Page 58 of Arrogance
I hated when my victims tried to toy with me. I despised their attempt to play dumb, like Hippolytus was doing now.
“You tell me, Hippolytus. Why do you think I would show up in front of you, here, today? Clearly, you had to have done something triggering in order to get my attention. So out with it. Confess what you’ve done!” I ordered him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not ashamed of all that I did. In fact, I will continue to do so. Sex is a terrible thing. It alters your mind and leads to the path of ruin. No one should fall victim to temptation. It is my mission to make sure no one commits the heinous act. If that means convincing everyone to stop following you, then so be it.”
I could not believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. They were nearly comical. I had to keep myself from bursting out with laughter, because this was no laughing matter. “Have you hit your head or something? Do you not know who you are speaking to?” I needed to remind Hippolytus of his place as a mortal. Why would he think it was such a wise idea to speak to a goddess in such a way?
“I know exactly who I am speaking to. A whore of a goddess who tries to make her followers just as vile and disgusting as she is!” he spat out.
This was enough!
There was no reasoning with this surly hunter. No words were likely to sway his resolve. Therefore, it was time to take matters into my own hands and create chaos in his life. “You’ll be sorry for that!” I yelled, before I took off out of his sight. Hippolytus would be cursed over the next three days. All I had to do was work a bit of magic, then sit back and watch the drama.
If Hippolytus just had kept his rotten mouth shut, he would not be in the morbid predicament that he would soon find himself in. I wanted to be clever in how I cursed Hippolytus. I needed him to not see the curse coming. It needed to sneak up on him and surprise him when he would least expect it. He would have nowhere to flee to. Nowhere to go when all was said and done.
I moved about the castle of King Theseus, father of Hippolytus. The walls were made of stone, with minimal decorations throughout. The only things adorning the walls were rusted weapons of all various shapes and sizes. It was a cold place, but what was I expecting? The castles of mortals were nothing compared to the vast palaces of Olympian gods and goddesses who had endless supplies of the finest materials at their disposal, whereas mortals were fairly limited in what they could utilize.
I hid myself well as I navigated the narrow corridors from room to room. If guards were approaching, I would transform into a small sparrow and fly high near the ceiling, out of their reach. When they rounded a corner and the coast was clear, I returned to the ground level and continued my journey around the castle. I was on the hunt for a certainsomeone.
When I turned into another long hall, I returned to being a sparrow, flying high in the air. But as I glanced down below me, I was finally able to recognize the person I had been searching for all this time. Remaining as furtive as possible, I glided behind her as she ambled about the castle, waiting for the right time for her to isolate herself in a room alone.
The woman was Phaedra, Hippolytus’s step-mother, recently wed to King Theseus. She was much younger than the King, closer to Hippolytus’s age by the look of it. Finally, she entered her private quarters, and I swept low to make it through the doors into her room, before she shut them. When her back was to me, I changed back into my beautiful human form. Now, I was able to cast my spell on Phaedra without anyone knowing of my presence. With haste, I raised my hand. A bright flash illuminated from my palm aimed at her. As soon as it did, I morphed back into the sparrow and hid, ready to observe the results of my curse.
Phaedra was now stricken with an ardent love for Hippolytus. It was a newfound obsession that she would never be able to overcome. For the remainder of the day, she informed her servants and nurses of her secret love for Hippolytus, knowing they would never utter a word of it to anyone else. She held their trust, and they held hers.
Once Hippolytus returned from one of his hunting trips, Phaedra could not help but stalk him in wherever he went. She was finding excuses to stay in his company, but Hippolytus grew more and more vexed the longer she lingered. “I think I’m going to lie down for bit,” he softly informed her.
“Oh? Well, I can join you, if you wish,” Phaedra replied.
“That won’t be necessary,” Hippolytus firmly stated.
“But surely you would enjoy my company. I would make it worth your while,” she intimately whispered to him with a seductive wink.
Hippolytus was taken aback by her sordid remark. A repulsed expression displayed on his face. “Absolutely not! You are my father’s bride. Do not approach me in such a manner ever again. Other men may be captivated by your charm, but it will never work on me. Do well to remember that, Phaedra.” And with that, Hippolytus slammed the door behind him in her face.
A look of fright appeared on her face before the tears came. Phaedra sprinted away towards her bedchamber, sobbing the entire way. I followed her as she dramatically threw herself onto her bed, crying uncontrollably. “I will kill myself if I can’t have him! I swear it! If I cannot have Hippolytus, then I have no will to live!” she shouted loudly, without a care in the world who heard her. Two of her nurses who stood just outside her chamber doors whispered in shock once they did hear Phaedra’s proclamations.
Immediately, the two swiftly went to Hippolytus, knocking on his door abruptly to inform him of all that Phaedra had just disclosed.
“But sir, you must go to her. Clearly, she is not well,” the older of the two women stated.
“Yes. Please, we fear she may hurt herself if you do not at least show her some interest,” the younger nurse chimed in.
Hippolytus’s revulsion over Phaedra still stayed with him. He shook his head. “Oh, I’ll go to her, but she will not like what I have to say! This needs to stop, now!” he yelled.
The disgusted hunter stomped the halls of the palace, heading towards his step-mother’s private room. He ferociously banged on her door while the two nurses dawdled behind him, doing their best to try to calm him down with their attempted words of wisdom, but to no avail.
“Phaedra! Open the door this instant!” Hippolytus demanded.
Faint steps were heard approaching the door from the other end. Once it cracked slightly ajar, Hippolytus barged right into Phaedra’s room. She stumbled back from the impact of the door, swinging open with such great force.
“Enough of this Phaedra! You will stop all of this, you whore! I will never love an atrocious woman like you. Give it up or else I will make you the laughing stock of the entire town,” he threatened.
“But Hippolytus, I…” Phaedra tried to explain herself, but Hippolytus would not hear any of it.
“We’re done here! And I never want to see your face unless we are around my father. For if you ever approach me again in a private setting, I will strike you down. Do you understand me?” Hippolytus scoffed.
“I cannot do that, Hippolytus. I can no longer hide my true feelings from you!”
