Fallen Angels

by Lt_Voss

Chapter 12 - Necesse Fit Factum

I blinked my eyes several times. See, dying has this perverse effect of making sure your eye lids get crusted, so you have to clean your eyes every time you die. Naturally of course, counting my previous... experiences, I consider myself an expert on dying and its effects. What I didn't have experience with was having my death presided over by what I could only assume were judges.

They all sat behind large stone podiums and each had a gavel by their hands. Of course, I haven't gotten around to explaining just who "they" were yet because I couldn't see their faces. For all I knew they were middle management that admits or sends off various souls as they die. "We are not." That was unexpected to say the least, but telepathic powers aren't unheard of in my world, so I just rolled with it. "As you should." Now that was getting creepy.

"You know why you are here." Those were the exact words Bill had asked me the first time I'd died.

"Yes," I croaked out. That's another thing. Dying will mess up your voice. No questions.

"Then you know who we are."

I shook my head. "No, I can't say that I do. I haven't met any of you before. At least, not to my knowledge." It was then that I got a clearer picture of them. There were three of them, and upon closer inspection they all appeared to be female. "Wait," I said. "You... you are..." I took a breath before saying, "The Fates."

"You are correct. We sisters three have presided over all that has come to pass in this universe, all that is passing, and all that yet still remain to occur. It is now we have brought you here to... get to know you better."

"Well," I said with a small chuckle. "I doubt by that you mean to want to know which colour I prefer and whatnot. I suppose you mean to ask what you shall do with me?"

"We have not met one with such disrespect for their elders."

"My apologies," I quickly replied. "It was not my intention to offend, I merely meant to speak my thoughts. I suppose now that I shall be... reprimanded? I'm sorry, I don't know how things work around here."

"They do."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Things work around here because they do. It was set to be before our time, and will only end long after your time."

"Oh. Well," I drawled, scratching my head. "What do you want to know?"

"Why have you been brought here?"

"I wasn't aware that I controlled my destination, but I suppose I am here because I have died. Again."

"What were the circumstances for this death?"

"I was attempting to flee my mother for rather selfish reasons."

"And what were these reasons?"

"I withheld from her secrets that I had kept from my past; the condition of my body."

"And how did she come to discover these secrets?" I was starting to grow tired of these questions, but at least it was better than being in the presence of Styx.

"I had a... relapse, a flashback, back to when I received my... features. They had sat in and watched my ordeal."

"And why did you have such a relapse?"

"My Oracle and I were attempting to contact Zeus because we were trying to get him to call off Styx to leave the three of us, my Oracle, my wife, and I, alone and let us live in peace."

"Why was Styx after you?"

"We, the three of us, had died previously and my Oracle and I had been drafted by Styx to become part of her entourage of Wraiths, spirit hunters."

"What an odd coincidence then," The lead sister began. "That by attempting to escape fate you have, indeed, ended with Fates."

I nodded. "I suppose there is some irony there to be beheld."

Before the Fates could continue, a popping sound was heard behind me and a voice asked, "What did I miss?" Bill strode up and patted me on the shoulder. Looking up at the three Fates, he immediately changed his tone. "Oh, my apologies elders, I did not mean to interrupt."

They continued as if nothing had transpired. "That brings us to our predicament, Will." They leaned forward. "What shall we do with you?" Before I could speak they continued. "You have continued to live despite our every attempt to sever your line. What can we do with you?"

Bill spoke up, saying, "Er, with all due respect, elders, I have a suggestion: mayhap you could perchance allow us, Will, his wife and I, to live our lives in peace?" The leading sister turned her head to him, to which he responded by ducking his head and hastily saying, "Just a suggestion, elder, please don't condemn me."

"Hmm. We shall see about that." They turned to me. "There is one who would like to have a word with you."

My eyes widened without my consent, and I blurted, "If it's Styx, you might as well send me to Hades now."

"You have no say in this matter, unfortunately." With that, the Devil herself appeared.

"Ha ha ha. Oh, Will. You really must see the look on your face." Styx took a step forward and pretended to peer closer.

Bill harrumphed. "It's a hell of a lot prettier than what just showed up."

Styx flashed forward in front of Bill's face, and said loudly, "You had best watch your mouth, Oracle, lest it betray you your life."

Bill seemed to be completely unfazed by her actions. "Oh, dear. Threatening a guest, Styx? While you yourself are a guest as well? You don't seem very bright if you choose this path."

"I have the power to end you! You will not insult me!"

Bill cocked an eyebrow. "Really now? Why not ask the Fates if you have power here, hmm? After all, you were brought here by their will, and if you overstep your welcome your claim is forfeit."

"You don't-" Styx didn't finish. She stopped mid-sentence to turn her head to the Fates. Seeing their blank faces, she turned back. "You two will be mine," she whispered, as if she believed that it would make a difference. "Just you see." She then stepped back.

"Now then," began the leading Fate. "Let it be known that Styx claims that Will and Bill are hers to control."

"It is known," said the other two in unison.

"Let it also be known that while Will and Bill served under her, she did not give them choice."

"Lies!" Screamed Styx. "They willingly took up their mantles!"

I didn't know what to say, and neither did Bill. Luckily for us, that worked in our favour. "Speaking out of turn. You are not endearing yourself to us, Styx." That caused her to sulk. "Let it be known."

"It is known."

"Let it be known that Will and Bill performed their duty under Styx."

"It is known."

"Let it be known that Will and Bill experienced an event directly contradicting that which Styx had informed them."

"It is known." Styx sulked further, hatred burning in her red eyes.

"Let it be known that by the right of visit, and its law therein, Styx agreed to allow Will and Bill a period of one half a fortnight, and that they should return to living."

"It is known."

"Let it be known that Styx has attacked Will and Bill through their minds."

"You cannot prove that!" Styx shouted.

"I will overlook that interruption, Styx, if only to explain that we may search your minds for the truth." When she was satisfied Styx would not interrupt again, she repeated, "Let it be known."

"It is known."

"Let it be known that we are now at the point in which a decision must be made to appease the parties present."

"It is known."

"Will, Bill," she began. "Your defense?"

I didn't really know I'd have to do this, but apparently Bill came prepared. "I must ask, before the court, a question."

"Continue."

"If, for example, Zeus had asked me to fetch him some water. Please," he held up a hand at Styx's opening mouth. "Let me finish. If Zeus had asked me to fetch him water, and I did so, would that, in your eyes, require me to fetch him water continuously? Or would it simply be a single instance?"

"Styx," the leading Fate, who I remembered to be Atropos, said. "Your rebuttal?"

"If one agreed to do such a task once, should one not be held accountable when the task arises again and it goes unfulfilled? Besides the matter, agreeing to become a Wraith puts one under my command. There is no alternative."

"Will, Bill, have you any refute?"

"Yes, I do," Bill said. He was turning out to be a great lawyer. "You see, we had no choice in the matter."

"You did, you just did not choose."

"Silence, Styx, or I will forfeit your claim." Atropos turned to Bill. "Continue."

"Styx had told us that we had no choice in the matter. While in Erebus, Hades was in sight. We were beside the river Styx, where the portal to our Wraithdom stood. She told us we could only go through the portal. She said it was the order of Zeus himself."

Atropos was about to tell Styx that it was her turn to speak, when suddenly she straightened. "It seems we have an unexpected guest. Welcome them to this house, lest you insult them." She didn't need to be facing us for me to know she was talking to Bill and I. After all, we were kind of newcomers to this particular place.

A great rumble took the hall, and a flash of lightning struck the ground, creating a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a man had taken its place, and immediately, under instinct, Bill and I bowed low. "Welcome," we said together. "Zeus, our Lord. We trust your trip here was uneventful?"

"Hello, milord," greeted Styx halfheartedly.

"I thank you for your welcomes. To answer your question, Will, Bill, yes. Quite wonderfully so." Zeus's voice sounded a bit... like an English accent. It didn't sound Greek. "Greetings, Moirai."

"Welcome, Father," they said in unison. I knew enough about the mythology to know Zeus wasn't really their father, but I could catch the symbolism.

"It seems you have undertaken a venture that may be out of your control, Moirai."

"Perhaps so, Father."

"Hmm." Zeus strode to Bill and I. "Why are you here, might I ask?"

I gulped. It seems Bill did the same. Neither of us, I could tell, expected to speak to Zeus himself. I was the first to regain my composure. "Well, Lord, to put it simply: we are here to be free of Styx's grasp. We do not wish to be her slaves."

"I see. And what exactly-" He didn't finish. His eyes clouded over a bit, and his mouth hung slightly open, before he regained his own composure. "I see," he said with more emphasis.

"It seems you two are in a bit of a bind." He turned to Styx. "It also seems you used an illusion of authority to sway them into servitude." As an aside to us, he said, "I did not order you to becomes Wraiths; had I known you'd died, I would have sent you off to paradise." He turned his attention back to the personification of hatred. "In our laws, that is an immediate forfeit."

"No! I will not allow it! They are mine!"

"Defying your Lord? You certainly know what comes of that."

"I do not care!" It was around this time I truly began to think Styx had more screws loose than Bill and I had originally thought. "I will have them if it means killing them myself!"

"Well then, if that is what you want," Zeus began, ominously. "To make it fair, there is only one option: mortality." As he raised his hand, Styx stammered out several protestations. Most of them consisted of proclamations of abuse, of impossibilities, and the sort. However, it had no effect on Zeus. A light flashed from his hand and gripped Styx in a viper's hold. In a flash, the light was gone, and Styx screamed in pain. "And now, to make it so you cannot attack him in his sleep," another light flashed, and Styx screamed again.

"And now," Zeus said, turning to the rest of us. "I must go, I'm afraid. I do wish you luck on your lives," he said to us. To the Moirai, he said, "Fare thee well until my return, Moirai." With that, he disappeared.

No one else had time to act, though, when I suddenly was wracked with spasms. "Will!" Bill dropped to my side. "Will, are you alright?!"

I nodded. "You know what this means." He did the same. "They're bringing me back."

Again, not a word could be gotten off before the world went white, then dark.

---

"Will, don't you do this to me again, not again!" It was my mother's voice.

"Oh... my... please, Will... don't die..." My wife's.

"I'm so sorry, my liege, I did not intend to do such a thing, I did not know!" Stargazer's voice.

"Silence, Captain," My aunt's. "She has already forgiven you, and you know it in your heart. Just keep silent. Please." Her voice was terse and firm, yet not unkind. She didn't even sound upset.

I gasped involuntarily. I choked for breath, but I found it eventually. "He's alive," my mother said, with a sigh of relief. Off to my right, I heard another deep intake of breath followed by several shallow breaths. "As is he..." She sounded more relieved by our simultaneous survival.

"Yes," I choked out. "I'm... alive... for now..." With that, I promptly lost consciousness. And sleep well I did, for once in a long time.

Comments

[the onlyoneofmeisyou]

Hellooooooooo chapters!

[Lt_Voss]

2099370 Wait til you see him drink!

Crap, gave too much away. Don't worry, readers. Crack teams are being sent to... retrieve you. Thank you.