The world beyond the temple lay frozen — lifeless statues where villagers once laughed, loved, and lived. A dead wind whispered through the abandoned village, but inside the temple, the air burned with something darker.
Metis stood alone beneath the high, cracked ceiling, her heart pounding like a drum of war. Doubt and fury mingled within her — Thalia… betrayal clings to you like a shadow. You plot. You lie. Her breathing quickened, her eyes gleamed with suspicion. No one can be trusted. No one.
With trembling hands, she reached for the blackened altar. A silver dagger gleamed under the moonlight slicing through the broken roof. She drew a circle on the ground with powdered bone ash, then stepped into it, lifting her arms as the night seemed to hold its breath.
Her voice dropped low, a chant old as time:
"Mistress of the crossroads, mother of secrets,
Hecate of the hidden path, shield your daughter.
Bind all hearts that wish me harm,
Cloak my soul in shadowed charm.
Let betrayal break before it reaches me —
By moon's dark face, so mote it be!"
The ground trembled as the chant echoed off stone walls. A gust of wind burst through the temple, snuffing out every flame, scattering dust and petals. The air turned cold — so cold — as if death itself walked through the door.
Metis's hair lifted in the unseen storm, her eyes now pools of darkness. She smiled faintly. Let them come. Let them try.
Down at the river's edge, Thalia and Sophos arrived breathless. The sirens lay sprawled along smooth stones, their bodies glistening with scales of pearl and silver, their long hair tangled with seaweed.
"Son of Poseidon," one purred, her voice like honey and venom. "What summons you tonight?"
"Another taste for your cursed beloved?" another taunted, flicking water at his feet.
Sophos clenched his jaw. "Just give us what we need. I don't have time for your games."
The lead siren narrowed her eyes. "Careful. Words can sink ships, sea prince."
Thalia stepped forward, fists clenched. "Enough of your riddles. We need the water. Nothing more."
Their laughter rang out like chimes in a storm. One slid beneath the surface, returning with a goblet carved from coral, filled with water that shimmered like starlight.
"Take it," she said, handing it to Sophos. "But know this — perhaps tonight it ends her suffering. Or perhaps… it begins yours."
With a final smirk, they vanished beneath the waves, leaving only ripples behind.
...…
The path back to the temple was swallowed in silence, broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on the brittle earth. The moon hung low, casting pale light on their faces — but neither Thalia nor Sophos met each other's eyes.
Sophos's mind was a storm, a war between memory and reality. Was this what Father meant? A curse wearing the face of a gift? He clenched his fists, recalling Metis's smile, the way she'd once lit up the world just by looking at him. Her laugh. Her touch. Her hair like the foam of the sea. But now… the shadows in her eyes, the sudden bursts of rage, the way the curse had twisted her soul.
What am I doing? What have I become?
Beside him, Thalia walked stiffly, her heart racing with guilt and dread. If I hadn't brought them together… if I'd stayed silent… Metis would've sacrificed herself, saved her people. I thought I was helping. I thought I was loyal. Instead I've doomed us all. She bit back tears, steeling herself.
When the temple came into view, Thalia stopped. The wind whispered through the trees as if it, too, was afraid of what came next. Her voice was low but firm. "I'll prepare the spell. Sophos… don't let your heart destroy what's left of this city. Don't let love blind you. We have to finish this."
Sophos didn't answer — couldn't. He felt hollow. Only his body moved, as if on some path laid out by the gods. He walked to the temple, his legs heavy, his breath shallow.
Inside, Metis lay curled up like a child, her white hair splayed across the cold stone. For a moment, Sophos just stood there, watching the rise and fall of her breath, and it nearly undid him.
I can't do this. I can't.
But he knelt, gently lifting her head, setting it in his lap. His hand shook as he brushed her hair back, fingers lingering on her cheek. His voice cracked. "I brought the siren's water, my love. It'll ease your mind. Let it help you rest."
Metis stirred, eyes heavy with exhaustion and sorrow. But there was fire behind them still. "I smell it on her," she whispered. "Thalia… she wants me gone. I can feel it. She reeks of betrayal." Her gaze rose to meet his — and froze.
She saw it in his eyes. The grief. The guilt. The tears he couldn't stop. And then the goblet in his hand. The shimmering water spilling over her hair.
"No…" she gasped as the strength began to drain from her limbs. She tried to rise, to fight. "What have you done?"
Sophos choked back a sob. "I love you. I always will. But I can't watch you fade into this… this thing the curse wants you to be. I can't."
"Traitor!" Her voice was raw, a wounded animal's cry. Power sparked at her fingertips. She lashed out, but Sophos shielded his eyes just in time from her deadly gaze.
The temple doors burst open — Thalia stormed in, the winds of the gods at her back. Her voice rose in a chant, ancient and powerful, each word striking like thunder.
"By storm and sea, by flame and earth,
Release this soul, restore this land!
Let the curse be undone, let the gods' will stand!"
The storm answered her call. Winds howled through the temple, shaking the very stones. Lightning split the sky, fire danced along the walls, sand stung their skin, water poured through the cracks. The elements raged, bound to Thalia's desperate plea.
Metis fought like fury itself. Her hair lashed like snakes, her scream echoed to the heavens. She summoned shadows, darkness curling around her, trying to shield herself, break the spell, claw her way free.
"You will not take me!" she shrieked, pushing back against the storm, the fire, the flood.
But the gods had heard Thalia. The storm crushed down on Metis, magic too strong, too final. Her strength bled away, her cries faded, and at last, with one final, heart-wrenching scream, she fell.
Silence fell. Heavy. Final.
And then — faintly, like a dream — the voices of the villagers, the sound of life returning to stone.
Thalia collapsed to her knees, tears streaming, her sobs shaking her frame. Sophos stood, empty, broken, and turned from the temple. He walked away, each step a piece of him left behind. He did not look back. He could not.
But in the shadows of the temple walls…
Metis remained. Her spirit stood over her fallen body, reaching for it — but her fingers passed through like mist.
Is this death? Is this torment? Or am I trapped here, unseen, unheard?
Her eyes fell on Thalia, on Sophos disappearing into the night. My servant. My beloved. The betrayal burned cold.
An eye for an eye. A heart for a heart. I will return.
And with that vow, her spirit slipped into the dark, lost to the night… for now.