The First Meeting

Asteria ran and ran and ran until she felt like a child again, running through the woods, long ago, long before she had reawakened, long before the gods had ever fought the titans.

She was sprinting, her sandals digging deep into the loamy earth, wild plants ripping into her pale legs. Her father had sent her on a mission to hunt a den of golden-skinned lions.

She had taken on the mission unflinchingly, but he had never expected her to successfully slay them—nor had she. They both knew she was weak—it was written in the redness of the blood dripping down her legs and the raised bruises the size of her father’s hand marring her biceps. It was obvious in the blue-black of her irises, free of the gold representing divinity.

Forget the pair, she’d been unable to take on even the smaller female. Coeus had sent her there to die.

Asteria skidded to a halt at the base of a cliff, staring up the tall white stone for any footholds. She grasped at vines, climbing a few feet only for them to snap, sending her tumbling down the sheer wall. She felt at the bottom, winded, and glanced up to see the impenetrably furred monster prowling closer, muscles rippling beneath its shimmering pelt. So this was it. Asteria slumped, dark bangs shifting over her gaze. She waited for sharp canines to dig into her throat, claws to rip into her and tear her pathetic body to shreds, but nothing happened. Instead of the lioness’s low growl, she heard the soft pad of leather sandals crushing leaves underfoot.

She blinked, shocked, as legs came into view, someone dropping into a squat before her.

“Are you alright?” Asteria’s gaze whipped up, staring at the bandaged face of a boy not older than herself, who she’d only ever seen around Mount Orthyrs, but never spoken to. Her eyes flicked over to where she’d last seen the lion, expecting the glint of yellow eyes ready to pounce, but instead the leaves rustled through empty space, wind carrying away flecks of golden dust. She scooted backward, and the boy didn’t move forward.

“It wasn’t smart to take on those lions,” he said gently. “You could have been killed.”

“I am no mortal!” Asteria spat, “Don’t treat me as weaker than you, just because I’m powerless.” She wouldn’t admit she did not even know if she was truly immortal with her red blood.

Despite the black fabric across his eyes, the boy’s body language clearly conveyed his surprise. “I never said that.” He dropped into a seated position, watching her carefully. “Why are you out here alone?”

Asteria watched him back. He was the youngest son of Crius, one of the Cardinal Generals in charge of the four sides of the world. Mount Othrys was rife with rumors about the boy—about the bandages that hid his gaze. It was a taboo to conceal the physical expression of one’s power. She knew most people thought he was like her, weak and unable to manifest a domain, with eyes that did not match the half-gold ones of his siblings or father. Asteria wasn’t too sure. There was something about him, power emanating from his skin, golden tan and suffused with the glow of divine ichor.

“My father sent me to kill those lions.”

“You’re one of Coeus’ daughters, right? That’s rather harsh training.”

Of course it was. There wasn’t much longer left before Coeus would give up on her. Leto, Asteria’s sister, had been saved when the Moirai had designated her as a Goddess of Motherhood, but Asteria was running out of time. The general had already been forced to focus his attention on his younger, pathetic daughter—he wouldn’t give her the same freedom Leto had received.

The boy reached into a leather satchel he carried with him, pulling out a row of dark bandages with shimmering characters etched along them. She squinted, trying to read the sigils’ purpose, as he easily tore off a few long strips. Some sort of impermeability, she thought. He pushed them over to her, and her eyes caught on the same bandages covering his hands as he withdrew and twisted his fingers nervously.

“Can’t touch,” he shrugged, allowing her to wrap the bandages around her own wounds. She looked mistrustfully at the bandages, not sure she wanted to wrap something with unknown purpose on her. “It’s alright,” the boy reassured, seeing her hesitation. “The sigils are tied to my domain. They won’t affect you.” The boy held out a hand and allowed black energy to spark across his palm. As she watched, the magically enforced bandages began to degrade, wearing away before her eyes. He closed his hand with a nervous chuckle, cutting off the energy before it could wear all the way through. She relented, skillfully wrapping them around her injuries, feeling the thrum of power engraved in the fabric.

“Why do you need them?” She eventually questioned.

The boy wrapped the remaining bandages across his hands. “My domain is a little out of control… it seeps out if I lose concentration, so this is a fail-safe.”

“Are you strong?” Asteria asked curiously.

He grinned cheekily at her. “What do you think?”

“You are strong.” She didn’t hesitate. The disappearance of the lion was proof enough. He laughed warmly, throwing his head back.

“Maybe!” He chuckled before he grew serious. “Power isn’t everything, though. All that really matters is you survive.” He wrapped the rest of the sealing bandages across his palm.

“Coeus never expected me to return.”

The boy’s gaze turned sad, but unsurprised. “I thought so.”

Asteria frowned, not liking his simple responses. “I was meant to prove myself—prove I will not damage his reputation—and I had to be saved by you—you of all people! He will be insulted that the person who saved me is the son of his rival!”

The boy shrugged, leaning back. “You shouldn’t have to prove yourself to anybody.”

“Easy for you to say,” Asteria scoffed. “You have a domain. Look at me.” She pointed at her dark eyes. “I have mortal eyes. No power, no use, no purpose.”

The boy peered at her—squinting toward her, if the way his nose scrunched up was any indication. He tilted his head, and his white hair gleamed like silver in the sunlight as he moved. “I don’t know about that—your eyes are like the depth of space. I don’t think a mortal could have eyes that shine like stars in the night sky.”

“Wha—” Asteria blushed, hands coming up to cover her steaming face. “I—it is the middle of the day! And, and—if there’s no gold, it does not matter. My father will always see me as weak.”

He shrugged, still watching her. “Do you know why we associate golden eyes with power?”

Asteria thought it had something to do with Khaos, but wasn’t sure. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I am… I’m out of time.” She struggled to her feet, legs aching, willing her blush to fade.

“What do you mean?” The boy asked, looking up at her curiously, palm pushing against the ground as he stood—the grass around it immediately wilted, turning from a vibrant green to ash in seconds. Asteria shook her head, unable to force the words out—if she didn’t manifest a domain by the solstice, her father would be disposing of her—disposing of the blight on his honor as the General Megamedes.

She turned to leave, flinching as a loud noise cracked through the air—a large branch snapping nearby. It was followed by a low growl—Asteria’s heart thundered in her chest. The other lion. Where was it? Her gaze roamed around the clearing, the boy coming to stand warily next to her, muscles tense and at the ready. Another snap, a golden blur was darting toward her. She froze in fear, but the boy reacted, tugging her away as the lion would have landed with teeth closed around her neck. He pulled her protectively behind him. She felt something spark where their skin connected, ringing with a crackling pop in her chest and leaving her chest light, fizzling with something unfamiliar. He startled in the next instant, dropping her arm and pulling his hand into himself, but still stood protectively in front of her, staring down the massive growling lion.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice calm and unyielding. He stepped unflinchingly toward the beast, checking back briefly to make sure there was distance between them before he unwrapped the bandages from his wrist. Dark energy welled up immediately, flickering across his forearms. The grass wilted in a perfect circle around him, which gradually expanded across the clearing.

The lion dropped low, growling. Asteria realized with a start that this was not a predator preparing to jump. It was cowering. It bared its teeth, tail lashing, muscles tense below its shimmering pelt—but it was slowly backing away. Once it was under the shadows of the tree, it whipped around and raced away. Asteria stared in disbelief and watched as the boy quickly re-wrapped his hands. He turned to her with a boastful grin.

“See? I’m strong,” he quipped, pointing toward himself.

“Yes.” She blinked, still shocked.

“So,” he hedged. “If you need anything, you can trust me to help out. You don’t have to face Coeus alone.”

“No, I… I cannot rely on anyone. I—I have to go.”

“Wait,” the boy called after her as she started to run. She paused, just long enough to look at him, to admire the gentleness with which he carried himself. “Be careful.”

Asteria hesitated, but nodded before she left the boy alone in the hollow with the glittering, dusty remains of an invincible lion. He tilted his head, watching the foliage she had disappeared into.

“I didn’t get her name…” Perses, the titan god of destruction, murmured. “Hmmm…” he thought of how warm she felt compared to the cold halls of Orthyrs, the way her eyes seemed to reflect the entirety of Khaos’s sky even in the middle of the day. “I’ll get it next time, Starshine.”

His fingers still tingled with the warmth of her arm, and he glanced down at them. His smile froze. At some point, perhaps because the seals hadn’t been wrapped tightly enough, he had made contact with her. He could still feel the warmth of her skin against his palm. He stared up toward the girl, panic racing in his chest. No one Perses had ever met had been immune to the uncontrollable destruction brought by his domain, not even his father. If she was lucky, his seals had protected her, and she would simply run into some bad luck. Otherwise…