Page 47 of Arrogance
Akheilos tried to step back towards the shore but was unable to move. He then raised his shoulders, trying to lift his arms out of the water, but to no avail. The man was still. Trapped in the sea.
Now, I was behind him on the shore. My bare body was fully exposed except for my feet when the occasional tide splashed over them. I held my hand out towards him. “I’m right here, Akheilos!” I shouted gleefully.
But he was still immobile, trying with all his might to make any sudden movement he possibly could. “What is happening!? What have you done!?” he cried aloud.
“Oh, you poor, poor thing. Did you honestly think I was coming out here to reward you tonight for being more beautiful than me?” I rhetorically asked before continuing. “Goddesses like me… we don’t allow mortals like you to speak and disrespect us like the way you did earlier. Such actions come with consequences and you’re an idiot to think otherwise.”
Akheilos continued to try to get past the restraints I put on him, flailing through the water like a fish. It was this image of him that made me then realize the perfect punishment I would inflict upon him.
“I’m sorry, my Goddess! I take it all back. I apologize for my insincerity. You are the most beautiful thing in the world. I will no longer brag that I deserve that title!” he shouted to me.
“I’m sorry too, Akheilos, because it’s far too late for any apologies. Plus, I still believe that youarebeing insincere. I know you still do think you are far more beautiful than I am. That is never going to change… until now,” I elaborated.
An icy blue light emitted from my hand, aimed directly at Akheilos. An aura surrounded him. Its circumference diminishing until the light had completely engulfed him. Once the brightness dissipated, all that was left was a navy-blue dorsal fin sticking out of the ocean.
Akheilos had been transformed into a flailing fish. But not just any fish. I wanted him to become a fish that fit his personality, that was arrogant, destructive, and wicked. Now, he was a demonic shark. A putrid, monstrous creature of the sea that could never step foot on land again, to ever claim that they were far more beautiful than me.
Now that Akheilos had been handled and was no longer a nuisance to me, it was time for me to move on to other important matters at hand… other filthy gods and goddesses who had wronged me that needed to be dealt with.
We agreed to have all future meetings in a cave on one of the highest peaks of Mount Pelion, home of the centaurs. Within this dwelling, I knew no one would ever find us and be able to listen in on our dire conversation.
As I entered the deepest corner of the cave, I found him waiting for me. His golden blonde locks and gleaming skin were quite the contrast to the shadows and dampness of this cave.
“It seems your plan didn’t work out. What now?” I asked him.
Apollo’s head lowered, so that his gaze was down at the ground. “Give me a little more time. I’ll come up with something,” he replied.
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. You promised me this scorpion would kill Orion. Clearly you are not a god of your word.”
“Just allow me to…” Apollo tried to further explain himself, but I interjected.
“No. There will be no more hiccups. You have three days to get the job done, Apollo. No more and no less. If Orion is not dead by then, I will have no choice but to go to Zeus and Phoebe to inform them of your wrongdoings at Delphi. Would you rather be banished to Tartarus over a single person’s life? I think not,” I threatened.
“Fine! I’ll have it done by then. Just don’t go to my father. I beg of you,” Apollo pleaded with me.
I shrugged. “You don’t need to grovel to me. It’s all in your hands. The only reason I will go to Zeus is if you can’t keep up your end of the deal. There is no one to blame but yourself for what happens from here on out. Do the right thing, Apollo. You know what you have to do. Don’t be foolish.”
With those parting words, I motioned to leave, walking away from him, back out of the cave. Once my back was to him and I was at a far enough distance, I scoffed to myself, so that Apollo was unable to hear me. I knew very well he would find a way to have Orion murdered within the next three days. It wasn’t a matter ofif. It was only a matter ofwhen,in the coming hours.
Apollo’s pride would soon get the best of him. This I guaranteed. A god like him would never take the righteous way out and confess to Zeus and Phoebe what he had done on the Shrine of Delphi and face punishment with courage. No god like that existed. They all cover up their darkest secrets, never to be seen or heard from ever again. And what Apollo and Adonis did at Delphi would be one of those secrets that would never make its way to the surface.
Soon, Orion would meet his demise at the hands of Apollo. Artemis would surely feel defeated. And her wrath will have nowhere to be aimed at, but Apollo. Adonis and I would come out of this situation completely unscathed.
Artemis should think twice before ever causing any harm to Adonis or me ever again. If she was willing to dare to threatenmylover, then my only response was to haveherskilled. What other option did I have?
Chapter 23
Apollo
I had originally thought my choice to leave Adonis behind would be the most difficult decision I would ever have to make, but the one I was facing right now, with debating on whether to admit my desecration on the Shrine of Delphi to my father or to kill the man my sister loves was proving to be the most cumbersome one.
Aphrodite had left me with only these two options and no others. I had to act now and choose one of them or else she would choose for me, by going to Zeus to inform him of my betrayal of our Godship laws and rules.
Part of me already knew the answer. There was absolutely no way I would be going to Zeus to confess my transgression and face punishment. I was a powerful god. I needed to maintain that omnipotence and could not risk losing all that I had acquired. So, as painful as it was to know that I would be betraying my sister and damaging her, it was the only outcome that I could possibly see as a resolution.
But I also realized I was not completely at fault for being the sole person whose poor decision making led to this result. After all, it was Artemis who got us tangled in this web of drama and deceit. Had her pride not gotten the best of her, she would have never threatened me to end my relationship with Adonis. This, in turn, caused a cascade effect that resulted in Aphrodite now catching wind of all that had happened, with her now having a motive and reason to cause harm to me and Artemis. Although I saw pure malice behind Aphrodite and what she was forcing me to do, I could not fully fault her. In the end, because Artemis had caused great anguish to her and Adonis, she was only retaliating towards Artemis and me.
And now, because Aphrodite, Adonis, and I had suffered a great deal, it was Artemis’ turn on what seemed like this never-ending revolving wheel of turmoil.
