29. OLYMPIUS

OLYMPIUS

The Present

O LYMPIUS recoiled at the condemnation and confession. “I—I—” He still had no words, but he knew they would be meaningless anyway. “You never listen, Coriolanus. Never trust. What is the point?”

The atmosphere in the alley was tense and heavy as the two powerful gods locked eyes in a fierce standoff. Neither made any sudden movements as if waiting for the other to take action first.

The silence between them was deafening, broken only by the whizzing of the security cameras attached to several buildings surrounding them. Each camera suddenly sprang to life as if some unknown force triggered their simultaneous motion.

Is this your doing, Fortuna? Olympius looked up at the annoying cacophony. A sudden realization struck him; Fortuna’s cryptic marks about technology finally made sense to him. The puzzle pieces fell into place in his mind, illuminating a path forward.

“Beloved! The cameras! They must have caught the horrid act! The security footage will prove my innocence. Please, I beg you to stow your anger, even your hatred, if that is fueling you now, and come look with me.”

But Corey did not move. His eyes remained glued to Olympius in a pained, tortured stare.

“So obstinate! Have all bridges truly been burned between us? No, I will not accept that. I apologize for this action, but I must do it for both our sakes.”

With a simple hand gesture, Olympius summoned his immense power and created a forceful grip around Corey; invisible arms held him tightly as they brought him forward to be at his Maker’s side.

The warrior-god struggled fiercely to break free from the invisible restraints; his frustration was evident by the many colourful expletives he spewed. Corey even went as far as to remind his Maker of the last time he bound him, which caused a deep pain in Olympius’ heart.

Despite this, Olympius still refused to let go. He knew his actions were necessary and the last hope for repairing their fractured relationship .

“I am sorry, beloved,” Olympius began in response to seeing the strain on Corey’s face, “but the darkness will not come to your aid. It obeys me before you.” His tone was gentle.

Planning to get inside one of the buildings, Olympius turned toward a brick wall, not even bothering to locate a doorway, as Corey had done earlier. That was unnecessary as walls, doorways, roofs, and floors were identical to the ancient god: no barrier. Olympius summoned the darkness to create an entrance upon an outside wall, which he promptly walked through with Corey in tow.

Upon arriving inside the building, Olympius wasted no time and quickly searched for the room containing the monitoring screens. With his speed, it only took him a few seconds to locate it. However, upon entering the room with Corey, he became so frustrated by what he saw that he slammed his fist down on a nearby desk, destroying it in his rage.

“What is all this? I have no idea how to work this damnable thing!”

“For fuck’s sake, Olympius! What have you been doing this century? Let me go! I’ll do it since you seem so adamant that you’re innocent. Fine, I’ll watch the fucking video, but if you ever use your powers on me like this again, you’ll be spitting teeth!”

Olympius grinned and released Corey. “Beloved, you are so very sexy when you act all ferocious and warrior-godlike. It reminds me of our lovemaking that one time above Corioli, right after you tore apart those beastly legionnaires. Remember me licking their blood off your fists and forearms? I get hard thinking about it. ”

Corey rolled his eyes as he moved to sit in the chair before the monitors. “Really, Olympius?! Read the damn room! How you flit between emotional states!” It took Corey hardly a moment to figure out how to playback the footage.

Both gods were stunned by what they witnessed on the screen as the events in the alley unfolded in shades of gray, albeit for different reasons.

“What am I seeing?” Corey asked, confused. He played the scene again. “What the hell is this, Olympius? The night air killed Christian? A poltergeist? No, I think it’s you using your powers to kill from a distance so you don’t have to get your hands dirty. This video is more incriminating than anything. Do you think I’m so stupid that I’d fall for this deception?”

Corey turned to glare at his Maker and rip into him further, but upon seeing Olympius’ face, he paused in shock. Corey thought that if the ancient night god was not already naturally pale, he would have seen him turned stark white.

Fear sat clearly upon Olympius’ face. That emotion was one Corey had never seen him express before, one he would never have associated with a god as powerful as him.

“What is it?” Corey asked gently, wondering what shook his Maker to his core. Curiosity and genuine concern tempered his rage. “Why do you look so—well, terrified is the only word that fits? You who fear nothing. What’s going on?”

As he slowly stepped back, away from the screen, Olympius opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was drastically flabbergasted. The god’s vision, far more powerful than his progeny’s, could easily make out the apparition’s form on the screen. “No, it cannot be.”

Corey watched as Olympius disappeared from the room—and without a second thought, he immediately followed, catching up to him at the shadow door. They both went through one at a time, back to the alley.

Olympius became erratic, rapidly moving about the alley, searching maniacally for something unseen.

The homeless teens walking by at that moment immediately turned and fled in panic, as did the drunk sauntering toward them. He turned on his heels, as if sobering up in seconds, and hightailed it out.

Corey had no clue what was happening, but he suddenly felt thickened shadows pulled close to both of them as if Olympius was trying to shield them from an impending attack.

“What’s happening, Olympius? What has you so spooked?”

His questions continued to go unanswered. Olympius persisted in conveying nothing.

“At last, he sees the truth, Coriolanus, as you soon will.”

Corey and Olympius swiftly turned to look behind them just in time to see Fortuna appear out of thin air.

“Fortuna? Here, in the flesh? What the fuck’s going on?! Dammit, I want answers! ”

But before Corey got any, the wind picked up something fierce, like a mini tornado had targeted their part of the alley. But this was no natural phenomenon, as two of the three gods soon discovered.

No! You cheat! You witch! Leave! You cannot get involved! The Fates’ rules! I followed their rules! I had no choice! Treacherous! Unfair! I deserve my freedom! I destroyed them!

As it emerged from its hiding place, the apparition tried to blow the goddess away with all of its might, but to no avail. In its ghostly form, and especially having expended so much energy on Christian’s murder, it did not have the strength to do more than bluster and whip dirt, grit, and leaves around.

“I’ve revealed nothing, hateful spirit, broken no rules. I merely comment on what your progeny has finally figured out for himself. I foresaw that your unfamiliarity with this era of wondrous technology would be the key to your downfall.

“You couldn’t have known your actions could now be recorded and watched back, revealing all your wickedness. You should not have made yourself partially corporeal. The Fates protect the spirit from detection—only the spirit.”

Fortuna let out a mocking laugh, much like the ones the apparition was oft to do upon its triumphs.

“So it truly is you, villain!” Olympius gasped.

Corey was overwhelmed by the chaotic scene around him and could barely make sense of what was happening. He turned to Olympius and demanded to know what he and Fortuna were up to and what was going on. His frustration and confusion were palpable as he tried to grasp some sanity in this situation.

You dare to call me a villain, murderous cannibal?! Yes, tell him who I am. Tell him what you did and watch him recoil in disgust and horror. You will lose him forever, and I will continue to feast on your torment and despair.

“Don’t be afraid, Olympius. The truth will set you free.”

Interfering Secundus bitch!

Olympius, ignoring the onslaught of taunts, degradations, and curses spewed at him and Fortuna by the ghost of his Maker, turned to face his warrior-god.

“Look into my mind, beloved; all my walls are down. See through my eyes and view the creature in our midst that I fear and loathe. And learn my darkest secret. Even if you despise me for it, I will not hide any more truths from you. No longer will there be secrets between us, no more lies. If necessary, Fortuna will verify my history so you know I have done nothing to alter your thoughts and perceptions.”

The fact that Fortuna appeared to know Olympius’ secrets but not him left a bad taste in Corey’s mouth, but he held off on any more judgments until he scanned his Maker’s mind. He had always yearned for transparency, but now that it had become a reality, he was apprehensive, fearful of learning Olympius’ darkest truths.

The warrior-god crammed his reticence deep down inside and entered Olympius’ mind. Almost instantly, his senses were nearly overwhelmed by a never-ending stream of information about his Maker.

Corey saw many things: Olympius’ Becoming, his brief time with Coeus, whose spirit he now saw through Olympius’ eyes, and what his Maker had done to escape becoming an immortal plaything, at best, and an eternal slave, at worst. Corey immediately sympathized with the horrific act without a hint of condemnation or repulsion. He would have done no less to be free of such chains.

But before he could say so, relieving Olympius of his blatant worry and dread, images of a past moment shook him. He saw himself chide and betray his Maker, tossing his lot in with the Olympians.

And that had never happened.

“Olympius! I saw it, that treasonous, disloyal moment with the Olympians. My love, I don’t know who or what that was, but it wasn’t me! I’d been overwhelmed by Hermes, knocked unconscious by him. That’s why you saw nothing but blackness in my mind. I never came to you! That thing before you wasn’t me! I swear! I don’t know what sinister magic was at work, but you must believe me, that thing wasn’t me!”

“No, it was not you, beloved. I now understand everything so clearly.” Fueled by unfettered fury, Olympius’ eyes transformed into pools of pure darkness, reflecting the intensity of his rage. Any fear gripping him before this moment vanished in an instant. “It—was—him!” the ancient night god seethed .

Olympius turned his gaze towards the space where the apparition hovered invisibly above the ground. “You can no longer hide from my eyes, demon! Somehow, aided by dark magic, you are responsible. It has always been you! I have been so blind, so irrational. Tricked and fooled for countless centuries! You created all this misery!”

Yes!

The apparition was positively gleeful in the loud admission; its telepathy was strong.

The Fates disciplined me for cursing you, Olympius, and disrespecting their aspect, The Erinyes, whose role is administering punishment. The Fates saw my dying action as hubris, condemning me to be your eternal oppressor. I should be redressed?! You murdered me! So I destroyed your happiness in turn! Oh, how masterfully I performed that task. But I have done my duty for over two millennia! I have shattered hearts, caused endless pain, and I deserve my freedom from that intolerable Void!

After the apparition made its bold declarations, a sudden sense of tremendous relief washed over it, dissolving the heavy burden weighing it down for so long. Without any doubt, it felt that its long-awaited reprieve had finally arrived, bringing with it a sense of liberation.

Fortuna let out a deep sigh, aware of what was transpiring. “The Fates are satisfied. You’re free now, ghost. Your time in servitude has come to an end. ”

The apparition, feeling renewed strength, willed itself to appear before the three gods in as corporeal a form as it could muster. In the transformation, it embraced its former self’s majestic garb and countenance: the Titan Coeus, Lord of the Starry Firmament.

And once he took Olympius’ body, he believed he would be that being again, finally made whole!

I win , Coeus smirked, staring directly into the vexed face of Fortuna. The fiend planned to enact his possession of Olympius directly.

“No, foul one! The Fates may be done with you, but I — am—not!” Olympius stood tall and resolute, his face a picture of unwavering determination.

With a confident gesture, he raised his arms to the night sky and called forth the darkness from the depths of his being. The environment, the very air around him, blackened and thickened in response to his command, and a palpable sense of power emanated from his very being. There was no hint of fear in his dark eyes or his heart, only rage and a steadfast resolve to see his will done.

“As I look upon you, my Maker, my enemy,” Olympius began in a deep, menacing tone, “I cast you into the hidden place within the Shadow Lands. Did you wish to again be Lord of the Night—to be among the stars? No, you shall be Lord of Nothing and Nowhere. I command the cruelest, coldest aspect of the infinite darkness to claim you!”

The words echoed through the air as if carrying the weight of the god’s heartache, pain, and suffering. It was a moment of reckoning .

Suddenly, Olympius felt a strong hand slip into his and grasped it tightly. He turned in joy and happiness and looked up, already knowing who supported him.

“ We aren’t done,” Corey—Coriolanus—spoke as he stared down lovingly into his soulmate’s face. His heart was finally whole, healed by truth and trust, and from what he felt inside his Maker’s mind and what was in his heart. It was an undeniable, everlasting, true love.

In a fearsome display of power, the two gods united their strength, showing their absolute control over the darkness that swirled hypnotically, veritably dancing around their connected immortal bodies. They launched a ferocious attack on their enemy; hundreds of ink-black arms emerged from the shadows and savagely tore into Coeus’ partially corporeal form.

Though caught off guard by the onslaught and in excruciating pain, Coeus instinctively attempted to return to his spirit state; only the two gods were one step ahead. They countered his move by forcing the darkness onto and into his partially solidified form, as had been done to Apollo in ancient times.

As a result, everything that remained even slightly insubstantial about Coeus now congealed and quickly hardened, turning the fiend into a solid block of ebon marble.

Confident that Coeus could not escape his deserved fate, Olympius opened a portal into a place he would only send his worst enemy .

“You are forever banished, villain, to a realm where nothing escapes without my— our consent,” Olympius declared, a triumphant smile playing on his lips as he looked at Coriolanus.

“We exile you to a place where you will be eternally confined, as within a dark and suffocating coffin, devoid of sight, sound, or sensation beyond the chilling emptiness of your own hateful, wretched existence. A place far more bitter and barren than The Void you previously experienced. You now belong to the very pit of the Well of Eternal Darkness.

“You are less than nothing—a nameless, forgotten deity without power and agency. You have no ally in the darkness; it shall never submit to your will again. You are truly, utterly alone, and you shall go to this prison, knowing that from this day forth, my love for Coriolanus and his love for me will flourish eternally. We win! ”

Without ceremony, unable to vocalize his immense fear and hatred or demonstrate resistance, Coeus was abruptly and mercilessly pulled into his new prison.

And the no longer star-crossed lovers closed the gateway.

“Good riddance,” Fortuna snickered. She gazed lovingly at Olympius and Coriolanus, noticing they still held hands, neither wanting to break their intimate contact. It filled her heart with peace and satisfaction. True love had finally prevailed.

“My place in this story is over, my friends, so I take my leave. But we shall meet again, and I look forward to your renewed love story, this beautiful, reignited passion! As long as you both remain devoted, faithful, and without secrets, nothing shall ever have the power to sunder your love again.”

Olympius turned to thank Fortuna for her unwavering faith in them and for all she had done to keep their Eternal Flame lit. However, he was met with nothing but a shimmer of gold in his eyes. With a flicker of aureate light, the goddess had vanished, leaving behind only the lingering scent of lavender.

Feeling a deep sense of relief, knowing he was forever free from his Maker’s vendetta, Olympius gripped Coriolanus’ hand tighter. “It is truly over, beloved. We are free from the evil interference of that monster, forever disentangled from his web of lies and vicious games keeping us distracted and apart. We are free to live in truth, in our love.”

Olympius turned away from the spot where Fortuna disappeared, eager to again fix his gaze upon Coriolanus—the only one that would ever own his heart.

However, anguish quickly washed over him as he looked at his beloved companion. His warrior-god appeared crestfallen, filled with pain and sorrow. With a deep sense of concern, he asked, “Beloved, what is troubling you? What can I do to alleviate your distress?”

Coriolanus stood still, his handsome face contorted with misery as he cried a single tear that traced a path down his cheek, the drop of blood moving in slow motion.

“The shame I feel is crushing, the guilt unbearable!” he exclaimed, yanking his hand back. “I refused to listen, to believe. I’ve let you down, Olympius, time and time again. I fear—I fear you chose your immortal companion poorly. How can I ever be forgiven for my endless contempt, my awful behaviour, all to drive you away? I was so foolish, so impossible, so damn stupid, so—”

His voice trailed off; Coriolanus hung his head in despair.

Without any hesitation, Olympius, once again hovering above the ground, gently lifted the head of his cherished warrior-god, tenderly cradling it in his hands. He leaned in and brought their faces together with a deep reverence, kissing him passionately and vigorously.

When he finally pulled away, Olympius softly declared, “Beloved, there is nothing for either of us to forgive. We were deceived, not just by Coeus, but by The Fates themselves. We are not to blame for their cruelty, their immoral pleasure in toying with our hearts. Terrible misunderstandings and the lies of others directed our actions.

“And remember, we are immortal. To such as us, two, even three thousand years is a drop in the ocean. We have forever. To survive eternity and flourish, we must embrace temperance and understanding, reject guilt, and be without regret. Let all past grievances fade away. Forget them. I have had to learn this lesson the hard way.

“So I say—to Tartarus with misguided pain and sorrow! They hold no significance when compared to the grandeur of our love. Now, I ask you, for I shall never again force you to do anything or go anywhere. Will you come into the night sky with me? Will you take my hand and be with me again among the stars?”

Olympius wiped away the blood tear from Coriolanus’ face and placed it upon his tongue; it was a rapturous moment. “Oh, how I have missed your flavour, your essence, beloved.”

With a beaming smile, Coriolanus reached out his hand towards Olympius, eagerly inviting him to retake it. Coriolanus felt an overwhelming sense of joy and contentment as their hands met, a feeling too long absent from his immortal life. The long-missing piece of his soul had finally been restored.

With their eyes locked in a passionate gaze, the immortal lovers pressed their lips together in a possessive, prolonged kiss as they ascended skyward.

As they rose higher and higher, the bright lights of the city of Toronto faded away, replaced by the twinkling stars that shone above. The cool night air caressed their bodies, tingling their skin. Even the hair on Coriolanus’ body stood on end in response to the loving lash of the biting wind.

The frigid air at this altitude did not bother the night gods; it was just another part of their domain. The two felt only warmth in each other’s arms. As they hovered in the night sky, held in each other’s embrace, the chill dissipated, replaced by that profound heat radiating from their passionate hearts and the enchanted blood coursing through their bodies like liquid fire.

Hearing the call of their hearts and their eternal hunger for blood communion, the two immortals broke their kiss and, with a swift movement, sunk their sharp fangs into each other’s flesh, piercing through the now pliant skin and drawing out the life-giving fluid .

In this moment of intense intimacy, the flow of magic coursed through their intertwined beings, binding them in an absolute and unbreakable bond. Never again would any psychic or physical barriers exist between them. Their love was unity and perfection.

After a long and tumultuous journey, the Wheel of Destiny had finally turned in their favour.

And as the clouds opened and cool rain fell upon the Toronto skyline, two immortal souls again became one.