Page 26 of Queen to the Sunless Court (Brides of Myth #2)

The Queen Speaks

Theron

When Theron and Morpheus returned to Kalias’ tree, Calliste was sitting beside Amatheia, who lay on the ground with her black robes spread around her like a pool of ink dotted with gold laurel leaves.

Amatheia’s last words—the ones she’d spoken to him on her last breath seven years ago—suddenly resurfaced from the darkest corners of his memory. They had never truly left him, seeping like a wound that refused to heal, and now they made him freeze at the thought of confronting her.

“Let’s go, Majesty,” Morpheus sighed beside him. “We can get to the bottom of it. Finally.”

Theron took a couple of deep breaths, willing himself to move, pulled by hope as he watched Calliste speak to Amatheia kindly and quietly, holding her hand, with a patient, serene expression.

Amatheia didn’t even glance at him when he finally stood beside them. Her voice was fragile, uncertain as it threaded through the darkness illuminated only by the light of Calliste’s power and Kalias’ tree behind them.

“Tell us what you remember,” Calliste asked Amatheia.

“When my body burned, my Shade was already in the Underworld, heading toward a glorious forest... where I found rest under the tree that was mine, Priestess; a tree whose light offered me all the answers to my life and allowed me to understand that losing my life for my child was predestined, and that I would be rewarded for that in Elysium.”

Theron froze, not daring to move.

“But when I reached Styx’s shore, carrying my life’s essence, Charon rejected me. It was only then I realized I didn’t have the coin to pay him.”

Morpheus’ brows furrowed.

“I stood at the shore, waiting, hoping. Each time the ferry emerged from the mists of Styx, I pleaded with the ferryman to let me board. Each time, he refused, while the essence of my life drained from my hands, drop by drop. Finally, my hands were empty. I had nothing—no past, no future. So I walked away.”

Calliste stroked Amatheia’s hand in a way that made Theron’s chest tighten.

“I wandered the shores of Styx, not knowing that my memories were fading. Eventually, the only thing I remembered was my name and my last wish—to find my coin. I roamed until I reached the entrance of the Underworld. Leaving was impossible for me, but I wanted my coin. I asked all the Shades entering the realm if they had found it. They all passed by, unspeaking, until one day, she appeared among them.”

“Eris?”

“She never told me her name. She watched me for a while and then smiled. I’ve been looking for you, she said. I know who you are and what you need. ”

“So she knew why you were there.” Morpheus’ expression darkened.

Amatheia nodded. “And she offered to bring me my coin.”

“But she wanted something in return,” Calliste put in.

“Her price didn’t seem steep,” Amatheia said absently. “She wanted to see this realm, but she couldn’t enter as she was.”

“Correct,” Morpheus whispered. “She’s not a member of Hades’ court, and Cerberus would eventually track her down. No god is keen to come into contact with his fangs.”

“She needed me—my shadowy body—to cloak herself so she could travel here. And I... I agreed.” She paused.

“I was exhausted. I wanted to finally be at peace, but I didn’t know that she’d lied to me, and when I found out, it was too late.

By then, she’d taken over my body and turned me into her puppet.

She controlled my thoughts and form, confining me to a corner of my mind.

I was trapped, forced to watch as she began gathering those strange, corrupt apparitions—”

“The Condemned,” Calliste said.

“The Condemned,” Amatheia repeated. “How fitting. She focused on summoning a tree here. I didn’t understand why she wanted it so badly, but I seemed to recognize it. That tree was familiar to me in a way I could not explain.”

Morpheus didn’t say anything, and Theron realized he was choosing not to burden her with the knowledge that Eris had used her mother’s bond to draw her son’s tree into the Roots. “It must have taken her a long time,” he prompted after a brief silence.

“A very long time,” Amatheia replied tonelessly. “The tree didn’t appear immediately; it was an outline at first, gradually becoming more substantial. Once it seemed solid enough, she ordered the Condemned to hold onto it. During those days, she was very satisfied.”

“She thought of everything,” Morpheus muttered. “And she probably never intended to let you go.”

“Of course not. I pleaded with her every day, but she would sneer at me. I kept asking why she was doing this, and one day, I angered her enough, and she finally answered.”

Theron held his breath.

“So what was her purpose?” Calliste asked.

“It was hard for me to understand,” Amatheia said, fixing her eyes on the shimmering tree. “She suddenly rambled that the Underworld was rightfully hers and she would reclaim it—”

“What?” Morpheus breathed.

“That she would show everyone how weak its ruler is. How little it takes to unravel the realm.”

“Gaia help us,” Morpheus turned pale. “We need to get back to Hades.”

“Do you understand what she means?” Calliste asked, her face tight with worry.

“I cannot fathom all of her deranged plans, no. If recovering the coin is going to stop her, we must hurry.”

“And... the queen?” Calliste inquired, her tone calm yet firm, as Morpheus averted his gaze.

“Let me think about it.”

Theron knelt beside Amatheia, opposite Calliste. His voice was strained as he asked, “Amatheia, do you remember me?”

She studied him blankly. “Yes. You are the man who married me... a long time ago.” To his relief, she didn’t use the word husband , though the man who married me sounded like poison.

Her eyes wouldn’t leave his face; her scrutiny chilling because she was now herself, not a Shade possessed by an evil goddess. “How is our son?”

The question jolted him; she clearly didn’t know that the tree behind her belonged to Kalias, nor the implications of it being here, in the Roots. The least he could do was to keep it that way. “He’s… a bright, good-hearted boy, curious and…” A smile warmed his face. “Full of mischief.”

Amatheia didn’t speak for a long while. “Good.” She studied him with a blank gaze. “I’ve always believed that if I ever saw you again, I would hate you as much as I did before I died. I told you that, didn’t I?”

“Those were your last words to me,” he admitted calmly.

Calliste’s breath caught.

He wouldn’t meet her gaze. If she was on the brink of distancing herself after this, he wanted to delay it, even if only by moments.

“I don’t feel it anymore.” Amatheia’s lifeless eyes fixed on him. “If I ever hated you, it was in another life. Here, those words mean nothing. I only wish to be free. Can you grant me freedom?”

Hope surged in his chest. “If it’s within my power, I will.”

“Help me cross Styx and find peace. If you do that...” Her words twisted like smoke, elusive. She couldn’t promise much, as she was powerless to do so. But the coin would free her from this grim place, allowing her to journey to where she longed to be.

Theron straightened, his back rigid with purpose. “Let’s take you away from here, so Eris cannot take over your body again, and—”

“We cannot move the queen from here,” Morpheus sighed.

He thought he’d misheard. “What?”

“Why?” Calliste asked, pushing back her hair and giving him an incredulous look. “Why not?”

“Because we’re in the Roots,” Morpheus replied, then sighed again.

“Pardon my bluntness, but she is a cage, and Eris is a rabid animal. If we remove the queen’s Shade, Eris will have to rely on her divine powers to cross the portal back to the upper echelons of the Underworld. In doing so, she risks rousing Erebus.”

“But that would be destructive, even for her.”

“Of course. But her other option is to remain imprisoned here forever. Which do you think a goddess of strife will choose?”

Calliste was the first to speak. “She won’t risk it. She’s not that mad, is she?”

“I don’t know.” Morpheus gave her a long look. “Did she strike you as entirely sane?”

“If you leave me here, she will come back for me,” Amatheia whispered. “She’ll take over my body again and use me.”

“It’s unacceptable,” Theron said, standing up. “We can’t abandon her now, after all she—”

“I know it’s hard for you both. But this is why Eris fled. So far, her strategy is flawless: she’s created a situation where a false move from us could lead to catastrophe. The tree is also crucial to her plan.”

“But if we take the queen with us, the tree should return to the Enclave, correct?”

Morpheus pointed at the red vines twisted around the tree. “Eris still has a way to hold it hostage, and if we confront her, she might awaken Erebus. That’s another risk we can’t afford to take.”

Calliste rose. “I can try to heal them and free the tree.”

“You’ll only exhaust yourself. You’ve already used up most of your power,” Morpheus replied quietly.

Theron glanced at Amatheia. “Can I stay instead of her?” he asked, finally meeting Calliste’s gaze, and the look of horror that she gave him was a relief, only strengthening his resolve to make amends.

“I’m afraid not. You’re not a Shade but a living mortal under Themis’ protection. Themis and Eris are opposites. Eris can’t take over your body because Themis would reject her out of sheer distaste.”

“But—”

“You both want to help her,” Morpheus sighed. “It’s a noble intention, but without bargaining chips or a plan, we might do more harm than good.” He approached Amatheia. “We will return for you and free you from her. Can you hold out a little longer?”

Amatheia closed her eyes momentarily. “I... I don’t want her to crawl back inside me. She’s mad. Vile.”

“I know,” Morpheus said, bowing his head. “You’ve endured so much. But help is coming: I give you my word, and I swear on Styx that we won’t leave you alone.”

Theron watched Amatheia stare at Morpheus in awe before realizing what Morpheus had promised. He glanced at Calliste to see if she understood as well.

She did, watching Morpheus with wide eyes. No one—immortal or not—would swear on Styx without intending to keep their word. Such an oath was unbreakable. Morpheus’ decision to swear it showed how serious he was, even if it was for their sake.

Amatheia seemed to grasp this too. “Come back as soon as you can. I cannot escape her here.”

Morpheus stood. “I don’t intend to waste any time.” He nodded at Calliste and gave Theron a thoughtful look. “Break your moonstone pendants and let’s return to Hades.”