Captivated
Chapter 14: Placate Your Disgrace
Ares walked in the room quietly and pressed his hand over Eris' mouth. She stirred only until it was her brother that was there. He motioned her to hurry and follow. She did what she was asked but didn't leave Paris' side without placing a gentle kiss on his lips. He only moved a little, stretching his arms over her vacant spot.
"What do you want?!" she hissed, not wanting to wake the prince. He tried to calm her later protests down with a shaking finger.
"You must leave here immediately. Hera has told Zeus of your affair with the prince and summons for you in trail." He spoke normal as if this event wasn't anything more then a social call. But that wasn't what Eris was feeling as she was dragged away from the mortal coil. Each step terrified her, knowing these maybe her last. He found out! He found out! He found out! Were the only words that Eris thought of? The consequences weren't sinking in yet until she was standing before Zeus himself.
His white robes matched perfectly with his head of white locks that spiraled down his neck to his shoulders as did his beard. All the immortals of Olympus were there to pity or chuckle under their breath for the young goddess. Zeus sat on his marble throne, spilling out his power in the posture he sat in.
"You can be charged guilty of disobeying my law Eris, goddess of Discord and Strife!" His voice boomed in everyone's hearts, but she didn't dare show symptoms of fear of her father.
"And what harm can be done with a god loving a mortal?" she spoke boldly.
"Goddesses are as likely to getting pregnant as a mortal woman does. After Achilles, I forbid anymore demi-gods to be brought into this world. It will put a shame to us real immortals." All others approved by nodding their heads.
"And the penalty of such a violation is death for the mortal and strip of title for the god." Now the thought of Paris' death broke the dam Eris had set up from her tears.
She pulled her finger to her biting lips and her face contoured with pure panic. She didn't want to look at Zeus because she saw Paris' dying breath in his eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes, continuously falling down her cheeks. She searched through the ring of crowd for a friendly face. But those that proved allies bowed their heads down in shame.
"please." She whispered. Her words plucked the attention of them all. "Please drop this." Eris' face twisted in pain, and her voice began to gurgle from the tears. "Please! Someone help." She couldn't take it anymore. Eris dropped to her knees, and covered her weeping face from the world to see. Some took sympathy for her and others were surprised that she could cry. It seemed she was doomed. The mortal would die and Eris would wander the world as a dirty mortal.
"Stop this now!" the charging voice blew everyone away, especially Hera and Athena. A lady dressed in black stepped into the circle from an unknown direction. Her face wasn't young but striking to look at. Her dark eyes sprang forth out of her white complexion, and the pitch black curls were piled on top of her head. She was Nyx, Goddess of the Night. And mother to Eris.
She burned a whole through Zeus that made him uncomfortable before kneeling down to whisper promises of encouragement. They quieted the sobbing goddess for the moment. "Call yourself a father! What a tyrant you are!"
"Stand down Nyx!" He ordered, but she didn't follow.
"The god I knew long ago didn't take orders from a sniveling wench that has long past her time and is spoiled to the root!" Harsh were her words, but every god smiled at her, because that was what they always thought of Hera.
"I will not abide to know my daughter is being punished for something she couldn't control. And you know Zeus of my anger, so don't test it." She warned, and stood. Waiting for an answer.
He took in a breath before stating his sentence.
"Eris." She looked up to meet her eyes with her father's. Redden brown to blue. "I understand that love is uncontroable to all power. So I leave you with a warning. Your power and his life will still stand." All the gods gasped in relief except Hera stammered.
"But Zeus!" she began before his threatening look came her way. His eyes were enough for her to be quieted.
"But on one condition. You will never meet this mortal again. For the sake you're his life and yours...That is all."
All the gods left to their usual duties, now having a story to share with one another. The mysterious Nyx vanished to where she lived by herself in the stars, to melt into the sky; waiting for her time to glow. Ares rushed by his sister's side, beaming with joy.
"Eris! You've been spared!" he stated as if Eris didn't know yet. But the goddess still stayed in her position. She was hunched over on her knees with her shaking hands covering her mouth. Eris' sanity crumbled when she heard her warning. She was to never see her Paris again unless he would die by the sight of himself to Eris.
"Eris?" Ares now noticed she wasn't moving except the shaking of her hands.
"Never..."she finally whispered.