“He will never return my dear. He has left you for his friend. Even though he swore to protect you.”
The voice seemed to come from the very rocks and trees around her. She stopped and looked around. There was no one to be seen except a small squirrel scampering across the trunk of a tree that bordered the great mountain forest.
“I have no need for your foolish musings nor your games, my Lord Satanicus.” She whispered into the air.
“My child, you know your enemy. That is most admirable.”
Aphrodite turned on her heel and found herself face to face with the most evil being that had ever dwelled upon the Earth. He was dressed in a deep, black travelling cloak, its hood was pulled well over his head so that only the tip of his pale nose and the tight cruel lips of his mouth could be seen. Golden strands of hair hung low about his jaw line, glowing slightly in the sunlight. She sensed that his eyes were as dark as coal beneath that dark hood. He was alone. She sensed the air for any of his deadly and feared Capritas but she felt her vision blurred. Something was blocking her sight.
“What do you wish of me My great Lord? You come alone, a fool's errand I would suggest'' She laughed scathingly.
The dark figure paused for a moment. Those cruel tight lips flickered into an ugly smile. He folded his arms and stared at her. He could feel the power pounding from all around her. She could see the power he had. The beautiful multicoloured wild flowers that thrived in the mountain air wilted and died at his feet. Great branches from some of the oldest trees upon the mountain, rotted and snapped from their trunks. Even the tuneful mountain birds fell dead silent. The very air seemed foul to breath.
“I humbly seek your services in my battle with the Sanctorians and their allies.” The Dark Lord bowed his hooded head and the very grass he stood upon turned brown and withered away in an instant. Aphrodite stared at him and smiled politely.
“What would you pay for my services my Lord?”
Satanicus raised a hand and lowered his hood so that she could see him clearly. He was a strikingly handsome man. His features were dark which contradicted his golden hair. His eyes were of the deepest black that she had ever seen. The shadow he cast around him was strange and worryingly inviting.
“You will sit with me upon a throne of gold and look down upon this world as your family do now. But ours shall be one of power, not impotence. You and I would govern the people together. We shall purge the pathetic ethos of the Sanctorians once and for all and the world shall be ruled as it always should have been by the two most powerful people upon its great lands.”
Satanicus watched the beautiful young lady before him very carefully. He studied those dazzling eyes that seemed to search out the unreachable truth. She truly was as beautiful as the people had told him. For many hundreds of miles he had travelled alone to seek out the great woman and through his travels he had heard many stories of the mighty and fair Aphrodite.
“And what of my brother? What of Cordell? Surely you have approached him as well?”
“Your brother is a fool, my lady. He founded the Sanctuary and will not offer me council.”
“Of that, I am not surprised!” Giggled Aphrodite. “And if I were to turn down your most generous offer my Lord? What would become of me?” She found that she was clenching her fists. She felt her subconscious seek out the power of the nature that surrounded her, including the dark figure who stood in front of her. She closed her eyes briefly and allowed some of his evil and bitter power to flood through her veins. The power was incredible. She felt as if she could raise herself from the ground. The Dark figure convulsed slightly and staggered back a few paces as he felt some of his mighty power slip away from him. He gasped as he felt the awesome force that this lady concealed beneath that dangerous façade of beauty and innocence.
“I will be forced to destroy you and your husband will be mutilated.” Smiled Satanicus as he felt his power return, “And I shall consume you.”
Aphrodite was suddenly overcome with a deep anger that was so powerful that the very earth beneath their feet trembled and growled. A landslide suddenly began to thunder down one of the mountains on the other side of the valley. Aphrodite ran. She ran towards her tree and her lake of tears. She knew that the dark man was pursuing her. She could see the red orb of power glowing upon his left open palm. She did not turn back; she ran. The air carried her and she out paced the Evil dark man.
Once she arrived at the tree she turned and watched for Satanicus, who seemed to have disappeared. He was close by as she could still feel that strange dark coldness biting at her heart. She knew she only had moments left before she would be discovered and she would have to fight.
She heard a rustling from the trees and knew that soon the Dark Lord would soon be with her. Somewhere, out in the wilderness, a wolf howled. It was a sound that was ominous to Aphrodite.
Satanicus burst out into the clearing, a red orb of fire hung above his right hand and he was dipping his left hand fully into its angry flames. He muttered something out loud and suddenly a wave of fire shot from his hands. Aphrodite did not flinch. She merely clicked her fingers and the flames rebounded from a deep blue shield that encapsulated her. The surrounding wildlife retreated in charred black and browns, their existence wiped from the face of the planet. Aphrodite jumped nimbly to her feet so that she was facing the Dark Lord side on and muttered an incantation. Satanicus chuckled loudly as he approached the woman, goddess or not, who dared stand before him with such defiance. The warm breeze suddenly blew freezing cold, its power grew as the Dark Lord approached. He began to tremble as the ferocity of the frozen winds began to sink their sharp bitter teeth into his skin. He tripped forward, crashing his head against a rock. He rolled over shuddering with shock and cold and something that he could not quite put his finger on, was it fear? He had not feared anybody in his entire existence. Why was this mere female so threatening to him? He closed his eyes and tensed his muscles. The winds suddenly died and Aphrodite was lifted from her feet. She flew back and struck against the trunk of her favourite tree. The Dark Lord stood once more and resumed his advance.
Aphrodite thought fast. Satanicus was known for his talent of absorbing other beings' powers with his own hands. She knew she was a powerful being. She knew that if he received even a quarter of her power he would most certainly become even more powerful than he was now. She smiled at the on coming dark shadow that approached with a furious rage. She lifted her hands up to the deepening blue skies and blew in his direction. At once a million tiny diamonds plummeted from the heavens and shattered towards the Dark Lord. They whizzed and hissed furiously for she had plucked them from the very skies and they were not happy with being awoken to fight a battle for her.
“Help me in my hour of need my dear friends. I have confided in you and you have shone down upon me with grace and favour. Aid me in the destruction of my enemy so that I need not bother you again.” She murmured to the angry whizzing stars that now swarmed about her head. Her calm and beautiful voice and tone reached the stars and they slowed their movements to listen and observe the situation that they had been watching from above.
Why should we aid you? You are a Goddess, surely you do not require us? Thundered the voice of the First Star. The largest of the stars whirled round so that he was whizzing about in front of her eyes. She bowed her head and felt for every shred of nature that still resided about her.
“Help me to strike this man down.” She beckoned towards Satanicus, who's running footsteps had slowed and he looked as if he was finding it incredibly difficult to lift his feet, as if lead blocks were attached to his boots.
Powerful though you are my friend, I do not know how you managed to summon us but we cannot directly aid you in this fight against your enemy. That is not our place, we watch and guide but we do not act, it is against our nature.
“What can you do?” Screeched Aphrodite desperately as she watched the Dark Lord fight free of the curse she had inflicted upon him just before she had summoned the stars to her rescue.
The whizzing star seemed to think long and hard about this. It whizzed about its many millions of companions and whispered the question. The other stars buzzed angrily about the First Star. Never before had they been summoned by anyone in the history of their infinite existence. Finally the First Star halted the deliberations and buzzed down back towards Aphrodite”s line of vision.
Young you may appear yet the power I sense within you is a power that could topple the tyrant you speak of. However there is no way that you shall beat him upon this day. Your powers have yet to fully blossom. I have spoken to my closest aides and they have informed me that they have foreseen you as one of the many who will help to bring down this foul being.
“I am In your debt my Lord.” Cried Aphrodite as she fell to her knees. “I will do everything in my power to bring down this monster.”
Satanicus fell to the ground heavily and found that he could not muster the energy to push himself up from the dirt. Those strange buzzing, whizzing diamond shapes that glinted into millions of rainbows scattered about his prey. She was less than a hundred yards away, he knew she would never join him and that he would have to conquer her. He felt the potential power within the being before him. That being who seemed to be holding him still whilst she conversed with these strange gleaming entities. He closed his eyes and focussed upon his own deep, dark power. The air about him hazed and fizzed with his awesome power. Some of the buzzing diamonds burst into to white hot flames as he pushed against the invisible force that pushed him back and held him against the scorched earth.
Your part in this terrible tale is to become vanquished. Fight him to all of your abilities and then when you can feel your light fading from within you, cast yourself into the lake that you created with your own tears of mourning. There, you shall lose your human form and cease to be the fair Aphrodite. You shall become one with the waters of your lake. In time it will become the place where the downfall of this evil being will begin. It shall be guarded by the finest of all guards and those who wish to swim and drink from your waters will have to be put to an ultimate test.
Aphrodite wailed at the thought that these were her final moments upon this earth that she had loved and been nurtured from. She bowed her head towards the leader of the stars. She was aware of his unwillingness to tell her of her unfortunate fate and she sensed the great burden that he had finally laid down for her.
I am the King of the Stars,lady, an even greater power than your father, Zeus. I will make sure that your mind is left intact so that you may still preserve your thoughts. My power is more mighty than any in this world or any other.
“Then why not join us and end this terrible war so that we may return to the peaceful ways that this world is entitled to?” She begged. She felt the holding spell she had cast upon Satanicus and she knew that she did not have long before she would turn and fight.
I am the Lord of the Stars. We have no true physical presence. I can only guide you. This war is of no true concern of ours. Your kind and the other creatures upon this troubled world must learn on your own. Now it is time to fight my child. We will be beside you always but only to guide.
She watched with a heavy heart as the beautiful flying diamonds whizzed upwards and hung metres above her head, glinting in the hot midday sun. She turned and raised herself to her feet. She dived suddenly to her right as a fireball came thundering towards her. The spell was broken and Satanicus advanced upon her. He did not run, he seemed to glide upon the very molecules that surrounded them. Aphrodite found that she was lying next to the still placid waters of her lake. She took a mouthful of its sweet and nourishing waters and stood with her mouth full. She stared at the dark figure of the man gliding towards her, a malicious sneer of victory slashed across his face. She closed her eyes and blew the water from her mouth. Suddenly the projected water expanded into the shape of an eagle. It was an emerald green colour and it whooshed towards Satanicus who continued his advance, muttering something under his breath. A jet of black smoke shot from his fingers and it billowed out into the shape of a panther. Its growl shook the ground and it charged at the whooshing eagle. When the masses of smoke and water collided there came a thunderous crash of intense power. Some of the peaks of the nearby mountains collapsed as great plumes of volcanic smoke and magma burst into the once tranquil air. Such was the awesome power of the adversaries.
There came a thunderous roar as the Smokey black panther flew up into the darkening sky. The blue Eagle of water gave chase and sank its deadly claws into the wounded creature's throat. The Panther exploded into black clouds of poisonous smoke. The Dark Lord found himself flying backwards, crashing painfully against the edge of the cliff that rose up to the summit of the mountain. More explosions of lava and sulphuric smoke boomed up as more and more of the once beautiful mountains collapsed upon themselves. The great eagle began to falter as the noxious gases polluted her crystal clear presence. The Emerald green turned quickly to black and it too exploded into a sludge of sticky tar. Aphrodite felt some of her strength leave her as she collapsed and found that she was now covered in the foul substance that rained down from the black sky above. She did not have long to think, suddenly a foot struck across her beautiful face and she whirled upwards into the air and crashed against a rock. She sprang to her feet and blocked the next savage blow. She pointed her index finger towards Satanicus and a jet of blue smoke shot out and knocked him flying. He crashed against the cliff with such a force that the mountain rocked and creaked as it too began to fold downwards.
It is time my lady. You cannot hold him back any longer. Throw yourself into those waters and I will begin the correct protection spell for you. Make haste! You are wounded and dying and you have fought bravely.
Aphrodite took one terrified and distraught look around at the once beautiful scenery that had surrounded her all of her life. It was nothing more than volatile volcanic violence and waste lands. The rich deep green of the hill sides had been torn to pieces by the infinitely powerful earthquakes and explosions. The animals and beautiful exotic flowers had been burnt away by the horrific lava flows. She looked at the lake before her and took a deep breath. The water was refreshing and nourishing. The world she knew disappeared. Just before she broke the still perfectly placid waters she screamed out.
“I love you my dearest.” Then the world vanished and she saw nothing more.
A roar of pure rage rattled the already volatile peaks as Satanicus realised that he had failed. He collapsed to his knees and stared at the ground, panting. No one had challenged him this way. Suddenly, he looked up at the chaos and destruction. A smile crossed his face. What would Zeus know? The old fool, all he did was stand upon his balcony and watch. Aphrodite had died because of him. He had conquered a goddess! He laughed out loud, a booming, shrieking mixture which drowned out the terrible explosions of the mountains. What would anyone ever know?
And yet, the Lagoon of Aphrodite remained calm.
