Iridescence

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

ELIZA

I once again found myself falling through a portal. Thankfully, this one didn't send me down a deep hole. Instead, I landed almost immediately on solid ground. I stumbled, but didn't fall as someone steadied me.

His touch was extremely familiar, and I was almost relieved, but then I realized who I was looking at.

"Easy now, Eliza," my father said. "You're going to hurt yourself. You always were a clumsy little thing."

"Dad..." I whispered.

"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured me. I almost wanted to believe him, but he'd murdered my mom in front of my eyes. I knew what he really was now.

"What is it you want from me?" I asked cautiously.

"Just cooperate, Eliza," he said in a soothing tone. "Everything will be fine as long as you do what I say. Come with me now... Altheos wants to see you."

I was terrified by that idea. "Daddy, please, don't do this," I begged him softly. "I'm your daughter."

"Your incarnation is, yes," he agreed. "Don't worry, Eliza. He won't hurt you. He just wants to talk. Altheos was rather fond of Kleia. That hasn't changed."

I felt sick at his words. I knew just how close Kleia had been to Altheos. I also knew how evil he truly was. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck in a room with him.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much choice. My father led me through another portal. I found myself in a room with no obvious exits. A couch sat in the center of the room. There was a bed in one corner. On the other end of the room was a desk that had several journals and pens on top of it. The only door led to a bathroom. There were no windows. I was trapped.

"Just relax, Eliza. Altheos will be right with you," my father said.

I was trembling as the portal opened just enough to let someone into the room. My eyes widened in shock as I recognized Altheos or, more accurately, his reincarnation.

"Leo?" I asked in horror.

I tried to understand what was happening. Leo Lukas, the popular boy who had tried so hard to be my friend because of my archery skills, stood in front of me. Leo, who had comforted me at my mother's memorial service when no one else could... Leo, who had systematically worked his way into nearly every aspect of my life... Leo, who I had defended to Apollo repeatedly.

I felt incredibly stupid as I realized the truth. "Apollo was right," I said softly.

"Yes, that does occasionally happen," Leo, or Altheos, replied.

"I should have seen it..." I shook my head. "That story you told me about your mother... Was it even true?" I didn't bother trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

"Most of it," he replied. "My incarnated mother was terrible, Kleia. She was incredibly abusive. She hated me because she believed that I was evil. She tried to drown me in the bathtub when I was five. She blinded me in one eye when I was a toddler, just as Nemesis did to my original soul. The physical damage healed, but I lost my sight for good in that eye. I had to learn to get around that obstacle as an athlete. She tried to destroy me every chance she got. There are so many stories I could tell you about that woman."

"Did she really kill herself?" I asked.

He laughed. "I never said she killed herself. I said her wrists were slit."

I stared at him in horror. "You slit her wrists?"

"I slipped a couple of her sleeping pills into her drink at dinner. Once she went to bed, it was very easy to finish the job." He paused and added, "I was being abused. I had no choice."

Part of me felt sorry for the abused little boy he'd been. The rational part, however, realized he'd been a cold-hearted killer even at eight years old and having sympathy for him was probably ridiculous. Still, my heart hurt as I thought of any child enduring what he had.

He could be lying, I reminded myself, but I didn't think he was this time. He was far too proud of himself, like he'd shown her the consequences of daring to harm him and was happy about it.

"Le- Altheos," I began, "why did you bring me here?"

"The rest of them have to die, Kleia, but not you," he replied. "You would be really useful at my side. After all, you're a Muse of Sacred Hymns and Chants. If you helped write spells for me, I would truly be unstoppable."

"That's what the journals are for? You want me to create spells for you?" I asked in surprise.

"Who else would I want at my side? Our destinies are intertwined, Kleia. They always have been."

"I won't help you hurt the others," I said firmly.

"Not directly, but you will help, Kleia. If you don't, more innocent people will meet unfortunate ends just like your poor mother did."

I stared at him for a moment. "It was you," I realized. "My father was following your orders when he killed my mom..."

"It was necessary, Kleia," he replied. "Otherwise, your soul wouldn't have fully unlocked. I needed to break Eliza to get you back."

"I thought it was my fault," I whispered. "I thought she died because she was trying to protect me, but he would have killed her either way."

The horror of the situation made me want to cry and scream at the same time. "I don't care what you do to me, Altheos," I said. "I won't write any spells for you."

"But you do care what I do to others," he replied. "I know you, Kleia. You will do anything to protect anyone except yourself." He motioned toward the desk. "Have a seat and start writing. I have other business to attend to, but I'll be back soon."

He left through a portal. My father smiled at me as he said, "We have Krissy, Eliza. Don't make Altheos angry, or what happened to your mother will look like child's play compared to what we do to her."

I couldn't believe that this man and my father were the same person. Sure, my dad hadn't been the warmest father, but I'd thought he loved me in his own way. Now, I saw the truth. He'd always been Viktor deep down. He had never cared about me.

"I'm needed elsewhere," he said. "I won't leave you alone, of course. It's time I introduced you to someone, Eliza... Although I believe you recently met."

He opened another portal. I gasped as a familiar face entered the room. "What the...?" Jack asked as he looked at me. "Eliza? What's going on?"

"Jack, you're part of this, too?" I asked.

"Part of what?" He asked.

"Part of the Apostasia," I replied.

"The Apowhata?" He asked. I thought he must be playing dumb to mess with my head until he turned around and looked at my father.

"Wait a second... Dad?" He asked.

I blinked in confusion, certain I'd heard him wrong. "Jackson," my father replied coldly. "This is your half-sister, Eliza. Eliza, Jackson is also a reincarnated deity. I'll let you two work out those details on your own. Goodbye, children."

My... Or our father vanished into a portal. "Holy crap!" Jack cried. "How did he do that?"

"You really didn't know about this?" I asked.

"I had no idea! I told you, my dad is barely around. I guess having a whole other family would be a good reason for that..." He shook his head. "Are you really my sister?"

"Is he really your father?" I asked.

"Unfortunately," he replied.

"Then yes, Jack. I'm your sister." It was strange to say, but in some ways, it was comforting. I wasn't alone, and Jack seemed even more confused about all of this than I was. I didn't think he wanted to hurt me.

Can I trust him? What if he is just a really good liar like Leo? I wondered. What game is Dad trying to play by bringing Jack here and dropping this on me right now?

"He wants something from you," I realized. "He wouldn't have brought you here unless he did."

"Whatever he wants, the answer is no. I don't like the guy in general, and now he kidnapped me and you. He's not exactly Dad of the Year."

I decided to take a chance and trust him. "Jack, I need to get out of here. My friends are in danger... Faith and Krissy are missing, and Vanessa might be hurt."

He looked upset then. "You had me at Vanessa. She was the first person to really make me feel welcome at school. I'm not letting anyone mess with her."

I decided that anyone who'd defend Vanessa that quickly was trustworthy. "Alright," I said. "We need a plan. I'll play along with what they want and write some spells... And the first one I write will be a chant to help you figure out where your soul comes from. He said you were a deity. We need to know who you were. Then you can help me figure out what to do next."

I set to work, determined to be useful. I might be in way over my head, but my friends needed me. I wasn't going down without a fight.