You alone are life, and death to distressed mortals, Persephone. You are forever the nourisher, and the death bringer.
With the end of the festival came silence. There was no response from Artemis or Apollo; nothing to signify the twin gods had even noticed that Thargelia had been celebrated in the first place. To many, this was a relief. No news was always good news, and with the issues surrounding the veil previously, many took this as a sigh of relief.
Within the Vidalis estate, however, things were far from quiet. Anastasia Vidalis had remained unmoving for months. Kept alive by an unknown magic, many blamed the veil. She’d used her magic to keep it intact as long as she could, but it hadn’t worked. Now, however, Hektor Soteira stood within the room, a vial of blood within his hand. The next choice he’d make would create a chain of events that even the orchestrator of this could not stop. As soon as Hektor’s blood entered Anastasia’s bloodstream, she woke up.
Her eyes flashed a shade of grey – and she lifted her hand, staring at it for a few moments. Pushing herself off the table, the woman found a mirror, studying her features before they drifted to Hektor’s. “Did you doubt me?” Gifting herself the power of shapeshifting, her features changing to her true form. Persephone laughed, pulling Hektor in for a kiss.
“Of course not. Now that I have a body, I can finally get rid of the Olympians, and those who think they could tear down the one thing that’s protecting them.” Persephone’s plan had been simple. How long had she been whispering in Anastasia Vidalis’ ear? It was she who’d told the coven leader the names of the rifts. It was she who had made sure each and every eye would turn to them. They weren’t the true enemies; she was. The silly war on the veil wouldn’t effect her, but the rifts who inhabited Corinth Bay would die first. After all, Persephone was death and decay. Her name had been around before Hades’. She wasn’t just a daughter who was betrayed by Zeus; she was the Queen of the Underworld. Her touch was death, and she would remind everyone why she was to be feared.
Perhaps Hades would die first, but that was a plan for another day. For now, she’d play the role of Anastasia Vidalis, back from near death. She’d start with the coven, and move into the city with an iron grip.
It was Thanatos who noticed her disappearance first. As the god of peaceful death, his job was continuous, and he had been fated to shepherd Anastasia’s soul to peace. Now, she was dormant within her own conscious, Persephone having taken over. Thanatos could not touch the Queen of the Underworld, but he could affect witches – after all, Hecate’s loyalty to Persephone was well known throughout the Underworld. Witches who lost their souls and regained their magic would no longer gain their element; they’d gain his. Spirit Witches would make their rise.
Valkyrie and Nidhögg were preoccupied as well. A ritual that would allow the original wyvern shifter to locate his descendants. His kind had been wiped out, and his blood line had gone dormant. The magic within his descendants would be few and far between. There were only certain families that survived, and when their shapeshifter magic was reignited, they would be the first wyvern shifters in centuries.
The fear of death has seized the bay city, an effect of Persephone’s overwhelming presence. Nothing feels right, and nothing feels safe. Her powers are not limited by the veil; she is a goddess among mortals, and she was going to ensure they bowed to their queen.
OOC Information under the cut:
