when she looked at him with glowing red eyes, he forced himself to glance away from her. Persephone's approach allowed for the best excuse to ignore all three women as she approached him.
"What a pleasant surprise, the Lord of Darkness come to witness a new beginning!" She cackled.
He smiled. He'd always enjoyed Persephone's company and had felt for the elf princess when she'd first come to Hades' abode in the underworld of the elven kingdom. As an elf lady barely passed the age of adulthood, Persephone had been a soft spoken, pure sort of girl with a love for flowers, pregnancies and childbirth. Hades had taken his time to break her which made the end result of the elf princess all the more tragic. Usually, Erebus held little love for other people, but Persephone's corruption has always seemed… disappointing.
"Your Highness, a pleasure as always," he greeted.
She smirked, "I will assert with certainty that little pleasure can be taken from me. You wouldn't come if you hadn't felt the need. Tell me all."
Erebus chuckled. Of the three locked in Sheol, Persephone had emerged the least insane. The cost for such a blessing had to be the blessing of the elves - her beauty.
"Your husband has tasked me to Emen Muil with the Uruk company so that we can ambush the Queen should she emerge from wherever it is she's hidden herself and heads down the Anduin. Prince Hades holds the opinion that she will head to Mordor," he explained.
Persephone nodded and rasped in response, "Yes, yes she would go to Mordor. There's no choice."
"Do you think she'll travel down the river?" Erebus asked.
Persephone inclined her head, "Of course! Where else would she go?"
He rolled his eyes. The princess was being purposefully obtuse. The act of shifting his gaze from the woman - albeit a quick one - caused him to meet the gaze of one of the new coven members. Her red eyes gleamed with hunger as she stared at him with parted lips. Persephone followed his gaze and smirk.
"She was Hilda, once. Now she is Lysistrate in the Order of the Thirteenth Gate," Persephone introduced. "It seems as though the Lord of the Gate felt it prudent to gift her the powers of a Siren."
"So it would seem," Erebus replied, carefully articulating each word.
"Don't feel concerned about her. She won't make her first kill without my missive and I fully intent to inflict her upon the destined one of my little niece," Persephone said maliciously.
Erebus shook himself from the Siren's spell and returned his attention to the princess's yellow eyes. Persephone fixed him with a grin that best showed her yellowed, rotting teeth.
"I wish to ensure nothing goes amiss. Prince Hades demands she be found and afflicted. I know of only one such ally who can ensure success," Erebus said.
"Bah! Don't presume to flatter me with compliments! I planned to meet your party eventually!" She said, slapping his arm with her gnarled fingers.
Erebus chose not to respond and simply inclined his head to confirm his understanding. Finally, he turned from Persephone and found himself the object of interest of the three new coven members. The vampiress and the sorceress merely looked curious as to the significance of his presence. The Siren's expression could have seduced the most devout of priests into the bed of never-ending wanton pleasure.
She practices her powers on me, he observed.
He could resist. In his three-thousand year existence, Erebus had mastered the art of resisting such sorcery induced seductions that propelled most to their personal ruin. There was something of the newness of her appearance and power that made him want to be taken in despite himself. After several moments of deliberation, he decided giving in could be quite interesting.
"We will be ready at dawn," Persephone stated, breaking his thoughts. "Feel free to enjoy yourself in the meantime."
It had been a long time since Erebus had last blushed at innuendo, but blush he did as Persephone shooed her coven sisters away. All accept Hilda who was now Lysistrate. The Siren approached and circled him like a predator about to pounce on her prey.
"Did you know I was married?" She asked.
"I figured such would be the case. The man was your husband?" He asked.
She reached out and pressed her fingers against his leather vest and twined the other group around the hem of his black cloak. Red lips silted into a sultry smile and her blood eyes gleamed when she lifted them from his collarbone to meet his gaze.
"He was my buffoon of a husband. Such a kind and caring man to a fault. His mere presence kept me from doing all that I can - to becoming more," she breathed before slowly stepping away from him.
Erebus followed her into one of the empty houses. This one wasn't ransacked nor was it filled with the dank smell of freshly made corpses. When the tattered hide that hung across the doorway fell behind him, Erebus descended on the Siren. She received his attentions enthusiastically and Erebus found himself indulging in every carnal whim he could think of at the encouragement of this beautiful creature.
Their dance of lips and tongues led to her newly sewn black robes being discarded on the dirt floor. His clothes followed soon after and she pulled him across the hovel to the small hay cot made just big enough for two people. They played for hours and Erebus only found relief when she finally allowed him to expend his seed deep within her.
Darkness had long since cast itself over the plains of Rohan when Erebus was finally released from his intense search for ecstasy. Lysistrate lay next to him. Her blood red eyes has dimmed to soft auburn and he found that he liked that color better. Unfortunately, Sirens never became intimate without using their power over men. He wondered if that was part of the deal - to increase the feel of one's intimacy through power without being allowed to indulge in anything that could possibly lead to true affection.
"You might be the most enticing creature I've had the pleasure of bedding," he remarked.
"Impressive of you to feel that way after the allure has faded," she mused and twirled the length of her curling blond hair through slim, elegant fingers.
"I suspect you were always enticing even when you were once fully human," he said, honestly.
"I suppose," she mused, "though I wouldn't have known it with my husband. He never understood what it was all about. Our union only resulted in one child. I guess the child is gone. I don't know what happened to him during Persephone's assault."
"It doesn't matter now. Only the ascension of Prince Aries remains."
She smirked, "Don't be so sure. Maybe her highness will take the queen for herself? Wouldn't that be a twist?"
Erebus chuckled and moved on top of her, "Oh, I suspect the Queen isn't Persephone's type."
Her eyes bled red once more as she licked her bottom lip and allowed him to ravage her once more.