Page 40 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Underworld

“By leaving!” he roared.

The room had gone silent around us, everyone I’d called watching with bated breath as the two most powerful beings on the planet truly squared off for the first time.

“You don’t fix things by running away like the spoiled princess you were when you created this world. You fix them by making itright.” The walls of the room flexed around us as he squared his shoulders. He grabbed my wrist, hard enough that I was unable to twist away, and turned his snarling gaze to the room. “Your services will no longer be needed.”

With a snap of his fingers, the room faded away, and I was left floating in nothingness.?4

1 As best I can estimate from our records, this takes place roughly 100 years before we began counting our current time. As such the date should I assume, correctly be counted as approximately YPS 1083 rather than YPS 983 as there have, in truth, been 1083 years post slumber. I've lodged an appeal with the Council of the Compact of Nations, as well as the Shades of Sanctuary, but they are, as yet, unanswered.

2 There are, of course plenty of alternative creation myths on the beginning of the world. I am unsure, if at the start, anyone knew the actual truth of it. I cannot help but wonder though, about these other worlds, and if we shall ever see them.

3 It is unclear if Orcus's looks, personality, or only his name were fashioned after this society, as we have no records of them to speak of.

4 It is shocking to me that Orcus had enough to power to do this. I’d have figured that none of the Lady’s creations would have been able to affect her personally.

In Which the Lady is Kidnapped, Confronted, and Propositioned

I spunin a circle until I saw Orcus standing, rather than floating, a smug smile on his newly gorgeous face. I had no idea what was going on with him, what possessed him to change his looks, but it was unbelievably distracting. If I squinted, I could see vestiges of the old Orcus in him—an unnervingly focused gaze, a stance that was too still, and a disregard for his clothing. Not to mention a complete disinterest in heeding instruction, and a knack for infuriating me.

“What in the world do you think you are doing?” I'd have transported myself back immediately, but I couldn't have him causing havoc in light of my plans. I would deal with this now if it killed me.

“Things were getting heated, and I thought it might benefit us if we moved the discussion somewhere private.”

“Oho! How thoughtful you are!” I bit out. “Air your grievances, Orcus. Make your point. Since admitting my fault, issuing a formal apology, and trying to make it right is clearly not enough, I’m prepared to listen to what it is you have to say.”?1 With a thought, I conjured a dome chair and sat on its plush velvet seat. I might have been anticipating the harshest dressing down of my long life, but I would be damned if I showed weakness to Orcus, of all people.

It would be one thing, if I didn't deserve it, but I did. I made the world, and in doing so, made him my villain. For years, he had judged me, played the part of the perfect villain, thwarting my plans at every turn, and now he had the temerity to insult me in front of all of my subjects?

“So this is your grand plan then? To sleep? To avoid your problems until they are different enough that you feel you don't own them anymore?”

“Was it not you who pointed out the many flaws in my actions? Was it not you who said you were surprised that I'd made so many missteps? That it was unfair for such a young goddess to have such power? Well, as you’d have it, I grew up, Orcus.

“And now that I have grown, it's become abundantly clear that my machinations have created a world where people's lives are dependent on the whims of a goddess.”

With a smirk, Orcus conjured a chair and sat, his foot thrown across his knee nonchalantly. “And so, your solution is to remove yourself from the equation? What good does that do?”

“It gives them time, if nothing else. This way, they’ll have time to become whatever they want. When I wake up, I figure a thousand years should be sufficient; I'll assess.”

“A thousand years?” He shot out of his chair, his face stricken. “A thousand years is a long time, even to us! Think of what happened to the world during those brief stints you were away!”?2

“I've fixed things since then. I might have had little concept of the laws of physics when I created this world, but I assure you, it’s been in balance for the last two centuries without any intervention. I promise, the world has achieved equilibrium. It doesn’t need me any longer.”

He crossed his arms before holding up a triumphant finger. “Well then, what about me?”

“What about you?”

“Who is going to control me while you are gone? Who is going to protect your precious humans from my hordes?”

“Well, I’ve removed the elves' access to magic, for one thing. I’ve erected a barrier between the continents. It will hold for the course of my slumber.?3 Yourhordeswill have plenty of time to mature on their own. To see that I led us all astray. The orcs, on the other hand, have drifted to align with the current perception of them on Earth. I don’t know if you’ve noticed recently, but even their culture seems to be shifting.”

“They're my people. Of course, I've noticed. You don't think I noticed when it was happening to myself? When my shroud of shadows began to evaporate around me?”

“You could have stopped it,” I said with a shrug. If he didn’t want his looks to change, he needn't play the victim. “Honestly, Orcus, I had hoped you would be an ally in this. I figured you’d like nothing better than to see me removed from the world. Though it seems we must adhere to our roles, eh?”

Orcus stood so still; a bowstring pulled within an inch of its limits. His muscles were bunched beneath his tattered clothing, flexing and twitching as if barely restrained. He tightened his jaw and tilted his head to the side, a muscle in his jaw flexing. “I have been,” he started, each word an effort, “everythingyou wanted.”

I squinted at him, mouth agape. Confusion and anger warred within me. The audacity of this man knew no bounds it seemed. “You can't be serious.”

“Of course I am.” In the blink of an eye, he was before me, clutching my jaw in an iron grip, held just on the edge of hurting. He always had such a tight rein on everything he did, it made me want to scream.

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