Nemesis fixed her gaze on Corinna. “I have heard your tale of wrong doing. I will grant your wish for vengeance if you will promise to do one thing for me.” She moved a step forward. “I want your word that you will not abandon the child growing within your womb after it is born.” A second step brought her so close her shadow enveloped Corinna like an eclipse.
“Stand still.” Nemesis pressed her hand against Corinna’s stomach and furrowed her brow in concentration. After a short pause, a smile curved her mouth. “Narcissus has blessed you with a daughter, she will be half mortal and half immortal, a demi-Goddess. She will need your love and guidance, Corinna.”
“I’m going to give birth to a demi-Goddess?” asked Corinna.
Nemesis nodded. “Yes, you are. It will be difficult to raise her on your own but not impossible. Narcissus has given you a precious gift. Your daughter needs you, Corinna. Are you going to be a mother to her?”
Fear flashed across her face. “I have no home. No husband.”
“I can send you to a safe place to give birth. Your daughter has powers even in the womb, Corinna. She will not let you starve or spend the rest of your life cowering in a gutter.” She cupped the side of the mortal’s face in her hand. “All she needs in return is your love. Are you up to the task?” she asked.
Corinna hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “I am.”
“If you are ready I can send you far from this place.”
Corinna’s attention drifted toward the line of trees. As she turned her head, a gust of wind circled around her body, showering her in fallen leaves. Her robes rippled around her legs, parting occasionally, each time revealing a glimpse of her bare legs. Her vacant stare gazed deep into the woods. The shadows surrounding the trees was like a void. Deep. Dark. Black.
Corinna gave herself a light shake and turned away, shuddering. A man with curled horns on each side of his head stepped out from behind a tree in the corner of her vision. With a gasp, Corinna glanced to the side, but saw nothing.
Nemesis squeezed her arm. Corinna whirled around, breathing heavily, her face pale with fright. “I want to leave,” she said in a whisper.
Nemesis closed her eyes and focused her energies onto the demi-Goddess nestled in Corinna’s womb. Her mind entered the child’s and brushed against the tiny pulsating light that was her soul. The little girl stirred, curiosity awakened inside her so strongly, her emotions rebounded back to Nemesis, filling her with child-like awe for the first time in centuries.
Smiling, the older Goddess probed deeper into the mind of the infant. Too young to speak in words, Narcissus’s daughter used her powers to communicate with images thrust directly into Nemesis’s head. Despite her age, she could sense her mother’s distress.
Her question was clear: Is she in danger?
Nemesis answered by filling the child’s head with flashes of all the dangerous creatures lurking in the forest. A ripple of panic gripped hold of the girl. Nemesis pressed harder, bombarding the demi-Goddess with an overwhelming desire to do everything she could to protect the fragile mortal that was her mother.
Corinna circled her arms around her waist. “My baby--” Her gaze dropped onto her stomach as a golden light began to grow inside her womb. As she watched, it began to pulsate, bathing her in a flickering glow. “What is happening?” she lifted her head and cast a fearful glance at Nemesis.
“Where am I…” Her body paled, turned transparent and then vanished. Nemesis turned her head toward Eutropia. “Follow me.” She spun around in a circle and disappeared in a flash of flame.
