© 2017 SilverStream22. All Rights Reserved.  

~

And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack

And all around the world was waking, I never could go back

'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn right open

And finally it seemed that the spell was broken  

~

Thanatos pulled me deeper into the void, spinning and turning with our bodies clashing against each other as we spiraled into oblivion before time stopped- brief and momentarily- and the portal spat us out onto the river bank. Thanatos and I both rolled, a mess of tangled limbs.

He was the first to get up, brushing off the russet dust that clung to his black robes and armor. As I helped myself up, my wings snapped back into my body. Thanatos' wings, a glimmering obsidian, vanished into a black mist.

"Your wings are quite a hassle." he muttered, brushing off the excess dust on his shoulders.

I felt around in my pockets, checking that I still had all the items gifted to me. "Okay, let's get this started."

"I agree,"

My heart leapt into my throat at the unexpected voice. I turned around to see a feminine man with long silver hair and milky white irises, his pupil and whites of his eyes an eerie glossy black. The moment our gazes connected, my knees buckled and I collapsed against Thanatos.

He caught me around my waist, yanking me up to stabilize me.

"Hypnos, dial it down, will you?" he muttered as he patted my cheek several times.

I nestled further into his palm while my vision was fixated on the red earth beneath me that now looked very appealing as a bed.

Hypnos, god of sleep, flinched back before sighing in a melancholy tone. "I'm sorry. You know that I can't help it..." he stretched off in a yawn. "I'll do my best to 'dial it down' as you say."

The god then stood straight, his body radiating anything but intense urge to sleep. I snapped up like a tensed rubber band, more aware of my surroundings.

"Nice to meet you," Hypnos said quietly. "I'm sorry for that. Sometimes I can't help how I affect others."

I shook my head, waving a carefree gesture to him. "It's fine. To be honest, those short few seconds of almost sleep were what I needed."

Thanatos dipped his hand into the river while Hypnos gathered a handful of seeds from a tree near the edge.

I scribbled in my notebook for a bowl and peeled it off the pages, handing it to Thanatos, who poured the milky substance into the bowl, Hypnos topping it off with poppy seeds.

I eyed both of them warily. "I have a bad feeling I'm supposed to consume it, and I'd rather not since that would mean me being trapped in the Underworld."

Hypnos vehemently shook his head. "No, no, you're not eating it. You just need to hold it in your mouth. Do not consume it. Okay?"

I nodded, taking the bowl from Thanatos. It looked like a bunch of chia seeds in yogurt.

"What do I do after this?" I held up the bowl.

Thanatos crossed his arms. "We'll dunk you under. You're open your mouth, release the seeds, and then you'll gain your memories back. After that, we'll pull you out- assuming that you don't come out yourself."

"Will it hurt?"

Hypnos and Thanatos glanced at each other sideways before Hypnos answered. "Yes. It will. I'm guessing. We've never done this before. All this is theoretical."

I blinked, glancing down at the concoction. "Seriously?"

Thanatos nodded firmly. "Seriously."

"And where's your backing coming from for this theoretical idea?" I all but snapped.

Thanatos cleared his throat. "I spoke to Mnemosyne, the Titaness of memories. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't lie. Or at least I hope she wouldn't."

"If she's a Titaness, doesn't she have a grudge against gods?"

Hypnos winced, cupping the back of his neck. "Well, is it a risk you're willing to take?"

I took a hesitant step back, looking down at the bowl. My reflection appeared back, a glossy finish that was marred with the bobbing poppy seeds.

I needed to take control. Everything was a lie in my life; my mates, my background, my own birth and death. I had to be in charge of something- obtain my anchor. Getting a hold of my Valkyrie side before it consumed me was a start. I wasn't going to get things done without risks being taken.

So I tossed my head back and held the solution in my mouth. Thanatos swept me up in his arms before wading into the shallow river back. When he was up to his torso, Hypnos came on the other side of me, supporting me as well before they both submerged me under water.

I fought against the urge to swallow as I opened my mouth and let the poppy seeds free. My eyes, which I struggled to keep closed, snapped wide open. The poppy seeds glowed an iridescent lilac, pink, and blue. They swirled around in the white water, like fireflies in a cloud. I struggled when one of the seeds attached itself on my palm. Hypnos and Thanatos tightened their vice like grip to stop me from moving.

Like a puzzle piece being fit in my brain, the memories began to trickle in. As more of the seeds latched onto me, the trickle turned into a flood.

Blue eyes. Blue skies. Blue face.

Red eyes. Red skies. Red face.

Chooser of the Slain.

The Prime Valkyrie.

Life and Death.

Hosts.

The Black Death

Her. Her. HER.

~

1400s

"Blue is the sky. As soft as your face." I whispered to the naked male, his eyes an empty abyss as his death came to be.

A figure approached, made of silver and moon dust.

She cried out, collapsing next to the man. "Why must you do this? Why did you have to push me to do this? Do you not know how much it hurt me to do this? To kill you?"

And then, east, was the other half. "Red is the sky. As soft as your face."

I reached for him, to claim my chosen warrior, but the woman lunged forward. "NO! He is mine. They are mine!"

"They have died honorably. They will serve as einherjar for the All Father when Ragnarok arrives." I moved forward once more, this time for Blue.

The woman cried out once more, pulling both the males to her side. "They are my children!"

My wings snapped irritably, but I dismissed them, landing on the floor gently.

I sat down with the woman, watching her mourn as the blood soaked into the ground and poppies grew, as red and vibrant as the sky was the day that the two warriors died.

After a few years, the woman, holding the skeletons of the men to her chest, then croaked out: "I want an audience with Odin."

I was taken aback, then narrowed my eyes further at the woman. "Who are you to request an audience with the All Father?"

The silver in the woman's eyes became sharp and clear when she met my gaze. "I am Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon. I will not give up my Lycans. If Odin wants my sun and moon, he must make a deal with me- Prime Valkyrie."

My eyes widened at the name, one so long forgotten. This woman- goddess- was far more powerful than expected.

"How did you know that I was the first?" I asked warily.

She looked miffed. "I know all the goes on under the moon. You, picked among a storm, hit by lightning from Odin. To serve him, to fight for him- Þrima."

~

I lunged out of the water, gasping heavily.

Thanatos and Hypnos both flew out of the water as my wings snapped out.

"Artemis." I snarled, glaring up at the black sky. "I'm coming for you, bitch."