Chapter seventeen: Words of Warning

Hesitantly, I stepped forward, but Ryan grabbed my arm

"What the Hades do you think you're doing?" he shot at me, though his voice was oddly hollow.

It was the goddess that answered for me.

"She's not as suspicious as you are, my boy. Her first instinct is still to trust, rather than to fight, as it is with you."

Even though I wasn't quite sure what her words meant, I narrowed my eyes. I didn't like people speaking for me, and the way her presence was making me feel didn't help a lot either.

Ryan looked...unsure. He didn't stop staring at the goddess, and the pain in his eyes was evident.
It was startling to see him like this, when he was usually so guarded.

"Why should I trust you?" I asked Metanoia, and I was surprised that my voice was so calm.

This was the first goddess I had ever seen, and part of me was still in shock.

Metanoia chuckled. "I never said you could trust me, Erin. I do not think that mortals should ever trust a god. Only regret comes from it. I should know, after all, I am the goddess of it, and all regret passes through me."

Why did she have to speak so mysteriously? I wondered. Maybe it was in her job description as an all-powerful, ancient being.

I weighed my options. On the one hand, I had no inclination whatsoever to spend any more time than I already had with this goddess. On the other hand, Metanoia seemed pretty honest, and she claimed she'd come to give me a warning. Surely it couldn't hurt to listen to what she had to say?

"Alright." I told her, and walked forwards. Ryan's hand fell off my arm, and for a moment I wished it was still there.

When I looked back, he was still standing there, his hands clenched into fists, and his mouth pressed into a thin line. How was he in so much pain?

"What are you doing to him?" I demanded from Metanoia, my tone sharp.

She smiled sadly.
"There is a lot of regret in that hero's life. He is ruled by it, and my presence makes it come into painful focus."

I stared, wondering what had happened to Ryan that could cause him to physically hurt with regret. Was this the reason he was so unpleasant? Was it all a mask, to hide his real pain?

The goddess broke into my thoughts, motioning for me to follow her.

I did so, and as we walked, our surroundings changed, going from hot, desert town to a cool cave, with a ceiling so high it was lost in the gloom and walls that glittered as we passed.

Startled, I hastened to Metanoia's side.
"Where are we?!" I wanted to know, alarmed. Had she kidnapped me? Would I be held prisoner in this cave?

"Calm down, Erin Carraway." Metanoia said, waving her hand. In her other was a torch that burned brightly.

"This-" she motioned at the stone around us, while continuing to walk further into the cave "- is merely an illusion. I do not like gas stations, just as I do not like small desert towns. Where we are now is a manifestation of my nature. So no, I did not kidnap you."

Somehow I got the feeling that talking to a godly being could be very frustrating. They always seemed to know what you were thinking, so how were you supposed to keep anything hidden?

Finally, we stopped, and the goddess turned toward me. Her eyes were as dark as the crystals in the stone walls around us, but both also had a twinkle that wasn't entirely unfriendly.

"So, what is this warning you have for me?" I asked, not sure whether I really wanted to know. Nothing a goddess wanted to warn me about could be good news.

Metanoia took her time, looking at me carefully with her dark eyes.
"You are brave, young one." she finally stated and I felt my cheeks go red.

"No I'm not." I muttered, without thinking. "I'm not a hero."

The goddess actually laughed. "One doesn't not have to be a demigod to be brave, Erin, just as one doesn't have to be a demigod to be a hero. It all depends on your choices, not your heritage."

I stared at her. What she was saying made sense in some part of my brain, but I was too surprised at being given a motivational speech by the goddess of regret to really realize what her words meant.

"Still, there is great danger ahead of you.". Now the goddesses voice and expression were very serious indeed. "There is deep sorrow in your past, Erin Carraway. A lot of regret."

I started to tell her that I had no idea what she was talking about, that my life had been pretty great so far, but she held up a hand to silence me.

"You may not realize it yet, but your destiny lies within your grasp and you already have all the abilities you need to seize it. Yet there is a great danger that you will not be able to do so. If you do not face the demons in your past, they will continue to hunt you. You will fail and generations of heroes might suffer because of it.
So listen well, traveler, for my words are words of warning: When clarity comes, do not fight it. Do not try to block your memories, to keep your past away from you. It is as big a part of who you are as your present is. Confront it. Conquer it. Or it will conquer you, and you will succumb to misery and regret."

She ended her speech with a grave expression and gestured around her. I started. The walls, which before had been covered with glimmering crystals were now made out of faces, moaning and obviously in pain.

My eyes met Metanoia's and I couldn't speak. Did she mean I would end up like this if I didn't do what she'd told me to? And what was that anyway? I had no idea which great sorrow she meant. Sure, I could think of a number of things that had made me sad in the past, but those didn't mean anything now! How could I possibly do what she wanted me to?

Metanoia held out her hand, and when I glanced down I saw a small, silver knife sparkling in her palm.
"Take this weapon, and use it well. It will be essential to your success. You cannot lose it unless you give it away and I warn you not to do so."

With trembling fingers I reached out and grasped the hilt of the dagger.

"Its name is Kairos, and it has great power. This is all the help I can give you. Heed my words, Erin, and I hope we will never meet again."

With that, she extinguished her torch with a wave of her hand, and everything dissolved.

Hooray, a new chapter! Have a read and tell me what ya think :) Let's hope Erin gets some answers soon, her questions are startin to pile up!
Any thoughts on Blood of Olympus? I liked it a lot, but I do have some issues...
Have a great day! xx
(I only own my OCs)