“What?”
Minerva shifted toward me. “What do you know of Aeris?”
My veins turned to ice. “Aside from the fact that she’s a dick and inserted herself where she didn’t belong? Aside from the fact that she abandoned me as a child and then tried to weasel her way back in? But not for me. Only Quill? I know she’s the reason the Treeis bond was enacted. She wanted to bind Archer to Ezra. I know she’s the Goddess of Renewal. She rebuilt parts of Requiem, turned it into something she thought was better. Hard disagree on that, by the way.” I glanced at Thea, who nodded in confirmation. “I know she’s a piece of shit. That feels like more than enough.”
“Aeris is not just the Goddess of Renewal. She is the Goddess of RenewalandDestruction. The two forces are inseparable.”
A chill ran down my spine. “That’s not possible. We would have known.”
“Would you?” Tuck asked quietly. “The gods specialize in half truths. It’s easier to earn trust when you show only your most appealing qualities.”
The implications crashed over me like a wave. The convenient timing of her appearances. The way she’d been there the day the floor had opened beneath Quill. The immediate trust everyone except me had felt toward her. The way my power felt nothing like renewal and everything like destruction. I’d chalked it up to Irri’s power over broken things. But gods, I’d destroyed the veil. Not because of Irri’s power but Aeris’s.
“You’re strong, Paesha,” Minnie said, coming to stand within our circle. “Think of everything you possess. All the power stolen by a tyrant prince is yours now. The power of the Huntress. And you’re a demigod. You should feel divided. You’re many parts that make a whole. And no one knows what that’s like more than I do. It is a burden.”
“What parts are you?” Quill asked.
“I am the Goddess of Reason and now Wrath. But Wrath was not always mine. That was a power saved for the Fates. My destiny was also broken by Ezra, as was yours,” she told the child.
“Mine?”
“Ezra wanted Archer bound to him before he took the mortal throne. But because you were there, and your power was so strong, along with Paesha’s, you became bound by the Treeis bond. He never wanted that, I’m sure, because the bond kept him from taking the throne.”
Quill dug a toe into the ground. “My destiny wasn’t broken. I love them.”
“That may be so, but it was not your free will that made that choice, child. And someday you may wish it wasn’t so.”
“How did it happen?” Thea asked, tentatively. “When your destiny was broken?”
“Ezra had a vision that the Fates would betray me and steal my power. I knew he was wrong. I begged him not to interfere. But he didn’t listen. Instead, he convinced every god to bind the Fates more tightly to their loom, restricting their movement and abilities. It was heart wrenching. All these centuries later and I’ll never forget their screams. Or mine, I think. And he was wrong. The Fates and I were meant to work together, not against each other. His interference caused my Reason to become tangled with the Fates’ Wrath.” Her old eyes flashed to me. “I have power no goddess should have. I have anger no one should feel. It’s a battle every day. That’s why you and I understand each other so fully.”
Within the silence, Tuck spoke up. “It’s no wonder you’re suffering. You’re channeling multiple gods’ powers through a body that was never meant to contain such forces. Those powers are feeding off each other. Creating a storm that grows morechaotic by the day. It’d be more strange if you were unaffected, to be honest.”
“How do we fix this?” Elowen asked. “There must be a way to help her.”
Minerva’s expression turned grave. “The powers within her are too deeply intertwined to simply separate.”
“Fun times,” I said casually, feeling uncomfortable by the way they all watched me. This is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. Why I wanted to run. I didn’t need their pity, but I couldn’t breathe without their love.
“Thorne is trying to find a solution and he’s a stubborn being. The Fates are difficult and capricious, but if anyone can persuade them, it’s him,” Minerva said.
“And if he can’t?” I whispered, immediately regretting the doubt.
Archer’s arm tightened around me. “Then we keep looking. We don’t give up until we find an answer.”
“All of us,” Thea added, reaching for my hand.
They lie. There is no salvation. Only the dark.
“I love you guys, but tread lightly. You can’t trust me. I’m not even sure how much longer I can hold on.”
“As long as you need to,” Archer said with quiet conviction. “And when you can’t hold on anymore, that’s what we’re here for. Besides, who else is going to support my hobby seeking in a very mocking way?”
Despite everything, I felt the corner of my mouth lift. “Everyone, actually.”
“That’s the spirit.” He grinned. “Focus on my humiliation instead of yours.”
“A strategy that has served us well for months,” I agreed.
