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With a lethal strike to her chest, Eris knew that she could take about one more hit before she disappeared into the underworld’s darkness.
Mel, wielding her staff with her dextrous fingers grazing both ends, spun the head towards Eris. “It’s over, Eris. I can see you’re at your limit,” she scolded in that haughty voice of hers.
“Oh, trouble. You should know by now that no one decides my limits except for me. And I decide that I have none!” Eris grinned, baring her teeth at the Underworld’s princess.
Undeterred, Mel spun her staff once more, channeling her magick into a spell that would get Eris out of her way for good tonight. Internally, despite her best attempts to convince herself otherwise, Eris knew that she was spent. She was barely keeping her body afloat with her wings, which grew heavier by the second. Eris had a mantra that she reminded herself of at times like these: when the jig is up, make sure you leave a searing mark (preferably an explosive one) behind. She just had to make sure her temporary end would be as distressing as possible for Melinoё, whether that was physical or emotional.
For three seconds, Eris pondered what she would say as she brandished the adamant rail and lazily aimed at Mel, who had just finished her incantation. As the burst of magick hit her core, Eris grinned with sick satisfaction for a split second before she forced her expression into one of despair.
“Babe!” she whined in devastation, lips quivering. “I-I t-thought we w-were friends!” She gasped, forcing tears into her eyes.
As the void of darkness and souls of the undead grasped at her from beneath her feet, she glimpsed Mel’s expression. Her lips were sealed in a straight line to mask her emotions, but her widened eyes betrayed a sense of pain. Eris noticed that Mel’s hands trembled as she clutched the staff harder. As shadow encompassed her, teleporting her out of Mel’s sight, Eris smirked.
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Eris awoke in the Fields of Mourning this time. When her vitality waned, she often used shadow to teleport her somewhere she could recuperate. Nyx and Thanatos were masters of this ability, but Eris had always found their strict intent towards getting from one place to another dull. She much preferred her method of succumbing to the shadows and flowing with the capricious turns of the darkness. The uncertainty of it all– the uncertainty which she chose– made everything so much more interesting. And as another favorite of her adages stated, the worst thing you can be is boring. It was unfortunate that a lot of folks seemed intent on being the worst. Like Mel.
Melinoё went on one of the same two routes every night. She tackled each in pursuit of quelling the delicious chaos (not that Chaos) that swelled through the Underworld and Olympus. It was so utterly disappointing. She was putting every ounce of her (okay, Eris could admit it) commendable power into returning the world to the status quo. Same old wardens in charge of the House of Hades. Same old gods sitting atop of Mount Olympus, with their same old presumptuousness. Same old beings who would never permit Strife a teaspoon of power or an invitation to a feast. And yeah, it wasn't like Chronos had been offering her a seat at the table, but taking the gods down a peg warranted some of Eris’s respect. Melinoё was trying to restore the world where Eris was alone in her suffering (with the exception of the mortals she wreaked havoc upon daily, but who cared about them?). And that was just a no-no. She couldn’t have that.
As she came across a withering tree, she sat down on the golden petals spread around its base. She crossed her legs and sighed, her cheek leaning against the side of the rail of adamant. “At least I have you with me, my trusty toy,” she spoke to her weapon. Maybe she sounded crazy, but that was a given. What would Strife be if not slightly insane?
“Gods, this place really is depressing. It’s making me lose my spark. Well, I better light it up again before I head out.” She said as she stood up and shot the tree with the biggest bomb she had.
With that, she sped into the sky and left a ravaged field of fire and smoke behind her.
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The crossroads were a cozy location between life and death. The set of shabby tents, makeshift amenities, and ritual inscriptions were very quaint. Cute, even. When the stiff atmosphere wasn’t boring Eris to death, she could almost admit that it was a nice resting spot.
She stood in her self-designated corner. It wasn’t as though anyone here could actually hurt her since all of them were rule-followers who did whatever some unbreakable pact stated, but standing on top the faerie circle to ensure protection let Eris feel just a smidgen more safe. It unraveled the teeny tiny thread of worry that she had around Hecate and Nemesis.
She and Nemesis had never ever ever gotten along, and they definitely weren’t about to start. And Hecate? Hecate hated her since she was young. Why yes, she had thrown a bomb of glitter in the cauldron, blew up the tavern, and mucked up the bathing springs when she was a student of the great titan witch, but honestly, who could have blamed her? Those lessons were so boring that Eris wished she was actually in hell. It puzzled Eris to no end how Melinoё could simply sit and absorb scrolls upon scrolls of information– how she could sit for hours and practice incantations when all of it was so dull. It used to make her want to burn the world in jealousy. She did get around to burning some parts of the world, and while it was fun, that incessant ache in her chest still groaned.
And there was the other reason she kept visiting the crossroads despite the ill-will its other residents harbored toward her: Melinoё. Princess of the underworld. A goddess steadfast and stubborn in her goals. It almost shamed Eris to say it, but she had been drawn to Melinoё from day one. The princess had incited the whole spectrum of godly emotions in Strife Incarnate. It was infuriating. It was intoxicating. She only hoped she could make Mel feel the same way.
Opening up the packet of chimera jerky she had bought from Charon (her brother was one guy she would follow the market rules for because he was scarily strict about his goods), she munched into the tenderly dried meat. After finishing the bag and leaving a hefty amount of crumbs on the grass, she threw her wrapper onto the ground. Moros, who stood like a log next to the list of prophecies likely saw everything in his peripheral vision, but he made zero acknowledgement.
Knowing that Mel would be home at some point later that night, Eris had stashed all the rubbish she had collected from her earlier snacks in her breasts, under her clothes. Gross, if you cared about that sort of thing, which Eris didn’t. She removed four wrappers from her bosom and threw them across the dirt of the crossroads in a trail leading right to the faerie circle where Eris stood. She casually propped the adamant rail against her shoulder and leaned her head to the side. “And now we wait.” She muttered to herself.
Some lesser shade with very distinct bangs appeared a foot away from Eris.
“Wow. I was wondering if you were gonna stop doing this crazy obsessive thing for Mel a couple days…no, weeks…however-long ago. And you, like, haven’t. Gotta give you kudos for that, man. I literally haunt her and I’m somehow less obsessed,” the apparition said, smirking at Eris all the while.
Eris instinctively avoided the ghost’s gaze. “Look, if I made fun of you for dying in a chariot race years ago, I’m not sorry.” She blinked rapidly, then turned her head to get a better look at the shade. “Wait. You can talk like a normal person instead of warbling in muffled vibrations. It’s been a while since I hung around this joint. Wasn't aware you wispier guys could do that,” Eris noted.
“Oh, no. It’s just me for now. I think. I don’t really talk to the other lesser shades, but Mel said something about me being special, so I think it’s just a me thing,” the shade responded.
“Wow. That’s so cool.” Eris rolled her eyes as she morphed her voice into sacchirine sarcasm. “And, for the record, babe, I’m not obsessed. I just haven’t found dirt that’s as good at absorbing trash as the ground here!”
The shade nodded. “You’re Eris, right? Mel’s probably muttered stuff about you under her breath and I’ve caught onto it before.”
Eris grinned. “I’m sure it’s all good things.”
“Oh, yeah, absolutely. Dora, by the way, if you’re curious,” the shade said with a smile and raised brows (Eris wasn’t even fully aware shades could have those until now).
“I wasn’t. But thanks!”
Dora seemed amused by Eris’s flippant attitude.
“Well, I won’t bother you anymore. But talk to me like that again and you’ll-” Dora turned into a wraith made of vine-like wisps “rue this day forevermore! You will perish under a curse of endless misfortune!”
“Oh, I already have that! It’s my life!” Eris beamed.
“Aw dangit. Welp, I’m out of ideas. See ya around!” Dora said as she vanished into smoke.
Eris didn’t feel fond of many people– in fact, she tried to squash those sorts of feelings once they made themselves known– but she was gladdened by Dora’s visit. That was the best interaction she’d had with a shade in years that didn’t involve using them as target practice (they made terrible targets, but never let it be said that Eris didn’t try) or objects of ridicule. Oh gods, was she going soft?
No! No. That one seemed different. She’s way cooler than the other shades I’ve interacted with, she thought to herself. In fact, that conversation with Dora filled her with a sense of almost-warmth. And as Mel entered her field of vision, that almost-warmth became a full surge.
“Hi, Eris.” Mel regarded her cooly, red and green eyes forced into neutrality.
“Hey, babe. What’s up?” Eris asked with a coy smile.
“Did you— hm. Must you always insist on fighting me so aggressively on that beach? It’s obstructing my ability to do my task, and frankly, it’s becoming rather annoying.” Mel crossed her arms. Her green fingers caressed the forearm of her other limb. The softness of the touch Mel reserved for her own body was fascinating.
“Oh, wow, babe. You need me to go easy on you? I thought you were the star student. Don’t tell me you’re struggling against the witch dropout,” Eris spoke, voice dripping with faux concern. “Maybe Hecate and Odysseus are right. If you can’t even manage me in your path, how could you possibly succeed against Chronos?”
If Mel was fazed by Eris’s attempts to get under her skin, she didn’t show it.
“If you can recall, I’ve defeated you in my most recent attempts. I was merely asking because things have the possibility to run more smoothly without you in my way. So could you please–” Mel’s eye twitched as she uttered her supplication– “consider leaving me to my devices for future nights?”
In her heart of hearts, Eris was delighted. Mel groveling to her? She never thought she’d see the day. It was almost suspicious, but knowing Mel to be both full of pride and a gods-awful liar, it seemed to be an earnest attempt to make peace.
“Hmmmm. Gimme a sec to think about it.”
Mel blinked rapidly. “Wait, really? Wow, Eris, I’m honestly surpris–”
“No.” Eris’s grin broke across her face as she struggled to contain her laughter.
Mel sighed. “I should’ve anticipated that. Well, don’t act upset next time I send you careening back here.”
“If anyone’s upset here, it’s you babe!” Eris called out as Mel turned her back and started picking up the remains of the chimera jerky packets on the ground.
Maybe Sister Selene was conspiring against Eris because the incandescent light in the crossroads framed Mel in silver. Her silhouette cast along the ground was alluring, tarnished only by the remains Eris had left before. The cut of her thin hair, the nape of her neck, the gleam of her collar next to the pale flesh of her shoulders all sought to drive Eris insane.
For a second, Mel fixed her eyes on Eris, meeting her gaze with an indecipherable expression.
“We’ll meet again, Strife,” Mel said with a soft smile. It warmed the edges of Eris’s crooked heart, melting her desire to get the final word. Serenity and silence were both unfamiliar to her. Yet, in that moment, as the image of Mel’s upturned lips stayed in her mind’s eye, she felt a strange calm, and her heart felt almost whole.
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Melinoё didn’t know why she kept coming back. Eris was an impediment to her task– a distraction; it was unwise to spend so much time around her. And for most individuals, Melinoё would have been able to justify her gift-giving as attempts at ingratiation, but Eris was perhaps the only individual immune to such gestures. Mel could give Eris whatever her heart desired most, and she still wouldn’t know where they stood– how Eris would think of her. Strife was endlessly frustrating and fascinating.
The incongruity of it all disturbed Melinoё. She knew herself to be rational and sound of mind. In this, she was certain. And yet her attempts to become closer with Eris went against all better judgement. Sometimes, after gifting Eris a bottle of nectar or the like, Mel would stare at her hands and feel betrayed by her own body. Her face would feel warm as she brandished a bottle of nectar to push into Eris’s calloused fingers.
It was concerning that Melinoё’s own emotions were clouding her sight when Eris’s goal seemed to be sabotaging the Unseen. Although Eris confessed to be acting of her own accord, for the “pure chaos” of war, those statements did little to assauge Melinoё’s nerves.
Despite it all, here they were, at the taverna, sharing a bottle of rich ambrosia.
“Aren’t you worried what the Shades are gonna say? I mean, about us…?” Eris asked, her smile teasing.
Melinoё was puzzled by the question. What could there have possibly been there to say about them?
“No, I hadn’t considered that there might be some regrettable way to misconstrue our meeting; although in retrospect that was foolish. What do you expect they’ll say?”
“Oh, you know! They see the way you talk to me, pick up after me, take me to the hot springs, give me nectar, even ambrosia. I mean, heh, come on! They’re not stupid!”
When Eris’s words hit Melinoё, a thrum of panic ignited her core. The insinuations were strangely exposing. It was altogether very uncomfortable to have Eris suggest whatever it was she was suggesting– and even more disconcerting to think other shades had read their interactions similarly.
“What? Eris, none of those things… an outing at the taverna is not some sort of… ugh. This simply was an opportunity to speak at greater length for once.” Melinoё finished her sentence lamely, forcing herself to speak slower to avoid stumbling over the presence of the emotions that had not left her chest.
Eris’s eyes bored into Melinoё for a second, her lips pursed. Then, Strife’s strange expression disappeared as quickly as it arrived, and with a smile, Eris replied, “Hate to disappoint, but I didn’t come here to speak. Now pour up! I don’t have all night and this ambrosia’s way too bitter just for taking little swigs.”
“Well, cheers, then!” Melinoё forced an easygoing smile, but she now felt distracted. The air in the taverna felt stiffer than when they had first arrived, giddily taking their places on the wooden benches and settling by the warmth of the fire. A table of shades stood but a few feet away. Had those spirits heard her conversation with Eris? Was Eris right? Did they think of her as doting on Strife’s every action?
It was an uncomfortable thought that stayed with Melinoё long after they had bid farewell. The taverna visit was intended to be a relaxing break from the physical turmoil she’d been putting herself through, but her time spent with Eris weighed heavily on her mind. She walked back into her tent and started shifting through her belongings. Dora had, of course, messed up her reagents again, and Mel set to reorganizing them alphabetically.
“Whoa, what’re you doing? I spent all of last night moving those around!” Dora exclaimed, popping up next to Melinoё.
“Well, you shouldn’t have. Now, I have to rearrange everything, thus wasting time that could be spent completing my task!” Melinoё snapped back.
Dora backed away slightly, eyebrows knitting down. “I’m…sorry, Mel. I didn’t know they meant that much to you. For the record, I was absolutely going to put them back in the right order, but I wanted to get a closer look at some of the funny plants. I honestly thought you wouldn’t come back to look at them in a while since you’ve been so dead-set on rushing into battle night after night.”
Melinoё forcibly shoved a bottle of mandrake above her jar of moly and sighed. “I’m the one who should be sorry, Dora. I still would prefer that you didn’t leave things out-of-order, but I spoke out of turn. I should’ve been more polite.”
Dora nodded. “I mean, I don’t really think you owe anyone politeness but it’s definitely weird for you. I mean, you haven’t yelled at me like that since my early days of haunting. Is there… anything else that’s up that you wanna talk about?”
“Do the other shades talk about me? Me and Eris?”
Dora stayed silent for a beat too long. “Mel, you know I barely leave this tent. I usually don’t pay attention to anything anyone says.”
“I notice you didn’t answer the question,” Melinoё stated, internally wondering why she felt pressure pounding in her skull at the possibility of an answer.
“Well, if you really want to know…”
“Yes, Dora, I do.”
“Okay, just keep in mind shades gossip about everything, right? That’s like the big human thing. I don’t remember much of my past, but it is definitely a human thing to gossip about anything big and important. And you’re about as important as they come”
Melinoё nodded, feeling as though Dora was trying to let her down for something she didn’t know she was asking.
“And Eris is also a big deal. Though in a wayyyy more negative light than most shades see you. Like she’s been there at wars, fights, breakups, everything. And while I’ve never been personally insulted by her, a lot of the shades who’ve been around here have been pranked or made fun of or whatever. Which, by the way, I think is pretty fun of her, like some of these guys really need to be taken down a peg. Like just because you were some great war general in your mortal days doesn’t mean you get first dibs at the springs or whatever.”
“Dora, please get to the point.”
“Okay, so anyways. Um, you spend a lot of time with her, Mel. Especially when she’s someone who is actively trying to shoot you with a weapon every other night. Not that I’m judging. Again, I think she’s really cool. But some of these shades have suspected that you guys might be a little bit above friends. Okay, actually, a lot more than friends. And some of them are worried it’s gonna affect your nightly performance or whatever.”
Melinoё’s heart felt as though it had stopped in her chest. Were those shades right? Here she was, reorganizing her reagents instead of setting out again all because a simple conversation with Eris interfered with her emotions. She’d done nothing but prove those who doubted her right. Her mind was so hazy, she hadn’t even noticed that Dora had continued speaking.
“—honestly, if you want to keep seeing her keep at it. And if you really want me to cover for you, I can try starting different rumors whenever I next leave the tent. I’ve never started one before. It’s kinda exciting—”
“Dora, thank you for letting me know. I have much to think about.” Mel said as she placed her final reagent jar into its proper shelf. “I really appreciate you being honest with me. But I think I have to go, now”
“Um, sure, Mel. No biggie. Hope you figure it all out soon,” Dora said with an uncertain smile that fell flat.
As Melinoё trekked out of the tent, her determination to reach Olympus fueled her every step. She was not going to allow Strife to impede her any longer.
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On the beach, Eris waited impatiently. When she and Mel had last shared ambrosia at the tavern, the princess of the underworld seemed perturbed by Eris’s teasing, which was usually the intended result, but something about it bothered Eris in return. What was so bad if shades did think the princess had a small crush on her? What was so wrong if they did share gifts and laze around in the baths and someone saw that as a potentially romantic relationship? Not that Eris would ever want to be chained down, but she didn’t hate the thought that others might presume her and Mel to be partners.
Eris huffed as she fidgeted, flapping her wings and fiddling with her weapon. What did it matter how Mel felt about her or them or anything anyways? She was here for one reason and that reason was to wreak havoc. It was unnerving that a few strange glances from Mel could throw her off her game so easily.
When the orange-clad princess finally materialized onto the beach sands, Eris bared her teeth in a vicious grin.
“Aw, hey, babe! It’s so good to see you again. I almost thought you weren’t gonna show up! Since you’ve been having so much trouble getting past me, I wouldn’t be surprised if you wimped out.”
Mel stood in front of her, panting and fixing Eris with a paralyzing glare. It was one of pure anger and bitterness. Oh? This is interesting! Eris thought to herself as her body tremored with excitement and trepidation.
“Cat got your tongue?” Eris mocked, eyeing Mel’s pet. She couldn’t remember that cat’s name for the life of her, but she was unfortunately familiar with its claws.
Mel refused to deign Eris with a response and instead started sprinting toward her, torches held in a death grip.
“I don’t like being ignored, trouble! You’re making me maaaad!” Eris shouted in a singsong as she fired three explosives into the air.
Melinoё dodged the explosives with expert precision. She hurled magic flames and shouted, “Toula, now!” as her bothersome tabby cat clawed onto Eris’s back.
“AGH! I HATE CATS,” Eris spat out in a fit of rage. Truthfully, she was pretty neutral on pets, but when she was in pain she felt the need to make her hurt known.
Eris threw the cat on the ground and flew onto the opposite end of the beach, diagonally facing Mel. She rapid-fired a string of shots that Mel rushed through, but one managed to land its target. Mel hissed in pain and retorted with a circle of circulating projectiles that grazed Eris’s skin, eating away at her life force.
“Oh, we’re not done yet!” Eris yelled, as a tiny corner of her mind whispered anxieties at Mel’s lack of a response. Was she bored of her? Had she finally got on Mel’s nerves enough to push her away? Well, it would be much harder than that to get rid of Eris!
She flew into the air and summoned skeletal monsters on the sand to slow Mel down. She followed the onslaught of henchmen with the launching of bombs across the entirety of the beach. Let’s see Mel try to get out of this one, Eris thought to herself as she landed by an explosive barrel on the ground.
Mel suffered a few hits, but in a sudden shift, the power of the moon weaved around her and she donned a new form as light inverted itself across her skin. Her hands shot out dark blasts that seemed to harness the very power of night itself– she utterly demolilshed Eris’s servants in but a few hits. Eris’s breath stuttered as she was struck with the realization that Mel was especially beautiful like this– enraged, panting, sweating, and covered in the blood of her foes. Eris waited a second too long, distracted by Melinoё’s intensity, and suffered several hits from both her adversary and that awful cat.
“That’s it!” Eris launched her strongest explosive into the night air, with almost a large enough radius to envelop the whole beach. She felt in her element as the chaos of fire and raucous noise erupted around her. She unleashed every bullet she had left in her arsenal. The ammunition riccochet off the barrels and statues, careering towards Melinoё from all directions.
By some miracle, Melinoё managed to dodge Eris’s attacks– it honestly bewildered her how powerful the Princess of the Dead could be at her best. Mel rushed toward Eris at full speed and sent a staggering blow to her wings. The heat of fire dug into Eris’s back, and she let out a guttural scream.
“Return to shadow, now…?” Eris called out, willing the power of the night to whisk her away. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Mel breathing heavily, her eyebrows contorted into what appeared to be triumph. And perhaps she was imagining it, but the faintest hint of sorrow appeared in Mel’s eyes, too.
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Since that fight, Mel seemed to be ignoring Eris. She no longer stopped by for their usual chats nor invited her to hang out. She even left the rubbish on the ground last night and some random shade picked it up in her stead. It was upsetting– and the fact that it made Eris feel all screwed up inside was possibly worse than feeling the negative emotions at all. She should’ve been used to people leaving or looking down on her. She should’ve been used to being avoided; since she was a baby, no one had bothered to stay by her. No one wanted to be around Strife, after all. Despite believing she was finally numb to loneliness, Mel not talking to her for the last few nights stung. It stung bad. And the only thing Eris knew how to do when was hurt was to make everyone else hurt worse.
Dora suddenly appeared by Eris, grimacing after taking one look at Strife’s expression.
“Oof, what’s got you worked up?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. I’m just peachy!” Eris said with forced enthusiasm.
“Okay, well, I’ve been doing way too much therapy work for a shade that’s not getting paid, but also I’m really bored, so if you wanna talk or whatever I’m here.”
“I said I’m doing just fine! What about that don’t you understand?”
“Oh my gods, is this about Mel? Did something happen between you guys?”
Eris winced at Mel’s name. “Just shut up, okay! I don’t want anything to do with you.” Eris glared at Dora. “And don’t say anything about this to her.”
Dora mimed a salute. “Got it, boss. But just so you know, I’m always down to hang. There’s not much to do for someone like me, so… hit me up if you ever wanna talk.” The lesser shade vanished into the air.
Moros was studying Eris intensely, likely having heard her outburst. In a moment overcome with frustration, she grasped the adamant rail and started flying as far away from the crossroads as she could get.
The stale air of the underworld wisped against her wings as she flapped them desperately, feeling as though she needed to crawl out of her skin. She flew through the hollow woods of Erebus, the melancholy blue of Oceanus, and into the Fields of Mourning before she was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. She collapsed to her knees there in the grey fields, with clouds of sorrow dispersed around her, and screamed her frustrations into the void. Against her will, she felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.
“This is such bullshit,” she grumbled to herself. Why should she care if Melinoё didn’t want to talk to her? She was better off not having to deal with that stuck-up, pompous, arrogant, awful, boring woman anyways.
“Eris?” A voice called out in the emptiness of the fields. A voice that Eris knew disastrously, horrifically well.
She was in no state to start flying again, so she found sanctuary under the nearest barren tree and wrapped her wings around herself. Melinoё was unfortunately much more put together and able to find Eris quite quickly.
“Eris? Did you come down here to impede me here as well? I told you I– are you weeping?” Mel asked, surprise extremely apparent in her voice.
“No, trouble, I’m doing just fine actually. Not a single tear here,” Eris replied, her voice undulating.
Melinoё appeared to be at a loss for words.
“And even if I was, I bet you wouldn’t care at all. No one does.” Eris pouted, hating that the words that fell from her lips sounded pathetic and broken.
Melinoё bristled. “Look, Eris, I’m in a bit of a rush here, but if you made more attempts to reach out to others– and weren’t so insistent on being a scourge upon all in the crossroads– I’m certain it would be easier for you to find companions to confide in.”
“Why did you stop talking to me?”
Melinoё kneeled down to move her face closer to Eris’s. She reached out her fingers and brushed them against Strife’s chin. Eris inhaled sharply as Melinoё looked into her eyes, studying them for something. After a moment of charged silence, Melinoё spoke.
“I– I was provoked by what you had said in the tavern. It seemed that our companionship was misinterpreted by others, and I worried that perhaps I was inadvertently softening up to you, which would have made my task more difficult to complete. I–” Melinoё bit her lip nervously– “heard that some shades suspected you were manipulating me to better ensure the destruction of our world and the success of Chronos. And I feared that I was letting you. I was acquiescing to your manipulations all too easily and thereby putting everyone at risk for the sake of my curiosity.”
Eris let out a raw laugh. “Well, to be fair, babe, I was kind of manipulating you.”
Melinoё sharply drew her hands back from Eris, expression guarded again.
“Not for the sake of Chronos– you should know that I don’t care about that old geezer. And I wasn’t even thinking of long-term results most of the time. It’s just fun to see whether you cared about me. It was always so exciting, getting to see your reactions to everything I did. I guess I didn’t realize–” Eris looked away and hugged her knees closer, voice growing hoarse– “realize that I started to become invested in you, too.”
“Invested?” Melinoё repeated, incredulous.
“I mean, look at me right now, trouble. I thought I was used to losing people– or never having anyone in the first place– and you not coming to pick up my trash for a couple days made me go insane instead.” Eris sighed. “I guess I’m glad we could talk about it before we stop talking forever. Before our fights just become dull and lame and so boring that I have to find someone else to shoot.”
Melinoё blinked, her eyes contorting in confusion. “Eris, are you saying that you like me?”
“Babe, you’re killing me here.”
“You enjoy spending time with me? Genuinely?”
Eris gaped. “You can’t be serious.”
Melinoё blushed. “Well, I didn’t mean to presume. And since you try to fight me regularly, I truly can’t tell what your intentions are. So is that an affirmation or refutation?”
“Oh my gods. I can’t believe how oblivious you are sometimes! Yes, I like spending time with you! I would never in a million aeons have agreed to fishing if you hadn’t asked.”
Melinoё leaned in close to Eris’s face again. “And when you suggested that I might be doting on you– that the lesser shades suspected us of being in a relationship…” She grazed her arcane fingers on Eris’s cheek. “Was that something you wanted them to think? Something you wanted us to be?”
Eris’s chest rose and fell with disbelief. She could feel Melinoё’s hot breath against her own mouth. The sensation of Melinoё’s hand on her face felt magnified. The intensity of the moment shook Eris to her core, where a desperate heat churned.
Once she overcame her shock, Eris gave Melinoё a genuine smile. “Babe, I’ve never wanted anything more,” she whispered.
Melinoё softly pressed her mouth over Eris’s. Eris’s body instinctively responded, wrapping her wings around them both. She kissed Melinoё back, gently at first, but soon pressed hungrily into the warm softness of the princess’s mouth.
Eris pulled away for a second, startling Melinoё, who looked at Eris with confusion in her eyes.
“Just so you know, trouble, I’m still going to fight you every night up there on the surface.”
Melinoё sighed, exasperatedly. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with me too severely, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I admit, it can be enjoyable defeating you night after night.”
“Don’t get so cocky, babe. We both know I can give you a run for your money.”
Melinoё hummed, refusing to be baited into the juvenile verbal spar this was setting up to be. Instead, she nipped at Eris’s mouth, kissing Strife like a woman starved.
And for the first time in a very long while, two insatiable creatures felt their hearts sated.