Meeting Aggie

18.

"Wake up, young one," Hecate softly called out to me.

I slowly opened my eyes. Before me were Hecate, Nyx, and Apollo. I was back in the Underworld in Hecate's swamp.

I sat up and scowled at Hecate and Nyx.

"Why didn't either of you tell me?"

Apollo rushed forward and sat me up against the bed frame. From what I could see, we were in Hecate's treehouse. It was the same one I had seen previously.

"Please be careful, Aggie. The glacaine is still leaving your system." Apollo whined at me.

"Please, shut up. Both of them knew who I was the minute I came here. Especially you, Nyx. I spent my whole life running with my father. If I had known about Eris, I would've had her help me save my father."

While I ran, my father was brutally attacked and killed by wolves. If he had been prepared, he might have survived, but the sheer number overwhelmed him. I was young and unskilled, unable to offer any meaningful assistance.

He fought hard enough for me to be able to escape when the whole time I was capable of saving us. My father wouldn't have been able to teach me how to use Eris' magic, so I couldn't fault him.

"Keep your mouth shut, if you know what's good for you," Nyx snapped, her voice dripping with venom. "I saved your sorry life by bestowing my daughter's soul upon you. But don't think for a second that I won't snatch her back. Eris doesn't need to fight for a pathetic creature like you, who possesses the powers of a witch, angel, and fairy. You were fully capable then. Accept it, you're nothing but a disgrace."

Hecate rested a hand on my shoulder. "Why are you being so harsh on her, Nyx? She nearly lost her life, and it's our fault for not informing her when she arrived here."

Nyx rolled her eyes at us while Hecate apologized profusely to me.

"I'm sorry, my child. If you were just a witch, I could've saved you, but it was too much for me to do alone."

"It's not her fault, mother. Please be kind to Agatha," Eris said.

Nyx's eyes shimmered with an eerie blend of blue and purple, captivating yet sending shivers down my spine. It was as if each iris whispered two contrasting tales, a mesmerizing yet unsettling sight. Eris trembled inside me, but I mustered the strength to maintain a courageous facade for both of us.

"Silence yourself, girl. She was not the only one granted a second chance. Though you may be among my favored offspring, you have wasted your existence as a goddess of chaos. Understand your position and speak accordingly."

Eris whimpered, her spirit shrinking back in response to Nyx's harsh words.

"What the fuck did they ever do to you, Nyx?" Apollo snapped, coming to our defense.

"When this girl came here as a mere baby and I sensed the pulsating strength within her, I believed I had discovered a vessel of true greatness. I saw the potential, not just in her bloodline, but in the raw power that emanated from her very essence. I thought I had selected the perfect recipient for my daughter's soul, but I was gravely mistaken," Nyx roared, her anger burning like a blazing inferno.

With a final flourish of black smoke, she vanished into the darkness, leaving behind an air of profound disappointment and fury.

As much as I wanted to get angrier, I couldn't. It had been nine years since my father passed, and I'd attended a college with other supernaturals for over a year.

I'd known Apollo, an actual god, for months. I'd had many resources to help me hone all my abilities, yet I let my fear of being discovered ruin it.

Nyx glimpsed the flicker of potential within me, but I let it fade into darkness. The weight of her anger was justified, like a mirror reflecting my own disappointment.

It was my fault that Nyx lashed out at all of us. Apollo's gentle embrace offered solace.

"Hey. Stop beating yourself up, Aggie. I believe in you. Okay?"

"I believe in you too," Hecate reassured me. "Don't you ever forget you have people behind you."

I looked at them warmly, taking their words to heart. Athena, Hades, and Hermes most likely felt the same as well. Quite a few other gods would support me.

All I needed to do was prove to them that I was not only a great leader but also the greatest supernatural to walk the realms. The one thing that would prove that was eliminating my brother Sven.

In that moment, something rose within me. The icy grip of glacaine dissipated instantaneously, replaced by a newfound warmth. I rose to my feet, a smile spreading across my face, radiating a sense of renewed strength and determination.

"Your words will forever remain in my mind. I appreciate the both of you always."

With my father's teachings in my heart, I vowed to be a just ruler. Unlike the current supernatural empire that oppresses witches, I would ensure equality for all. Holding Apollo's hand, I exchanged a hopeful smile with Hecate.

"I'll come back for you once I'm done, Hecate. You deserve the ability to venture outside of the Underworld."

She smiled at me and bowed her head. "I would love that."

I teleported Apollo and I to Olympus. Zeus was sitting on the palace steps. I confidently strode up to him, but before I could say anything, he raised a hand so he could speak first.

"I was wrong." He sighed in defeat.

I nodded for him to go on. I wondered what caused the sudden change in his demeanor.

"You possess formidable power, Agatha. It took the intervention of Eris to make me realize your true strength. Despite your unconventional origins, you are an ideal match for my son. I apologize for any previous misjudgment."

I folded my arms. "And the witches will no longer be the outcasts of Olympus or of the supernatural realm?"

I needed to hear those words of confirmation. Witches were banned on Olympus and treated terribly in the supernatural realm because of God's hatred for Hecate.

He roped in every other god and supernatural being into thinking that. Thus, everything that came from Hecate was considered evil.

Before Zeus could respond, another goddess walked up. One I had yet to see throughout all my times visiting Olympus, who radiated nearly as much power as her husband did. None other than Hera.